A rare new release.....

Ok, so I have totally fallen off the map for blogging lately. It isn't that I’m not drinking great wine (beer too for that matter), but the actual writing of the blog has been a bit of a chore lately. I have lots of pictures, tasting notes, and even some draft blogs, but none of them seemed worthy, and so in the recycling bin they went.

Last weekend however, one of our personal favorite wineries did a pre-release. Something they don’t do often, and when they do, it is a worth while event. Chateau O’Brien was offering a pre-view of their 2010 Malbec, and released their 2010 Cab Sav. They were offering both on their cellar tasting side so after a quick trip out 66 (I know how unusual), my wife and I entered the tasting room and made the quick left into that side of their beautiful tasting room.

For those of you who have never been to Chateau O’Brien, the offer two non-reservation tastings. A classic collection ($10 per tasting) which is your standard white and red, and when available rose that displays great quality wine, and represents a good sample of their winemaker’s taste in wines.

There Cellar collection ($15 per tasting) is usually an all red collection of their higher end red wines that features their limited release and all estate wines. Today’s Cellar collection featured their limited release 2010 Malbec, 2010 Cab Sav, 2009 Petite Verdot, and their 2009 limited reserve Tannat, and a bonus they had a bottle of their 2009 late harvest Tannat for our sampling pleasure.

And finally for you who want a truly unique experience you can reserve a cellar tasting. They are conducted by the owner and mastermind behind Chateau O’Brien, Howard O’Brien. He lets you sample wines that are not available in the winery, and usually involves either library of very limited production wines. The cost is $50 a person, and I have never actually done one for myself, but for a true wine lover, I hear it is worth it.

The Cellar collection that day wanted to know which of their new release wines we liked better, the Malbec or Cab Sav. For me it was hands down the Malbec. A good fruit forward wine with a long lingering finish. It really struck my fancy. Malbec is not a grape that is grown all over Virginia, and a good one is even rarer. 

My wife however was much more into the Cab Sav. It was bright and had powerful fruity nose. It finish didn't linger like the Malbec, but it still was a great representation of what a Cab Sav should be.

After our tasting, My wife and I enjoyed their enclosed heated deck for a picnic and couple of glasses from their classic tasting before going back in to purchase two bottles of the Malbec and a bottle of the Cab Sav, and a bottle of Pinot Grigio taboot.

Unfortunately after last weekend, the Chateau O’Brien Malbec was heading back to the cellar so to get your hands on it will require you to do a cellar tasting, but all wines at Chateau O’Brien are made with care using only the highest quality practice and one of the few wineries that use native yeast. So if you traveling out west a 66 and you’re looking for an enjoyable wine experience, stop off and have glass, enjoy the views, and tell me what you think.

I admit it. I have been lazy. I have photos and notes, and many a night I’ve kicked myself for not blogging. However, tonight’s wine was so good, I couldn’t say no. I first tasted this wine earlier this year on my first trip to Stone Mountain Vineyards.

Stone Mountain Vineyards has arguably the best view of any winery in Virginia. Perched high on a mountain and overlooking a vast valley. A trip to Stone Mountain is not for the faint of heart. The road at times is barely a lane and a half wide, but for those hearty enough to make the trip, it is well worth the trip.

My beautiful wife had hinted that tonight’s dinner was going to involve steak. We had debated choosing tonight’s wine many times. It had to be well-aged, and deserved a shot to be our featured wine of the evening. So more than hour ahead of dinner time, I opened the bottle and poured it into our decanter.

Red wines can stand a good decant before drinking. Our wine of choice tonight is the non-vintage Twelve Barrel Meritage from Stone Mountain Vineyards. It is just as it says, sourced from twelve barrels. It is Bordeaux style blend of 34% Cab Sav, 34% Cab Franc, 16% Merlot, and 16% Petite Verdot, and was old enough to not be cellared for too long.

From the decanter, my wife and I thought it had a great black raspberry nose. Each subsequent whiff revealed little hints of tobacco and wood. We agree it had a complex nose. It was a wine of light to medium body, and the first taste showed bright red fruit. That melded well with the acid and smooth tannins that were well rounded. It left you with a full mouth fell.

The real beauty of the wine was not revealed until we paired it with our dinner. Tonight’s dinner was a delicious steak with a butter, bourbon, and mustard sauce. It was paired on the plate with a spinach, apple, Asian pear salad with shallots and apple cider based dressing.

Paired with dinner, the wine became earthier with really dry tannins. It showed how versatile it was. The one comment that we had was that it was ready to drink. We didn’t think another year would add anything to this wine. Its acids would probably fall off, and might lead it to an earthy monster. If you are saving this wine in your cellar, don’t. Find a nice meal to pair it with, and enjoy. I hope this fall when we make it back down to the Charlottesville area, we get a chance to visit Stone Mountain again.