My Wine Journal: King Family Vineyards and Roseland Polo

King Family Vineyard was named Best Winery of 2013 in C-ville's "Best of C-VILLE" issue. The vineyard is 28 acres and sets on a 328 acre farm in Crozet, Virginia. The vineyard is owned and operated by David and Ellen King. The wine maker is Mathieu Finot. Other than Virginia, Matthieu has made wine in wineries located in Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Jura, Provence, Bordeaux, Friuly, and South Africa. He is from France, Crozes Hermitage (northern Rhone). David and Ellen purchased the farm in 1996 and started planting vines around 1998. Their first plantings were Merlot and Viognier. Other early plantings include Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Petit Verdot. Newer vines on the vineyard include Malbec and Petit Manseng. Read more about the vineyard at: http://www.kingfamilyvineyards.com/Our-Family/Our-Story.

One of the award cases in the tasting room.

There are 10 wines to taste at King Family Vineyards. They include the Viognier 2012 (aged in stainless steel and cement), Chardonnay 2012 (aged in French Oak), Crosé 2012 (aged in stainless steel), Cabernet Franc 2012, Merlot 2011 (aged in French Oak), Meritage 2011 (49% Merlot, 30% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec), Roseland 2012 (74% Chardonnay, 26% Viognier), Petit Verdot 2011, Seven 2011, and Loreley 2012.

Loreley 2012

As part of the tasting we were able to try the Viognier 2012, Chardonnay 2012, Crosé 2012, Merlot 2011, and the Meritage 2011. In addition to included wines, we also tried the Loreley 2012, which is a dessert wine and the Seven 2011, the "Port" style wine. Both were unbelievably good. Loreley 2012 is 50% Viognier and 50% Petit Manseng. I got the taste of pear, apricot and tangerine on the palate and floral notes on the nose with the Loreley 2012. If you are a fan of "Port" Style wines, you will find Seven 2011 to be in a class of its own among the Virginia Ports. Seven 2011 is named for the 7th chukker in polo. It offers fig, banana, and orange peel on the nose. It possesses vanilla and nutmeg on the palate, with cherry and toffee. The photo below is a picture of Seven 2011 in the glass.