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So we normally try to get our newsletter out at the start of the month, but quite frankly, life has been somewhat chaotic. I know...excuses, excuses.
To be fair, we have been super busy finalizing some details to make each of your visits more exciting. Well, that and our slacker winemaker, Jordan, and his wife, Jen, had to go and have their second baby. Really, guys, priorities!!!
Just Kidding! How can you be mad at that face? Meet
Declan Julion Harris, our 2037 Winemaker.
Introducing Bryan Winfrey...Kind of :)
We have been on a mad search to find a couple of people to join our team to help guide us in our daily quest for awesomeness. Who knew one of those people had already been here for 5 years? Many of you may have met Bryan at some point in the Tasting Room over the last several years, but now you will see him far more often...And enter from Stage Left - Bryan!
Bryan's big decision...Cabernet Franc 2010 or 2011?
Hey there, my name is Bryan Winfrey and I’m more than excited to be on staff full-time at TARARA, where some of the best wines in Virginia are made and we showcase them all in our rockin’ tasting room. Right now, I’m counting down the days until my wedding, where my beautiful fiancée Karen and I will pledge to spend the rest of our lives together! Totally stoked! I first visited TARARA on a lark back in 2005, tasted the Viognier, and came back to pour wine on the weekends beginning in March 2008. It kind of seems like it’s been a 5 year “internship” as I’m now here full-time and living the dream. I’m Sooner born and Sooner bred, raised in the Great State of Oklahoma, and have lived in Frederick, MD for the last 12 years or so. If you see me anxious on a Saturday in the fall, it’s probably because I don’t know the score of the Oklahoma football game, or we’re losing the game. Either way, it’s not a good thing!
Also, talk to me for about 4 minutes, and you’ll know that I LOVE all types of music, but mostly the genres and styles that rock. This upcoming concert season promises to be absolutely all killer (no filler) and I’m sure that I’ll be seeing many of you out there by Shadow Lake. That’s my story, I’m sticking to it, and I’m looking forward to spreading the good word about TARARA far and wide! Cheers!
An Afternoon with the Winemaker
So Jordan approached us a couple of months ago and said he was really insulted that we banishisd him and Tim to the cave. He accused us of not liking them, and he promised they would be a lot of fun if we let them out to talk with you guys. His wish has been granted, and he promises to be on his best (or worst depending on who you ask :)) behavior.
Jordan saying, "I'm drinking Nevaeh, should I have Chicken or Steak?"
This month's topic: "Friends Don't Let Friends Pair Wine with (Most) Cupcakes"
This March, learn how to pair food and wine, the Winemaker's way. In this 90 minute class, we'll explore firsthand what makes certain flavors and textures work so amazingly well together, and why some combinations remind you of drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth (one of us learned that the hard way!) and should be avoided at all costs. We'll start by warming up our palates with some sensory perception exercises. Then we'll get to work tasting our way through different food and wine pairings to see what comes out on top. Get ready to overachieve!
March 23rd at 12:00pm
$50/person
Includes 6 tasting wines, light food pairings, and course materials.
April's Vine Club Release is CrAzY!
Vine Club Release Party......
Saturday and Sunday
April 6th, 7th and April 13th, 14th
Mark your calendars...for TWO weekends! That's right, due to simply indescribable participation at our last Vine Club soiree, we are turning this into a 2 weekend bash, with a twist!*
All weekend long, for TWO weekends, we’ll be hosting two-hour seatings for you to hang out with us and enjoy your favorite flight of wines along with some exciting new food pairings provided by Patricia Glaeser from Faith Like a Mustard Seed Farm, renowed chef, neighbor, and Vine Club member! Choose one of the following flights: Winemaker's Select; Artisan White Select; or Artisan Red Select. Be sure to pre-order your flight when you make your reservations, and leave the rest up to us.
Plus, be the first to try our highly anticipated Spring Releases and brag to your friends that you bought all of the D9!
Exclusively for Vine Club Members! Click here to view menu.
And the 2nd Quarter Wines are.....
Winemakers Select: Bin #3 White 2011, Charval 2012, Bin #5 Red 2008
Artisan White Select: Viognier Reserve 2011, Three Vineyard Chardonnay 2011, Bin #3 White 2011
Artisan Red Select: Bin #9 Red 2010, #Social Secret 2010, Boneyard Red 2011
Single Vineyard: #Social Secret 2010
*For a limited time receive 30% off additional wine purchases* when you pick up your wine the first two weekends in April OR purchase additional wine to add to your Vine Club shipment (shop online before April 1st and your order will be added to your Vine Club shipment)
Offer valid only when your wine ships on April 17th or when you stop in April 6, 7, 13, 14
*Includes Spring pre-release wines
Spring Release - April 20-21, 2013
What an exciting time of year!!! We are getting out of this wintery cold (at least we are supposed to) and starting to get ready for the fun, vibrant, and BUSY Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. How do we start that out? With a release of our exciting new wines of course!
In this release we get to show you the first of the incredible 2012 vintage - my favorite ever - and the follow-up to our wildly acclaimed Cabernet Franc (and the last of the media and fan favorite 2010 vintage). Could be our best release yet...
Vine Club Members will have the opportunity to try these and get them during their April Pick-up Party two weekends prior, or add them on to their Vine Club pack at a 30% discount instead of the normal 20%.
Here's our New Release line-up:
1) Viognier 2012 - Made in miniscule quantities (only 87 cases). This one will only be available for the release weekend. It was never meant to be made! It was supposed to be part of Nevaeh White 2012, but Sonya begged to have some for our distributor (so it makes its way to you at your favorite restaurants), which it is all earmarked for, except what is purchased on this weekend. It is juicy, floral, crisp, and just down right awesome. $20.00/btl - Vine Club Price $16.00 - Vine Club package add on $14.00. Limit 2 bottles / person.*
2) Charval 2012 - Almost polar opposite to the 2010 vintage but equally killer. The first time we have used the ancient variety Rkatsiteli and wow, we love it! Crisp, herbal with great amounts of fruit balancing it, blended with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Think Sauv Blanc with an attitude. $20.00/btl - Vine Club Price $16.00 - Vine Club package add on $14.00.
3) Three Vineyards Chardonnay 2011 - Jordan's favorite Chardonnay to date. It is strange because of the challenging vintage, but it forced Jordan to pull from the top blocks normally desigated to Nevaeh to add in. The result is a Chardonnay with almost crunchy acidity and transparent characters, showing Nevaeh in particular, with loads of minerality. A far more Old World style to past Chardonnays here. $23.00/btl - Vine Club Price $18.40 - Vine Club package add on $16.10.
4) "Almost" Unoaked Chardonnay 2012 - Yeah...we said the "U-word". Jordan never thought he would make an Unoaked Chardonnay, but many of you kept pushing him. In 2012 he found a site on Carter Mountain close to Charlottesville that is very rocky, that he felt would show in a steely style. He went for it and learned he loved it. But he just couldn't commit all the way and felt a couple barrels just helped round out the wine. So there you have it "Almost" Unoaked! $20.00/btl - Vine Club. Price $16.00 - Vine Club package add on $14.00.
5) Viognier Reserve 2011 - There is really only a couple cases left of this after filling the Vine Club packs. It was a selection from the first picking of the Viognier in the Pond Block of Nevaeh. It was all south side of the vine on a little "bump" in the center of the greater block. This helped it get great sunlight, and therefore ripened prior to any of the ugly 2011 rains. Rich, full and exotic are the best ways to describe this. $25.00/btl - Vine Club Price $20.00 - Vine Club package add on $17.50.
6) Nevaeh Red 2010 - Our flagship Red from the wildly celebrated 2010 vintage. Enough Said! Really though, this is a big and young wine that could be locked away in a dungeon for a few years, or could be decanted and enjoyed with a big meaty meal. It is a great representation of the complexities of the varieties and Nevaeh as a site. Smoky, meaty, and powerful but balanced with gobs of fruit and concentration. $40.00/btl - Vine Club Price $32.00 - Vine Club package add on $28.00.
7) Tranquility Red 2010 - You have probably already heard about this one from the publicity it received with the Cabernet Franc and CasaNoVA as one of the first Virginia wines to ecplise the 90 point level in Wine Enthusiast (not that we're bragging or anything). Big and fruit forward with Tranquility Vineyard's telltale leafy, earthy notes. We held only about 50 cases for this release. $40.00/btl - Vine Club Price $32.00 - Vine Club package add on $28.00.
8) Cabernet Franc 2011 - This is a super pretty Cabernet Franc (kind of like when Jordan had long hair, but now he cut it). It is elegant, showing bright red berry fruit and loads of floral notes. The medium body frame and vibrant acidity make this a great food wine and a fabulous follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2010. $23.00/btl - Vine Club Price $18.40 - Vine Club package add on $16.10.
Tarara's Concerts are the place to be seen .....
Saturday evenings June through September.
Dance under the stars like no one's watching, or just lay back and soak up the fantastic view of the band and Shadow Lake. Tarara's Summer Concert Series is where it's at. Come hang with us on Saturday nights all summer long. Love blues or country? Check! Classic Rock? We got it. 80's pop hits? There's a band for that!
And of course it goes without saying that Tarara wine is available for purchase at the venue, as well as whatever delicious bites Monks BBQ cooks up!
Check back soon to see the Summer Concert Schedule! But until then…. Here’s the lineup for June
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June 1 Pebble to Pearl
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June 8 Tyler Toliver
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June 15 2U
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June 21 Gonzo's Nose
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June 29 The Reflex
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In the Cellar….
This is a super fun time of the year (have you ever heard me say this time of the year sucks?!?! Won't happen when making wine). This is the time of the year we plan to finalize our blends and get them together for the first time. What a treat it has been this year, too. The 2012 vintage is easily my favorite that I have ever worked. They are wines of precision yet complex, balanced yet powerful and structured, and elegant yet intense and ripe. The long growing season paid off.
While the 2011 vintage gave us hurdles causing us to not make any Commonwealth Collection or Single Vineyard wines, 2012 has given us the opportunity to make the most we ever have! Great news...The best vintage, and lots of it!
Now that we have created the blends and got them back into their barrels to rest another 12-15 months, we have entered a time of reflection and planning. What has happened over the past 12 months, 24 months and 36 months, but more importantly, how can that help us in the coming month? We will now be getting ready for 2013. The buds will be breaking in a month's time, we must ensure we have the fruit we need, the barrel orders must get in, and we must get ready to bottle the rest of the 2012 whites and the 2011 reds...Not to mention the new Boneyard stuff (keep up to date on that stuff,,,It will be rockin').
We look forward to the 2013 vintage with another year of experience with our style and our vineyards under our belt. It should be a great one and we are ready.
In the Vineyard…
Aren't they cute!!!
Like everywhere at Tarara, we like to experiment with anything that might make our wines better, be more efficient, or may cause less impact on our surrounding environment. This year is a year of experimenting in the vineyard. One of the experiments that we are working on implementing this year is introducing sheep into a five acre block of Nevaeh. Why sheep? Sheep are hungry and love to eat grass and weeds! Guess what? We have plenty of weeds and grass we need to get rid of. The sheep can be our best friends. It really is an exciting way to take another step in our direction to be reponsible, innovative and exciting.
A couple other additions to the vineyard this year will be the contruction of bat houses throughout, and planting wild flowers randomly around the vineyard area. The bat houses are obviously to attract bats that will act as natural predators to harmful insects that can cause issues with the vines. At the same time the wild flowers will attract beneficial insects which will also prey on the harmful insects and help to round out a mini ecosystem. Really it is just fun to watch all these ideas come into action and see how life can naturally benefit our vineyards and reduce the needs of human or chemical input.
On top of the awesome sheep, flowers, and bats, we are keeping ourselves busy with some new plantings. We have finally removed the last of the varieties that we felt are not suitable to Nevaeh as a site or Tarara as a premium winery. Over the last three years we have pulled out Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Seyval, Vidal, Chambourcin, Mourvedre and Grenache to make room for the more suitable Viognier, Petit Manseng, Syrah and Tannat. What does this mean? More high quality Nevaeh in the future as the vineyard will now all be grapes solely for Tarara and of the caliber that we deem necessary to show you.
Help Loudoun County!!!
As a valued guest to Tarara Winery, we are constantly striving to improve your visitor experience. In this effort, we are currently assisting the Loudoun County, Virginia Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Loudoun) with a visitor research project. Visit Loudoun has contracted with an independent research firm, Young Strategies, to conduct this research.
We would appreciate your taking a brief visitor survey and providing your feedback on your most recent visit to Loudoun County. Just click on the survey link below to begin. In appreciation for your time and effort, you can register to win one of three Visa $100 gift cards upon completion of the survey.
On behalf of Brian Jenkins, Director of Research, Visit Loudoun and Berkeley Young, President, Young Strategies, Inc., we thank you for your input!
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