Grace Estate Winery. July 7, 2021

 

Grace Estate Winery.   July 7, 2021

One of the goals of these wine trips is have new experiences and meet new people along the way, not just to drink wine.  On our way to Grace Estate Winery in Crozet one quiet Wednesday morning, we met a very nice young man in overalls, long hair, and a long beard.  We met him as we considered how to get our car out of a deep ditch in front of the White Hall Community Center.  We couldn’t back out as one rear tire was elevated off of the ground.  This young man took the time and had a stout rope with which to tow us out of our hole.  Otherwise, we would have been stuck for hours in 90+ degree heat waiting for a commercial tow truck.  The young man’s only request is that we should “pay it forward.”  We should all look for chances to help others!  Good Man.

But back to Grace Estate.  When we emerged from our scratched car at the winery, you smell the horses for you are deep in horse country at the foot of the Blue Ridge.  Grace Estate is reportedly owned by a Swiss family but the website does not make that clear.  The winery has 52 acres under vine, of which the winery uses 15 acres and sells the remainder to other wineries.  All wines are supposedly from grapes grown on the estate.  The tasting room is large and nicely appointed.  Outside food is welcome.  We had a long conversation with the server, an older gentleman who also does the winery’s cork sculpture.  I’m always looking for ways to use my many corks creatively.  We also encountered a 62 year old bicyclist in a race from Astoria, Washington, to Yorktown.  He was a little lost but gamely got back on the road.

We sampled six wines and found all of them uniformly good.  Here they are:

2017 Estate Le Gras Cuvé.  Kim did not like this Vidal that much, but I did.  Seemed nice for any occasion.  Some residual sugar.

2017 Captain John Chardonnay.  Kim prefers this.  Good fruit forward.

2018 First Baron Sauvignon Blanc.  More complex than the Chardonnay. Some acidity.

2019 The Count Merlot.  Grassy and earthy.  Noticeable tannin.

2019 Colonel Richard Tannat.  Very robust and tannin laden as is expected of Tannat.  Good for rich food.

2017 Estate Adeliza.  A dessert wine based on Petit Menseng.  3% residual sugar.  Deep color.  Would be great on vanilla ice cream.

We bought a bottle of the Cuvé and the Captain John Chardonnay.   

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