Old Westminster Alius (2015)

When my beautiful Angel, Clare, and I visited Old Westminster Winery a couple of years ago, we heard people talking about an orange wine named Alius.  We asked about that wine.  Everyone said, "you have to try the Alius, but, it is so popular that you have to wait for it to come and even then it is only available to wine club members."  Well, needless to say, we became wine club members (not because of the orange wine, but because Old Westminster's other wines are very good).

Eventually, we were able to get a bottle of Alius and we recently opened it.  According to the winemakers, Alius is named after the Latin word meaning "something different."

The name fits the wine.  The Alius has been described as an "orange wine."  The color, texture and tannins come from the maceration process.  This is the process where the skin of the grapes comes in contact with the juice.   In the case of the Alius, the grapes are Pinot Gris and were grown on a rocky hillside in northern Maryland.  After the maceration, the wine was fermented with native yeast in stainless steel.  At the end of the process, the winemakers at Old Westminster Winery bottled 63 cases on April 25, 2016. 

The Alius pours an orangish hue as advertised.  The pictures really do not portray the wine's color very well.  The orangish hues had some amber and tangerine notes, depending upon the light. 

As the wine sits in the glass, there are notes of peach, pear and white nectarine in the area of the Alius.  Some of these notes carry through to the taste of the wine.  There is some tartness at the beginning, but as the wine opens and warms, the tartness recedes and the fruit flavors -- especially the white nectarine -- open up more.  The fruit becomes more mellow, with melon and honey notes becoming more present. 

The Alius is definitely an interesting wine, and, as it opened, it was a very enjoyable wine as well. This wine is available only to wine club members of Old Westminster Winery.

ENJOY!

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Pinot Grigio (2011)

I have become a big fan of Maryland's growing wine movement.  The mantra of these winemakers and vineyards is to make wines in the "Bordeaux-style."  That saying is a good goal when one is making red blends.  To be sure, Maryland winemakers are making some amazing red wines using a wide range of grapes.  However, "Bordeaux-style" does not capture the full range of wines being produced in the Free State.

Many winemakers, such as Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, are making some very good wines based on one grape.  A while back, I bought a bottle of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard's Pinot Grigio.  Many professionals -- such as sommeliers, wine critics and others -- scoff at Pinot Grigio.  I even admit that, when it comes to white wines, Pinot Grigio (or, as it is known in France, Pinot Gris) would not be my first choice.  There is a caveat, which really applies to any wine.  When someone does it right, the wine is especially good.  And I think Sugarloaf got it right with their Pinot Grigio.

Like most winemakers, Sugarloaf ferments its Pinot Grigio in stainless steel.  The wine pours a pale yellow color with some very pale green hints.  The wine offers aromas of melon, grapefruit and honeysuckle.  It has a nice medium body, offering a little more substance than its much lighter counterparts. The flavors of the wine include green apple, citrus, and a slight hazelnut finish.  The apple and citrus blend together nicely, making this a wine that drinks very quickly if one is not too careful.  

There are a lot of food pairings that are recommended with this wine.  Pairings such as any seafood (shrimp, crab, lobster, and most fish), along with herb pastas, prosciutto, and focaccia.  This wine also makes a good aperitif, something to enjoy before the meal begins.

The winemakers recommend that the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Pinot Grigio should be enjoyed young.  That means you should enjoy it sooner rather than later, within one to two years.  The wine can be found at the vineyard's tasting room or at some stores in Maryland.  

ENJOY!

Lemelson Vineyards Tikka's Run Pinot Gris (2007)

Many of the wines that I've reviewed to date have been from vineyards that both Clare and I visited on our honeymoon, such as Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Prive Vineyards, and Sokol Blosser. We visited many vineyards and purchased quite a lot of wine.  As we near our second anniversary, we still have some bottles left from our vacation, which we now open on special occasions or, just when we want to have a really good wine.  With respect to the Tikka's Run Pinot Gris from Lemelson Vineyards, it was the latter occasion ... we wanted a really good wine.  And we got what we wanted.

I can still remember visiting the winery at Lemelson Vineyards during our honeymoon.  Like many Oregon vineyards, Lemelson has strived to ensure that its winemaking is as environmentally friendly as possible.  They use multiple fermentation vessels, allowing the grapes from each vineyard block to ferment separately.  The vineyard uses gravity -- rather than pumps -- to move the wine at very low pressures, helping to preserve the aromas and flavors of their wines.

Lemelson Vineyards sets itself apart from all of the other Oregon vineyards with what it calls a "one-of a kind mobile stainless steel sorting platform." This platform, which resembles the bridge of a vessel, moves along the fermentation vessels.  On this platform, the winemakers can sort through the grapes to pick out those clusters that they want to use for their wines, like the Pinot Gris grapes used for the Tikka's Run.

The grapes for the 2007 vintage of the Tikka's Run comes from Lemelson's Chestnut Hill Vineyard and from its Wascher Vineyard.  While both of these vineyards are in the Willamette AVA, they have different soils and are at different elevations.  The Chestnut Hill vineyard has volcanic soil at about 900 feet, while the Wascher vineyard has sedimentary soil and a lower 300 feet elevation.  The fermentation of the wine began in the tanks, with some of the wine being transferred to oak barrels during the late stages of fermentation.  

The Tikka's Run Pinot Gris pours a nice light gold color, which is very appealing.  The winemaker notes that the aromas remind them of passion fruit, green apples and Asian pears, along with Meyer lemons and chalk.  For me, however, I think the aromatic elements speak more of apricots and a little melon.  The winemaker also notes that the taste of the wine has almond and red apple.  Once again, I found that there was some apricot, melon and even a little fennel. The wine itself coats the tongue in a way that is more suggestive of a dessert wine than a wine one would ordinarily drink with a meal.  The sugary sweetness of the wine leaves the drinker with a finish of apricots that is very enjoyable. 

Like most Pinot Gris wines, the Lemelson Vineyards Tikka's Run Pinot Gris pairs well with mild white fish, like rockfish, along with other seafood, such as oysters or crab.  The Tikka's Run also pairs well with very spicy dishes, providing a sweet complement to the heat of the peppers.

Clare and I purchased this wine when we were at the vineyard in Willamette Valley and I have to admit that I have not seen it in any stores.  Lemelson wines are available over the Internet and at some larger wine stores. 

ENJOY!

For more about the Tikka's Run Pinot Gris, check out the winemaker's notes.

Sokol Blosser Evolution (NV)

When Clare and I were enjoying our wine tour throughout Willamette Valley, Oregon during our honeymoon, our tour guide took us to Sokol Blosser Vineyards.  One of my co-workers suggested Sokol Blosser Vineyards, because her relatives are the family behind this winery.  Our tour guide was kind enough to  arrange for us to have a complete tour of the vineyard.  The tour provided us with the opportunity to see how Sokol Blosser made its wines -- from start to finish.  This was one of the most detailed wine tours that we took during our honeymoon  And, as our guide gave us the tour, she carried a backpack with some of Sokol Blosser wine, so we got a chance to try the wine as we learned about the winemaking process and the different wines that the vineyard produces.

While Sokol Blosser produces some amazing pinot noirs, it also produces an outstanding white wine -- Evolution.  This wine a blend of nine grapes, Some are well known grapes, such as chardonnay, gewurtz-raminer, pinot gris and white riesling.  Others are less known, like slyvaner, muller-thurgau, muscat canelli  and semillion.  The exact blend is proprietary, with the percentage of each grape used in the blend being a closely-held secret. 

When pouring Evolution, you are greeted with a clean, crisp white wine.  The wine is a very light in color, with a nose that includes peaches, vanilla and spice.  When you taste the wine, you definitely get the taste of peaches.  This is a very drinkable wine.

Evolution pairs very well with spicy foods, providing a refreshing taste after the burn of the spice.  As far as I am concerned, I'd drink this wine with any food. 

The vineyard includes the "tag line" for this wine is "Luck? Intention?" on every bottle.  As it goes, "it hardly matters," because this is one of the best white wine blends that I've tasted.  This wine is available at some restaurants and at Whole Foods.  It sells for $16.99 or $18.99.