Easter Afternoon, A Tasting

A young girl withOUT wine.

So there we were. Easter lunch, not sure how to spend the sunny afternoon.

The answer? A wine tasting, obviously. 

I've already done a few winery tours, so we went more for a tasting, especially since it was free for Easter! (We bought a few bottles since they were so nice about this) So we went to a beautiful place called the Hague. It was one of the first wineries I went to when I was old enough, and I remembered it being a wonderful experience with delicious wines and fantastic atmosphere. It just shows that some things change, and others don't. 

Isn't it in a pretty place??

This was the nice guy leading out tasting:

But I think he was a little sleepy from the Easter ham, because although he was full of info, he wasn't the most exciting person in the whole world. 

Name: Hague Chardonel 

Year: 2011

Variety: Chardonnay & Petit Manseng

Region: Northern Virginia

Country: United States

Price: 14.95

What They Say: "A crisp, floral white of a Chardonel and Petit Manseng. Pairs wonderfully with shellfish and seafood."

What I Say: We got to taste two years of their Chardonel, and he gave us the older one because it was drier. And WAS it dry! But it was also very clean, extremely crisp. It had a lot of acid in it, a little pear and pecan in it too (the nutty flavor confused me). A ton of green melon was on the back, and some oak too. I wasn't a huge fan of this, but Mom loved it. It was just too acid for me and my dad. 

Name: Hague Chardonel 

Year: 2010

Variety: Chardonnay & Muscat

Region: Northern Virginia

Country: United States

Price: 14.95

What They Say: "Silver Medal winner at the 2011 Governor's Cup. Judge's notes included 'medium body, silky, layered- the Muscat shows through- ready to drink and will improve.'"

What I Say: It was a strange but pretty shade of yellow green. There was a lot of rose (look! I'm getting better at floral notes!) on the nose of this, something I wasn't prepared for. There seemed to be a little bubble on the tongue, with a lot of pear. This was sweeter than the 2011, which we got to taste, but not nearly as sweet as I remember from almost a year prior. Mom really liked it- she enjoys a Chardonel no matter what year it is. 

 

Name: Hague Cabernet Franc

Year: 2010

Variety: Cabernet Franc (French & Italian clones)

Region: Northern Virginia

Country: United States

Price: 17.95

What They Say: "A blend of both of our clones of Cab Franc that yields, in a judge's notes, 'black plum and red cranberry fruit with chewy tannins to help the wine age.' Silver Medal at 2013 Governor's Cup competition

What I Say: The cranberry was upfront on the nose, but there wasn't much in the mouth. The taste was smooth, and I liked the way it felt in my mouth, I liked it more than I usually do a Cab Franc. There was SO much plum going on, and through it backed with black cherry- a little bit of the spice that I've noticed comes with cherry. Unusual for my father, he didn't like it too much. Usual for my mom, she didn't like it either. 

Name: Meritage Reserve

Year: 2010

Variety: Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot mix

Region: Northern Virginia

Country: United States

Price: 28.95

What They Say: "A classic Bordeaux blend of estate grown Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot aged in new French oak for 15 months. Excellent concentration and color resulting from 2010's drought like growing season. Will age well for years to come. 

What I Say: Mom loves anything that has the words "Petit Verdot" in it- the closer a wine is to biting into a saddle bag, that happier she is. Dad's just happy he's got a dark red going on. Myself, I found dark fruit and saddle on the nose- which combines for a great smell! The taste was full of more leather, but lighter. There was also a taste of dried fruit- black cherry I think. I liked it, but it was so full that I couldn't possibly have more than one glass. 

Name: Cynthia Dessert

Year: 2011

Variety: Muscat & Chardonel blend

Region: Northern Virginia

Country: United States

Price: 23.95

What They Say: "A blend of Muscat (frozen at -10 degrees for 4 months) pressed as an ice wine and blended with dry Chardonel, aromatic with a clean finish."

What I Say: I think we all knew that I was going to love this- it's a dessert wine. It poured like syrup in the the glasses. Our taster told us they got 60 gal out of a ton of grapes- apparently it normally makes more but they wanted it that sweet and thick. I thought it smelled of peach blossom. Its taste was so yummy, with a bit of honeyed melon. There was also some taste of spice cake. But mostly there was a dry back that I didn't expect of a dessert wine, but I loved it.

 

All in all, it was a good time and we enjoyed some good wines! I enjoyed getting to hang out with my parents and going adventuring to different wineries :) We always have a good time even if we're not huge fans of the wines- it's always fun and bonding-like.