Back
on the road again but not quite as fancy as my trip to D.C. This time
I'm in Northern Virginia for two weeks but instead of the Grand Hyatt
I'm at the not-so-grand Comfort Inn. Not terrible just not the Grand
Hyatt. I was able to venture out and visit the local wine purveyors and
came across a nice bottle of a red blend table wine. I visited a
little shop in historic
Fredericksburg, Virginia, the
Virginia Wine Experience.
Lots of wine to choose from with the Domestics on the main floor and
all of the imports on the top floor. After much browsing I settled on
the 2005 Stephen Vincent Crimson which the check out lady said was a
good one. Dark ruby red in the glass, I mean plastic hotel cup, with
lots of blackberry on the nose. On the palate I picked up lots of plum
and dark cherry with a nice balance of
tanin.
A nice smooth finish added up to an excellent bottle of wine. Not
quite 5 Corkscrew level but easily a 4 Corkscrew rating especially based
on the $13.00/bottle price I paid. If in the
Fredericksburg,
Virginia area definitely make a point to check out the Virginia Wine
Experience and give the Stephen Vincent Crimson a try if you come across
it. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine.
My second visit to a local wine store ended up with my car stopping in front of Kybecca on the Table ,
also in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is the kind of wine
store I'd like to open some day! Lots of affordable wines, a good sized
artisan cheese selection and a lot of other items that you might want to
pick up. They've also got a great web site and two locations in the
Fredericksburg area. Very friendly and helpful staff made this shopping
trip very enjoyable. I picked up a bottle of the 2006 Leese-Fitch
Chardonnay based strictly on the unique corking system. You unfurl the
plastic which leaves you with a nice plastic cork that easily fits back
in the bottle. Since it was only $10/bottle I took a chance and
purchased this one. Somewhat dry this Chardonnay, although from
California, is made more in the "french style" which is, how does she
say it, a good thing! Nice balanced fruit on the palate with an
excellent soft finish. Did I mention it's a little dry? This one comes
from the Don Sebastiani & Sons megaconglomerate, but I highly
recommend it if you like the french styling of chardonnay. I gave it 4
Corkscrews and will purchase more in the future. Sit Long, Talk Much,
Laugh Often, Drink Wine & Check out Kybecca!
