Exciting Events at The Vineyard

We are preparing for a very busy and exciting week here at The Vineyard. We have some interesting tastings scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week!

Tuesday night we are featuring Reynolds Family Winery. Adam Glatt of Reynolds Family will be here in the shop to guide us through some of the wines that Reynolds Family makes. We will be tasting their Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Sauvignons, Bordeaux style blends and the Chardonnay.

These are some great wines from a small boutique producer in Napa. We are really excited to taste some of the new wines! This is a free tasting.

Wednesday, we will have Bill McKenney from Downey Selections here in the shop to share some wines that he enjoys with his Thanksgiving dinner. If you are looking for a few wines to put on your table, stop in and let Bill help you find the prefect wines! This is a free tasting.

Thursday we will host importer Didier Simonin. Didier will be pouring wines from Jean-Luc Thunevin.

Jean-Luc Thunevin’s fame in the world of Bordeaux began with the first vintage of his celebrated Ch. Valandraud in 1991. He quickly became known as one of the founding Garagistes; the movement of microproducers who sought to make a purer, riper wine than had previously been made in Bordeaux.

He has since nurtured a panoply of other garagiste wines, all micro cuvees of concentrated wines from very low yields. Pruning is adapted to each individual vine, systematic leaf thinning and green harvest limit the number of bunches per vine. These are hallmarks of the Thunevin method.

He seeks the optimal grape ripeness and has adopted Burgundian techniques of punchdown and lees-stirring for perfect concentration. He neither fines nor filters and ages in all new barrels. His mastery and skills have benefited numerous other Bordeaux Chateaux such as Fleur de Cardinale, La Dominique and others in Fronsac, St. Emilion and Pomerol.

Valandraud began in 1989 with a one acre parcel on the St. Emilion plain between Pavie Macquin and La Clotte. Bit by bit Thunevin added several parcels. Currently, the Domaine owns 25 acres spread across different St. Emilion terroirs, which permits several distinct wines.

We will be tasting 6 wines this evening. The cost is $20/person.

Reservations for the tastings are required. Please contact us (703) 288-2970 or info@thevineyardva.com

Mastrojanni Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino

Today, we were visited by Vittorio Zoppi. Vittorio is the US Brand manager of Mastrojanni wines. Mastrojanni is located in Montalcino. Montalcino is famous for Brunello di Montalcino.

We tasted 3 wines from Mastrojanni today:

The 2007 Rosso di Montalcino has spent 6 months in oak barrels, and an additional 3 months in bottle. The color is bright ruby red with a fruity aroma. This full-bodied wine is youthful and bright, with solid acidity and fresh red fruits on the palate.

The 2006 San Pio is a blend of 20% of Cabernet Sauvignon and 80% Sangiovese. The wine has spent 18 months in oak barrels, and an additional 6 months in bottle. The color is an intense ruby red with fruit and notes of vanilla on the palate. The wine is full-bodied and round with soft tannins.

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino has spent 3 years in in oak barrels and an additional 12 months in bottle. The ruby red wine is beginning to take on some garnet overtones. The nose is spicy with noticeable vanilla due to the oak aging. The wine is still young, and somewhat closed on the palate, but again vanilla flavors from the oak are present. A few years of aging will be rewarded.

The wines are fantastic, and should be available sometime in December or January.

At the risk of sounding like a cork dork, a little bit of info on Brunello:

Brunello is made of 100% Sangiovese Grosso, a clone of Sangiovese said to have been created by Ferruccio Biondi-Santi in 1888. Brunello is arguably Italy’s most prestigious wine.

According to the DOCG rules, Brunello must spend a minimum of 24 months in oak casks, and a minimum of 48 total months aging before it is released to consumers. These requirements have placed heavy financial burdens on producers who have steadily increased their production of Rosso di Montalcino to help carry the costs.

Brunello is a great wine for cold Sunday afternoons to enjoy over several hours as they tend to unfold into something special with a few hours to breathe.

Wines of Argentina Tasting Wednesday October 28th

We are really beginning to ramp up for next Wednesday’s (October 28th) tasting of wines from Argentina.  The tasting will be held from 6- 8 p.m.  We have an outstanding lineup of wines in store for you to sample.   Many of the wines have received ratings of 90 points or better from either Robert Parker or Wine Spectator!

As always, wines being tasted are offered a discounted prices of 15% off a bottle purchase, and 20% off a case (including mixed cases).

The Lineup:

Crios Torrontes 2009 – 90 pts Wine Advocate

Luca Chardonnay 2007 – 92 pts Wine Advocate

Crios Rose of Malbec 2008 – 90 pts Wine Advocate

Mapema Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – 87 pts Wine Advocate

La Posta Bonarda 2007 – 89 pts Wine Spectator

La Posta Cochina Blend 2007 – 89 pts Wine Spectator

Mendel Unus 2006 – 93 pts Wine Advocate

BenMarco Expressivo 2004 – 90 pts Wine Spectator

Tikal Patriota 2006 – 92 pts Wine Advocate

Susanna Balbo Malbec 2007 – 91 pts Wine Advocate

The tasting will cost $10/person, and reservations are required.

Give us a call at (703) 288-2970, or email us,  with any questions or to make a reservation.

Please stop in and visit with us and taste some great wines!

Autumn Arrives!

The weather has begun to turn cold and the leaves on the trees are changing from green to reds, yellows and browns.

I have started to crave richer comfort foods like hearty stews and roasted meats.  To be honest, I crave hearty comfort foods all year round, but my weakness tends to overwhelm me as winter closes in.

My thoughts naturally drift from food to wine.  I have had fuller reds in my wine rack recently.  I spent some time cooking a meal for friends and family over the weekend.   I chose a 1999 Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion from Bordeaux.   Here’s what Mr. Parker had to say abou this one:

“This perfumed, sexy effort is dominated by complex aromas of scorched earth, Provencal garrigue notes, and black cherries. It is medium-bodied, with serious concentration, moderate tannin, and a long finish. This plum/garnet-colored wine will benefit from 2-3 more years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2015.”

It’s a great wine that’s drinking very well at the moment.

I prepared a fantastic roasted lamb loin.  I dredged the lamb in fennel and caraway seeds, browned it all sides and popped it in the oven.   I used some of the Bordeaux and some stock combined with brown and Dijon mustards to make a wonderfully simple pan sauce.  In the end, the mustard was a bit sharp for the Bordeaux, but my cravings for a full bodied red wine and comforting roasted meat were satisfied, but only temporarily!

Welcome

Thanks for joining us here at our new blog.  We’ll be posting assorted articles that we find interesting (hopefully you will feel the same) as well as various insights into the daily operations from the trenches of the wine trade.

Cheers,

Your Friends at The Vineyard

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