After watching Bottle Shock for the 100th time this past week, I recall back to the scene where Steven Spurrier breaks down on the side of a dusty road lined with vines on either side, and think to myself “This is Virginia’s rendition of ‘THAT’ road”. Leaving General’s Ridge and trying to knock out a couple other tastings, I came across Vault Field Vineyards, which brings that small town farm charm to Kinsale, Virginia. As I passed the various signs labeling each road with its respective varietal displayed proudly, I spot the owner cutting the grass in between the grape vines and can’t help but smile. Rarely do you see too many vineyard owners doing it themselves, but this was one of those places. As we pulled up to the tasting room, which is a small carving of the wine making and production facility, we patiently wait for the seated tractor lawn mower to pull up and we are greeted with the owner ready to pour our tasting. The tasting room is lined from floor to ceiling with wine barrels giving you the sense that you are tasting their fleet directly in the center of their future offerings. The tasting was a mere few dollars and consisted of 3 whites, 1 rose, and 2 reds. Generally, I try to highlight all of my favorites, in this case they were all pretty damn good!
The 2010 Chardonnay ($16.50) was fermented in stainless steel tanks but then transferred to French oak for nine months. I was greeted with aromas of oak and citrus, capped with a citrus and toasty nut taste that was very well-balanced and smooth, but not overly buttery on the palate. Vault Field offered an often sought after wine from time to time for me, the 2010 Vidal Blanc ($15.00). Pineapple was the first attribute that I recognized on the nose, smoothing out with a fruit forward pear taste finishing round and gently. The description on the tasting card said acidic, but overall this wine didn’t strike me as acidic as it was described, which of course was good. My favorite of the tasting was the 2009 Conundrum ($16.50) white blend, that consists of 7 white grapes blended to hit you hard on the nostrils with apple and a very white fruit palate that finishes very crisp and clean. AWESOME!
White wines I can generally judge how the quality of their reds based on how sweet they make their whites and how acidic. Maybe it’s just one of my own personal ways of measuring, but it helps raise or lower my expectations. The 2009 Rosé ($15.00) was actually a thing of beauty for an off-dry rosé. Very fruit forward with raspberry and strawberry to the nose and hints of the same on the palate, yet finishing off-dry and not too thin. As for the red offerings, the 2008 Reserve Red ($22.50) which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, offered a right hook of blackberry on the nose, with blackberry, plum, and cherry running rampant over your palate pumping the brakes on the sweetness and finishing drier with a rich combination of the group of fruit. That was a mouth full, almost as much as a mouthful of this full-bodied concoction of love that I just sipped. The last of the wines is the 2009 Red ($19.00) which consisted of a blend of Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. This wine, as many Chambourcin varieties tend to offer, was cherry and dark berry forward on the nose, with a sweet raspberry taste and surprisingly soft finish. Well, I was impressed, and have to recommend stopping by here for a tasting.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Corks
Vault Field Vineyards
2953 Kings Mill Road
Kinsale, VA 22488
www.vaultfield.com
