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!

Crossing Vineyards - Part III: Please Exit Through the Gift Shop

The Premium wines started with the 2008 Chambourcin Reserve, described by the winemaker as a "complex Zinfandel-style wine" which piqued our interest.  Unfortunately, I'm not really sure how to describe it except to say that it was not Chambourcin as we know it.  The nose was a little oaky and I couldn't really pick out any flavor profile.  Having said that, I didn't dislike it but it wasn't really up my alley.  The 2008 Pinot Noir Reserve had the same brownish color in the glass as the first Pinot but the nose was more earthy.  The tannins were firm with some fruitness in the back of the palate and it finished with hints of black tea. 

The tasting ended with two dessert wines.  The first, the 2009 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc, was lovely!  Nicely balanced  - sweet but not cloying - it had a hint of petrol and dried apricot on the nose with a long honey-apricot finish.  The second was the port-style Chocolate Cherry Truffle.  A fun, light-bodied after-dinner drink reminiscent of chocolate-covered cherries, I can see sipping this one by the fire on a cool fall night.

In a nutshell, I would say that Crossing Vineyards was a mixed bag for us.  My PIC was more disappointed than I was but perhaps our bars were set differently.  I thought that the whites were pretty solid but most of the reds were just not my style.  We did, however, exit through the gift shop, and did not leave empty-handed.

Crossing Vineyards - Part II: Please Remain Seated Until the Ride Comes to a Complete Stop

The reds began with the 2010 Le Noveau, a play on Beaujolais.  With not a Gamay grape in sight, this one is Chambourcin and I'm just not a fan of Chambourcin.  Let's leave it at that.  Now, on to serious wine, the 2008 Pinot Noir.  It was a bit brown in color and a little oaky for my taste.  I got oak and allspice on the nose and a spicy, chile pepper finish. 

Next was the 2008 Merlot which was light bodied with firm tannins but again, more oak than I enjoy.  The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was softer than the Merlot and had some really pretty fruit on the nose but I detected a hint of dill, that my PIC did not, that for me, detracted from the fruitness. 

The 2008 Cabernet Franc was light bodied and well balanced with lovely fruit, nicely integrated tannins, and a long toasty oak finish.  The ruby red 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend - 55% Cab Sauv, 45% Merlot - had a soft, round texture with firm tannins but I got that hint of dill from the Cab Sauv.  The final pour in this group was the Vintner's Select Red, a NV Meritage-style blend of 40% Cab Sauv, 40% Cab Franc, and 20% Merlot.  I found it to be a bit acidic but there was nice fruit and toasty oak on the nose with a chile spice finish.

On to the Premium wines....

Crossing Vineyards - Part I: Please Keep Your Arms and Legs Inside the Boat

After a week of heavy rain and flooding we were feeling the need for adventure.  My Partner in Crime has been intrigued by Crossing Vineyards in the Washington Crossing/Newtown area in Pennsylvania so, with some trepidation and two sets of fully inflated water wings, we plugged the address into Penny and went to check it out.

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!