Marguerite Barrett

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

I’ve been remiss in not keeping up with my writing here. You’d think with all the wonderful wines I sampled during my two seminars at the Boston Wine Expo, the words would flow from my fingers onto these pages. But even with great notes and great experiences, writing, I find, is very hard work. And too often takes a back seat to work, chores, friends, and, hopefully, further wine adventures.

So I metaphorically pick up the pen again after an absence of almost three weeks (where DOES the time go?) and continue with the second flight presented in the “Taste the Terroir of Burgundy” seminar I attended at the Boston Wine Expo. The seminar had kicked off with a flight of four white Burgundies from the Chablis and Côte de Beaune regions of Burgundy.  The next flight featured reds, and in this case four wines all from the same village, Chambolle-Musigny, in the Côte de Nuits region.

According to our host, Laurent Drouhin, this is one of the family’s favorite villages, with a range of vineyards, including both Premier Cru and Grand Cru that produce wines that are subtle and rich, without too many spicy notes.  The four wines presented were, like the whites, all from the 2006 vintage.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle Musigny From vineyards classified as village vineyards (for a discussion of the differences between village, region, premier cru and grand cru classifications in Burgundy, see my post of January 25th).  Fermented in open vats and matured in oak, with a limited use of new oak, the wine is bright and easily drinkable.  The color is a bright, deep ruby-garnet.  The nose is fruity with notes of black cherry and plum.  Also, I immediately noticed the flinty “tang” that I find so often in Northeastern US reds.  The soil in these vineyards have strong limestone content, similar to that of southern New England, and it comes through in the wine.  In a seminar entitled “Tasting the Terroir,” it felt very satisfying to be able to make that connection.

In the mouth, the wine is bright, lightly dry with a somewhat chalky finish.  The notes of black cherry and plum that I picked up in the nose are very subtle and the fruit is very much in the background.   This would pair well with lighter meats, tuna or salmon, but would not stand up well to anything really spicy or peppery, or rich robust meats like roasts or steaks.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru This and the next wine in the flight were both from Premier Cru vineyards.  This particular wine I found to have the strongest affinities with a southern New England red, and interesting observation because the Burgundies are all Pinot Noir, a grape we grow very little of here in the Northeast.  What’s coming through the wines in both regions is the terroir, the mineral content, particularly limestone; these were the observations that really brought the seminar alive for me.

The color of this wine was a lovely bright burgundy red.  The nose had notes of black cherry and the hallmark flintiness that I’ve been commenting on above.  In the mouth, the wine is very bright with light notes of black cherry and stronger notes of damp earth.  The finish is really nice, smooth with silky tannins.  Laurent Drouhin recommended cellaring this for no more than 6-7 years.  I personally thought it felt “young” that day – a little too bright – and may track down a couple of bottles to cellar for a few years and sample the difference.  Perhaps we’ll see this wine featured in my 2015 Open That Bottle Night festivities.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle Musigny Amoureuses, Premier Cru Aged 25% in new oak, this was was very nice wine, and one of my favorites of the seminar.  The color is a darker, more matte-finish burgundy than the previous wine.  The nose is chalky and deeper, not as bright, than the previous two reds.  The notes of cherry are still present, but they are much more discreet; the predominant notes in the nose are flinty, “tangy,” granite/limestone.  Interestingly, in the mouth, the wine is fruitier and richer than the previous two, and overall the wine is more intense and complex.  The wine lingers on the palate with a long finish with the black cherry fruit notes developing into a delicate earthy, granite finish.  Only 240-250 cases of the Amoureuses were produced, and the wine can age for a long time.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Musigny, Grand Cru The last wine of the flight – and the seminar – was the Grand Cru.  The color is a very dark ruby with a matte finish.  The nose is very subtle, and interestingly, didn’t have the strong limestone/granite flintiness that I picked up in the other wines.  We were also told that the inclusion of this in the seminar was a special treat, as it was only the 3rd or 4th time in 10 years, that Maison Joseph Drouhin had included the Grand Cru in the seminar.

In the mouth the wine was very intense; deep, rich, and complex, although not a “big” wine.  Notes of black cherry were present here, as in the previous wines, although the wine is still young and the presence of the fruit was not fully developed.  According to Laurent Drouhin the wine should be cellared for 10-30 years for optimal drinking.

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ôMarguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

To best present the effects of terroir on wine, Drouhin selected two flights, one white one red, of the 2006 vintage.  Same grapes, same vintage ~ different regions, different vineyards.  In addition, among the whites all four wines were either Premier Cru or Grand Cru.

Wine classifications such as Premier Cru and Grand Cru are critically important and very tightly controlled in Burgundy, dating back to the Cistercians, among some of the largest landowners in Burgundy in the Middle Ages, who were able to differentiate soil differences and types and identify those areas that would produce the most distinct wines. (Source: Wikipedia).   This focus on terroir remains, and as a result Burgundy is known as one of the most, if not the most, terroir conscious wine regions in the world.

Burgundy’s wine classifications are strictly defined by AOC laws and are assigned based on the quality of the soil not the house producing the wine. Grand Cru, the highest classification, is the rarest with only 33 vineyards or 2% of the region being classified as Grand Cru.  Recognized as the best vineyards in the region, the wines produced from these vineyards are generally intended for cellaring a minimum of 5-7 years. Premier Cru, which total 12% of the region’s vineyards, are considered to be high quality vineyards, but not as high quality as the Grand Cru, and are also intended for cellaring, although for a minimum of 3-5 years.  Grand Cru wines will be produced from grapes from a single Grand Cru vineyard; Premier Cru, on the other hand, may be produced from grapes from several Premier Cru vineyards.

Below the Premier Cru are the Village and Region appellations. Village wines are produced from lesser quality vineyards organized around one of the region’s 42 villages.  The influence of terroir remains important at this level as well, with distinct characteristics present in the wines differentiating and helping to define the boundaries of the villages.  Again it is the soil which defines the appellation and not all towns in Burgundy are recognized as villages for wine classification purposes. Finally the Regional appellation are wines that are allowed to be produced form vineyards across the entire region, or regions larger than the individual villages.   For a more thorough discussion of Burgundian wine classifications, see Wikipedia or The Wine Doctor.

Having soaked up this quite fascinating background, the next step was to experience the terroir in the wines themselves.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru From the Chablis region of Burgundy, the northenmost of Burgundy’s five regions.  The soil in this region is generally flinty and chalky with strong minerals.  The Les Clos Grand Cru is one of seven Grand Cru vineyards on the hill overlooking the town of Chablis.

Aged in old oak only, the 2006 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is pale golden yellow in color.  The nose is pretty and floral with light notes of honeysuckle and a hint of lemon which gives it freshness.  In the mouth the wine is delicate with some light grassy notes and a finish that opens up with notes of lemon.   The finish has the brightness of the citrus without the tangy bitterness.  One of the seminar participants described the wine as “having weight without being heavy,” a description that was well received by Laurent Drouhin, the seminar host.  It’s a perfect description – the wine has presence, lingering on the palate, but doesn’t overwhelm the mouth.  Food pairing suggestions included seafood and goat cheese.   Cellaring is recommended for a minimum of 5-6 years, although the wine should keep for 15-20.  The wine is currently retailing for $70-$75 a bottle.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru From the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy, the southern region of the Côte d’Or.  The soil of Puligny-Montrachet has a lot of limestone which contributes strong minerality to the wines.  The Folatières is the most famous of the Premier Cru vineyards in the region.

Aged in oak with 25% being new oak, the 2006 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru is a lovely bright goldeny-yellow color.  The nose is very dry with discreet notes of honey and an “alcohol sting.”  In the mouth, the wine has strong mineral notes, although it’s not as flinty as the Chablis Les Clos.  There’s also a slight creaminess to the Folatières, but it’s not the kind of creaminess one finds from the more heavily oaked California Chardonnays.  It’s more of a softness – very subtle notes of honey that hover just under the minerality and earthiness of the wine.  The wine retails for about $100 a bottle, although a recent internet search turned up many places which list a sale price of $80/bottle.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Marquis de Laguiche Premier Cru.  Also from the Côte de Beaune region, this vineyard is part of the estate of the Marquis de Laguiche, one of the oldest and most aristocratic families in France.  In 1947 the family approached Maurice Drouhin, son of Drouhin founder Joseph Drouhin and asked him if Maison Joseph Drouhin would be interested in taking over management of the Marquis de Laguiche vineyards.  The two struck a handshake deal which continues through today.

Aged in oak, with 25% being new oak, the wine is light gold in color with a soft, delicate nose.  Described by Laurent Drouhin as “one of the ultimate expressions of what they can do in Burgundy,” the wine is very silky and light, earthy with a light chalkiness, and has soft notes of apricot and a very light citrus/acid finish.  The finish has some tannic texture which gives the wine a bit more body to the finish.  Very well balanced, it’s a subtler and rounder wine than either of the previous two.  A beautiful wine.  This wine currently retails for $100 a bottle.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Premier Cru The last of the four whites also hails from the Côte de Beaune, although north of both the Puligny-Montrachet and the Chassagne-Montrachet regions. The soil here is stony with limestone, clay and silica.  The word “mouches” means flies, so named for the honey bees (“flies”) once housed in beehives in the vineyards.  The Beaune Clos des Mouches was one of the first vineyards acquired by Maurice Drouhin, son of Maison founder, Joseph Drouhin, in the 1920s.  Today half the vineyard is planted with Chardonnay, the other half Pinot Noir.

The wine was my favorite of the four, edging out even the Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru.  The color is a pale yellow as opposed to the more golden yellow of the previous three wines.  The nose is soft, rich and delicious with notes of damp soil, grass and a hint of almonds.  In the mouth the wine is velvety – subtle notes of honey give the wine a hint of soft sweetness, delicate and very lightly creamy with notes of nutmeg.  The wine finishes with a nice balance of acid that develops into soft citrus notes at the back of the mouth.  Retail prices for this wine seem to range widely; I found prices from $60 – $100 on a recent internet search with the majority in the $75-$85 range.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

This year I treated myself to two wine seminars at the Boston Wine Expo, focusing as last year on French wines that I don’t have a chance to experience on a day-to-day basis.

The day began with “Taste the Terroir of Burgundy with Laurent Droughin of Maison Joseph Drouhin.”  Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of the largest and most well regarded houses in Burgundy.  Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin, it remains a family-owned business run by the fourth generation, Frédéric Drouhin, President; Véronique Drouhin, Head Winemaker; Phillipe Drouhin, Estates Manager, and Laurent Drouhin, Director United States Market.  They work closely with their father, Robert Drouhin, who ran the house until 2003.

The house was founded in 1880 when a very young Joseph Drouhin established his own wine company in the Beaune region of Burgundy.   Joseph’s son, Maurice, expanded the business, purchasing the domain’s first vineyards in 1919.  He continued to purchase vineyards through the 1920s and 30s, including the Clos des Mouches, which produced one of my favorites among the eight wines presented that afternoon.   Maurice Drouhin was, in turn, succeeded by his son Robert who continued to expand the vineyards, particularly in the Chablis region, which hadn’t yet been recognized for it’s full potential.  Under Robert Drouhin’s leadership, Maison Joseph Drouhin became a leader in “natural” viticultural practices, moving away from the use of pesticides to organic and sustainable methods.  In 2009 Maison Joseph Drouhin was awarded organic certification.  While proud of this certification, Laurent Drouhin pointed out that Joseph Drouhin did not pursue organic, “natural” methods in the hopes of winning awards or recognition, but rather to better allow the nuances of terroir to express themselves through the wines.  ”The Burgundian soil expresses itself through the vine.  We strive to reveal its most hidden and subtle message.” (Source: Joseph Drouhin brochure).

Maison Joseph Drouhin has vineyards across Burgundy in the Chablis, Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune (Côte d’Or) and Côte Chalonnaise regions.  The domain encompasses 182 acres of which 60% are Grand Cru or Premier Cru vineyards.

Maison Joseph Drouhin remains committed to five core values:

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Also on my New Year’s Day excursion was a stop at Sunset Meadow Vineyards, a fairly regular stop for me throughout the year, and with Connecticut Valley Winery, a particular favorite of the Sisters of the Wine Trail (SOTS).

Also a particpating winery of the Litchfield Winter Wine Trail, I headed over to Goshen after leaving Jerram Winery in the New Hartford.  Proprietors George and Judy Venice Motel have created a very comfortable and cozy space with the Tasting Room with the look and feel of a rustic, but well-appointed cabin.  When I arrived mid-afternoon, several small groups of people were already settled in enjoying both the wine and the roaring fire.  Judy Venice Motel was circulating through the room, and with the surrounding snow-covered hills and vineyards visible through the windows lining one wall of the tasting room, I felt like I had stepped into a ski lodge.

I grabbed a place at the bar and a tasting of five of my favorite of Sunset Meadow’s wines – the Riesling, the Vidal Blanc, Blustery Blend (a Cayuga, Seyval Blanc blend), New Dawn (a Malbec, Merlot, Frontenac and Landot Noir blend) and the St. Croix, all of which have been featured here at Vino Verve.

At the end of the tasting, rather than ordering a glass of wine, I was offered a small steaming mug of a mulled Merlot.  I’ve had mulled wine before – I mull wine myself several times each winter –  but this was the richest and most delicious mulled wine I’ve had in many an age.

The base for Sunset Meadow’s mulled wine is their Merlot, a 2010 Finger Lakes Wine Competition silver medal winner and a 2010 Grand Harvest International Wine Competition Bronze Medal winner.  To this they add cranberry juice and Crown Mulling Spices, a blend of spices that includes cranberry, cinnamon, and nutmeg among others.  The result was a rich, silky, fruity, robust mulled wine that was absolutely perfect for a cold, snowy afternoon.  I could have stayed there all afternoon drinking mugs of mulled wine; instead I contented myself with a sample and a mental note to order some Crown Mulling Spices and invite my fellow SOTS over for a Sunday afternoon in front of the home fires.

Note to the Motels ~ if you ever decide to bottle your mulled wine, drop me a line.  I’ll definitely be coming by to pick up a case!

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

The Hudson Valley Wine Country organization is offering a Winter in Wine Country Passport.  Similar to their summer passport program, the Winter in Wine Country Passport is available for $30 and is good for a complimentary wine tasting at each of the 10 participating Hudson Valley wineries:

Benmarl Winery ~ Marlboro, NY
Brookview Station Winery ~ Casteton, NY
Brotherhood Winery ~ Washingtonville, NY   (Vino Verve Visited!)
Hudson-Chatham Winery ~ Ghent, NY
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery ~ Millbrook, NY
Palaia Vineyards & Winery ~ Highland Mills, NY (Vino Verve Visited!)
Robibero Family Vineyards ~ New Paltz, NY
Stoutridge Vineyard ~ Marlboro, NY
Tousey Winery ~ Germantown, NY
Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery ~ Gardiner, NY

You must purchase your passport tickets by January 31st (only 9 days left!) and the tickets are good from February 1st through March 31st.   As tastings run on average between $5 and $10 depending on the winery, the passport is a fantastic deal!

Purchase tickets online through eventbrite, and for more information about the Hudson Valley Wine Country organization, including a list of all Hudson Valley wineries and an interactive map that helps you plan your trip(s), visit HudsonValleyWineCountry.org.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

My New Year’s Resolution should have been “don’t procrastinate on filing your Vino Verve posts!”   Although given that it’s not even the end of January and I’m already behind, at least I don’t now feel the guilt of having resoundingly failed at my resolution before the year truly got underway.

So, to catch us up ~ I kicked off the New Year on the Litchfield Winter Wine Trail; first stop Jerram Winery in New Hartford, Connecticut.  Having sampled the available whites, next up were the reds, which I was particularly looking forward to.  My first visit to Jerram was fairly early into my Connecticut Wine Trail adventures.  Jerram was one of the first wineries at which I tried a Marechal Foch wine (as opposed to encountering Marechal Foch as a blending grape), and the Highland Reserve, a Cabernet Franc/Marechal Foch blend was one of my favorites of that visit.  Not having been back in almost two years, I was looking forward to the new vintages.

Before either the Highland Reserve or the Marechal Foch, however, the first red presented was Sil Vous Plait, a 100% Cabernet Franc.  The nose has bright notes of cherry and that flinty, salt-tanginess of the Northeastern Reds.  Medium-bodied, the wine is slightly tart with cherry notes on the front and a lightly smoky finish.  The mouth-feel is soft, and there’s a slight bite towards the back of the tongue that makes the wine feel a bit young.  With Connecticut Cabernet Francs, I’ve found cellaring them for six to nine months and then letting them breathe a bit really mellows them and makes for a much richer wine.

Next up was the Highland Reserve, the Marechal Foch/Cabernet Franc blend.   The nose is softer and more subtle than the Sil Vous Plait, although the cherry notes are still the predominant note.  In the mouth the wine is lightly sweet and fruit forward with bright notes of cherry, which carry through from the front to the back of the tongue.  There are light notes of smoke and leather on the finish, enough to provide a nice balance but not so much that they overwhelm the wine.  Overall a lovely wine.

And last, and certainly not least, my favorite the Marechal Foch. The nose is earthy with notes of grass; a definite surprise after the more strongly cherry noses of the first two wines.  Medium-bodied, in the mouth the wine, like the Highland Reserve, is fruit-forward with notes of cherry, but there are earthy notes as well which keep the wine from the sweeter notes found in the Highland Reserve.  The tanginess and “bite” that is a characteristic of the Marechal Foch grape (or to be more precise the Marechal Foch wines I’ve encountered) is present but not distracting.  The wine is quite smooth and feels more robust and mature than other Marechal Foch wines I’ve tasted.

If anything could be considered Jerram’s “signature” wine, it would be the Marechal Foch.  These are the first vines Jim Jerram planted when he established the vineyards in 1982, and the first wine he produced in 1986.  Over the years he’s expanded to other grapes and wines, but the Marechal Foch maintains a place of prominence in the Jerram Winery lineup.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

I managed to start the New Year as planned, spending New Year’s Day re-visiting a couple wineries that I hadn’t visited in almost a year.  The weather certainly helped; after a Boxing Day snowstorm dumped 12″ of snow on most of Connecticut, New Year’s Day dawned bright and sunny and hit the 50s by early afternoon.  The sun glistening off the snow in the hills was beautiful as I made my way over to my first stop of the day, Jerram Winery in New Hartford, Connecticut.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Jerram, despite my liking their wines enough to have brought home one of everything the last time I was there.  So I was looking forward to tasting the latest vintages of some of my favorites and seeing if they had any new wines on the menu.

It was pretty quiet when I arrived; owner and winemaker Jim Jerram was at the Tasting Bar engaged in a lively conversation with a gentleman who, it appears, has recently bought a place – or is considering buying a place in New Hartford.   The interior is bright and cheery – just as I remembered it – and both the ambience and the company welcomed me warmly.

There are 11 wines on Jerram’s current wine list, six of which are available for tasting, three whites and three reds.  First up was the

White Frost, a 100% Chardonnay lightly oaked.  This is a very dry Chardonnay, and those who dislike the fruity, buttery, sweeter Chardonnays should really like this wine.  In some respects it reminded me more of a Sauvignon Blanc than a Chardonnay – crisp, with light notes of lemon and a nice bite of acid on the finish.

After the Chardonnay, I had my choice of Seyval Blanc.  Jerram produces two Seyval Blancs each year, one sweeter and one drier.  I opted for the drier, but in hindsight I realized not only had I sampled the dry Seyval before but had a bottle at home.  I would have done better to choose the sweeter Seyval Blanc BC for the contrast.  Live and learn… and an excuse to return soon.  Despite the oversight I very much enjoyed the Seyval Blanc.  Crisp with light notes of lemon and grapefruit, particularly on the finish, this is my favorite of the Jerram whites.

When I returned home, I looked back over my notes from my first visit to Jerram Winery - almost two years ago.  I had no idea it had been that long!  Turns out the Seyval Blanc BC is one of Jerram’s newest wines, having bottled the first vintage not long before my visit.  Man, I definitely should have opted for the BC!

The whites concluded with the sweetest of Jerram’s whites, the Aurora, a Villard Blanc/Aurore blend.  This is a really nice wine, and one of Jerram’s most popular.  The wine has a soft, sweet nose with notes of apricot and honey both of which blend nicely in the mouth.  Semi-dry, the Aurora is fruit forward with lovely notes of apricot immediately apparent.  The honey is more subtle and really comes through with subsequent sips, providing the wine with a nice depth and complexity over time.

Not on the tasting menu that day, but a wine which I recently enjoyed at home is Jerram’s Gentle Shepherd, a blend of Cayuga, Chardonnay and Aurore grapes.  This was the bottle I opened two weeks ago to launch my vacation – and the holidays.  Nice point/counterpoint to the holidays.

Having finished the whites, it’s time to clear the palate and rinse the glass before proceeding to the reds…

Jerram Winery
535 Town Hill Road
New Hartford, CT 06047
860-379-8749

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

For the second year in a row, Litchfield area wineries have joined together to sponsor the Litchfield Hills Winter Wine Trail.  Hosted by six local wineries, the Winter Wine Trail kicked off on January 1st and runs through the end of February.   Pick up a Wine Trail Card at any of the six wineries, get it signed at each winery, and drop it off at the last winery you visit to be entered in the drawing.

This year’s Grand Prize is a package of 2 free wine tastings at each participating winery.  Second Place Prize is an overnight stay at a historic New England Inn, the Toll Gate Hill Inn in the heart of Litchfield County wine country, and Third Place Prize is dinner at a Litchfield County restaurant.

The 2011 Winter Wine Trail wineries include:

DiGrazia Vineyards, 131 Tower Road, Brookfield, CT
Haight-Brown Vineyard, 29 Chestnut Hill Road, Litchfield, CT
Hopkins Vineyard, 25 Hopkins Road, New Preston, CT
Jerram Winery, 535 Town Hill Road Rt. 219, New Hartford, CT
Miranda Vineyard, 42 Ives Road, Goshen, CT
Sunset Meadow Vineyards, 599 Old Middle Street Rt. 63, Goshen, CT
You can find a list of our posts about each winery on the Connecticut page under “Win(e)ding Roads”

If you’re new to win(e)ding roads adventures, winter wine trails are one of the best ways to start.  With the exception, perhaps, of the Valentine’s Day weekend, the wineries are much quieter in the winter, the setting more relaxed.  You’re in little danger of being overwhelmed by the crowds one can often find on busy summer weekends.  And because these are local farm wineries, the winemakers themselves are often on hand and more than willing to kick back and chat about their wines, winemaking, and pretty much anything else you want to discuss.   All six participating wineries also have very welcoming and comfortable Tasting Rooms where you can sit, often by a fire, with a glass (or bottle) of wine after you finish your tasting.

Hopefully I’ll see you on the trail one weekend soon.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

You might think that the winter would bring a lull in my win(e)ding road adventures, but there are quite a few wineries that remain open year-round, particularly here in Connecticut.   Some may take a short break for the month of January, but many are open again by February for Valentine’s Day if nothing else.

In addition to wineries January is the month for wine expos with both the Boston Wine Expo and the Mohegan Sun Winefest at the end of the month.   And February brings both the New York Wine Expo and Open That Bottle Night.  Given this bounty of wine activity, New Year’s day generally finds me on the computer planning my winter adventures, which for 2011 include:

Litchfield Hills Winter Wine Trail

For the second year, six Connecticut wineries have joined together to form the Litchfield Hills Winter Wine Trail.  For more information about the wine trail and participating wineries, check back here at the end of the week.

What better way to kick off the New Year than stopping by a few local wineries I haven’t visited in a while?

Completing A State

I have two wineries left in Connecticut before I can say I’ve completed the state; unfortunately, both are seasonal wineries only open in the summer, and one is only open the first weekend of each month.  That doesn’t mean there won’t be stops at local wineries between now and then sampling the newest Connecticut vintages across the state, but my goal of completing the Connecticut “wine trail” is another six months away.

In the meantime, though, I have only one winery left in Rhode Island, Diamond Hill Vineyards in Cumberland just north of Providence.  They are open year-round, so one weekend this winter will find me heading over to Rhode Island (perhaps with my fellow SOTS in tow?) to visit the fifth and final Rhode Island winery.  A sixth winery, Shelalara Vineyards & Winery doesn’t appear to be open to the public, but their wines are readily available in package stores across the state.  I’ve asked via email if they have a tasting room, but even if not, I will certainly pick up a few bottles to sample at home.   The trip to Diamond Hill will also mark a first for us here at Vino Verve – we will now be able to say we have visited and/or tasted wines from every winery in a single state!  You’ll definitely see a virtual celebration here when we hit that milestone.

Boston Wine Expo

January 22nd will find me heading north to the Boston Wine Expo to explore French wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux.  Not a big fan of the overcrowded Grand Tastings, I tend to spend my wine expo time in the seminars.  I also tend to select seminars that offer me the opportunity to taste wines that I would not normally experience – such as last year’s Boston Wine Expo seminars on the 2007 Chateauneuf-de-Papes and the two vertical flights from Maison Louis Latour and the Frescobaldi Crus seminar at the Mohegan Sun Winefest in 2009.

The seminar selection this year was particularly good, and it was a bit tough to choose.  But I ultimately settled on two:

Taste the Terroir of Burgundy with Laurent Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin.  I’m fascinated by the concept of terroir and what better way to learn more about it than through a tasting of great wines from Burgundy.  This seminar features two flights of four wines each, one white (different villages and different vineyards) and one red (different vineyards) from the same house.

2009 Bourdeaux with Jean-Christophe Calvet, President of the Aquitaline Wine Company. The Bordeaux seminar has sold out at the previous two expos, but this year I ordered tickets early enough that I snagged a seat!

Mohegan Sun Winefest

I’m still deciding about the Mohegan Sun Winefest, which is the weekend of January 29th and 30th.   There are two seminars that look interesting, Charles Krug’s Sesquicentennial and Duckhorn’s Taste of Terroir.  The Duckhorn would certainly be interesting as a counterpoint to the Burgundy seminar the weekend before, but it’s also late Sunday afternoon.  Of course I could also take a 1/2 day the following Monday…   Decisions… Decisions…

Completely up in the air is the New York Wine Expo the last weekend in February which also happens to be Open That Bottle Night.  I’ve been contemplating hosting an OTBN party, but the final seminar list hasn’t been released yet.  If there’s a “too good to pass up” seminar, I may have to bag the party, nab my friend Maree and head over to the Wine Expo.  It’s nice to have choices.

Finally, interwoven through all of this activity are, hopefully, one or two trips with my fellow SOTS members, Deb, Cheryl and Jean.  Since we first headed out last year, all three have become big wine trail fans and have converted husbands and friends to wine trail aficionados as well.  Cheryl has even ventured as far afield as Brotherhood Winery in the Hudson River Valley after sharing a bottle of their Riesling with me one lazy Sunday afternoon.

It all sounds very busy, and we’ll see how much I actually get done.  It always sounds great as I sit on my couch planning my weekends on the computer.  However, somehow by the time the weekends arrive too many other things get in the way.  At the very least, there are the two seminars in Boston to look forward to.

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Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

It was pretty much the end of the season by the time Jean, Katie and I made our way over to Rosedale (although Katie, who lives down the street is something of a regular, I understand), and Rosedale’s Serendipity and Summer Blush were already sold out, which left us with four wines, two whites and two reds and a bonus wine, a new Sauvignon Blanc that the winemakers had been testing all summer.

The Tasting Bar is at the back of the farmstand, a two-sided bar that could hold perhaps 10-12 people comfortably.  The walls are decorated with posters of both current wine labels and labels of wines that have been retired, providing both art and a sense of history and continuity.  Being so late in the season it was fairly quiet that day, and we were able to find spots and begin our tasting right away.  We kicked off with the

Simsbury White, an estate-grown Seyval Blanc.  The nose was soft and floral with citrus blossom notes.  The mouthfeel was also soft, and in the mouth the wine is dry with light citrus notes and subtle notes of acid on the finish.  The predominant note was grapefruit, although it was light and somewhat delicate, and I appreciated the subtleness of the acid – anything stronger could have brought out the bitterness of the grapefruit.  As it was the wine has a light sweet/tart bite that was rather interesting.

Three Sisters.  Next up was Rosedale’s Three Sisters, named for the owner’s three daughters.  This is an estate-grown Cayuga and is described in the tasting notes as “a classic summer wine.”  The nose is brighter than the Simsbury White and has some spiciness to it.  In the mouth, the wine is bright and tangy with much stronger notes of grapefruit and a nicely balanced finish.  A very nice wine, and yes, a classic summer wine, but this will pair well with a wide variety of foods and should carry through nicely all year round.  I could see this working well with casseroles and heartier fall soups.

From the two whites, we moved on to the two reds; first up…

Lou’s Red, named for the late owner of Rosedale Farms; the current owners are his children and grandchildren.  Lou’s Red is a blend of four grapes: 20% Marechal Foch and 20% St. Croix, both estate-grown, and 10% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot, both brought in from California.   In previous years, the wine was a blend of just three grapes, Marechal Foch, St. Crois and Merlot; the winemaker added the Sangiovese last year and found it  really helped round out the wine.   I really liked the nose on this wine, finding it spicy with warm notes of cumin and pepper.  Undoubtedly the influence of the California grapes, as Northeastern grown reds tends to produce fruity rather than spicy noses.

The wine was lighter-bodied than I had anticipated, but I wasn’t disappointed.  Soft and spicy with notes of dark stones fruits, plum in particular, and pepper, this is a really nice table wine.  There are notes of leather on the finish giving it a somewhat soft finish that really balances the fruit and spice.  This would pair well with heartier pasta dishes as well as lamb or veal.

Farmington River Red.  The second of the reds is an ever-changing wine; each year the winemaker selects different grapes.  For 2010 the Farmington River Red is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from California grapes.  The 2011 vintage will be a Shiraz.  Also in 2011, Rosedale Farms is considering adding a Pinot Noir from Chilean grapes to their wine list.  But that’s next year.

This year, the Farmington River Red is a medium-bodied very pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon  The nose is lightly fruity with notes of pepper.  In the mouth the fruitiness continues with notes of blackberry and a smoky finish with a hint of peppery heat.  Another very nice table wine, very drinkable with a wide variety of dishes.

The tasting finished with a bonus wine, a Kiwi/Pear Sauvignon Blanc that the winemakers had been taste-testing with visitors all summer long.  The nose is soft and fruity with very strong notes of pear.  In the mouth the wine is sweet, falling somewhere between a sweet table wine and a dessert wine.  The mouth feel is soft, light and very smooth.  The lightness is actually quite refreshing, and this wine would be great as an aperitif or with a light fruit and cheese tray.  It would be heavenly with some of the softer cheeses such as brie or goat cheese, and might work paired with a blue.  It would also pair well with lighter desserts such as fruit tarts or ice cream and berries.   An interesting wine and one I hope the winemakers have on their wine list next year.

With the wine tasting concluded, Jean, Katie and I wandered through the farmstand and then headed over to a local restaurant to relax and chat over a glass of wine and a late lunch.  Little did I know at the time that that afternoon was my last win(e)ding roads adventure for 2010.  I had every intention of heading down to southeastern Connecticut to check out one of the last two remaining Connecticut wineries on my list before they closed for the season – but didn’t make it.  And planned to head back over to the Shawangunk Wine Trail to visit a few more wineries on that list – yeah, didn’t make that either.  Looking back, I can’t figure out what I was doing all those weekends, but as I get ready for 2011, one of my resolutions is to do a better job of hitting the trail this year.

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