Winery Visit: Pollak

The last stop on our day wine tour in Charlottesville was Pollak Vineyards. Pollak sits on a beautiful piece of land, complete with a porch that overlooks a lake and some of their vineyard plots. Founded in 2003, this winery is also family owned and prides itself on creating wines using the traditional French varietals. Their 27 acre vineyard includes Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Petit Manseng. Like Veritas, they are an estate winery meaning they grow the grapes and produce the wine on site. Today, this winery makes about 5,000 cases.

Pollak's sign at the entrance to their winery.

The beautiful house and scenery of Pollak.

What I really enjoyed about our visit here was that our pourer was really passionate and knowledgable about Pollak's wines. She was more than happy to answer all of our questions and provide lots of information about their wine making processes. Another really interesting part of Pollak was that the tasting room was very modern, which was a different set up from most wineries.

The tasting room and bar - very modern and elegant.

Here are my thoughts on the wines we tasted:

• Chardonnay 2010: The golden color of this wine was very enticing. The creamy oak mixed with the crisp citrus fruit was nice combination. Though the wine was tart at first on the palate, the typical buttery Chardonnay came through on the after taste.
• Durant White 2010: This house white is made from Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris. The crispness of this white came out on the nose and the mouth. It had a light taste with just enough sweetness and pear.
• Pinot Gris 2011: Our pourer told us that this is the first vintage of this varietal. It is fermented in stainless steel and has about 1.5% residual sugar, creating a pale straw color and allowing the tropical fruit and crisp aspects to come out. This wine had a frizzante as well which made an interesting taste and feel.
• Durant Red 2010: Their house red is a Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend and is made to have a lighter body with an emphasis on the red berry flavors. I really enjoyed the dry and sweet combination with this wine because it was well balanced. This wine was also chilled when they served it to bring out the sweetness.
• Merlot 2009: This Merlot won the Riverside International Wine Competition Silver Medal. Our pourer also told us that 2009 was the best year for reds. The dark color of the wine immediately caught my interest and the dry, tannic intensity was something I really enjoyed. I found that this wine smelled sweeter than it tasted.
• Cabernet Franc 2009: This wine also won the Silver Medal in the competition mentioned above and was my favorite we tasted at Pollak. The nose on this wine was great - an intense mix of dark red berry jam with pepper. The palate gave similar hints but with a blackberry finish. The wine itself was bold and balanced and very enjoyable.
• Meritage 2009: Meritage is a lovely blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. It was given a 93 point rating by the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI), a blind tasting in Chicago. There was a limited production of this blend because it is made from their best grapes grown on site. The mix of raspberry and earthiness made this wine rich and complex. This was my second favorite wine we tasted here.
• Petit Verdot 2009: This wine was award 93 points BTI as well as the Gold for the Chairman's Choice. Virginia is really the only place to use this grape in a varietal wine. Because it is so small, the skin plays a large part in creating the tannins and color. I found this wine to be very bold and earthy. There were hints of plum and spice which added a lot of complexity. 
• Mille Fleurs 2009: We talked to our pourer about talking the wine class so she let us try the Mille Fleurs, a Port of Viogner wine. This wine has 17.5% alcohol so it was extremely bold. It was fermented in Brandy barrels which gives the wine high sugar as well as high alcohol. This Port was very unique because it is white. I got a lot honey flavor with sweetness then a big kick at the finish. I had never tried a Port before so this was a unique experience for me.

Standing on the balcony after our tasting at Pollak.

The tasting at Pollak was a great experience and I would definitely go back again. After we finished, we sat on the porch for a while and talked about our wine tasting experiences over the day. Going on our mini Charlottesville was not only a lot of fun but I learned a lot about wine as well. I can't wait to go on more visits!

Winery Visit: Afton Mountain

Our next stop on our mini Charlottesville winery visit was Afton Mountain. This vineyard is set on top of a hill showcasing a beautiful view of their vines and the rural landscape. Most of their vines date back to the 1970s and they focus on Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. They are a largely family owned business and their wines have been recognized at competitions worldwide.

Afton Mountain sign at the beginning of their property.

The front of Afton Mountain's tasting house.

Though the tasting setting as well as the pourer was not as great as Veritas, their wines surprised me. They had some very good varietals of wines I do not normally like as well as a few wines that are different from the normal types I've had at tastings.

The tasting bar and glass for our tasting that day.

Here are my thoughts on the wines we tasted:

• Steel Chardonnay 2009: This Chardonnay was fermented in steel barrels giving the wine a really light color and flavor. The wine was crisp and acidic, with a good citrus finish. Our pourer accidentally gave us the Oaked Chardonnay first so it was interesting to taste these two in comparison to each other. You could definitely tell the difference in the buttery and lighter boldness.
• Gewurztraminer 2009: I've never tasted a Gewurztraminer before so it was really fun to try something new! I actually really enjoyed this white wine; it made me want to pair it with some spicy food. The nose was very floral and the fruit came out on the palate. The little bit of residual sugar brought out the crispness which was really nice.
• Cabernet Franc 2009: Their Cabernet Franc was my favorite from Afton and we even ended up purchasing this wine at the end. The wine was dry and tannic, with hints of fruit to balance it out. There was no pepper to this wine, but the fruit was not overbearing. It was a smooth drink with lots of dark red berry flavor.
• Mountain Red: A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc that allows for easy drinking and makes a good house wine. This wine was more sweet than I like in reds which made it smooth but not too bold. They chilled this wine to bring out the sweetness which I thought was an interesting choice. It would be good for someone who does not like bolder reds because chilling brings out the sweetness; however, I was missing the tannic, acidic components. 
• Riesling 2009: I usually do not Rieslings for their bad reputation of being too sweet, but this Riesling was actually very nice and one of my favorites. There is less than 1.5% residual sugar which makes the wine sweeter, but it is not overbearing on the other flavors. The pourer stated that their Riesling is also off-dry, like most French Rieslings. I really enjoyed the tropical fruit and floral components of this wine.
• Mountain White: Their house white is a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and largely Vidal Blanc. This wine was light and sweet (about 2% residual sugar). The pourer said this wine is served best with fruit, which I agreed with very much. 
• Mountain Rose: With 2.8% residual sugar, this Rose was very sweet and not my favorite by any means. This wine had a lot of grape flavor since it is made entirely from red grapes, but it was also light and fruity.

Tasting wines at Afton Mountain Vineyard.

Overall, my experience at Afton Mountain was nice. I enjoyed trying Gewurztraminer for the first time and experiencing a Riesling that is dry and not so sweet. I don't know if I would go here for another tasting again - I think I would want to try some other vineyards instead.

Winery Visit: Veritas

To celebrate the beautiful weather, my boyfriend and I took a trip up to Charlottesville to visit three wineries. Our first stop was Veritas, a gorgeous vineyard and winery in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Family owned, Veritas prides itself on their old-style, classic adaptations of viticulture, letting the grapes speak for themselves. Their head winemaker, Emily, graduated from Virginia Tech and is well-known in the wine world; she won best overall for three of her wines in the 2007 women's winemaker competition and prides herself on her whites.

Veritas sign in the parking lot.

The beautiful tasting house and view.

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and Veritas was busy. We were warned about this since it is one of the most popular wineries in Charlottesville for both students and more experienced wine drinkers. Even though it was crowded, we were able to get a tasting spot almost as soon as we got in with a great pourer who talked to us a lot about the process of each wine and how each smell and taste.

Various wines behind the tasting bar.

Here are my thoughts on the wines we tried:

• Sauvignon Blanc 2011: Though most Sauvignon Blancs are grassy, this wine was very fruity. The nose was crisp and you could really make out the fruit aspects, especially grapefruit. The flavors on the palate were very similar: very fruity and clean. I found the wine to be very sour, tart, and acidic as well.
• Viognier: Our pourer first mentioned that 2011 was not a good year for Viogner, and that we should try their 2010 for a better wine. I found this wine to have a lighter body with sweeter, crisp floral and fruit on the nose and mouth. I thought this wine would be good for a summer day, though it wasn't my favorite.
• White Star: This white is a blend of Viognier, Traminette, Chardonnay, and Vidal Blanc. The nose on this wine was very strong with hints of peach, mango, and apricot; however, the mouth did not live up to the nose. I thought the taste was a little too sweet and had too much alcohol. This was my least favorite of the visit.
• Rose 2010: I am not usually a Rose fan, but I really enjoyed this one. At Veritas they remove the skin of the grapes after 24 hours of fermenting for the color. This wine was dry and crisp, with hints of cherries and strawberries that I really loved.
• Merlot 2010: Their merlot was a very deep, dark red color which I loved. This Merlot had a big body and was extremely dry, but had a nice fruit touch that lightened it and made it easy to drink. 
• Vintiner's Reserve 2010: This red is comprised of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon (which we were told is tough to grow in Virginia). The color was very dark and held a big body that was acidic, tannic, and dry. I enjoyed hints of mocha and vanilla on the nose. 
• Red Star: The Red Star is a classic table wine - very palate friendly, smooth and a little sweet. Though I enjoy a bigger red wine, this wine was a nice combination of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Chambourcin. The red berries added a nice component to this wine.
• Scintilla: We were talking to the pourer about our wine class and she let us try one of the wines that was not on the tasting but was available for purchase. She said her favorite was the Brut sparking wine so we tried that. Made from Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, the wine was crisp and had very nice pear and raspberry/strawberry elements. This wine was very bubbly though which made it hard to drink.

Tasting wines at Veritas.

We did not purchase any of the wines we tried, but I was really impressed by the vineyard and their selection. We are definitely doing to plan another trip back here!