Friday was my wife’s birthday, so I suggested a visit to the Lambertville/New Hope area to celebrate. My wife was all in for this, as we have celebrated special occasions in this area a few times in the past and really enjoyed these times. We decided to start our celebrating with a wonderful visit to Unionville Vineyards. It has always been one of our favorite vineyards, offering wines utilizing grapes with a French origin, but estate grown (like Marsanne, Rousanne, and Viognier). We’re not alone in our appraisal of Unionville’s merits. Food & Wine rated it as one of the top 500 wineries in the United States! Putting that in context, there are approximately 7,500 wineries in America!
The tasting room, though small, has a lovely rustic charm. I love the floor to ceiling window, allowing you to see the room where the magic happens. Outside, there is also a huge tent with chandeliers and lots of seating for more crowded weekends and special events. The tented area was empty when we arrived (right after opening on a weekday), but we have seen this area buzzing during a special event, like one of their Co-Op Portfolio tastings. But, busy or not, you will get a very good wine tasting experience here. Their servers are among the most knowledgeable and best trained staff in the business. Special thanks to our server, Andrew Farinaccio (Tasting Room Manager).
Then we come to the wines…
The Tasting
White
- Dry Riesling (not on the menu)-Crisp and refreshing. Very nice.
- 2022 Unoaked Chardonnay-Starts with lively acidity and apple notes on the palate, leaving you with a soft finish.
- 2021 Pheasant Hill Chardonnay-Still one of my favorite Chardonnays in the state-I love and agree with their description: “The nose smells like a baker’s kitchen during the holidays.” The vanilla and brioche, coupled with its creamy quality and long finish make this a real winner.
Rose
- 2022 Dry Rose-I don’t often engage in superlatives for Rose wines, but this one was exceptional; 100% Cab Franc.
- 2022 Mistral Rose-This vintage was 100% Syrah. Still very good, but side-to-side, I surprisingly found the Dry Rose even better.
Red
- 2021 Reserve Pinot Noir-while paler in color and lighter in body than usual, this Pinot Noir did not disappoint in taste. I was expecting far less flavor than what I tasted (earthy, with cherries and raspberries); gently oaked.
- Revolutionary Red-In the past this has been a red blend, but this one is 100% Chambourcin; dry, but with vibrant red fruit. Quite good!
- 2019 Sourland Ridge Red-This is the current Bordeaux style along the lines of their previous “Big O” label. It is a blend of Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. It is medium bodied, with tasty cherry and blackberry notes.
- 2019 Open Source Bordeaux-What a great way to finish our tasting! This full-bodied red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (52%); Cab Franc (20%); Merlot (20%); Malbec (4%); and Petit Verdot (4%). A delicious blend with cherry cola and lots of structure, yet smooth. The wine is called Open Source because it is part of the collaborative venture among the six current members of the Winermakers Co-Op.*
*The Winemakers Co-Op is currently made up of six winery members: Unionville Vineyards, Beneduce Vineyards, Working Dog Winery, William Heritage Winery, Hawk Haven Vineyards, and Auburn Road Vineyards. It was founded in 2015 and its mission is to increase the quality and perception of fine wines of New Jersey, highlighting primarily dry, vinifera grapes grown in the Garden State. The Open Source wines are a collaboration in which all members bring 1,000 pounds of designated grapes, crush them together, and then divided equally. Each winery gets to put their own creative touches to the finished product.
Our Takeaways
I had to limit our takeaway to six bottles for now, but will definitely be back again in the near future. Our pick six included the Pheasant Hill Chardonnay, Dry Rose, Pinot Noir Reserve, Revolutionary Red, Sourland Red, and Open Source Bordeaux. You will notice the Dry Rose is MIA in the picture below. We started to enjoy that one before we left (with some cheese and crackers) and finished it later that evening.
Sourland Mountain Distillery
Since we were in the area, we decided to make one slight detour on the way to our hotel at the Lambertville Inn. We visited the Sourland Mountain Distillery. They don’t generally do tastings and we did not want to overindulge, with our wine tasting earlier and a dinner with wine planned for later that evening. But they did let us sample their Flagship Gin and Vodka. Both were very good, but we both were interested in their Coffee Liqueur, made with their vodka. We decided to take one along with us. Tasting this creation tonight, I will share that my wife and I both liked it a lot and add that this is not the sweeter, weaker version of a coffee flavored liqueur (e.g. Kahlua). It is 70 Proof. While it is good by itself, I enjoyed it more with a little ice and/or with a little cream.
Coming Attractions
- Local Greek Restaurant & OYC Wines
- Natali Vineyards
- Va La Vineyards
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