It is a pleasant drive north of the Lambertville area (one of our favorite day trips for shopping, antiquing, and dining) to the Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, NJ. The winery is actually a collection of farms (Pheasant Hill label made at the Hopewell Estate, Amwell Ridge – grown across the street in Ringoes, Mountain Road – in North Jersey, and Unionville Home Vineyard, home for the tasting room). In addition, they do import some French grapes, such as the Marsanne and Roussane varietals. They obtain the fruit from France, but press the grapes, ferment, and bottle the wine in Ringoes. The tasting room is charmingly rustic and open (seeming larger than it is due to the high ceilings and the window offering a great view of the barrels of goodies yet to come).
We started our tasting with four different Chardonnays: The 2013 Chard, the 2013 Mountain Road Vineyard Chard, the 2013 Unionville Vineyard Chard, and the 2012 Pheasant Hill Chard. While all four were good, we thought the best value was the 2013 Chard made from grapes from all of their estates. Well worth the $16.95 price. We also tasted the 2013 Amwell Ridge Viognier ($29.95), the 2013 Amwell Ridge Vineyard Marsanne-Roussanne ($29.95 – a nice full-bodied white, typically found in the Rhone Vally of France), the 2013 Pinot Noir Reserve ($35.95), the 2012 Pheasant Hill Vineyard Syrah ($32.95), the Big O – a Bordeaux-styled blend ($28.95), and three ports. The ports are a blend of different vintages of their Chambourcin (some over 10 years old). We brought home a bottle of the Vat 19 Port ($30.95) – a bit pricey, but one of the best ports I have had in a long time.
Being close to lunch time and getting a bit hungry we decided to try a plate of cheese and crackers (provided by DiBruno Brothers) and enjoyed a glass of the Syrah to accompany this light snack. It was a great idea, relaxing and looking down into the wine cellar through the large window, pleased with the choices we had made. We brought home the Chardonnay, the Port, and the unfinished Syrah and upon hearing some of the upcoming calendar events vowed to come again soon.
