If you’re a faithful reader, you know that I build up quite a catalog of wine in my house. When I fall in love with a wine I’ll buy a few bottles of them and then put one on the back rack to save. I sip away at the wines until that one bottle is left and I keep it, thinking I will use it at some great future event where I can show off fantastic wine to some good friends.
The “someday” never, ever comes. Until my birthday party.
The Big Plan
Hubby and I planned this for nearly two months. He caters lunches for work and found a bbq place that is truly exceptional that he uses frequently. They actually offer amazing mac and cheese AND jalapeño mac and cheese (and I do love my cheesy carbs). This would be a great opportunity to have friends over and pull some good bottles and even set up some of these tastings I dreamt of doing. Him helping plan and make this happen was so awesome, and made this a really special birthday for me.
Setting the Stage
Virginia fall can be 90 degrees or 34 degrees, so I prepped two verticals—one white, one red—to cover all bases.
White Wine Vertical: Ankida Ridge Chardonnay (2021–2024)
Red Wine Vertical: Arterra Crooked Run (2017, 2021, 2022)
I even got my hands on a bottle of the just-released 2024 Ankida Chardonnay thanks to Matt.
And because no celebration starts without bubbles…
We started with Welcome Bubbles
After all, that is how one starts a party. I had my last bottle of 2020 Ankida Ridge Blanc de Noir (this may be one of my favorite bottles of bubbly) that was open for the early arrivals. I love the balance in this sparkling wine – nice acidity and the Pinot Noir lends elegance that I really enjoy. I’m sad to be out of this wine, but this was the time to open it. We also had Ankida’s 2021 Brut, which is also great, with higher acidity that I enjoy. The last bubbly we opened was a Thibault-Janisson Brut. I enjoy these bubbles (and it’s very available at Wegman’s – score!) – easy drinking and refreshing.
Chardonnay Vertical
- 2021 – this was the standout of the lineup. I found it the most refined and complex of the bunch – it didn’t carry the big bright apple and pear I usually get from Chardonnay.
- 2022 – interestingly, this had elements of butteriness to it that is atypical of my Ankida experience. It was soft, but not my style of Chardonnay.
- 2023 – Kenny laughed at my introduction as I told the group that this is my favorite Chardonnay ever because of the bright acidity and freshness. People really enjoyed this one.
- 2024 – This vintage lands somewhere in between 21 and 23 – there is less acidity to it, and it is more refined.
Intermission: Love for Petit Verdot
Once we finished the Chardonnay vertical, we moved to an intermission wine, the Mount Alto Tributary 2021E – 100% estate Petit Verdot, very limited production and release. This was in the decanter for about two hours, and showed up with dark and lovely fruit (I’d say plum) and the most interesting blueberry nose. Earthy and rich, this was popular and went pretty fast. It went well as people had their fill of BBQ and sides.
Crooked Run Vertical
- 2017 – I remember this release party so well. The 2017 wines at Arterra remain some of my favorite to this day (that malbec!). This has stood up beautifully, despite time and like four moves. A powerful wine, I was surprised and pleased to see some remaining in the bottle at the end of the night. This red rocked.
- 2021 – Very earthy and quite different from the 17. Still some dark fruit in it and smoothing over as it opened up, but not as gorgeous as the 17.
- 2022 – Very fresh fruit in the front of this wine. It’s actually not my last bottle (found one more – yes!). So different from the other two, and just gorgeous. I’m hoping to hold that last bottle a bit to see if it becomes a little more earthy as it ages.
Open Season in the Cellar
People were invited to select bottles to open from the rack.
- 2014 Glen Manor Hodder Hill: Eleven years old and still full of life—Cabernet Sauvignon-led with Merlot and Petit Verdot, complex and beautiful. Kathy brought this one to share and we decanted briefly before serving. It’s still got plenty of time in the bottle left.
- 2019 Hark Petit Verdot: One of Hark’s early bottlings—dark, lush, and a huge hit. David pulled this off the rack for us to try.
- 2019 Hark Spark: A deep, dark blend that earned a spot in the Governor’s Case last year. We drank this one fast. Cindy actually hid this one earlier in the week!
Kenny brought a 2015 Linden Hardscrabble, but we didn’t get to open that one before we started calling it a night. We’re a year older, and get tired early.
I can’t leave out that Matt had stopped by Common Wealth Crush earlier that day, and Kylie gave him a bottle to bring to me!
Thanks Kylie for the 2023 Obscura! I am super excited to try this really interesting wine from them!!! It’s a blend of primarily Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot, with some Petit Verdot and a little bit of Tannat thrown in. Stay tuned for an update on it!
Sunday was another amazing day. My friend and I took a ride down to Ankida Ridge with the wino crew and spent some time with Christine, Dennis and Melinda. I had a club shipment to pick up (24 Chardonnay and 22 Pinot Noir! Score!). Christine brought amazing wines from the cellar for us to taste.
- 2017 Brut Sparkling Wine. This wine was incredible. Very textural in nature – it didn’t scream bright apple and pear, the fruit was subtle and gorgeous. It had this beautiful layered effect.
- Bottled Gamay – a non-vintage blend of the 23 and 24 Gamay – I really liked this a lot. Despite its age and time in bottle, it presented bright and very much akin to a Nouveau.
- Barrel Gamay from 2025 – absolutely lovely fruit bomb. Tons of cherry to it and an absolute joy to sip. I can’t wait for this one.
- 2010 Pinot Noir – holy moley. 15 year old Virginia Pinot Noir. This was dark and had faint smoky elements to it. There was also tobacco. But the fruit wasn’t faded – it was still in there. I could easily have an entire bottle of this and be overjoyed.
- 2021 Pinot Noir Reserve – I had one from a club shipment that I felt was just too young several months ago. Well now it’s mature and ready to play. Also some smokiness, this wine presented with layers and appears ready to age for quite some time. I have some left. Yay me!
We had to leave and didn’t get up to the overlook, but this was an exceptional afternoon. Ankida’s wines age with tremendous grace. And as always, the people of Ankida are just great humans. The Vrooman’s generosity in sharing these library wines with us, and the amazing Melinda’s hospitality make every visit an absolute joy.
Are you like me? Do you save “special” wines to share with others? What wines do you hold back to share for special occasions and compare? Maybe you should open one before Virginia Wine Month is done!
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