Wine: 2007 8 Chains North Lo.Co. Vino



Review: A chain is a agricultural unit of measurement equal to 66 feet. 8 Chains North gets its name from the fact that it is 8 chains north of Colonel White's river fields (according to the bottle -- I can't tell you why that is significant) ;)).

This is a good summer wine and an excellent wine to enjoy with light cheeses. It is a blend of 50% Traminette and 50% Vidal Blanc. It is a light wine, very crispy with a very light aftertaste. It has hints of pears and honeysuckle. If you don't have any cheese around, it is a good sipping wine all by itself. You can pick up a bottle at Fabbioli.

Price: $18

Grade: 95

I am almost embarrassed to post this because it happened so long ago, but I cannot resist telling you about some great wines. Back in April, Doug hosted a release tasting at Fabbioli. The release did not just include his wines, but also wines from two other local vineyards and all three winemakers were on hand.

Each wine was paired with an item especially prepared by Chef Aaron Daniels. There were 4 wines released: Fabbioli's Cabernet Sauvignon, a mild wine with strong flavors of oak that lingers on the palette and a hint of pepper. Fabbioli also released their Black Raspberry Port. If you are thinking, "Black Raspberry Port, can that possibly be as good as it sounds and where can I get some?" It was fantastic, so good in fact that Doug sold out of his entire production run that day.

From North Gate Vineyards we were able to sample their newly released Merlot. The Merlot was barrel-aged in French oak for 18 months, creating a flavorful, complex wine with the taste of cherries and an earthy feel to it. A very excellent Merlot, on par with what most wineries would consider their reserve.

Furnace Mountain Vineyards (no website) introduced us to their 8 Chain's North Lo.Co. Vino an excellent blend of Traminette and Vidal Blanc -- I'll have more details on this wine in a future review.

A great day and a chance to enjoy some really good wines.