Thursday tastings

[Florida Jim]

Victoria Valley Vineyards is a new winery and vineyard facility outside of Cleveland, South Carolina. For locals, it’s on the Cherokee Foothills Parkway (SC 11) near Table Rock. It has released wine for just two years, has a nicely sloped vineyard area and quite an impressive winery and tasting room. It doesn’t yet put the vintage on the label. It releases three tiers of quality; the House wines at $9/bottle; the Select wines at about $14/bottle and the Signature Series at about $21/bottle.

We tasted the Select Chardonnay (12.5% alcohol) and it was pleasant with a vanillin nose and relatively straight-forward fruit; the Signature “Silk” (a blend of viognier and chardonnay; 13% alcohol) which was viscous, serious wine with just a hint of vanillin; the Signature “Pulse” (possibly a blend of merlot and syrah; 13% alcohol) which was obviously from young vines and a bit green, and, the Signature viognier (12.4% alcohol) which just blew me away – this is a world class viognier with good depth and cut, no evidence of oak, beautiful ripe flavors of peach, nuanced complexity and a salty minerality; all in a perfectly balanced and very long delivery. ‘Amazing for young fruit from a little known area.

The wines are, I am told, only sold at the winery and I have no idea (but doubt) that they will ship. But the next time I’m headed north, I will stop for some of this viognier.

We also tasted the 2003 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton: which showed very young but quite ripe and integrated, even for its youth. Give this one a year or so in the cellar.

And lastly, a 1999 Tain-L’Hermitage, Cornas that smelled of dirt and tasted dirty and bit hollow – not a wine I would buy, even at the sale price of $19.

Best, Jim