Well, no photos from here from our Sunday stop, but what a great last-minute decision to stop and check this out. They had five wines for us in the barrel room.
The first wine was the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon – estate grown. This was a really nice, strong cabernet, It had aged very well, and had only slight acidity at the end. It was full of dark fruit and earth, and I loved it. They were not selling any of it…. :(. I’m glad they pulled it out of the library though!
Next was the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. They were selling this one today, but it was also very good – same rich cabernet fruit and earth flavors, and very smooth. Really a great cab.
Third wine was the 2010 Cabernet Franc, also estate grown. They had this on there because the Reserve Cab Franc on the tasting menu is so strong and so popular. It was a really good cab franc, but I truly prefer the reserve on the current menu – it has more depth and dark fruit to it, with the characteristic cab franc pepper notes.
It’s interesting to note that all of these were a previous winemaker. I’m a fan of the current winemaker, Seth too, but I had forgotten that the leadership of the winery changed significantly, around 2014-2015.
Next wine was the 2010 Meritage. This was a nice one, and reminded me of the Meritage from way back at La Grange, which is what put it on the map for me. Merlot heavier, but of course pulling from the Bordeaux grapes. Great sip.
Best in show, however, the 2015 Meritage. This one had a little malbec in it, the pourer said. This was stunning, and she gave dad and I a little extra. This also wasn’t for sale, because it will be the January wine of the month! That means 30% off ……… which means I need to make room in my personal wine cave 🙂 This was such a smooth but rich wine, lots of depth in it, lots of earth too. While it’s not all Virginia grapes, it really is an amazing red blend.
La Grange is hopefully doing spectacularly well, because for this day they were offering an additional 10% off your purchase. The wine of the month was the 2015 Carmenere (which I LOVE), so I was ready to buy two and get 40% off, when the cashier reminded me that with three bottles, you move up an additional 10% off…… so I basically got 50% off the entire order. One bottle went to dad for him to enjoy, and I brought two home. One may make it into being a present….. we’ll see.
Their January Club Member day will be another library tasting – I cannot wait to see what they offer then!
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