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.

Memorial day leads to a beach celebration

This year my wife and I were crashing our friends vacation in Rodanthe, NC for a long Memorial Day weekend. Daily happy hours, and fun in the sun were the name of the game. However, for memorial day we decided we'd do festive meal to celebrate. And like usual, good food needs good wine.











Our menu for the evening would consist of grilled fresh tuna kebabs, Grilled zucchini, Caesar salad with real anchovies dressing, and a sweet treat of homemade salted caramel ice cream for dessert.










With all the fresh grilled food and salad, good white wine seemed to be a logical selection. We made two selections to pair with dinner for the evening. First was Apple Wine produced by Chateau O'Brien in Markam, VA. This is a non-vintage wine produced from a mix of apples grown in Stribling Orchard  right behind the winery. This wasn't my first experience with this apple wine. For those of you who haven't had it, you'll probably be taken back on how clear it is. It literally could be mistaken for dozens of white wines just by looking at it. However after just one taste will leave you wanting more. It has nice smooth apple flavor with a little acid on the finish like a good apple cider. It is a beautiful sipper by itself on hot days, but also pairs well with food, and as a bonus it is great to cook with, especially with pork.

The other wine we served that night was the Hiddencroft Vineyards 2010 Traminette. I was taken back by how good the nose was on this wine. It was mixture of tropical melon and honeysuckle and baking spices. The pallet presented good acid, very citrusy more grapefruit then lemon, but overall it was very pleasant and held up well in the summer heat of the beach.

As is obvious by the plate below, I spent as least as much time enjoying my wine as I did eating and savoring both to a great finish.