My wife and I finally timed things just right. After a stressful and tedious week, we decided to treat ourselves to a visit to Cedar Rose Vineyards in Rosenhayn. It had been about a year since our last visit and we wanted to see what was new on a quiet week day. The first stroke of good luck was snagging the upstairs to ourselves. It was too cold to sit outside and downstairs was pretty busy. The second stroke of luck was seeing Dustin Tarpin (winemaker and one of the owners) and having a chance to chat with him and get the inside scoop on what was new. We were even given the chance to taste a couple of wines not on the menu!
The Wines
My wife chose to do the Lighten Up Flight (Dry White Wines)
- 2021 Albarino-Some citrus and tropical notes.
- 2019 Vidal Blanc-We definitely preferred this vintage to the 2020. Nice fruit flavors with lively acidity.
- 2020 Barrel Vidal Blanc-Somewhat more muted fruit flavors with a hint of vanilla and a bit more body than the 2019.
- 2020 Confluence-a nice blend of Viognier, Cayuga, and Albarino.
- 2021 Traminette-Our favorite white in the tasting, light and refreshing, with just a hint of sweetness.
I selected the Red Zone Flight (Dry Reds)
I have always felt that dry reds were the strong suit here at Cedar Rose and the group listed below reinforced that opinion.
- Kindling #4-a good blend of Cab Franc, Regent, Blaufrankisch, and Norton.
- 2020 Chambourcin Reserve-Newest version of their consistently good Chambourcin, Dark in color with cherries on the palate.
- 2021 Estate Cabernet Franc-My favorite in the tasting. They always make a good Cab Franc here. It was a bit darker and had a little more body than many others and 2021 was a very good year. Very smooth.
- 2020 Coeur d’Est-A good blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Franc. A medium-bodied blend with cherry and cranberry notes, with lots of structure and acidity.
- 2020 Thundergust-A very good blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Chambourcin, with notes of raspberry and vanilla.
The Food
I opted for a CR Burger (a thick burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato and fries. My wife chose their steak sandwich with fries. They were both very good and pictured below.
The wine we chose to enjoy with our meal was the wonderful 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Ashenfelter Vineyards (pictured above).The best wine of the day!
Bonus Tastings
- Port-Style-Their first ever Port-style wine, made with Chambourcin, as its base and then sent to Pine Tavern to distill it. Dustin estimated that it was around 18-19% ABV and a surprising low reserved sugar (only about 4.o). This was a definite winner. Great as an after dinner drink or with a great dessert.
- Solstice-A first for this winery (and the only one I know of in NJ)-an Ice Wine. It was named for the day the grapes were harvested (on the winter solstice). There may be others in New Jersey, but this is the only one I know of and the only one made with Chambourcin. When I have tasted Ice Wines in the past, they have been done with a white wine. While sweet, this one was not cloyingly sweet and quite good.
- Merlot-I believe this one was straight from the barrel-not yet bottled. It was sourced from a grower in Mullica Hill. Cedar Rose provides some services to the grower and Cedar Rose does not grow their own Merlot, The result is a very good Merlot already, at this early stage. I hope to be able purchase a couple of these when this wine is bottled. It is already tasty and surprisingly smooth.
Take Aways
We always enjoy returning to Cedar Rose. The wines and food are great and so is the vibe. I also love the sunsets there. I couldn’t leave without asking if they had any bottles of Norton in the back somewhere. I have enjoyed this wine elsewhere (especially in Virginia), but Cedar Rose is one of the few New Jersey wineries that grow this grape and makes this wine. It is sometimes called Cynthiana. I love the dark, bold appearance and the bold, full-bodied taste. I was able to get two bottles of the 2016 Norton (pictured below).
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