What better place to view and celebrate the harvest moon than at Autumn Lake Winery? To enhance the experience, of course, there are the wonderful wines that are the fruit of past harvests. There was also live music provided by the DeAngelis Duo. This father and son team played a nice mix of acoustic covers from the Beatles to the Allman Brothers. I was increasingly skeptical that nature would cooperate on this festive evening. But in the end, the star of the show was fully visible. Though my iPhone-generated photo does not do it justice, the harvest moon was glorious, just emerging into view. I couldn’t help but imagine how beautiful Autumn Lake WInery’s Tasting Room will be to view the lake, the moon, or the vineyards. It should be done before too long. Certainly before the next harvest moon.
With every visit to Autumn Lake Winery, I am increasingly impressed with how Mark Hernandez and his family have succeeded in turning a dream into a jewel of a winery in such a short time. Don’t get me wrong, while it has only taken a few years, the amount of work (and blood, sweat and tears) cannot be over stated. It has been a real family effort. Mark is the owner and winemaker. His daughter, Lauren assists with the winemaking and many other tasks. His wife, Donna and daughter, Megan also work at the winery, wearing numerous hats in the business.
I am even more impressed with the quality of the wines being made. It seems that each time I visit I have a new favorite there. In the past I have loved their Chambourcin, their Albarino, their Port-style wine, Chardonnay, and more recently, their Tortuga red blend. On Friday evening I added two new favorites: Traminette and Cabernet Sauvignon. With my wine cellar at near capacity, my decision of what to enjoy for the next couple of hours and what to take home became a tough one.
The complete list of offerings included Sauvignon Blanc 2018; Traminette 2018; Albarino 2018; Chardonnay 2017; Tortuga 2016; Cabernet Sauvignon 2016; and Lakeside Rose 2018. Their popular Per Diem Red was sold out and their Down Home series of sweet wines were only available by the bottle, as they are low in stock. Autumn Lake’s Chambourcin will soon be available.
I should point out that several of their wines have received awards and high scores. When you see my selections, you will see that I shared the critics’ love for these four awesome wines.
- Traminette 2018 received a score of 89 from the Beverage Tasting Institute (BTI) and won a Silver Medal at the BTI and won a Gold Medal at the Garden State Wine Challenge this year. A super Traminette!
- Chardonnay 2017 won a Silver Medal at the 2019 Indy International Wine Competition and a Silver Medal at the 2019 Garden State Wine Challenge. At $16 per bottle, it is also one of the best buys in the state.
- Tortuga 2016 (a delicious blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot) in a bottle with a beautiful label (pictured below). This beauty received a score of 93 and a Gold Medal from the BTI this year, won a Silver Medal at the Indy International Wine Competition and also took a Silver Medal at the Garden State Wine Challenge.
- Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 This was a full-bodied delightful Cab bursting with dark fruit and balanced nicely by silky tannins in the long toasted caramel finish. Totally worthy of its 94 BTI rating and Gold Medal. It also garnered a Silver Medal at the 2019 Indy International Competition and the 2019 Garden State Wine Challenge.
So you can see why my task of narrowing my choices was so hard. We decided on the Tortuga to go with a steak sandwich from the food truck. This choice and the other three are pictured below.
Cheers!
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