The Winery at La Grange: Historic Hot Spot

Next stop: The Winery at La Grange! We had plenty of time once we arrived at La Grange-the sister winery to Pearmund Cellars-to taste all of their 14 wines and get a bit of history. They have a detailed tasting sheet, very similar to the one we picked up from Potomac Point which is a great reference. Both sheets list the area, vineyard, aging (barrel type), alcohol %, residual sugar %, prices and winemakers notes of each wine.

I really don't think we found a bad wine in the bunch, but some we certainly liked more than others. As our friendly server walked us down the line we favored the light and refreshing 2010 Pinot Gris, lightly sweet 2010 Cuvee Blanc with 1.2% rs, the smooth 2009 Meritage, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Bunoni's Dead but Still Red (Cab Franc) and the 2009 Snort a port style wine with 8% rs. The bar was cozy, and the servers were inviting, we also found there were several cheeses, meats and breads for purchase which made us even happier to have wandered in. 

Benoni's Lounge 

The Winery at La Grange was established as a farm in 1787 and is apparently haunted by former owner from the 1700s Benoni, who has his own wine as mentioned above. Tradition is to leave a full glass for him on the mantle each night. There is also a basement lounge that is said to be where the ghosts hang out. We took a peek at this cool cavernous room with low ceilings that did give an eerie vibe. There is also an upstairs sitting room with comfy chairs and fires where we settled down with our drinks and snacks.  We were so happy to have made this stop as we finished off the day with good company and great wines in a warm and inviting atmosphere. You'd be hard pressed to not find a wine (or 3) you wouldn't want to take home at this stop!

Winter lights to the barrel room

Sawtooth Winery: A Quiet Oasis in the Desert

I was able to "go home" to Boise, Idaho for a week for Christmas and since it is usually a once a year event I try to pack in some fun activities. This year one of my sisters, my mom and I visited some near by Idaho wineries.  I had brought home a bottle of Virginia wine to share for the festivities, Pearamund's 2007 Ameritage actually, but I did not expect to bring home triple that in Idaho wines!

While there are only 33 vineyards in the state they've been producing wine since the 1970s after the prohibition shut down the earliest vineyards in 1919. As of 2007 the Snake River Valley was designated as Idaho's American Viticultural Area (AVA).*  Hailing for the Pacific Northwest I knew there were wineries in Idaho, and have tasted several of them, but never visited a winery until this winter. Unfortunately it was a very, very dry winter in Idaho so there was no snow to be found, not even on the foothills so the wineries looked very stark with their brown vines contrasting with brilliant blue skies. Every time I visit in the winter I am pleasantly reminded of how often they get sunshiny days in Boise.

Our first stop was to Sawtooth Winery in Nampa, about 30 minutes from Boise.  You've probably seen these wines around, mountains on the label with a fly fisherman, they can be found across the country. Unlike the DC metro area once we got out towards the winery we passed no one, not a single car. I started to wonder if we were going the right direction, but sure enough the signs started popping up and we were the only visitors.  The mainline tasting fee was $3 and the reserve tasting was $8, but waived with a purchase. We opted for the mainline tasting which included 3 whites and 5 reds. Our server was very friendly and poured their 2009 Chardonnay, 2010 Gewurztraminer with 2% rs, a not so sweet 2010 Riesling with 2% rs. Mom picked up a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and as I quickly learned she likes the sweeter wines.

For the reds she poured their 2010 Rose, 2006 Skyline Red (blend of Cab, Merlot, Syrah & Cab Franc), 2009 Merlot, 2009 Cab Sav that you could really taste the Bing cherry in, and 2009 Carmenere. My favorites were the last 3 and I walked away with the Merlot, which was almost a surprise to me, often times Merlots are too dry for my taste, but this one was great.  Overall the tasting went pretty quickly even though we chatted with our hostess for a bit. It usually doesn't work this way, but this first stop was my favorite of the day-wine, service & tasting room! If you are in southern Idaho, stop in, but don't worry when you start driving out towards the mountains surrounded by desolate vast fields, Sawtooth pops up like an oasis with great mountain views.

 *Idaho Wine Commission

Vines and Mountains from the tasting room

Cozy tasting room, there are tables behind me

Yes, this is a real road and yes, we had to take it to get to our next stop! 

Pearmund Cellars

I stayed in DC for the Thanksgiving holiday so the Friday after I decided to go for a run on the Mall since I had not participated in a “Turkey Trot.” It was unseasonably warm and there were even a few cherry trees blooming! I came home to a message calling in a rain check on what were my afternoon plans, what was I to do on a warm November afternoon? It was so gorgeous that I just wanted to be outside all day, but I also wanted to catch up on this blog and what better place to do that than at a vineyard?

I decided on Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run since it wasn’t too far from DC and near others if I decided to try more than one. This was my first solo tasting, but found it a pleasant experience. Upon arriving on the Pearmund property you drive through the vineyards to get to their tasting room, it’s very beautiful and makes you feel farther away from civilization than you are.  I tasted with a couple who happen to own a barrel at Pearmund and another at their sister winery the Winery at La Grange. Their words of wisdom were that if you like Pearmund, you’ll love La Grange, but I’ve since heard conflicting reports on which of the two is better. I guess it just means I need to get out to La Grange sooner rather than later!

The tasting at Pearmund was $10 for 14 wines! There were 5 whites, 6 reds and 3 sweet wines.  Their 2009 Old Vine Chardonnay and 2010 Viognier were my favorites of their whites.  They did also have an interesting 2010 Riesling that was good, but tasted nothing like a Riesling and instead like a green apple cider. On the red side the 2007 Ameritage, 2009 Ameritage Reserve and the 2009 Petit Verdot were my top picks.  The 2010 Sweet Petit was the sweet I’d prefer to sip, but our friendly server suggested soaking fruit for a fruit pie in their 2009 Late Harvest Petit Manseng as it caramelizes when cooking; an interesting tip that I just might have to try next holiday season.

Before settling down on the front porch out front I scoped out their barrel room complete with a bust of a jackalope and other wildlife. The side porch was more the social side with gardens and several tables, out front it was quiet except for the soft tunes coming from the surrounding speakers with a view of the vines.  I really enjoyed this stop, it was pleasant, there were several quality wines, a nice view, the staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and I really liked the detailed tasting sheet that included the percentages for the blends, vineyards where the grapes were grown, percentage of sugar and alcohol for each wine. When it comes to Pearmund you should do what their slogan says and “think globally, drink locally.” 

Porch Views

Fall Festivities

Jackalopes in Virginia?