RED WINES

MOURVEDRE BLEND

In 2009, we will harvest grapes for a complete Bandol blend. We will begin working on a red blend with 50% or more Mourvedre, along with some Syrah, Grenache, and small amounts of Cinsault, and Carignan. These grapes do better in very hot years. Many summers in the Yadkin Valley are very hot and dry and the grapes of our Mourvedre blend should be excellent in those years.

MOURVEDRE

Mourvedre buds and ripens extremely late. Provided the climate is nice and hot, the vigorous Mourvedre adapts well to a wide range of soils. This thick-skinned grape, when fully ripened, can produce a heady wine with wonderful longevity. Wine made from Mourvedre is intensely colored, rich and smooth, with nice fruit, and a sort of earthiness when young, and matures so nicely as it ages. Mourvedre produces a wine with some structure and backbone. It is fleshier than Syrah, hardier than Grenache and Cinsault, and more charming than Carignan. Mourvedre is often improved by the structure, spice and tannin of Syrah, the warmth and fruit of Grenache, the spice of Cinsault, and the acidity and tannin of Carignan.

SYRAH

Syrah adds aging ability to Grenache and structure to Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan. Syrah produces a wine with firm tannin, intense blackish-purple color, and aromas more spicy than fruity. It gives mid-palate richness and smooth supple texture and provides a wonderful backbone to the softer, fruitier Grenache. Syrah requires heat to fully ripen which can happen most years in the Yadkin Valley.

GRENACHE

Grenache provides fruit, tannin, and acidity with a brilliant ruby red color. Its flavors are intensely fruity and fat, typically currant, cherry, and raisin. When production is restricted and not over-cropped, Grenache can have tremendous depth and longevity. Its warmth and fruit opens up the tighter more tannic Syrah and Mourvedre.

CINSAULT

Cinsault is a high-yielding, early ripening, hot-weather red grape, generally used in blends. It tends to be low in tannin, and adds a spicy component to blends. The wine tends to be lighter, softer, and in its youth more aromatic than most reds. Cinsault adds suppleness, body, perfume, and fruit. It tones down the harsher edges of Carignan.

CARIGNAN

Carignan buds and ripens late, which limits it to relatively hot seasons. Also, it has very high acidity, tannins, color, and bitterness. However, with restricted yields, careful winemaking, and moderate use, Carignan can add a useful flavor dimension with deep color and tannin to a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault.

MICHAEL’S BLEND and 1897

These are a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. With the 2009 harvest, Malbec and Petit Verdot will also be available for our two blends. These varietals can tolerate cooler and wetter growing seasons. Some of our summers in the Yadkin Valley are cooler and wetter and our Cabernet blends should be excellent in those years.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

This late ripening vine is traditionally blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. It can taste of black currant with aromas of green bell peppers; however, what makes Cabernet so wonderful is its structure and ability to show off its vintage, winemaking style, and sense of place or terrior. Cabernet’s concentration of tannins, flavors, and color evolve over years to produce a very subtle nose and complex flavor. This is why we age our wines for more than three or four years in oak before bottling. The fruity Merlot is a natural for blending with Cabernet, while the Cabernet Franc can add some perfume, Petite Verdot can add extra spice, and Malbec can add complexity.

CABERNET FRANC

Franc will ripen in a cooler season than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is medium bodied with more up front fruit than Cabernet, but it can be lighter in color, acidity, and tannins. Typically somewhat spicy in aroma and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is often used as a secondary element in blended red wines; however, it works just as well as the main component in our blends. It also blends very nicely with Merlot and can grow and ripen extremely well in the Yadkin Valley.

MERLOT

Merlot wine usually has a medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and fruitiness, combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape which provides an obvious complement for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which tend to be higher in tannins. Merlot also works very well in years with marginal climates, responding better to damp cool soils than Cabernet Sauvignon.

MALBEC

Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to Cabernet blends.

PETIT VERDOT

Winemakers generally use the Petit Verdot grape as chefs would use seasoning. The contribution this grape adds to wine is concentrated dense fruit, dark rich color, powerful spicy flavors, and heavy tannins. A little goes a long way, too much Petit Verdot in a blend can make the entire wine seem coarse, rustic, or unrefined. Conversely, the right amount adds a pleasant punch of flavor.

CHAMBOURCIN

Chambourcin is a French-American hybrid grape variety, but its parentage is uncertain. Developed in France, this grape has only been available commercially since 1963. The grape produces a deep purple colored, spicy, fragrant red wine with a full aromatic flavor, and no unpleasant hybrid flavors. Tannins are generally higher than in other red hybrids, though hybrids are not considered to be high-tannin wines. The wines made from it will generally be medium- to full-bodied. In the vineyard, Chambourcin can be grown in cool and wet, or hot and dry climates with little maintenance. Also it is very easily used to make many styles of wine. We use Chambourcin for Port Hanover, Courtney Red, as well as for our varietal Chambourcin.

WHITE WINES

CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay’s aroma is distinct, delicate, and easy to recognize. It often smells like apples, lemons, peaches or tropical fruits. This delicacy also allows Chardonnay to absorb the influences of both winemaking techniques and show off its sense of place or terrior. It can be crisp and flinty which we try to capture in our un oaked Chardonnay. It can take on a lush, ripe, fleshy, buttery quality exhibited by our Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. In spite of this variety in style, Chardonnay is unmistakable in the mouth because of its impeccable sugar/acid balance, its full body, and its easy smoothness.

VIOGNIER

Viognier (VEE-ohn-yay) grapes along with some Marsanne and Roussanne are blended for our Viognier varietal. It is highly aromatic, with a nose of peach, apricot, and violets. It has a mineral mouth with more peach fruit and moderate acidity. Viognier is a very shy producer and somewhat difficult to grow although it is drought tolerant. It must be harvested at its peak of maturity in order to display its unique aroma and flavor character. The varietal flowers and ripens early, and is usually the first varietal harvested. Because Viognier flowers so early in the season, it is very susceptible to spring frosts.

MARSANNE

Marsanne tastes of melon and minerals, has a golden straw color, is fairly full-bodied, and tends to be low in acidity. When blended, its rich melon characteristics complement the more aromatic Viognier. Marsanne is a flexible and adaptable grape that also blends well with Roussanne, where it tones down the viscosity of the Roussanne and provides a more complex flavor.

ROUSANNE

Roussanne, with its unique rich aroma of pear and honey, bracing acidity, and excellent longevity, forms the backbone when blended with Viognier. The aroma of Roussanne, not as fruity as some whites, can suggest wild flowers or herbal tea. Roussanne wines and blends seem to hold up well with cellaring due to its unusual combination of richness and crisp acids.