We enjoy the tour, which was nice, but I felt like I saw (and learned) more about the process of making wine on the tour we took to Williamsburg Winery. After the tour, we opted for a tasting. We had the option of the Cellar Select Tasting ($12 gets you a taste of 8 "basic" wines and a souvenir wine glass) and the Barrel Select Tasting ($14 for 8 premium wines and a Bordeaux wine glass). Since we visited the RCR museum earlier in the day, we each received $2 off the tasting...and the more expensive tasting came with a much bigger wine glass. Can you guess which one we did? Here's a run down of the wines we tasted:
2009 Vioginier- Very nice and light, definitely a summer wine. The description includes pineapple and peach flavors, which were very prominent. On sale for $12.95, and certainly worth it.
2006 Syrah- Another great wine. I was a little apprehensive that this would have "intense raspberry, chocolate, and tobacco flavors" as described, but the tobacco flavor was very savory. Heavy for the summer, but a great wine.
2009 Sangiovese- A light red, this would go well with burgers or in general grilling out. I enjoyed it, it was nice, but not my favorite. For $19.95, there are other less expensive wines I like just as well.
2009 Reserve Chardonnay- I wasn't completely aware of the butterscotch and vanilla influences, but this was a very buttery and smooth wine. Very satisfying.
2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon- Nice, enjoying, but nothing too exciting.
2006 Signature Merlot- I've heard it said before that life is too short to drink cheap Merlot, and while I like Merlot, this wine helped me see what I've been missing. Very dense with a bit of a spicy finish. Would love a bottle, but I have troble drinking $29.95...even if that is marked down from $39.95.
2007 Signature Meritage- Nice, but if I couldn't stomach the price of the Merlot, I certainly didn't think this one was worth $49.95.
Late Harvest Viognier - I am not typically a fan of dessert wines. Most are just too sweet for me. At first, I was afraid this one was going to go down like perfume. It started that way, and then calmed down. It is a dessert wine I could enjoy with friends, but not one I would choose on my own.
Three- Did you notice I said we would taste 8 wines and yet this is the 9th one I am writing about? That's because I'm a brat-well, not really. This wine is a blended from the Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris grapes, and a signature of the vineyard. It is included in the basic tasting, but considering it was such a signature wine, I felt compelled to ask to try it. I was willing to swap out one of our other wines for it, but they said it wasn't a problem to throw it in. I was happy. And I was happy about the wine. Very smooth, very easy drinking, and sadly, I didn't buy a bottle. Of course, I can't find it in any grocery or wine stores around here. I'm sure this is going to be a sad quest to now find it.
The best part of the tasting: We came home with these lovely (and huge) crystal wine glasses. Score!
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