Picking Grapes

We had a wonderful time meeting Bob White of Quail Vineyards in Manchester, MD.  He generously loaded us up with ~100lbs of Sangiovese and Barbera grapes.  We also got a personal tour of the vineyard where we picked up samples of 4 other types of grapes to show back at the party (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chancellor, Pinot Grigio, and Nebbiolo).  Next year we hope to be back for even more delicous grapes!

Harvest Fest 2012

It's our first fall season here at Early Wines, and what better way to celebrate the Harvest Season than with a First Annual Harvest Festival!?  We'll be ordering 200+lbs of California grapes and 100+ from a local vineyard for...wait for it...good ol' fashioned foot stomping!

And the winner is...

With six wines and seven judges, the selection of Meridian was unanimous as the winner.  There was significant debate over the rankings, but the results tallied up as:

 

1st Place: Meridian ($6)

2nd Place: AbbeyVille ($13)
3rd Place: Apex ($17, 91 pts)
4th Place: Trellis ($6)
5th Place: Duboeuf Pouilly Fuisse ($18)
6th Place: Dingo ($10)

Despite finishing last (Four 6th place, two 4th place, and one 2nd place votes), the judges commented that all the wines were very drinkable.  Dingo was described as, "A classic chardonnay: full bodied, oaky and buttery."  While it may not have been the style prefed by the judges, the buttery character of Dingo was created by the "sur lies" technique used in the making of the Chardonnay.  If you like heavy Chardonnay's, a "winter white" as one judge called it, you'll love the Dingo!

Taste Test: Results to Come

Early Wines Chardonnay will go up against some stiff competition this weekend:

• Meridian Chardonnay – California (2011) $6
• Trellis Chaonnay - Sonoma County  $6
• AbbeyVille Chardonnay – Napa Valley (2010) $13
• Apex Chardonnay – 91 pts  – Yakima Valley, Washington (2010)  $17
• Duboeuf Pouilly Fuisse Oak, White Burgundy – France (2010) $18 

 

Assessed by returning judges Jeff, Kristen, and Kyler; we will also joined by Jim and Jeremy - flown in from Nasheville for the competition.

Batches #2 and #3

The Chardonnay and Zinfandel are bottled, labeled, and ready to go! With their extra aging time in the barrel, both wines are ready to drink.  Some upcoming taste tests will determine if we've got the quality to match our Rioja batch.  With this much wine you have to hope it's good!

The Dingo is Out!

The first Early Wine to be aged in the Hungarian Oak barrel, our 2012 Australian Chardonnay was bottled on August 12th.  See the Seinfeld inspired artwork on the Label Archive page, and get ready for the "Dingo!"

And the Winner Is....

...Early Wines!  "Running of the Horses" took 1st and 2nd place over three commercial Rioja's at the first double-blind, Early Wines taste test!!!

Overall Rankings:
1st:   Early Wines, "Running of the Horses" Rioja, Reserva
2nd:  Early Wines, "Running of the Horses" Rioja
3rd:  Valsacro Dioro Rioja, 2005       ($20/bottle)
4th:   Campo Viejo Rioja, 2010          ($10/bottle)
5th:   Cincuenta Ugarte Rioja, 2009   ($13/bottle)

Given Valsacro was rated 92pts by Wine Advocate, and Cincuenta was rated 90pts by Wine Advocate;  the Early Wines Spanish Rioja has been rated a whooping 93 and 94 points by the somelliers of Wagner Lane for the red label and black label Reserva, respectively.

As described around the tasting table the Early Wines Reserva was described as:

• "Smooth" with delicious notes of "vanilla".
• Simultaneously "fruit forward" and "smokey".
• and "muy buena!!!"