Maryland Wine

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  October 2009

  Boordy Vineyards Jazzberry NV

  Snoothrank: Starting at $10^.99

  No written review

  Wine review by sjsimmons

  
  

• August 2009

  An interesting read regarding the oft-underestimated Virginia vino and some ... Virginia wines and one from Maryland without telling anyone. Could the locals hold their own against the more established competition from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy? Could they overcome a... Read moreAn interesting read regarding the oft-underestimated Virginia vino and some ... Virginia wines and one from Maryland without telling anyone. Could the locals hold their own against the more established competition from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy? Could they overcome a market perception that they are expensive novelties that don't offer value to match their price? Or would they fall flat as overreaching pretenders? When the scores were totaled and the wines unveiled, a California wine narrowly edged out a French rival for the top spot in each category. But Virginia was nipping at their heels. "Wow, you're really swinging for the fences right away with this one," John Wabeck said as he sniffed the first red wine. Wabeck, a former chef who is now sommelier at Inox restaurant in Tysons Corner and a third-level master sommelier candidate, scribbled "classic Bordeaux structure . . . merlot-based? . . . cocoa powder" and scored it 90 points out of 100. Elli Benchimol, beverage director for the Stir Food Group, which includes Zola and Potenza restaurants and their affiliated wine stores, also noted cocoa powder and scored the wine 90, lauding its "beautiful structure." Brian Cook, sommelier at Sonoma and Blue Ridge in the District and Redwood in Bethesda, praised its "cured meat, savory cassis, mint, mocha" flavors and its "dusty tannins," awarding the wine 92 points. The wine was Barboursville Vineyards' 2006 Octagon, a merlot-based blend of Bordeaux grape varieties that retails for about $40. Four of the six judges mistook it for a Bordeaux. Ultimately, the Octagon trailed the Newton Vineyards 2005 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, a $60 monster that wowed the judges with its unmistakably jammy fruit, velvety texture and spicy complexity. Second place went to Chateau Larrivet-Haut Brion 2005, from the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux, every bit as French as the Newton was American. Like the Octagon, it retails for about $40. Napa Valley scored points for value, with cabernet sauvignon from Sterling Vineyards ($25) and Beaulieu Vineyard's Rutherford bottling ($20) impressing the judges. But Virginia came in big again, in a fifth-place tie between the Michael Shaps 2007 Cabernet Franc ($35) and the Gordon Brothers 2003 Tradition from Washington state ($45). California also scored for value with the white wines. Our top finisher -- by a hair -- was the Chappellet 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay, a $32 charmer that fooled the judges into thinking it was French. Only Vanessa Moore, owner of Unwined retail store in Alexandria, identified it as a Napa wine. (Wine Spectator magazine loved it, too, rating it 91 points, about what our judges gave it.) The Chappellet was in a virtual dead heat with the $50 Louis Latour Chateau de Blagny 2006 Meursault-Blagny Premier Cru. Our judges were unanimous that this was French. Two of them, Dominque Landragin, co-owner of the Cork & Fork stores in Gainesville and Bethesda, and Christian Bonny, wine buyer at Circle Wine & Liquor in Northwest Washington, even guessed the correct appellation. Bonny was so excited about this wine that he got tangled in similes, saying that "it keeps coming around, like a snowball rolling downhill," and after the next sip, "like a ferris wheel of stone fruit and cream." Right behind the first two, though, came two Virginia chardonnays: Linden Vineyards 2006 Hardscrabble, which retails for about $26, and the Michael Shaps 2007 ($35). Fewer than 1.25 points separated the first four chardonnays, two of them from Virginia. The judges were unanimous in thinking the Shaps was from Burgundy. "Montrachet!" Landragin wrote, while Benchimol, Moore and Wabeck suspected Puligny-Montrachet. The Linden was mistaken for French by three of the judges, while the others suspected the West Coast. What conclusions can we draw from our exercise? That U.S. wines are the equal of the French is no longer the surprise it was in 1976. Yet it is worth noting that when our judges were asked where they thought a wine was from, they tended to believe the wines they liked most were French. France still holds pride of place in our minds as the benchmark for fine wine. But we cannot ignore that wines produced within a two-hour drive of Washington stood toe-to-toe with highly touted competitors from California and France. This result is a snapshot of what six judges thought about two dozen wines one July afternoon, yet it should send a signal to retailers, sommeliers and consumers that local wines can match the best in the world -- and they are beginning to do so. It's time to put our preconceptions aside and focus on the quality of these wines. Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food@washpost.com. !http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/08/17/PH2009081702211.jpg! Quick note: I'm fortunate enough to have tasted both the Chappellet '07 as well as the Shaps '06... still got a bottle of the Shaps in the cooler over there, with the former waiting for me at verk to buy & try again. Also of note & irony; I too thought immediately about white burgundy, but more along the lines of "Meursault" when I tried the Shaps back at the Wineworks a year ago. I'm sure I was just bieased from hearing where Shaps was trained. Be a great little blind tasting ;)    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic "Glass Acts" (Washington... by ChipDWood

  
  
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  August 2009

  Boordy Vineyards Petit Cabernet 2007 2007

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by mkircher

  
  
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  July 2009

  Boordy Riesling NV

  Snoothrank:

  After trying several of Boordy Vineyard's wines at a tasting I decided to buy 4 bottles of their Reisling. It is very light, semi-sweet, fruity and crisp. It was perfect paired with fresh raw milk goat's cheese and apple crackers. Boordy is one of the best local vineyards around... Read moreAfter trying several of Boordy Vineyard's wines at a tasting I decided to buy 4 bottles of their Reisling. It is very light, semi-sweet, fruity and crisp. It was perfect paired with fresh raw milk goat's cheese and apple crackers. Boordy is one of the best local vineyards around Baltimore and will buy more when I go back.    (hide)

  Wine review by Maryann G

  
  
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  July 2009

  Linganore Wine Cellars Mountain White NV

  Snoothrank:

  This is absolutely my favorite wine. It is made with a Native American grape that reminds me of the grapes my grandparents used to grow on their farm. It brings back great childhood memories, so the 5 stars is a little biased, but is a very good wine. If you like sweet wines you... Read moreThis is absolutely my favorite wine. It is made with a Native American grape that reminds me of the grapes my grandparents used to grow on their farm. It brings back great childhood memories, so the 5 stars is a little biased, but is a very good wine. If you like sweet wines you should love it, taste very much like white grape juice.    (hide)

  Wine review by 1167wine

  
  
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  July 2009

  Elk Run Vineyards Riesling NV

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by Curtis and Sandra

  
  

• June 2009

  Thanks Philip, Greg and ccarpita for your quick response to this user's comments. I think if you can enable an effective user feedback loop and wine-matching guidelines, two of my points that Philip responded to, that'll give you a quick legup right there. I certainly understand... Read moreThanks Philip, Greg and ccarpita for your quick response to this user's comments. I think if you can enable an effective user feedback loop and wine-matching guidelines, two of my points that Philip responded to, that'll give you a quick legup right there. I certainly understand about works-in-progress, and evolving iterations of a software/humanware system like you're starting to build. Persistent commitment and a bit of inspiration along the way should lead to something exceptional over time. Another question I meant to ask but got sidetracked away from when I wrote the earlier message: i) Is there any way to enable a reverse functionality so that if I type in 'venison' or 'cumberland sauce' or 'artichokes' or whatever, Snooth'll provide me with some potential wines for consumption with that food item? And might this need to work off a food/wine search box, perhaps separate from the two search boxes already there for wines (at top) and the forum?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Food and Wine by dmcker

  
  
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  June 2009

  Elk Run Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2007

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by gareytx

  
  
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  June 2009

  Fiore Winery Maryland Merlot NV

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by fender69

  
  
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  June 2009

  Boordy Winery Chardonnay NV

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by mandolino

  
  

• May 8

  New image uploaded to this page.

  Page modification by gmoore

  
  

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