Working Dog Winery December 2023

Working Dog Winery

On Friday, my wife and I were able to get our chores done in the morning so that we could visit Working Dog Winery in the early afternoon. Working Dog Winery is located in Robbinsville, only about an hour drive from our home. Whenever we have visited, I end up asking myself, “Why haven’t we visited more often?” This is a wonderful winery to visit. They have a spacious area outdoors in warmer weather to enjoy (including with your dog). There are lovely indoor spaces, including the room where we did our tasting, and an enclosed porch that runs the length of the building, with great views of the vineyards. Below are a few photos of their spaces where you can relax and enjoy their wine. While they do not offer food, you can bring snacks. But the biggest reason to visit is, of course, the wine, and their wine is super. My wife and I agreed that there was not one wine that we did not enjoy. The grapes used here are all estate-grown grapes, except for the New Jersey Chardonnay (sourced from Bellview Winery).

The Wines

White Wines

• 2022 Traminette-A well-balanced wine with bright acidity and just a hint of sweetness.
• 2022 Riesling-Dry, with delicious hints of apricot and lime on the palate.
• 2022 Pinot Gris-I’m happy to see more Pinot Gris in New Jersey, as of late. This wine has more body and more complexity than most Pinot Grigios.
• 2021 Black Feather Chardonnay-Their estate Chardonnay with subtle use of neutral oak.
• 2021 New Jersey Chardonnay-My favorite white wine in the tasting and even better (in my opinion) than the Black Feather Chardonnay. Smooth and creamy.
• 2022 Equinox Rose-An exceptional Rose, dry, but refreshing; made from Chambourcin (90%) and Cab Franc (10%).

Red Wines

• 2021 Marechal Foch-One of the few New Jersey producers of this interesting red wine, named after a French general and Allied Supreme Commander in World War I. It presents with black cherry on the palate and smooth tannins.
• 2021 Chambourcin-A New Jersey staple done very well here, with the characteristic cherry flavor.
• 2021 Pointer-An excellent red blend of Cab Franc (75%) and Merlot (25%).
• 2020 Syrah-Nice deep color and body, with just a little tartness on the finish.
• 2021 Merlot-Merlot here is consistently among the best in the state. This vintage is no exception.
• 2021 Cab Franc-Almost as good as their 2019 Cab Franc. It is delicious, smooth and fruit forward. This has been one of their strongest varietals year in and year out.

After our wonderful tasting, we decided to open a bottle and enjoy a glass of Pointer with the pretzels and cheese we brought with us. We had the patio to ourselves, with heat lamps to keep us warm, while we enjoyed the views of the vineyard. I must say, this was one of the best tastings I have had this year. The wines were wonderful and my wife and I really enjoyed our server, who (like me) attended the Wine School of Philadelphia. She was very knowledgeable and very personable. Our server shared that she recently started to write a blog about wine-Israeli wines. I was hoping to have her information to share with you. Unfortunately, with my poor memory for names, I am unable to share her information. Hopefully, I will be able to share her name and the name of her blog in my next post.

Our Takeaways

We came home with a case of some of our favorites (pictured below):

Coming Attractions

• My Top 25 NJ Wines of 2023
• My 2023 NJ Winery Highlights

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