The Greenhill Member Party

Today dad and I grabbed a quick lunch in middleburg- and headed to Greenhill for their member party and club package pickup.

The event was in the barrel room. There was a small group of local vendors selling soap, hummus, candles and such, and then in the barrel room, three wines… the 2017 Reserve Chardonnay, which was in the club package, the 2016 Ontology, also in the package (I subbed Philosophy for it) and the Philosophy. Each was paired with cheese and the were complimentary desserts at the end.

The wines were nice, and the 2017 Reserve Chardonnay truly stole the show.  It’s an outstanding example of the best chardonnay can be. As the market was small and there wasn’t much to the member party, we went to do a regular testing. The menu had not changed much since my previous visit.

Blanc de blancs- Crisp fun and refreshing as always. A nice example and the third bottle in my club package. I’m thinking this bottle is for new years eve or Christmas eve.  This may be my favorite sparkling va wine, and it is so consistent bottle to bottle.

The 2017 chardonnay. This is very different from the reserve chardonnay. This one feels more oaked. It is smoother and butterier… less the style I like. The reserve was much crisper and sharper in its flavors.

The one on this list that I don’t think I’ve mentioned or tasted before was the superstition.  I think this may be my favorite red of theirs now.  I didn’t bring a bottle home, but it really impressed me.  The depth of the tannat shows itself at the end, but its muted by the smoothness of the Syrah, which brings its red fruity flavors to the front, not in a sweet or overpowering way, but rather in a pleasant smooth and soothing fashion.  This wine is a winner.

I was a little disappointed with the member party, expecting a little more, something like Library Tastings, barrel tasting or unreleased wines sitting in the bottles to check out.  An opportunity to talk with the winemaker wasn’t in the cards, as he left for California, but some type of event where we could see the trajectory of the winery over the past few years would have been a lot of fun.  I think they missed the mark on the party aspect here.

As a side not, I asked the pourer in the tasting room if there would be a 2018 Syrah Rose again, and she didn’t know.  She knew there would be a rose for certain, however, she wasn’t clear on the Syrah Rose.  This is what makes me saddest about the winemaker leaving – this was truly an exceptional rose with no other like it around. A shot from this past summer………

I remain hopeful.

Dad and I grabbed the club wines and headed out, with a drive traversing all of Fauquier County on my mind to use more of that wine pass!