My wife and I are members at Hawk Haven Vineyards. It is located in Rio Grande. We look forward to our allotments, tastings, Rootstock Concerts, and spontaneous visits. For our most recent allotment and tasting on Saturday, I reserved a 1:00 time slot. My wife and I anticipated that this would consist of previewing our allotment wines and maybe one or two surprises. The surprise was that we did our tasting outside, since the winery was being put to use, taking care of a hastily arranged harvesting of the Pinot Grigio grapes. Others may follow suit over the weekend, due to some threatening weather news. Todd Wuerker (owner and wine maker) decided to do a more impromptu lesson (for the small group).
The Lesson
Todd explained what was happening all around us-from the grapes being destemmed and fed into a large pressing machine and much more. This was all done on the fly, while doing a much more diverse tasting than anticipated. There is nothing like having the wine maker lead a tasting session. Todd’s knowledge of all of the machinery, the chemistry involved in fermentation, and the in depth analysis of the aromatic and taste profiles of each wine we tasted was remarkable. You just don’t get tastings like this at most wineries.
Among the most interesting observations: the color of the harvested Pinot Grigio grapes (purple) and the taste of them (we passed around a large cluster of them). The grapes were quite sweet. We then got to taste a cloudy, unfiltered version after the juice was extracted. Lighter in color now, it was still sweet, but not quite as sweet as the just harvested grapes. Though a different vintage, we got to taste the newly bottled 2022 Signature Series Pinot Grigio (more about that and other available wines tasted below). The difference in color and sweetness couldn’t be more pronounced. It is interesting, especially considering that Pinot Grigio is Italian for” gray grape” (and it is a white wine). Pinot Grigio grapes and Pinot Noir grapes have almost identical DNA. They are color mutations of the same grape.
Tasting
- 2022 Albarino-Excellent version with a bit of lemon and grapefruit on the palate and just a hint of sweetness.
- 2022 Dry Pinot Grigio-I have always loved their Pinot Grigio (both types they make-the dry, and the slightly off dry version). This is their best Dry Pinot Grigio yet (IMHO), with a bit more body than usual and refreshing lemon on the palate.
- 2022 Dry Riesling-Perhaps my favorite vintage of this wine.
- 2022 Reserve Chardonnay Clone 76 & 95-Every bit as good as the 2021, with hints of peach and pineapple on the palate.
- 2021 Malbec-Gotta love their Malbec. One of just a few in the state and a very good one. Very smooth, bone dry red.
- 2021 OA Cab Franc-Their Cab Franc is always the highlight for me, when it comes to their reds. They produce a wonderful version. This one was sourced from Orley Ashenfelter’s grapes. Delicious notes of plum and black currant. It is terrific!
During our tasting, I asked Todd about Petit Verdot. Todd shared that he grows his own Petit Verdot and he also has made Petit Verdot from grapes sourced from Orley Ashenfelter. He also mentioned that Autumn Lake Winery produces a good Petit Verdot (I had previously posted that Orley Ashenfelter was one of the few Growers in New Jersey to grow this late ripening grape). It is a challenge to growers.
The Allocation
I had only planned on taking one of each of the allowed wines (three in all). But after doing our tasting and thinking about the 30% discount on the case for club members, I decided to add nine more bottles, and left feeling very good about the tasting, the allocation, and my take home booty. The original allocation consisted of Signature Series Dry Riesling, Signature Series Chardonnay and Malbec. I added two bottles of the Chard, two Pinot Grigio, a Dry Riesling, two Albarino, and two Flying Press Red. These are pictured at the top of the post.
After packing up, we decided to end our Cape May area visit with a late lunch at Willow Creek…
Lunch at Willow Creek
We decided to have a late lunch at Willow Creek Winery. It’s a short ride from Hawk Haven. They have some great food offerings, and some wonderful and unique wines, in a lovely setting. For food, we both chose their fried haddock sandwiches on brioche rolls with tasty fries on the side. For wine, I chose their Malvasia Bianca. This grape was historically grown in the Mediterranean region. Willow Creek grows it and make a wonderful wine using their estate grown grapes. It is bone dry, stainless steel fermented, with notes of lemon and grapefruit on the palate. This was a nice way to satisfy our hunger, chill out, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Coming Attractions
- Highlights from our Finger Lakes Trip
- Amalthea Cellars Fall 2023
- Autumn Lake Winery Fall 2023
- Va La Vineyards
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