First, a quick note: Over the next month or so there may be a couple of weeks that I am unable to post due to some medical and home repair issues. I promise to miss as few posts as possible. I don’t want to elaborate because I want this post to be more about the wine than me. But, I also wanted to give you a heads up in case you don’t see a new post for a week or so. Having said that my wife and I needed to spend an afternoon getting out of the house and doing one of our favorite things-visiting wineries.
On Thursday, I finally got to visit Angelico Winery in Lambertville. My wife and I were greeted by Otto Angelico (owner and winemaker) and he allowed us to taste all of his wines currently available. As a bonus, he shared with us a bit of history, some of which can be seen and appreciated on the labels of his wines. All of the labels reflect either his family’s winery in Sicily or his family’s present winery here in Lambertville. Otto comes from a multigenerational winemaking family. He shared that this chain was only broken when his father chose to go a different direction. However, his grandfather introduced him to winemaking at an early age. Otto has subsequently added to his skills by working at Unionville Vineyards for a while and taking advantage of resources available through the GSWGA and Rutgers.
While he currently only has about three and one-half acres under vine, Otto and his wife and family have more acreage to expand when they are ready to do so. His plans are to start small and grow. Since his vineyard is only about three years old, the present vintage is the first utilized in making his wine for sale. Also, with only 3 1/2 acres, he has had to supplement his own harvest with sourcing from other New Jersey wineries. However, Otto is adamant about keeping things local as much as possible and he looks forward to making and selling only wines made with his estate grown grapes.
Pictured above is the barn where all of the action takes place. There is seating in the small tasting room (partly pictured above), with a few tables and a small bar. In addition, there is outdoor seating all around the barn, including two shaded areas for those hot and sunny days. For the rainy days, there is seating under a covered patio with screening. As usual my photos do not do the property justice, so you’ll have to check it out yourself.
Angelico Winery is one of only two New Jersey wineries within the Central Delaware Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area). The other is The Federal Twist Vineyard in nearby Stockton.
The Dry White Wines
- 2021 Gruner Veltliner-A huge surprise-both the varietal itself, and how well it was made. A very good Gruner, with some floral notes and lemon and lime on the palate.
- 2021 Cayuga-A dry version, with just a hint of sweetness and lively acidity.
Dry Rose-A lovely bone dry Rose, utilizing Blaufrankisch and Cab Franc. There is a cherub on the label (reflecting Otto’s surname, Angelico).
Dry Red Wines
- The Miracle-Barbera blended with Petite Sirah. Very nice. The Petit Sirah adds a bit more color and structure. Once again, the angel theme is utilized on the label, with two cherubs looking up and “patiently waiting”…in this case for their wine.
- 2018 Red Barn-Chambourcin blend (60% Chambourcin; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; and 5% Cab Franc)-Intense cherry aroma and notes on the palate.
- 2018 Merlot-Dark garnet in color; very smooth; made with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon added.
- Weeping Willow-2018 blend of Cab Franc (60%); Cabernet Sauvignon (20%); Merlot (10%); and Chambourcin (10%).
- 2019 Syrah-My personal favorite. This wine is very good, with notes of black fruit and smokiness on the palate. Lots of structure, but a very smooth finish. Great now, but may even improve with age (if you are more patient than me).
Sweet Wines
- Cool Brivido-A sweet white sangria with peach, orange, and lemon on the palate; a refreshing end of summer drink.
- Raspberry Rose-A Rose with sweet ripe raspberries flavor.
Our Take Home
We decided to take home a few bottles, but could easily have chosen a few other reds, for sure. Our picks were a white (Gruner Veltliner); Dry Rose; and Syrah.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Angelico Winery and our thanks to Otto Angelico for sharing his family’s journey. We look forward to visiting again in the spring and hope that we can see one of Otto’s sons playing classical piano at the winery and perhaps get to try their Port-style wine (which was sold out this time).
Cheers!
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Coming Attractions
- The Pinot Grape (NJ & Elsewhere)
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