“Good wine is a necessity of life for me.” — Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson had a dream of native production of wine in Virginia. That dream has been realized. And realized in a big way. Jefferson is my favorite president, and this might be my favorite wine. Jefferson Vineyards Viognier 2010 is a delicious quaff that is intensely aromatic with notes of green apple, honey, lemons and mango. Viognier is a food friendly wine and the perfect pairing is Fried Virginia Oysters with Collard Slaw & Crème Fraiche. The music match is the trio sonata Opus 2 by Arcangelo Corelli, Jefferson’s favorite composer.
And it’s never too early to think of holiday shopping. This is a delightful bottle of wine and the packaging is elegant. Perfect for your favorite oenophile or Jeffersonphile. History never tasted so delicious!
The details: 13.5% alcohol. Cork closure. Appellation: Virginia. Varietal: viognier 75%, riesling 14%, chardonnay 7% and petit manseng. Suggested retail $25 USD and available directly from Jefferson Vineyards. This was a media sample for the social media event Summer Wines of Virginia generously provided by the winery.
photo credit: Swirl Sip Snark ©2011
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
20 years ago or so I bought some Monticello Cab while we were at Jeff’s house, which was an amazing experience. The Cab was undrinkable. I’ve heard that’s all changed. Nice to see more evidence that things have progressed for Virginia wine.
BTW, Jefferson is also my favorite president. And the only one to walk to his inauguration.
Things are ‘a changing in Virginia.
Like everywhere, there are wines (and wineries) that are hit-or-miss, but overall the Virginia wines I tasted during my sojourn were delicious, more elegant Old World than fruit-forward New World.
Obama walked part-way during his inauguration (as an homage to Jefferson, I assume) and the entire time I was shouting at the television, “Get back in the car! Get back in the car!”