Penny did a pretty good job of getting us there in a reasonable amount of time but she took us to the vineyard - always good the check the grapes first. The entrance from the road is unassuming and in stark contrast to the elegant building that houses the tasting room.
The tasting fees are a bit steep - $8 for Regular, $15 for Premium - but that is for 8 to 10 and 12 to 14 wines, respectively and they were very willing to let us try anything that was open. Because the Premium tasting included the Reserve Pinot and Late Harvest Vidal Blanc, we went for it, grabbed our glasses and headed into the barrel room to get the party started.
The first wine up was the 2009 Chardonnay which spent only three months in oak. It was quite nice - round and soft with hints of pear and butterscotch. Next was the 2008 Viognier done in stainless steel. It was very pleasant with loads of tropical fruit but it came across as as much sweeter than the 0.5 to 0.8 RS we were told it had - in fact, we found it almost cloying.
The Viognier was followed by the Vintner's Select White, a blend of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Viognier, and 20% Riesling. The nose was all Chard but it was soft with peach and tropical fruit and a little more acidity than the Viognier. The next pour was the off-dry 2010 Vidal Blanc. With 1% RS, I was not expecting to like this but it had some apple notes and a nice crisp finish.
I was pleasantly surprised by the next pour, the 2009 semi-dry Riesling. I normally wouldn't even try a Riesling with an RS of 2.5% but curiosity got the better of me. The nose was tropical fruit and sweet vanilla that carried through on the palate with a nice acidity that dried out the finish. The last of the group was the 2009 dry Rose. Made from Cab Franc, it was almost ruby in color with strawberry and some floral notes but it had a bit more oak than I like in my Roses.
Next up, the reds......stay tuned!
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