Little Cheddar Goldfish and the Castle on the Hill

When we were out this Fall visiting a couple of Bucks County wineries, the folks at Crossing Vineyards suggested we make a stop at  Buckingham Valley Vineyards and Winery.   It's a family owned and operated winery and the first self-serve tasting we have ever encountered!  Seriously?  Like a kid in a candy store....like a pig in mud...we were as happy as a clam at high tide! 

We got our glasses and instructions and were set loose in the tasting room.  The bottles were lined up at the edge of the tasting bar, if that's what it would be called in this situation.  We found six reds (Cab Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chacellor, Dechaunac, Merlot and Diego Red), six whites (Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Riesling, and Niagara), and six fruit wines available for tasting.  Here's what I want to say:  The crackers were REALLY good!!

We made a hasty, but polite exit and headed to Sand Castle Winery.  Thanks to Penny we made it before closing.  The building is impressive but more in a banquet hall/wedding/Bar Mitzvah kind of way.  In jeans, we were feeling a little bit under-dressed but we quickly shook that off and headed for the Tasting Room.

There were 11 wines on the tasting menu, starting with the 2005 Johannisberg Dry Riesling, a middle-of-the-road, Alsatian-style Riesling.  Some mineral on the nose, green apple and little acidity - well-balanced, but not acidic enough for me - definitely a crowd pleasing kind of wine, though.  The 2005 Chardonnay Private Reserve and the 2006 Classic Chardonnay were not my cup of tea.  I found something on the nose unpleasant, but I'm not a huge Chard fan, anyway.

The NV Dry Rose, a blend of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay Classic, was light and fruity.  It came across as almost sweet on the palate but I can see it as another middle of the road, crowd pleasing summer sipper.  We next tried the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon which neither one of us remembers much about.  The NV Claret was a little too sweet for our taste and we both passed on the Cuvee Blush when it was described to us as slightly sweet.

The 2005 Johannisberg Riesling had mineral and a hint of petrol on the nose with tropical fruit on the palate.  3% RS and beautifully balanced.  The 2003 Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling, another beautifully balanced wine.  Loads of honey, peaches, and tropical fruit.  13% RS and enough acidity that it's not cloying.  The tasting ended with the Alpine Spice, a mulled wine...apres ski, but not for me.

All in all, not a total bummer of a day.  We took a couple bottles of the 2005 Dry Rielsing and a couple of the LH Rielsing so stay tuned!