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VIOGNIER PRODUCTION TASTING - SAT. JUNE 27 Posted: Wednesday June 17, 2009 at 11:44 am EST
Update 6/24: Taking requests for the waitlist Viognier Production Tasting Saturday, June 27 at 3:00 p.m. here at the winery Viognier is a variety that almost fell into extinction only 40 years ago. Its native home is France, at the northern end of the Rhone Valley called Condrieu. It began to be planted in other areas of the world in the 1980s, particularly in California, but also in Virginia at Horton Vineyards. While its native climate is hot and dry, its loose cluster and thick skin make this variety suitable to Virginia's summer humidity. While Viognier is fast becoming "Virginia's white wine," it is only the state's 3rd most-planted white-grape variety, behind Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. Jancis Robinson, the famous UK wine writer, has written a very thorough review of this variety on her website, which you can view by clicking here. Here's the lineup: 1. 2007 Du Mol, Lia (California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley) 2. 2007 Alban Vineyards (California / Central Coast) 3. 2007 Alban Vineyards (California / Central Coast / Edna Valley) 4. 2007 Novy Family Wines (California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley) 5. 2005 Chateau Grillet (France / Rhone / Condrieu / Chateau-Grillet) 6. 2007 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane (France / Rhone / Condrieu) 7. 2008 Le Paradou (France / Vin de Pays Vignobles de France) 8. 2008 Cinquante Cinq (France / Vin de Pays D'oc (Languedoc)) 9. 2007 Rappahannock Cellars (Virginia) 10. 2008 Rappahannock Cellars (Virginia) not yet released Limited to 10 people. Cost is $55.00 per person and is charged to your credit card prior to the event. Two-ounce pour per wine. This is a blind tasting and the producers will be announced after all the wines have been tasted. Chateau-Grillet is both the name of the producer and the name of the appellation, a condition known as "monopole" in the French appellation system. RSVP to me (Jason) directly at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com
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REVIEW - BORDEAUX-BLEND PRODUCTION TASTING
Posted: Tuesday June 2, 2009 at 9:15 am EST

Another great production tasting took place this past Saturday here at the winery. I unveiled for the first time the 2006 "Super" Meritage, and together with the 2006 Meritage, we tasted some of the best red Bordeaux blends on the market.

There was only one dud for me, and the others were all at least very nice wines. Before I unveiled the producers, I took a vote of everyone's first and second place wines. Surprisingly, the $300 Chateau Pavie did not get a single 1st place vote, though it was the second place wine for two of us (including me). The big winners were the 2005 Chateau Pape Clement ($179) from Graves in Bordeaux and the 2005 Ornellaia ($165) from Tuscany, each receiveing four first place votes and three second place votes. The two Rappahannock Cellars wines combined garnered one first place vote and two second place votes - not bad considering the competition!

This month on the 27th, the theme will be Viognier. Details to come shortly.

-Jason

Vintner of Rappahannock Cellars

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MAY PRODUCTION TASTING - RED BORDEAUX BLENDS Posted: Monday May 4, 2009 at 3:42 pm EST
Our next production tasting will be on Saturday, May 30, here at the winery at 3:00 pm. Here is the lineup: 1. Chateau Pape Clement 2005 (France / Bordeaux / Graves / Pessac Leognan) 2. Chateau Pavie 2005 (France / Bordeaux / Saint Emilion) 3. Ornellaia 2005 (Italy / Toscana / Bolgheri) 4. Montes Alpha M 2005 (Chile / Santa Cruz Valley / Apalta) 5. Flora Springs Trilogy 2005 (California / Napa Valley) 6. Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank 2006 (California / Napa Valley) 7. Rappahannock Cellars Meritage 2006 (Virginia) 8. Rappahannock Cellars "R" (Super Meritage) 2006 (Virginia) Conspicuously absent from this lineup are the more famous Napa Valley red "blends." These wines are often more than 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, which qualifies for a "Cabernet Sauvignon" label. The purpose of these tastings is to compare wines that are made of similar varieties to our Rappahannock Cellars wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon does not constitute a majority variety in our Meritage blend. Three of these wines are a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, but only one (the Alpha) contains over 75%, and was chosen to include Chile in the lineup. Price is $94.37/person. Limited to ten people. Direct inquiries to me (Jason) at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com.
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REVIEW - CHARDONNAY TASTING Posted: Monday May 4, 2009 at 3:26 pm EST
Had another great tasting on Saturday, April 25 here at the winery. We tasted ten Chardonnay wines from France (4), California (4), and of course our examples from Rappahannock Cellars (2). Opinions were all over the place as far as favorites went. For me, it was the 2006 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Fresh, acidic, and tight, it's not exactly "user-friendly," but the purity and focus was sublime. Many prefered the California examples, especially Sonoma's Hanzell Vineyards 2005. May's tasting theme is Red Bordeaux blends.
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CHARDONNAY PRODUCTION TASTING APRIL 25 Posted: Tuesday April 7, 2009 at 10:25 am EST
Update 4/9/09: Event is full, but I will take reservations for the wait list. Be on the lookout for the next month's announcement. The May production tasting theme is Meritage / Bordeaux reds. Our next Production Tasting will occur on April 25, at 3:30 pm at the winery. This time we are looking at Chardonnay. This variety has not received much attention lately, but it is the most popular wine in the U.S. and is the most planted grape variety in California. It's also the number one white wine variety in Virginia, far out-selling Viognier. We will taste ten wines, some of which are considered the best examples of Chardonnay in the world. Here is the line-up: 1. Domaine Fevre (France) - Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy) Les Clos 2006 2. Domaine Fichet (France) - Mersault (Burgundy) Les Tessons 2006 3. Vincent Girardin (France) - Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (Burgundy) 2006 4. Philippe Colin (France) - Chassagne Montrachet (Burgundy) 1er Cru Chenevottes 2005 5. Hanzell Vineyards (California) - Sonoma - Chardonnay 2005 6. Hanzell Vineyards (California) - Sonoma - Chardonnay 1999 7. Lewis Cellars (California) - Sonoma / Russian River Valley - Chardonnay 2007 8. Savannah·Chanelle Vineyards (California) - Santa Cruz Mountains - Chardonnay 2007 9. Rappahannock Cellars - Virginia - Chardonnay 2006 10. Rappahannock Cellars - Virginia - Chardonnay 2007 This will be a blind tasting. Cost is $85.00/person and will be charged to your credit card about ten days before the event. Limited to ten people. This event will fill up fast and I will maintain a standy-by list of ten people. Please direct inquiries to me (Jason) at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com.
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REVIEW - CAB FRANC TASTING Posted: Monday March 16, 2009 at 11:16 am EST
We had a very successful tasting this past Saturday at the winery. I think we all expanded our ideas of what Cabernet Franc can taste like. The French Loire Cab Francs exhibited typical austere and extracted (and somewhat vegetal) character. The California examples had characteristic ripe and tannic dispositions, though with less "Cab Franc" character. Surprises included the 100% Cab Franc example from Tusacany, from the Super Tuscan producer Le Macchiole. This wine had pronouced tar and citrus/orange-peel notes that no one would have suspected to come from a Cab Franc (though this seems to be a cellar creation rather than an aspect of the fruit). The much-anticipated 2004 Chateau Cheval Blanc was widely panned, with pronouced oxidized vegetal character and little fruit. I'm happy that our own Rappahannock Cellars fared well, especially against some very expensive wines from Europe and California. Be on the look-out for the announcement of the next tasting, to be held on April 25 here at the winery where we'll look at Chardonnay. Jason
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CABERNET FRANC PRODUCTION TASTING Posted: Thursday February 12, 2009 at 3:00 pm EST
Update (3/5): Event is full. Be on the lookout for April's tasting where we'll focus on Chardonnay. Update (2/23): This is a pre-paid event. The cost will be $65.00 per person and will be charged to your credit card about 10 days prior to the event. Please direct all inquiries to me (Jason). Dear friends of Rappahannock Cellars, I am happy to announce the first of a series of "production" tastings, on Saturday March 14 at 3:00 p.m. here at the winery. A "production" tasting is one on which your own wine is put up against other producer's wines. The scale can be as limited or grand as you want. But the idea is to see how your wine stacks up against others out there. Wineries do this for several reasons. The first is to prevent what is called "house" palate - meaning that your palate is so used to tasting only your own wines that you forget what else it out there. The second reason is to better position your wine and style with a benchmark wine, a wine that is widely considered to be superior to everything else. This first tasting will focus on Cabernet Franc. Here is the line-up: 1. Savannah Channelle 2005 Cabernet Franc CALIFORNIA-SANTA CRUZ MTNS (100% Cabernet Franc) 2. Bernard Baudry "La Croix Boisée" 2006 FRANCE-LOIRE-CHINON (100%) 3. Catherine et Pierre Breton "Les Pierrières" 2005 FRANCE-LOIRE-BOURGUEIL (100%) 4. Le Macchiole Paleo 2004 ITALY-TUSCANY (100%) 5. Chateau Cheval Blanc 2004 FRANCE-BORDEAUX-ST EMILION (55%) 6. Rappahannock Cellars 2006 Cabernet Franc VIRGINIA (77%) 7. Rappahannock Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc VIRGINIA (75%) 8. Rappahannock Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc VIRIGINA (100%) (barrel sample) 9. Bastianich "Joe's Rosso" 2005 Cabernet Franc ITALY-FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA (100%) These wines are widely considered to be the best examples of their region. These wines will be tasted blind, discussed, then later revealed. Afterwards, a limited amount of your choice of wine will be poured for you to enjoy. This is meant to be an educational event, and there will be discussion of the history of these wines and their regions. These wines are expensive (the '04 Cheval Blanc retails for $250-$300) and very difficult to find. This is a unique opportunity to taste the world's best Cabernet Franc wines in one sitting. How will Rappahannock Cellars stack up? I'm cautiously optimistic! This event will be conducted by me and other members of the production staff. Details and pricing to come shortly. Limited to 10 people. Jason
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