It was a windy but sunny late September morning when four ladies ventured out to the Loudoun County area in search of wine and relaxation. As the Tiny Wine Girl was escorting the ladies through the heart of Loudoun County, the Evil Red Genius made a declaration that set the tone for the entire trip when she exclaimed,
"The world is like one big winery to me!"
The annual Fall Farm Tour was occurring this particular weekend and their first stop was the Zephaniah Farm Vineyards.
The Hatch family has farmed in Loudoun for 64 years and three generations.
Zephaniah Jefferson Hatch (the owner's great grandfather), built and owned the Monticello Steamboat Company in San Francisco, California starting in 1892. The ferry boats of the company ran from San Francisco to Vellejo, California, which leads to Napa Valley (see where I'm going with this?). The company was named for Zephaniah’s birthplace in New York. William N. Hatch (the owner's father) purchased Mill Road Farm in 1950 with the proceeds from the sale of the company. That began the journey from a life on the water in California to a life on the land among the fine vineyards of Loudoun County.
Seated tastings occur in the antique rooms of the 1830 manor house rich with history!
The house was built by the builder of Oak Hill, the home of former President Monroe.
The humble but beautiful house provides a link into Loudoun’s past.
Even the bricks for the house were made in Loudoun!
While the farm and the manor house are quite historic, the first phase of the vineyard was just planted in 2002. The Hatch family tends the grapes by hand and are the ones who care for the vines and the grapes through every season. Harvest is also accomplished by family and friends.
This wine is truly hand crafted!
As the ladies strolled through the farm to the Manor House, it was quite a sight to behold.
The air was filled with oohs and ahhs.
The ladies then entered the manor house to partake of the wine...
Because it was the Farm Tour and the main dining room was filled to capacity, the ladies were fortunate enough to have their seated tasting in the manor home's library!
Such history and antiques surrounded them. Black and white photographs of the Hatch family abounded and the Tiny Wine Girl could actually feel a presence.
It was magical!
Wait, or was it the wine?
Maybe it was old Zephaniah himself encouraging the ladies to drink up!
They couldn't let grandpa down, could they?
So, drink is what they did!
2013 Steamship White
52% Chardonel, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Chardonnay and 5% Viognier
Yes, there is 23% Cab in this one. Shocking? A little bit. Could you taste it or see it? Nope.
But it was added it for its boldness. This wine tasted like a Viognier to the Tiny Wine Girl.
2013 Rose
Classic French-style Rose-blend of Cab Franc and Chambourcin.
This one neither excited nor disgusted the Tiny Wine Girl.
A non-entity actually.
2012 Cab Franc
With aromas of farm and dirt, this Cab Franc was actually fruiter than most.
Quite pleasant but a tad bit tangy at the end.
2012 Three Captains Red
Named after the family's three sons, this blend of Chambourcin, Cab Franc and Cab Sav
was the Tiny Wine Girl's favorite from this farm winery.
Much better than the straight Cab Franc; much smoother.
2012 Chambourcin
Everyone was surprised when the Tiny Wine Girl said this is wine is a great water substitute when making brownies. In fact, they thought she was making it up. Nope, indeed, it's delicious!
That being said, this grape is a good blending grape or used in sangria. On its own, it doesn't do much for the Tiny Wine Girl anymore. In the beginning when she was just starting to try red wines, she favored it though.
After the ladies tasted Zephaniah's wines, they ventured outside to partake of the lunch special of the day. The ladies enjoyed farm-raised organic angus burgers and a glass of wine for $12 as the sun shined down upon them.
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
~Albert Einstein
As the four ladies left the lovely farm with their bellies full and their taste buds smiling, they ventured out to other parts of Loudoun County.
The Tiny Wine Girl was beyond excited when they happened upon two barns.
Especially the dilapidated one..........
While she could have stayed in its presence, she knew she had to continue on her journey for there were still two more stops to make before heading home.
Next stop....
Meet the American Mammoth Jackstock donkey!!
These donkeys are the height of an average horse and their ears alone shoot 12 inches into the air. They weigh 1,000 pounds or more and can carry one quarter of their body weight
– up to a 250-pound man.
They are known for their companionship, unconditional love and being calm, peaceful riders.
The Tiny Wine Girl fell in love with this guy.
She's met a lot of jackasses but none as sweet and loving as this one!
They’re a fight, not flight, animal and hardly ever spook.
They love and crave the human's touch!!
While the ladies fell in love with the donkeys, they couldn't help but fall in love with the owners' home too.
Who wouldn't mind waking up to that view every morning and sitting on the porch drinking a glass of wine every evening?
While it was difficult to leave, the ladies had one more stop to make and it was going to be a good one!
Otium Cellars
Purcellville
"Otium" is Latin for peace, tranquility and leisure
Need we say more?
2012 Pinot Gris
The Grau Burgunder grape is a German clone of Pinot Gris.
It is a perfect blend of fruity and crisp with aromas of pears and lemons with a salty aftertaste.
The Grau Burgunder made the Evil Red Genius do this:
In case there's any doubt, it's a good thing.
2013 Pinot Gris
A "Riesling-style" wine but not as crisp as the 2012 and has an undesirable aftertaste.
2013 Chardonnay
Grown in the Alsace, France way and fermented to create a buttery style, this Chardonnay is an acquired taste. While the Tiny Wine Girl can drink a California Chardonnay any day of the week and enjoy it, this one was decent but begged for food. It made her want her momma's baked pork chops and scalloped potatoes.
Hmm.. wait, not such a bad thing, actually.
2013 Pinot Noir
light in taste, a peppery smell, a "pretty pizza wine"
(not a pretty pizza, but a wine that is pretty and will go with pizza)
Knowing how the Tiny Wine Girl is an Oregon Pinot snob, this Virginia Pinot blew her away!
Otium Cellars is a certified vino-tech meaning they are allowed to import wines from all over the world and use them on their tasting table as comparable wines to those they grow.
Planted in 2007, Otium is home to several German varietals, three of which the ladies were able to do a side-by-side tasting!
2013 Blaufrankisch
and
2011 Prieler Blaufrankisch
The Austrian Blaufrankisch was dry but tart and "plummy".
The ladies described it as "very berry" and "alluring".
While Otium refers to it as "seductive", the Tiny Wine Girl thought it wasn't big enough to be seductive but she'd go for "sensual".
Otium's Blaufrankisch smelled like "fruity garbage". Make no mistake, this was a delightful wine. Smells don't always predict the taste of a wine. The Tiny Wine girl remembers the previous year's vintage smelling and tasting of basil and she preferred that vintage though.
Evidently, Otium's Malbec was so delicious it sold out and the ladies were not able to try it but they were able to try its companion but with unfortunately, with no comparision.
2012 Zuccardi Malbec, Argentina
The ladies were not too fond of this Malbec and referred to it as a "feisty Malbec" and one exclaimed that she "wasn't jumping up and down about it." The Tiny Wine Girl was upset because the name reminded her of zucchini and while she likes to eat zucchini, she feels adamant about it not belonging in desserts or wine!
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
Otium's Cab is quite elegant for a Virginia Cab with dense fruit and aromas of chocolate. The more the ladies swirled the more it opened up and it became quite entertaining. (Come on, it was the last winery of the day, give 'em a break). At this point in the adventure, the four ladies became known as the "swirly girls". Oddly enough, when tasting this Cab, it reminded the Tiny Wine Girl
of a candy cane....
2011 Rheinhessen Dornfelder, Germany
and
2012 Dornfelder
Rheinhessen is the largest wine region in Germany.
In the 1950s, Dornfelder was the second most popular German grape next to Riesling.
The German Dornfelder that the ladies tasted was sweeter than they anticipated and yet reminded them of sewage - "sweet sewage".
"If sewage tasted like this, we might embrace it!"
Otium's Dornfelder was a step above sweet sewage. Otium's flagship wine is very easy to drink, with aromas of hay, grass, and an earthy smell with a fruity but spicy kick on the palette.
Instead of sewage, Otium's version is more like a hot day on the Potomac River.
"At least once a day you should do something purely for enjoyment, and wine is my way of relaxing."
-Young Uck Kim, Wine Collector
Sadly enough, the wine adventure for the four ladies was drawing to a close.
On the way back to civilization, the ladies were greeted by beautiful scenery......
... and more barns to make the Tiny Wine Girl happy......
This adventure proved that you don't have to go far to enjoy good wine, great company, beautiful scenery and why not throw in a loving jackass for good measure!
Thus is the tale of four ladies, two wineries and a donkey.....
