The map of the Connecticut wine trail features a baker’s dozen (plus a couple of extra Munchkins) of generally unknown wineries spread across the state in two loop “trails”: East and West. We had hoped to tackle both trails over Veteran’s Day weekend but the best B&B’s and inns along the route were sold out (darn those New Yorkers,) so we headed out on a Sunday to explore the Eastern part of the trail.

Our motivation? Ballet of Angels, from Sharpe Hill caught our attention at last year’s Boston Wine Expo and again at the Foxwoods Food and Wine Expo.  We were anxious to see what else our neighboring state produced that was worthy of sampling, buying, and recommending.

The drive down from Boston was an easy shot out on the Mass Pike to Route 395, a lightly traveled, lightly populated (and thus boring to look at) highway. We pulled into Sharpe Hill in a speedy 90-minute drive.

The Day’s Wine Bounty
If you’d rather skip the travelogue and cut to the chase, here’s a list of the wines we bought.  For the full list of what we tasted, read on.

Whites
•    Priam Vineyards Salmon River White                                $15.50
•    Priam Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling                              $28.50 (holiday special)

Reds
•    Priam Vineyards Salmon River Red PV                              $32
•    Jonathan Edward Napa Valley Syrah 2003                       $27
•    Jonathan Edwards Napa Valley Petite Syrah Port 2005     $40


Sharpe Hill Vineyard
Connecticut wines don’t exactly hog the spotlight in the American wine world, but if any winery has grabbed attention, it’s Sharpe Hill Vineyard.  And it’s all due to Ballet of Angels (see review,) a meritage to end all meritages. Sharpe Hill also boasts one of the few fine dining locations in the Pomfret area, so it draws quite a crowd on weekends.

Tasting Room Ratings
This reproduction of a Colonial American barn-like tavern boasts post-and-beam construction with faux early American tsotchkes.  Attractive wide plank floors and a wood-hewn tasting bar completed the historical décor.

The tasting room was filled with locals in sweatshirts cooling their heels for brunch at the acclaimed restaurant, along with a handful of out-of-town visitors.  For the locals, the wine tasting seemed like a good way to while away 15 or 20 minutes before chowing down.

Atmosphere:            6
People/attitude:        9
People/knowledge:    5 – but they admitted knowing very little, so they get props for honesty
Palate cleansers:     Ritz Crackers; how déclassé!
Any free goodies?    No

What We Tasted

• Ballet of Angels — An amalgam of 10 different non-estate wines. This is the winery’s cash cow; they distribute 10,000 cases in Connecticut alone.  We like this wine and would recommend it to accompany Szechwan Chicken and Peanuts or other spicy food. Lovely notes of apricot, honeydew, and grapefruit.
• 2005 American Chardonnay—In a word, this was awful. Harsh lemon-citrus flavors were hard to sample due to the thin, watery consistency
• 2005 Sharpe Hill Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay—Creamy nose; a bit of oak, but the Joy stopped there—literally.  Gary said it tasted like water laced with detergent
• 2005 Sharpe Hill Vineyard Dry Riesling –-No Bon Ami this time, just the chemicals left over from the last cleaning of the stainless steel vats
• Dry Summer Rosé – Best of the vineyard’s single varietals. Drinkable but nothing extraordinary
• Red Seraph – This combination of Merlot and St. Croix grapes had a nose more promising than its taste
• 2005 Cabernet Franc – A promising Cab Franc nose with dark caramel scent, but a rough, chemical taste. They said it would cellar well, but Gary couldn’t taste the tannins that would allow this wine to age well
• 2005 St. Croix – Another great nose, with tobacco, leather, cassis, and smoke. Tasting notes promised an elegantly dry Rhone-style wine with a smooth buttery finish.  Alas, all we tasted was a thin gruel with little tannin and a chemical aftertaste.  Perhaps we just don’t like the Saint Croix grape… perhaps the folks on the island of St. Croix might have a problem sharing their namesake with this unusual grape.
  
• 2006 Select Late Harvest – Vignole grapes. Super-sweet with tropical flavors, mostly pineapple.  Too sweet to be a good accompaniment for Baby Watson Cheesecake.
  

What We Bought
Nothing, since we can easily purchase Ballet of Angels at our local wine shop for a future Szechwan feast from our local favorite, Yangtze River in Lexington Center.


Priam Vineyards
We had never heard of Priam but it was the logical next stop after Sharpe Hill—it being a mere 45 minutes up the road on the “Wine Trail.” Priam—owned by Gloria Priam and her husband, winemaker Gary Crump—got its start as a grape grower and supplier to other area wineries. It became a licensed farm winery in 2002 and began selling its own wines the next year.

Priam was slammed the day we visited, and was short one tasting room staff member—namely, winemaker Gary Crump, who was out in the barnyard helping to free a chicken stuck in some fencing. Oh, the trials of being a small winery.  Due to the congestion, we got herded to the back bar to wait for reinforcements.  

Fortunately, Gary (Crump) quickly freed said chicken and returned to lead our tasting.  And what a guide!  Engaging, knowledgeable, and funny, Gary took us on a lengthy “tour” of his portfolio. A New Orleans native and self-taught winemaker (“I read books—how hard could it be?” he exclaimed,) Gary is turning out terrific wine produced in the style of Northern France and Germany.

Tasting Room Ratings
They also sell locally made goat cheese, sausage, and crackers for picnics.

Atmosphere:             8; austere but pleasant
People/attitude:        10
People/knowledge:    10 – when the winemaker talks, you listen
Palate cleansers:       Wine crackers
Any free goodies?      No, but you can add chocolate to the red wine tasting for fifty cents.

What We tasted

• Blackledge White – No nose to speak of; sweet, apple-infused flavor
• Salmon River White – A barrel-fermented Chardonnay blend with Riesling and Muscat.  Just bottled and needs a little time, but showed great promise with apples and pears on the palate and a soft finish
• Jeremy River White – Floral, sweet, with grapefruit on the nose. A blend of Riesling and Cayuga, a grape typically found in the Finger Lakes region of NY
• Westchester Red – Our notes say this is “Red wine for an American palate,” meaning it’s got some residual sugar on the palate and very accessible. Lots of fruit, from berries to plums. Best with red sauce Italian or other spicy, hearty food
• Salmon River Red – A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Merlot. Nice strong fruit on the nose, a hint of chocolate on the palate. Drinkable, but pales in comparison to the PV version (see below.)
• Salmon River Red  - PV – The pick of Priam’s reds, the PV was a beautiful, elegant wine. The Bordeaux blend was barrel aged for 36 months (compared with 12 months for the standard Salmon River Red offering) and single-barrel bottled. We loved the earthy nose and bold but not pushy fruit flavors. We picked up a fair amount of chocolate, too. This will need to age a few years; can’t wait until 2010!
• Late Harvest Riesling – A perfect dessert wine for the holidays. Yes, it was sweet but not sickeningly so, with luscious fruit and a bit of crispness.
  

What We Bought

• One bottle Salmon River White     $15.50
• One bottle Late Harvest Riesling    $28.50 (holiday special)
• One bottle Salmon River Red PV    $32
  

Stonington Vineyards
We left Priam Vineyards on a high note thinking that some very good wines can come from Connecticut. We eagerly awaited our next stop along the Wine Trail to uncover another hidden gem. After a 40 minute sprint down to the Connecticut Coast we arrived at Stonington Vineyards at 4:15 pm wondering how we would fit the tastings at Stonington and nearby Jonathan Edwards Winery into a 30-minute window. Alas, Stonington Vineyards was a disappointment and our fears over the time constraints were unfounded; we were in and out of Stonington in 10 minutes.  

Tasting Room Ratings
The winery is on the market, which might account for the indifferent tasting room service.
Atmosphere:            5
People/attitude:       5 (cold, indifferent and snooty)
People/knowledge:   5 (this is being exteremely generous)
Palate cleansers:     Wine crackers
Any free goodies?    No (are you kidding?)

What We tasted

• 2006 Sheer Chardonnay – Unoaked, with a sharp, thin, tart taste… sheer was a good name for this wine
• 2003 Stonington Chardonnay – Spends 12 months in oak. Gives a whole new meaning to terroir—we tasted nothing but limestone and minerals
• 2004 Vidal Blanc – Like Cayuga, Vidal Blanc was another unfamiliar (to VinoDuo) varietal. It’s common to Canada and other northern wine regions. Dry with a citrus finish—we found it contained too much acid to enjoy
• 2006 Gewurztraminer – Again, acidic with no smooth edges
• Seaport White – A blend of Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, and Cauyga. Lisa’s notes cite “dirty socks on the nose.” Um…not a good thing
• 2006 Triad Rosé – The best of Stonington Vineyards’ production. A blend of Cab Franc, Chardonnay, and Vidal make this a refreshing summer wine. Gary found it “fresh and clean.”
  

What We Bought
Nothing


Jonathan Edwards Winery
We blew it out of Stonington at 4:40 and made it to Jonathan Edwards with 15 minutes to close. Fortunately, the crowds had thinned and we had the tasting room to ourselves.  Just VinoDuo, two tasting room employees and Mr. Edwards himself. No, not the singer or the Colonial fire and brimstone preacher. Just a young guy whose family named their winery after him.  We made the usual comment to him about his name (did he lay around the shanty and get a good buzz on?, ha ha) and then set about tasting his wine.

Tasting Room Ratings
One of the nicest settings we’d seen all day, the winery is set on nearly 50-acres of rolling farm land, with knock-out views. The tasting room is beautifully designed and fits perfectly with the New England farmhouse décor.

Atmosphere:          10
People/attitude:      10
People/knowledge:  10
Palate cleansers:     Whole Foods 365 Crackers
Any free goodies?    No

What We Tasted
Edwards is a controversial character around Connecticut, we heard from more than one local. The family “imports” grapes from Napa Valley as well as crafting Connecticut estate wines. Edwards harvests, crushes, and ferments the Napa wines in California and finishes them in Connecticut. It’s an unusual set-up but we’ll vouch for the results—the California wines were winners. Unfortunately, we couldn’t taste any of the locally grown wines; they were completely sold out. We’ll make a point of going here earlier in the season next year so that we can taste some of his estate wines.

• 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay – We found it sharp and crisp and not, as the tasting notes claim, “highly drinkable.”
• 2005 Napa Valley Merlot – We’re not big Merlot fans but we took a shine to this one Maybe it was the chocolate nose that hooked us, but the flavor also satisfied—lovely cherries predominated.
• 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel – 18 months in the barrel and just bottled, we found this Zin too hot (too much alcohol) and strong (almost medicinal), not at all refined. We suspected that there was a high alcohol content, so we asked; at 15.4%, this confirmed our suspicions
• 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – We saw great potential with this just-bottled Cab. It was light and, again, chocolaty. We’ll check back in a few years
• 2003 Napa Valley Syrah – The first homerun; Two years of barrel aging and already 18 months in the bottle made this a round and full winner. Deep fruit and a hint of chocolate with minimal spiciness.  This is a well-made wine.
• 2005 Napa Valley Petite Sirah – Edwards’ second Petite vintage shows great promise. Loaded with flavor, this just-bottled wine comes from Calistoga grapes—what Edwards calls one of “the best regions for growing this grape in the world.” 
• 2005 Napa Valley Petite Sirah Port – A ruby-style Port that wowed Gary but left Lisa cold (too much like sipping honey.) Fortified with a two-year barrel aged Vidal brandy (from Fresno, CA) then aged for 20 months.
  

What We Bought

• One bottle 2003 Napa Valley Syrah                     $27
• One bottle 2005 Napa Valley Petite Syrah Port    $40