I am a creature of habit.
This surprises no one, least of all, beloved Husband.
So today I went back to the winery I visited just three weeks ago, Walsh Family Wine. When we set out, I wasn’t sure whether we’d venture to a new winery, or go to one I already knew, but I decided that it should be this one today. I really enjoyed their rose and reds, and dad is on a big Sauvignon Blanc kick, so it seemed like a good fit.
We stopped at Magnolia’s at the Mill in Purcellville for lunch, which really was a good call. I had a yummy burger and dad had the breakfast plate. It was a cool spot – with wheels and belts from a mill. The trip to it took us into the heart of historic Purcellville which was very cool.
From there, off to nearby Walsh Family Wine – really not far away at all from our lunch stop.
We were greeted by assistant winemaker (Was it Ken? Now I can’t recall – I blame old age, not wine), who poured us Rose and took us to the tasting bar for our tasting flight. This “greet you with Rose” is a really nice and sophisticated touch – it sets a really welcome and pleasant mood as you enter, and I hope they will keep this up. I’m glad we were there early enough to enjoy it – it did start to get busy by 2 p.m., so with a hopping tasting bar I wonder whether they could keep up with the flow of guests offering each rose as they entered. Sarah and Nate are to be commended for this touch.
Ken then poured our flight – starting with the Sauvignon Blanc, which I liked more this time than last time, to the Viognier, and then the En Passant blend, and finishing us with the Merlot, which was no longer on the tasting menu. Because I told him how much I loved the merlot, he subbed that out for the tannat (which I also love!). Dad liked all of them, and we settled on a bottle of sauvignon blanc for the patio. There were a few people at tables on the patio, and we totally enjoyed the view from the shade.
The sauvignon blanc really went well with the 70 degrees outside. While crisp and bright, it didn’t have harsh acidity that can sometimes come, and no specific fruit flavor really overwhelmed it. I do get the orange blossom they mention at the very end, but find that the first tastes are more white fruits like pear.
These labels they put on their bottles make my day. I love the combination of process and tasting notes. At most tasting bars, when you taste they tell you a little about the process – where the grapes are from, what the blend is, and how its aged. After enough wine, you forget all that (unless you take notes like me!). It’s nice to have a label like this to remember what they do when they make the wine along with the tastes they got from it. The tastes I pick up are always different, but I am a little weird, so, not a shocker.
I did learn some new and exciting info today too – the Merlot that I loved so much on my last visit, is done with native yeast fermentation – no additives. That made me really happy, and I expect it’s part of the reason I liked it so much. It doesn’t taste at all like other merlot from Virginia, and I really enjoy it.
Dad and I picked up 2 roses and 2 merlot to bring home, with dad keeping one and me keeping three (seems fair, right?). The very nice woman who finished our transaction also gave us a taste of tannat, since dad did not have that one yet (please don’t get her in trouble – she was really nice, and the tannat is, after all, fantastic). Dad liked it, and he typically isn’t that crazy about tannat.
I’m pretty excited about Walsh Family Wine’s future, and cannot wait to see more of their work!
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