Tasting the Wine

As an update to the last post: After letting it rest for a couple weeks, we opened a bottle of the wine Beaumont made from our grapes. Very nice; opens with some fruit, then a medium body, and then that classic, pleasantly astringent Cabernet Franc finish (which will get more interesting with age). Great wine with food I think.

The next day we stopped by Camas Cove Cellars, to whom we've also supplied Cab Franc and Chardonnay over the past two years. We brought some of the Beaumont for comparison. Dennis & Nancy tend to let their reds age in the barrel longer than many wineries, so our 2014 was still in the cask. Dennis pulled a sample and we compared the two. They are actually quite distinct. The Camas Cove, for example, has more fruit throughout at this stage of development. Conversely, Pete Beaumont blended a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, which plays off the structure of the Cab Franc nicely.

Both are truly terrific winemakers and it is really cool to taste their handiwork and get good feedback for continuing to improve the vineyard and fruit.