Virginia Uncorked Part 2 & NJ Wine of the Week

Saturday at Blenheim Vineyards

On Saturday, my wife and I visited Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville. We have previously visited a few times, but not in the past 8-10 years. The original impetus was finding out that the winery was owned by Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band). He was one of my son’s favorite musicians (and we also have enjoyed his music and got to see him live in New Jersey). While the musical connection was our nudge to visit the first time, the wine and the views have been the enduring reason.

           

We did our red and white flights on their deck, under an umbrella. We love the view from there, however, we retreated indoors to enjoy a cooler and more relaxed bottle of wine with some charcuterie.

The Wines

White Flight

• 2021 Rkatsiteli-Drier than a couple of those tasted in NJ, but very aromatic. They sourced these grapes from Horton Vineyards.
• 2021 Gruner Veltliner-Very good dry white, with a German heritage.
• 2021 Roussanne-A wine rarely seen on a tasting menu in the Northeast-it is a dry, refreshing white wine.
• 2020 Painted White-Our favorite white in the tasting. It is a delicious blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Roussanne.

Red Flight

• Farm Red-A nice blend of Cab, Grenache, and Cab Franc; aged in oak for 10 months.
• Cab Franc-Very good Cab Franc, with typical pepper notes and smooth finish.
• Cabernet Sauvignon-A decent Cab with medium+ body.
• Painted Red-Our favorite red-a very good, full-bodied blend

We chose a bottle of the Painted White to enjoy with our charcuterie. As you can see in the photo below, the interior also offers wonderful views.

Saturday Night

We returned to our hotel room to shower and get ready for our dinner at C & O Restaurant, a short drive near the downtown Mall, on Water Street. This has been our favorite restaurant in the C-ville area over the years. While it does not look like much from the outside, the interior ambience is special. We were hoping to make this the birthday celebration site, but they are closed on Sundays. Instead it was a wonderful prelude to my wife’s birthday. We had an amazing dinner. We chose to share a scallops appetizer and both of us selected their Halibut for our entree. The food and service were impeccable.

Sunday at King Family Vineyards with My Birthday Girl

We saved the best for last. Our last winery in Virginia was the King Family Vineyards, located in nearby Croze. To make my wife’s birthday a little more special, on Sundays there is a Polo match on the winery grounds. While we have never played and only have a limited knowledge of the rules, it makes for a very special backdrop to enjoy your wine and the Blue Mountains in the distance. However, before finding a table on the oversized patio, we chose to do three wine flights in a beautiful and elegant room pictured below.

       

First Flight (White)

• Brut 2020-A good sparkler with notes of brioche and vanilla on the palate.
• Sauvignon Blanc 2021-A decent dry Sauvignonn Blanc with subtle hints of grapefruit and a refreshing finish.
• Roseland 2022-A nice blend of Viognier, Petit Manning, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.
• Chardonnay 2022-Excellent gently oaked Chardonnay with medium body and notes of apple and pear on the palate.

Second Flight (Rose)

• Brut Rose 2020-A tasty spritzer.
• Crose 2023-Still one of my favorite Rose wines. Beautiful color and tasty strawberry notes with a dry, refreshing finish.
• Mountain Plains Rose 2022-A good Rose, but we both prefer the Croze Rose.

Third Flight (Red)

• Cab Franc 2022-Like NJ, Virginia is home to some wonderful Cab Francs, and this is one of the best; light color and body with soft tannins.
• Merlot 2022-Very good Merlot; velvety smooth. We enjoyed part of this one, while watching the polo match below.
• Meritage 2021-This one remains one of my favorite Virginia wines-a great red blend! This is their flagship red, with cherry and blackberry on the palate.
• Petit Verdot 2021-Excellent full-bodied red, full of dark berry flavor, with a long finish.

           

Note: I have a couple of great videos of the match, but they were too long and take up too much space to post here. Not sure who won the match, but the hometown was winning 1-0 when we left. We loved the wine, the scenery, the ambiance, and the polo (even if we are not aficionados).

Birthday Dinner

We had dinner at a super seafood restaurant on Main Street called Public Oyster & Fish House. We started with an order of Oysters Rockefeller. The oysters were amazing! For our entrees, my wife ordered a salmon entree, while I selected the sautéed scallops. Both were great. We enjoyed a bottle of Ramey Chardonnay to pair with our delicious meals. Finally, they came out with a complimentary dessert-Key Lime Pie. Just wonderful! Our disappointment with C& O being closed on Sundays, faded, as we enjoyed every moment of our delicious dinner.

What a great four day celebration! Cheers! Below are our takeaways:

My New Jersey Wine of the Week

My only complaint about the restaurants in Virginia is that a BYOB restaurant is impossible to find. Since I knew this in advance (and wanted to enjoy the Virginia wines while there), I didn’t pack any wines from my cellar when we left-except one:

Hawk Haven Vineyards 2020 Methode Champenoise Brut. We had a glass of this wonderful sparkler to toast my wife’s milestone birthday. It is terrific! It is made with Pinot Noir (66%) and Chardonnay (34%). Wonderful notes of brioche, pear, lemon, and vanilla. A fitting salute to my Jersey Girl. I might add that, thanks to the excellent champagne stopper I got from Wine Folly, I am happy to report that it was still great when we got home the next day!

Coming Attractions

• Beneduce Vineyards Summer 2024
• Unionville Vineyards Summer 2024
• Angelico Winery Summer 2024

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