Potomac Point, Winery Visitation

My parents, our lunch platter, & my pre-tasting glass

 

So I was a lucky girl this weekend, and when I went home for the weekend for a little break from my Blacksburg-busy-schedule, my parents treated me to a grand afternoon at the Potomac Point Winery Vineyard & Winery in Stafford VA! They had been there before and were sure I would love it. As usual (don't tell them I said this) they were right.


<This mural is right above the tasting bar. Funny, inspiring, true? All of the above.





The drive up leads you through some rough-looking small towns, but eventually winds through a few mountains and past a few small creeks. Then you take a sharp left and BAM, this view:

"Dad! Stop the car, I need this shot!"

We were going to take our tour first, but sadly you had to have a group of 10 (only 3 of us) and we couldn't get any of the other tasters there to join us :( But we did have a lovely walk around the property ourselves. To the left of the above picture, in the little valley, is a flat space where they hold several weddings a year!

(Above is a better shot of the mural you can kinda see here)

We weren't too sad about moving straight onto the tastings, especially since the space was so nice -->

This bar wraps the whole way around in the middle, and leads back into an inside-dining room on the other side, which was nice with all dark wood- but I was glad it was sunny enough for us to go outside.




And OH the tasting! We chose the "premier tasting" which includes FOURTEEN wines (one on this list wasn't available for tastings, but they had done a mulled wine that we were treated too not from the list).  The gentlemen who worked with us was so nice, and when I told him I am in a wine class, he loved telling me little bits of information not on the sheet and quizzing me on flavors I found- it was just an excellent experience for a newb like me. The sheet they gave us was awesome- here's what it had:

A great example of my awful handwriting, everyone.

1. Wine's name
2. Where the grapes were from
3. Grape percentages
4. Its aging (barrel type)
5. Alcohol content
6. Residual sugar levels
7. Winemaker's tasting notes
8. Medals it had one
9. And of course, prices

Now, since there were 14 wines in all, I'll just tell you about my favorite three:

Name:  La Belle Vie Rose' 
Year: 2013
Region: Northern VA
Grapes from: Indian Springs, VA
Grapes: 91% Chambourcin
              9% Chardonnay
Aging: Stainless Steel
What they say: "This is a semi-dry pale pink Rose wine obtained from a soft press full cluster of Virginia Chambourcin. Its aroma of citrus will lead you in the direction of pink grapefruit however your finish will linger with the refreshing strawberry you have grown to love with our rose."
What I say: First, let me brag that this wine was only released the day before we got there (so, last Friday). I also got to learn what a "soft press" is, which was cool too. The aroma of this was SO grapefruit, it really punches you. There's also a bit of a jamy smell, which I love. The taste was full of fresh strawberry. It was dry for a rose, my Mom says "it's so white for a pink!" and between my Dad and I, we identified the back as very pear filled, like those juicy Asian pears. It was super yummy.


Name: Robelos "Virginia Dessert Wine" (Because they're not allowed to call it Port)
Year: 2010
Region: Northern VA
Grapes from: Orange & Woodstock, VA
Grapes: 50% Touriga Nacional 
              30% Chambourcin
              20% Tinta Cao
Aging: Bourbon Barrel (from the Bowman distillery, which we've toured! It's a must-do around Fredricksburg)
What they say: "These 3 varietals have been harvested and aged in bourbon barrels coming from our neighbor A. Smith Bowman Distillery. Rabelos is rich in wonderful flavors of ripe raspberries, baked plums, and cherries, with a strong full body. Never heavy but sweet and powerful with a toasted oaky finish. It is a never ending wine and the perfect ending to any meal."
 What I Say: It may have been because it was so late in the tasting, but I adored this wine- we got a bottle for our dinner-party later in the evening. The nose is full of those dark-red fruits, especially the baked plums. When it hits your tongue, there is sweetness but not too much as it explodes in your mouth without being too heavy. There was a hint of caramel from the bourbon barrels, which we all loooooved. There were still flavors evolving even after the wine was gone, the raspberries and dark baking-spices flavor staying in the mouth. 

 
 Name: La Belle Vie White (my mother's favorite)
Year: 2013
Region: Northern VA
Grapes from: Woodstock-Stafford
Grapes: 60% Vidal
              10% Chardonnay
              10% Traminette
              10% Rkatsiteli
              5% Viognier
              5% Petit Manseng
Aging: Stainless Steel
What they say: "Our most popular white here at PPW is a crisp and refreshing white wine that is perfect for sipping on the patio. We loaded up the varietals to enhance all the fun fruit you will taste. This slightly sweet white has hints of citrus and melons. The perfect anytime wine with anything you may be doing."
What I say: Those melons hit you square in the nose. I'm new to this flavor, but it was strong and I quickly learned it. However, there is nothing "slightly" sweet about this flavor- it's real sweet. But it's balanced by a light body with a slight dryness so it's not overwhelming. There was a lot of tree-fruit flavor in the taste, but the strongest were Fuji apple along with the melon. It was so crisp and passed quickly.

A first day of sun in a rough winter to allow us on their patio!

Food: After our amazingly-long tasting, we each got a full glass of wine to go with our lunch platter. It had humus, olive spread, whole olives, baked dates, pickles, prosciutto-stuffed peppers, salami, sweet sausage, spicy sausage, sage cheddar, and brie.

Now, after so much wine- it all tasted wonderfully with my full glass of the La Belle Vie Rose, but I found myself sticking much closer to the soft brie and olive spread. They had their own strong flavors that worked well with my uncomplicated wine, without having to fight with the anything. Though a huge fan of hummus, with the big apple and pear flavors in my mouth, it tasted just awful. I also loved the stuffed peppers, since the spice was set off with the sweet wine (but also because I'm just obsessed with proscitto).

It was a GRAND visit overall. The wine was great, the food yummy, the company lovely (if I do say so myself) and even the sunshine was out after all the snow from the previous week. I would go here over and over again.