A few weeks back Jordan Harris, winemaker at Tarara, invited the members of the wine club to a private tasting in Tarara's Great Room.
As always, Jodan did a great job of leading the tasting and did a nice job of showcasing current and older vintages of Tarara's wine.
He also introduced us to the new Boneyard series from Tarara. Boneyard is the name of the area within the vineyard where out of service, but cherished, vineyard equipment is put out to pasture (and not an attempt to cash in on the pirate craze).
The first releases are the 2011 Boneyard White and 2010 Boneyard Red, both priced at $15.
We got a chance to sample the Boneyard White before it was bottled at the Chili Cook-Off and I was impressed. The 2010 vintage is a blend of 42% Chardonnay, 28% Viognier, 19% Petit Manseng and 11% Pinot Gris. As you would expect the wine has a lot of citrus notes and great acidity creating a refreshing, but not effervescent wine. This wine easily serves double duty as a deck wine, to enjoy by itself, or as a companion to a wide array of foods from spicy Thai to oysters and even BBQ chicken.
The 2010 Boneyard Red was almost an afterthought. As they were preparing the Boneyard White, Jordan insisted they have a Boneyard Red to pair with it. The 2010 Boneyard Red is a blend of 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot, 21% Merlot, 11% Tannat, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Pinotage and is unquestionably the best value in Virginia Wine. 2010 was a powerful year for reds, in fact I would argue it is the best in modern Virginia viticulture. The 2010 Boneyard Red is a complex wine, with great black fruit notes followed by powerful tannins and a long, lingering finish.
5 comments:
Alan - Thanks for the Post. The Boneyard wines certainly have had a great response so far. Now let's just see if our follow ups can come out as well. Just blended the 2011 red and putting back in barrel to rest another 12 months next week.
Hey amigo,
Can you ship into the Great White North?
We visited Tarara last weekend under the suggestion of a friend who used to work there. I always concidered myself a "Red Wine guy" after tasting your Boneyard White and a few glasses on the deck, I brought some home to add to my collection. I absolutely love this white wine. Thanks for the experience!
Hey Jeff - Can't ship, but I can try to send some back with my Mom that is visiting. I will also be there next month and can bring some by.
Andy - thanks and I am thrilled you had a good experience. Hope to see you again soon.
Actually just opened the Boneyard Red I bought at the tasting in March. Wish I had sat on it longer, but it's enjoyable now for sure. I agree, this is a high QPR wine for VA
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