Gray Ghost Winery: 2012 Gewurztraminer

Today, we tasted at Gray Ghost Winery.  Gray Ghost is named after John S. Mosby.  It is located along the Southern end of the area in Virginia that John S. Mosby was known to operate during the Civil War.  Gray Ghost Winery has been making wine for 19 years and has about 13 acres under vine (if I can remember the host's information correctly about the acreage).  Gray Ghost produces the well known and hard to get, Ranger Reserve.  Reserve is a blend all five red Bordeaux grape varietals (Blend: 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 12% Malbec) and is aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. 

Overall, there are many great things that you can say about Gray Ghost.  This winery is an important stop on the Virginia wine tour and its one that I have done multiple times. Gray Ghost now offers library tastings on schedule dates.  Library tastings are a unique and important opportunity to get a richer taste of a particular grape.  Depending on which date you catch you have the opportunity to conduct a vertical tasting of their Cabernet Sauvignon or compare and contrast differing years of wine; such as the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon or the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.  Years that are being offered from their library range from 1993 to 2008.  These events are also extremely valuable because they often offer opportunity to capture the vision of the vine maker through the years.  Don't forget to call ahead if you would like to participate. 

There are 9 award winning wines on their wine list to taste for only $3.00.  However, I wanted to take a moment to capture thoughts on one of my favorite grapes, which is found at Gray Ghost.  That grape is the Gewurztraminer.  I like the Gewurztraminer for the fruity flavors of star fruit and pineapple.  I find the wine to be positioned well on the tasting list at Gray Ghost, as you cross between the Reserve Chardonnay (aged in French Oak) and their Victorian White (Chardonnay with no Oak).  The 2012 Gewurztraminer is the winner of 6 awards: 

1. Gold-2013 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, California 
2. Silver-2013 Riverside International Wine Competition, California 
3. Silver-2013 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition 
4. Bronze-2013 US National Wine Competition, CA 
5. Bronze-2013 Tasters Guild International  
6. Bronze-2013 Lone Star International Wine Competition

Bottle of 2012 Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer with its awards

 
Other photos taken at the winery today.

Cab Sauv Vines

Cab Sauv Vines

Cab Sauv grapes on the vine

Looking down the vines

 Gray Ghost Home Page

Narmada Vineyard: A unique experience, that I will not hurry back for...

While reading this post, keep in mind that I have a defined taste and style of wine that I appreciate here in Virginia.   Narmada Winery does not fill my taste, but is a highly popular winery.  If you are looking for something unique, go here.  I tasted at this winery, after tasting at Gray Ghost.  I would not recommend that anyone else do this.  Narmada's wine has a very unique taste, that doesn't mix well with other wines in the region.  Save this for an independent tasting event.

Narmada is nestled along the Blue Ridge countryside of Rappahannock County.  Be careful because the winery blends in with the scenic views of the area and is easy to pass up.  Be sure to watch for their entrance sign, which is a couple miles past Gray Ghost Winery as you travel North on Rte 211.  I was excited to taste at Narmada, because it would close my gap on tastings along this stretch of Virginia wineries.  I usually research the winery ahead of visiting, so that I have opportunity to enrich my visit with knowledge of the winery and move into deeper discussions about the wine and vineyard. Narmada has a really good website.  Had I visited the website, I would have read their caption that states, "Experience India, Taste Virginia".  This is what is unique about the winery.  Its not your standard Virginia experience.

From my host, I learned that the owner was a successful business man.  He had originally been from India and decided to commit his retirement to the winery.  This makes Narmada a unique commercial business.  It's easy to interpret that the owner is very skilled in marketing and presentation. Which leads me into my experience entering the winery grounds. Narmada is a very visually pleasing winery.  75 percent of the grapes they use are grown on the vineyard, according to the host.  Their vineyard map shows several varieties of grapes grown on the property, including Chambourcin and Viognier.  The host explained that the tasting room opened in 2009 and you can purchase wine back to that date.

Lilly Pond at Narmada

Entrance sign

The grounds are well kept and very pretty.  Upon entering the gates, you will immediately notice the Lilly pads in the pond near the gate.  The rest of the vineyard is visually appealing but not accessible.  If you like to stroll along the grapevines to enjoy their relaxing beauty, you will not find that experience at Narmada.  The vineyards are fenced off to the public, making it so that you can drive straight to the tasting room and back out.  

This winery is definitely setup to drive business to the tasting room, suck the money out of you, and move you back off the property.  At least this is the feeling I got from the winery.    Tasting are served in small flights and are very expensive.  You can choose from 3 flights that are $7 - $9.  When you go to a winery and they tell you that you can purchase a flight of their wines, this should be a red flag.  These winery's are NOT interested in giving you an experience of wine, they are interested in revenue.  In this case I was right.  The host poured such little amounts of wine in the glass that it was literally a sip.  I didn't even bother smelling the wine or swishing it.  The amount was so little that I couldn't even get a look at the color of the wine (other then red or white).  As a compliment for tastings and just pleasure (which is pretty cool), Narmada offers Indian style food.  I did not try this, but I do like Indian food and would like to get some reviews of this aspect of the winery.  So if you haven't gotten the point of what I am telling you, Narmada is a unique experience all about India.  If you want to experience Indian culture and taste in Virginia, you can do that here. 

Overall, here is what I thought of the wine.  From what I remember from the terrible tasting, the Dream tasted like rubbing alcohol and this taste resonated through most of their wines.  Really, I couldn't stand the taste of them and really just wanted to ask for my money back.  The two wines that tasted alright were the Tannat and Primita.  The Tannat had a very silky taste to it.  I think the potential of the winery and the skill of the winemaker, really shines in the Tannat.  Additionally, the Primita was not a let down.  I did enjoy the Primita, but not enough to buy it.  Narmada has 2 desert wines the Primita, the Lotus.  They also have a Port-style wine called Allure, which is 80% Chambourcin, 10% Tannat and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Primita is made from Chambourcin, which is one of my favorite grapes.  This may be why I leaned toward liking this wine.