Last week I was fortunate enough to participate in the monthly VA Wine Chat hosted by Frank Morgan from Drink What YOU Like and featuring wines from Williamsburg Winery and a chat with Matthew Meyer. You can see the whole chat over at UStream (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/45107981) or embedded below, so I’ll let you watch Frank have a great chat with Matthew as opposed to try and combine an hour chat into a few lines.
As for the tasting, we tried three different wines. One white, the 2012 Midsummer Night’s White, and two reds, the 2010 Virginia Trianon Cabernet Franc and the 2010 Gabriel Archer Reserve.
2012 Midsummer Night’s White ($14)
A blend of Traminette (40%), Vidal Blanc (40%) and Viognier (20%). Floral and tropical, with notes of apricot, orange notes, and tropical pineapple. There’s noticeable residual sugar (1.60), but it’s by no means syrupy. We paired this with a brie dip that had sun dried tomoatoes and thyme that did a nice job of cutting the sweetness. This is a great value wine, and definitely one that I’d look to again when (if) the weather turns warm.
2010 Virginia Trianon Cabernet Franc ($38)
A blend of Cabernet Franc (78%), Merlot (12%), and Petit Verdot (10%). Red and black cherry with dark fruits and a bit of what I could only decribe as dustiness, though I suppose you could call it earthiness if you chose. We paired this (and the second red) with an herb crusted pork tenderloin, with the small bit of Petit Verdot shining through for me, though I seem to be sensitive to the grape (which is not a complaint).
2010 Gabriel Archer Reserve ($42)
A blend of Merlot (32%), Petit Verdot (29%), Cabernet Franc (20%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (19%). Balanced with layers of blackberry and raspberry with notes of olives and leather on the finish. This was a great wine, and myself and my other tasters quickly finished this wine. I often debate with people about buying wines above $30, but I can say with great confidence that the 2010 Gabriel Archer Reserve is worth every penny, and I don’t doubt Matthew Meyer when he claims it’s his favorite Gabriel Archer to date.
I really enjoyed this tasting, as well as the conversation that was going on through Ustream and on twitter (check out #VAWineChat to see for yourself). The next VA Wine Chat is scheduled for the end of April with Barboursville, so be sure to follow up and see for yourself.
I’ve included the stream from the wine chat below, and thanks again to Frank Morgan and Matthew Meyer for including me in this great tasting.
Video streaming by Ustream
