Tomasello Winery Summer ’25

Tomasello Winery is located in Hammonton. It is our state’s second oldest winery. I’ve been wanting to visit there again for a while. I also wanted to pick up a few things at Bagliani’s, a great Italian market nearby. We hadn’t had lunch, but it was already a little late. We decided to have a few small plates to share and do a couple flights. It was a nice day so we decided to enjoy our wine and food on their patio. Our server, Kate has been working there for several years and was able to answer a few of my questions. I thought I had read that Charlie Tomasello’s son was making some of the wines, like the new line of specialty Creams. Kate shared that Charlie’s son, Brian is now the winemaker there. I also asked her about the Creams-Are they made from grapes? She replied that white wine is the base for these.

The Wine

Their Palmaris line continues to impress. They are by far my faves here, especially the reds. We each did a flight. My flight consisted of five reds (pictured above).

• 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon-A deep ruby colored Cab, with raspberry notes and silky tannins.
• 2020 Pinot Noir-A nice version, aged in American Oak for one year and sourced from the winery’s Fittertown Road Vineyard. It won the American Wine Society’s Gold.
• 2019 Petit Verdot-Very nice, full-bodied red with smooth tannins and hints of dark chocolate on the palate.
• 2019 Merlot-Awarded 92 points by the Beverage Tasting Institute. It offers notes of chocolate and plum on the palate and is very smooth.
• 2020 Napa Valley Palmaris Red-Wonderful red blend consisting of Merlot (70%); Cab (25%); and Cab Franc (5%). The grapes were sourced from Napa Valley.

My wife opted to pick a few white wines and a couple of reds that I didn’t choose, so we could both taste as many different wines as possible. Her choices (pictured below):

• 2023 Palmaris Chardonnay-A dry, medium bodied Chardonnay with notes of pear and apple. It won a Gold from the American Wine Society and a Bronze from The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
• Unoaked Chardonnay-Dry and “naked”, it offered notes of apple with a light and silky body.
• Pinot Grigio-Pleasing with notes of grapefruit and refreshing finish.
• 2020 Palmaris Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-My favorite of the Cabs in this tasting. Delicious full-bodied Cab with grapes sourced from Napa Valley.
• Syrah-Very good version. Smooth with a bit of spice.

The Food

I was very impressed with all three of our choices: Coconut Shrimp, Mini Crabcakes, and Fried Calamari. The Coconut Shrimp came with a great mango cilantro sauce for dipping. The crab cakes came in a lemon beurre-blanc sauce, while the calamari was served with a sweet chili sauce. All three were great and pictured below.

Our Takeaways

I was sorry to miss the 25% off sale, but I really wanted to take home a couple of their Special Creams. I am definitely a dry wine lover, but I also occasionally enjoy a sweet wine like Port or Sangria or a Cream like these two that we brought home with us…Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cream and Mocha Java Cream.

We had a very nice visit and we shall return in the near future.

Coming Attractions

• Potpourri #3
• Rootstock ’25 at Hawk Haven Vineyards
• Grill Night ’25 at Cape May Winery
• Unionville Vineyards Summer ’25

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