Autumn with Lee | Fall 2023 Flashcards
What cans are you offering?
Piquette Rosé, “Tributary,” lapetus, Champlain Valley, Vermont, NV
Apple Wine Spritzer, “Song of Solomon,” Kalchē Wine Cooperative, Champlain Valley, Vermont, 2021
What fizz are you offering?
Cider, “Morris,” Patois, Amherst County, VA 2022
Cayuga White Pétillant Naturel, “This is Pét Nat, Osmote, Finger Lakes, NY, 2021
Cider, “Soif,” Revel, Ontario, Canada, 2021
Sparkling Blueberry Wine, “Arkadia,” RAS, Portland, Maine, 2022
Which whites are you offering?
Cayuga, Usonia, Finger Lakes, NY, 2021
Chardonel, Quartzwood, Loudoun County, VA, 2021
Which white on skins are you offering?
Petit Mensang Blend, “MISE,” Common Wealth Crush, Shenandoah Valley, VA, 2022
Traminette Blend, “B Sides & Rarities: Vol 5,” Plēb Urban Winery, Asheville, NC, NV
Tell me about the pink wines you’re offering?
Fruit Wine, “Between the Dark and the Light,” Lightwell Survey/Troddenvale, Shenandoah Valley, VA, NV
Chambourçin Blend Rosé, “Not Nothing,” Spinning Wheel, Frederick, MD, 2022
Which reds are you offering?
Red Blend, “Family Meal,” Common Wealth Crush, Shenandoah Valley, VA, 2022
Cabernet Franc Blend, “Pepper,” Old Westminster, Carroll County, MD, 2021
Chambourçin, “Young Red,” Early Mountain, Madison, VA, 2021
Norton, “Estate,” Chrysalis, Middleburg, VA, 2021
Tell me about the Piquette Rosé, “Tributary,” lapetus, Champlain Valley, VT, NV
Very light and refreshing. A little more like wine than the Apple Wine Spritzer. Drinks like a rose wine spritzer.
Weight: Light and bright, think wine cooler
Fruit: macerated strawberries, rhubarb
Non-fruit: rose petals, wet rocks
Grape: Piquette is a vinous beverage produced by hydrating grape pomace. This batch of pomace comes from 6 different Vermont-grown grapes, including the red hybrid Marquette
Producer: Lapetus is a side project from Ethan Joseph, the head winegrower at Vermont’s Shelburne Vineyard.
Region: Champlain Valley is among the northernmost valleys considered part of the Great Appalachian Valley. The local winters are too severe for most vinifera varieties, but hybrids are an increasingly important part of the agricultural landscape.
Tell me about the Apple Wine Spritzer, “Song of Solomon,” Kalchē Wine Cooperative, Champlain Valley, VT, 2021?
Very light and refreshing. Drinks more like a cider than the Piquette Rosé. Super aromatic - fun and fresh.
Weight: light and bright
Fruit: green apples, winter citrus
Non-fruit: maple syrup, orchard blossoms
Fruit: Maple sap, pressed apple jus, co-fermented on grape skins, La Crescent and Brianna.
Producer: Kalchē is a wine cooperative in Fletcher, Vermont. “Making hybrid space juice cooperatively; centering diversity, sustainability, and the decolonization of big wine.”
Region: Fletcher in Champlain Valley along Vermont’s Canadian border
What does “Kalchē” mean?
Synonymous with the Ancient Greek porphyra, the root for purple. Comes from searching deep within one’s mind.
What is the difference between our two ciders?
Both are very light and refreshing. The Piquette Rosé drinks a little more like a rosé wine spritzer with more tart cranberry notes. The Apple Wine Spritzer drinks more like a cider with clean, crisp, crunchy notes. The producers are also really dedicated to centering diversity and sustainability in their wine practices.
Tell me about the Cider, “Morris,” Patois, Amherst County, VA, 2022
Really crisp, easy-drinking cider. Some flight earthy funk on the nose.
Weight: Crisp, clean, easy drinking
Fruit: Melon and orchard fruit
Non-fruit: chamomile, fennel pollen
Fruit: Made in method ancestral and with a blend:
53% Goldrush
14% Ashmeads Kernel
14% Harrison
13% Wickson Crab
6% mixed crab and seedling apples
Producer: Patois Cider is run by Patrick Collins and Danielle LeCompte.
Tell me about the (fizz) Cayuga White Petillant Naturel, “This is Pet Nat,” Osmote, Finger Lakes, NY, 2021
This is a lovely bone-dry Cayuga. It has notes of preserved lemons and baker’s yeast for a savory finish.
Weight: Light and bright, just shy of Champagne-like effervescence
Fruit: Salted plums, preserved lemons
Non-fruit: Baker’s yeast, wild herbs
Grapes: Cayuga is a French-American hybrid grape variety, first bred and now found predominantly in the Finger Lakes.
Producer: Ben Riccardi, winemaking degree from Cornell. Osmote began in 2014 as a tenant winery within a larger facility.
Region: Finger Lakes are perfectly suited to Germanic grapes. Winters are long and cold, but the lakes a moderating effect on the local climate.
Where was the cayuga grape first invented?
Cornell University and University of Minnesota.
Tell me about the (fizz) Rose Cider, “Soif,” Revel, Ontario, Canada, 2021
Weight: Light, bright, delicately effervescent
Fruit: Strawberries, cherries. “Soif drinks like what wineries say their rose tastes like.”
Non-fruit: fresh, savory herbs, violets
Fruit: Blended two fermented ciders aged on Montmorency cherries and strawberries and added almost one ton of red wine skins (Marechal Foch).
Producer: Revel Cider Co is located in Ontario.
Tell me about the (fizz) Sparkling Blueberry Wine, “Arkadia,” RAS, Midcoast, Maine, 2022
Such a fun wine! Very clean and fresh, but also surprisingly savory.
Weight: light and surprisingly savory
Fruit: Blueberry, cranberry
Non-fruit: Juniper
Fruit: 2.5 pounds per bottle of organically-raised wild blueberries
Producer: Dan Roche (R), Joe Appel (A), Emily Smith (S). They love Maine and try to make personal wines that connect to places and people.
Region: Midcoast and Downeast zones. The wine is an expression of the glacial-marine Maine wild blueberry regions.
Tell me about your (white) Cayuga, Usonia, Finger Lakes, NY, 2021
Light and bright, bone-dry Cayuga. little briny with fresh herbs.Great for our Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc folks.
Weight: Light and racy
Fruit: Lime, green apple
Non-fruit: Green olive
“Usonia”: Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who used “Usonia” to refer to his vision for a fully democratic American landscape, free of Old World conventions.
Grapes: Cayuga was developed at Cornell and is featured heavily in the Finger Lakes.
Producer: Wife and husband team who worked in restaurants before moving into winemaking. After working at wineries in Austria and Australia, they moved to Finger Lakes.
Region: Finger Lakes perfectly suited to Germanic grapes.
Tell me about the (white) Chardonel, Quartzwood, Loudoun County, VA, 2021
This Chardonel is a richer, fuller, spicier, and rounder alternative to the Cayuga white above it.
Weight: Medium bodied
Fruit: Peach pit, lemon zest
Non-fruit: ginger, baking spices
Grapes: Chardonel was developed at Cornell and is similar to Chardonnay with acidity.
Producer: Quartzwood is a small farmstead co-owned by Sarah Searle and Ben Sedlins in Loudoun County, VA.
Region: Loudoun County features more than 50 wineries and tasting rooms.
How would you differentiate between the two whites we’re featuring on Autumn with Lee?
The Chardonel is a much richer, fuller, spicier, and rounder alternative to the Cayuga, which is really light and bright with some briny and fresh herb notes.
Tell me about the (white on skins) Petit Manseng Blend, “MISE,” Common Wealth Crush, Shenandoah Valley, VA, 2022
This is a great first timer’s orange wine. This is on the fruitier side with notes of clementine and citrus. It’s a bit chewy, but not tanic. Lee Campbell is a partner in this winery.
Grapes: Blend:
-84% Petit Manseng
-8% Sauvignon Blanc
-8% Chardonel
Producer: Common Wealth Crush is the first winemaking operation of its kind in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Similar to a We-Work for wine.
Region: Shenandoah Valley is between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghenies. These two ranges create a mesoclimate for the valley between them, protecting it from winds blowing in. Growing season is warmer and drier than in neighboring areas.
Tell me about the Traminette Blend, “B Sides & Rarities: Vol 5,” Pleb Urban Winery, Asheville, North Carolina, NV
This is a multi-vintage, medium-bodied orange wine that tastes a little like orange sherbert, but in an elevated way. It smells sweet but is then savory on the palette.
Weight: Medium bodied
Fruit: Apricot, white peach
Non-fruit: Saffron, warming spices
Grapes: Blend:
-Traminette
-Seyval Blanc
-Vidal Blanc
Producer: Pleb is similar to the microbreweries that started popping up all around the country. Taprooms in industrial buildings.
Region: North Carolina’s viticultural history dates back to the late 17th century.
Tell me about the (pink) Fruit Wine, “Between the Dark & the Light,” Lightwell Survery/Troddenvale, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, NV
This pink fruit wine drinks more like a white wine, maybe even apple wine. It’s like biting into a super crisp apple.
Weight: Light and crunchy
Fruit: Green apple and lemon drops
Non-fruit: Orchard blossoms, wet rocks
Fruit: Blend of 67% grapes:
-Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc
and
33% apples (sourced from Troddenvale Cider)
Producer: Lightwell Survey is a collab between Ben Jordan and the Zutant brothers. Expressive Virginia winery shining a modern-style light on the traditional wine-scape. Troddenvale is a Virginia cidery based out of historic Oakley Farm.
Region: This is the first vintage that the Lightwell Survey crew has produced at Ben Jordan’s new custom crush facility, Common Wealth.
Tell me about the (pink) Chamcourcin Blend Rose, “Not Nothing,” Spinning Wheel, Frederick, Maryland, 2022
Weight: Light and bright
Fruit: Raspberries and apples
Non-fruit: Wet rocks, fresh herbs
Grapes blend:
-81% Chambourcin
-19% Chardonel
Producer: Spinning Wheel is a collab between three people.
Region: Linganore is in Frederick Country, MD. Maryland boasts a diverse climate and broad assortment of grapes.
Tell me about the (red) Red Blend, “Family Meal,” Common Wealth Crush, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, 2022
This Red Blend is very fruit forward and perfect for folks looking for a lighter, fruit-forward experience.
Weight: Light
Fruit: Mixed berry pie
Non-fruit: Dried flowers and spices
Grapes: Kitchen sink blend:
-Merlot
-Gruner Veltliner
-Vidal Blanc
-Petit Manseng
-Pinot Gris
-Chambourcin
-Sauvignon Blanc
-Pinot Blanc
-Traminette
Producer: Common Wealth Crush Co. is the first of its kind in VA’s Shenandoah Valley. Built with small producers in mind, it’s like a We-Work for smaller producers.
Tell me about the (red) Cabernet Franc Blend, “Pepper,” Old Westminster, Carroll County, MD, 2021
This is a lovely red Cabernet Franc blend. It leads with a vegetal streak given the pepper notes and is much more fuller bodied than the Family Meal above it.
Weight: Light to medium bodied
Fruit: Blackberries
Non-fruit: Peppercorns, black olives
Grapes: Blend:
-65% Cabernet Franc
-25% Blaufrankisch
-10% Chambourcin
Producer: Old Westminster is a family affair that dates back to 2008.
Region: Carroll County is NW of Baltimore and just south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Tell me about the (red) Chambourcin, “Young Red,” Early Mountain, Madison, VA, 2021
This Chambourcin is a super clean and fresh, medium-bodied red, perfect for pasta pairings.
Weight: Medium-bodied
Fruit: cherries, crunch red berries
Non-fruit: Forest floor, peppercorns
Grapes: Blend:
-96% Chambourcin
-4% Vidal Blanc
Producer: Early Mountain is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The first landowner of the property was Revolutionary War veteran Lieutenant Joseph Early, who served under George Washington at Valley Forge.
Region: Madison County is north of Charlottesville.
Tell me about the (red) Norton, “Estate,” Chrysalis, Middleburg, VA, 2021
This is our closest thing to a big red on our Autumn with Lee list. It’s like being in mom’s kitchen during Christmas with gingerbread and chocolate baking in the oven. It also has a compelling backstory. Contemplating suicide due to the loss of his wife and baby, Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton buried himself in gardening, desperate to find relief from his grief. As he experimented with crossbreeds in the VA soil, he became obsessed with creating a vine that could thrive there. One vine showed potential, and eventually became commercially available in 1830.
Producer: Jennifer McCloud moved to VA and settled in Piedmont. Chrysalis Vineyards named symbolically for the rare nectar of fine wine emerging from the barrel.
Vinification: Norton is a dark-skinned hybrid found throughout NE US. Norton wines are medium-to-full-bodied with red fruit characters and often a little pepper.