Beliveau Estate Wine Tasting

Name: Serenity
Variety: Chambourcin
Region: Virginia, Blue Ridge Highlands
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $15 
Food pairing: none

What they say:  "Our after dinner sweet Chambourcin in a .375 size bottle. Great with dark chocolate!" (Double Silver winner)

What I say: This wine is there sweet, almost dessert wine that came in a smaller bottle. Its aroma had a very strong dusty dark chocolate sense. The first taste was overwhelming because of the strange texture brought on by a bubbly feeling. Our server told us this may be due to the shot of nitro given to any open bottles the previous evening to keep them fresh, I wasn't a huge fan of the feeling. I did like that this wine filled the mouth with a dark fruit feeling, like dark cherries or even plum. Its sweetness was not as strong as I expected and was overtaken mostly by the bitter-baking-chocolate taste that it left in my mouth afterwards. It had strong legs and left little "wine crystals" in my glass.

Name: Reflection
Variety: Traminette
Region: Virginia, Blue Ridge Highlands
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $17
Food pairing: none

What they say: "2012 dry Traminette with overtones of lime and tropical flowers.  Great with pumpkin pie!" (Double Bronze winner)

What I say: First smell was full of a flower/beach feeling. Our server suggested hibiscus and that felt right (but then I wasn't sure if it was only because now the idea was in my head). The flavor did have a very strong flower, almost too perfume-y for me. It was light, leaving barely visible marks on the glass, and rather dry but did leave enough sweetness in the mouth that I didn't mind the dryness too much.

Name: Discovery
Variety: Riesling/Niagara mix
Region: Virginia, Blue Ridge Highlands
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $15
Food pairing: none

What they say: "This sweet white Niagara/Reisling blend is flying off the shelf.  Delicious!" (Double Bronze Winner)

What I say: I really did not like this wine at all. It smelled just like Welch's white grape juice, and aside from a little hint of grapefruit, tasted exactly like Welch's too. It was so sweet that it even made little legs, which I thought strange for what was supposed to be a light white. It was boring and tasted rather childish, like the kind of wine made for people who do not actually like wine but want to be seen drinking it.

Name: Silhoutte
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Virginia, Blue Ridge Highlands
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $20
Food pairing: none

What they say: "This dry lightly oaked Cabernet Sauvignon is medium bodied with a mellow blend of berry flavors" (Double Bronze winner)

What I say: The aroma gave to me was just full of grilled fruit. It smelled like apples and other tree-fruit had just recently been pulled off a fire, which I just loved as it filled all of the senses. This flavor continued into the taste, where I found I liked it much more as a smell alone. The taste felt like it had an accompanying bread-taste, which is perhaps what turned me off. The bread, thick feeling stayed far too long after the wine was gone as well.

Name: A Cappella
Variety: Landot Noir
Region: Virginia, Blue Ridge Highlands
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $16
Food pairing: none

What they say: "A semi sweet fruit forward wine made of 100% Landot Noir" (Bronze winner)

What I say: I loved the smell of this one too, it was so full of prunes. The server kept trying to direct me back to "plums" but there was certainly that sense of dried-away but still a bit juicy that left me more with prunes. It left thin legs and was a very pretty shade of maroon, I thought. The taste continued the prune as well as adding in a sharpness that reminded me of pepper, but lighter, so I think it was that "white pepper" taste. I liked it quite a bit, and this was probably my favorite wine at the tasting. 

Overall, I was not a huge fan of the wines that Beliveau Estates had to offer. It was a great experience, as my friend and I had the tasting to ourselves and the server was very nice. However, none of the wines seemed very complex, which is something I really enjoy. Most of them were what my dad would call "just a wine, nothin' more." I am curious about going out to their actual winery, as we did the tasting here in their Blacksburg shop, to see if they experience is different.