Stokelan Estate Winery

Stokelan Estate Winery is New Jersey’s newest winery. It is located in Medford, a beautiful community in Burlington County. It is a small family owned boutique winery. This mansion looks like it’s ready to adorn a post card, while the interior is even more elegant and gorgeous. While the Greek Revival structure dates back to around 1853, the owner (Deepa Lal) only purchased the property about four years ago. Their Grand Opening was last Saturday. My wife and I chose the next available date (Thursday) to make a reservation and do a tasting. Though our reservation was for the outdoor seating, once we realized there were no other patrons at that early time (11:30 AM) and the temperature was already in the 90’s, we were able to switch to an indoor space. My wife and I are still being COVID-safe.

The interior of the home serves as a luxuriously comfortable tasting area. Their motto at Stokelan is “Come for the wine. Stay for the experience.” Our experience was truly magnificent, seated in the library room. The other options include the large living room, the wraparound porch and two patios. The living room is much larger than pictured, as I did not want to include staff who were in that area.

                

The Wine

My wife and I decided we would both try all five of the wines available to taste (all dry). This flight is called Andrew’s Selections (named after the winemaker, Andrew Dick). The selections included:

• 2020 Myra-Dry Rose, made from Petite Syrah named after Deepa’s granddaughter. It is a lovely pale salmon color, dry, with fresh red berries and lively acidity.
• 2019 Catspaw-A light and refreshing unoaked Chardonnay.
• 2019 Crossroads-Oaked Chardonnay (not to be confused with Eric Clapton’s hit song); This Chardonnay was lightly oaked, while retaining the citrusy fruit flavor and a nice refreshing acidity, with a touch of vanilla.
• 2019 Kirby’s Mill-A smooth easy-drinking red blend of Cabernet Franc (primarily) along with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is named after a nearby historical site.
• 2019 Simla-A red Bordeaux-style blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. A very smooth, elegant blend with a subtle hint of cherry and vanilla on the palate. Simla is named after Deepa’s birthplace in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. This wine recently won a Gold Medal and a score of 90 at a Beverage Tasting Institute competition.

Note: Stokelan vines are still quite young. The present crop will yield their second harvest since planting the vines. They presently are growing Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. For their current wine selection, they have utilized their estate-grown grapes, as well as sourcing some grapes from other New Jersey growers, and in some cases, from outside of New Jersey.

Our flights are pictured below.

The Food

Since it was close to lunchtime when we arrived, we decided to order a little food mid-tasting. We chose the Mini Mediterranean Box and the No Utensils Required (included, just in case) box. The former consisted of hummus, pita chips, and mixed vegetables, while the latter was comprised of cured dry meats, imported cheese, crackers, nuts, local berries, fruit, and a stick of honey. The No Utensils Required box is shown below, thanks to my wife, Carol. We ordered a bottle of Crossroads Chardonnay to enjoy with our food.

Our Takeaways

We brought home our two favorites from the tasting: 2019 Crossroads Chardonnay and 2019 Simla. Both are shown below.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the wine, food, and the service, while soaking up the elegant ambience. We shall definitely return…Cheers! For more information about this winery, I encourage you to read their webpage, with their interesting connections to this land and much more. There was also a very good article in the Courier Post on 7/13/22, written by Carol Comegno.

Coming Attractions

• How New Jersey Wineries are Coping with the Pandemic
• A Trip to Central Jersey & Beyond

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