Winter Wonderland Part 1
Until the end of March, Jefferson, Keswick, First Colony, Michael Shaps and Castle Hill Cider offered a Winter Wonderland Passport where you can taste at all 5 for $25. Due to the crazy winds, some of the places were running on generator power only. This trip, we went to Castle Hill Cidery and Keswick Vineyards.
It was our first trip to Castle Hill. We are not huge fans of cider in general, but we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it here. They grow many apples on property and get some from nearby, but they do get some varieties from out of the area as well.
They had 9 ciders to taste ranging from dry to sweet (but not too sweet!), including 3 vertical tastings.
Terrestrial 2013 - Candice liked this cider because it was very dry and acidic. It was clean and fresh and reminded her of a steel fermented white wine
Terrestrial 2016 - This vintage contained a slightly different combination of apples. Lesley preferred this one over the 2013 because it was smoother and a little less acidic than the 2013.
Celestial 2012 - Lesley liked this because it tasted kind of like tart cherries. It had a fruity minerality that was slightly sour.
Celestial 2016 - Candice liked this because it had a bunch of tannins and finished strong.
Levity 2016 - This is fermented in a terra cotta vessel which is one of the oldest methods of fermentation dating back to the 6th millennia BC. We were told it is very expensive which is why it is no longer common. Lesley liked the acidity and mineral quality to it. Candice found it finished to weakly/quickly for her taste, but enjoyed how it started.
Gravity 2012 - This is still (non-carbonated) cider. We think this may have been better if we tasted it first. Neither of us were big fans, but because we had experienced all the bubbles up to this point, the lack of them was jarring.
Serendipity 2015 - This is their most popular. We can understand why. This is what you think of when you think of hard cider. It’s apple forward and slightly sweet. It was made entirely with Albermarle Pippin apples
Serendipity 2016 - This just won the 2018 Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medal. This was made with a blend of Pippin and Gold Rush apples. This was milder and more complex than the 2015.
Big Pippin - This was like a sangria in a bottle. The cider is made with sweet apples - Pink Lady, Jonathan and Golden Delicious. They blend the cider with fresh pressed ginger juice and apple brandy made from Albermarle Pippin apples. It packed a punch with 11% ABV. We were big fans of the ginger which offset the sweetness from the apples.
It was our first trip to Castle Hill. We are not huge fans of cider in general, but we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it here. They grow many apples on property and get some from nearby, but they do get some varieties from out of the area as well.
They had 9 ciders to taste ranging from dry to sweet (but not too sweet!), including 3 vertical tastings.
Terrestrial 2013 - Candice liked this cider because it was very dry and acidic. It was clean and fresh and reminded her of a steel fermented white wine
Terrestrial 2016 - This vintage contained a slightly different combination of apples. Lesley preferred this one over the 2013 because it was smoother and a little less acidic than the 2013.
Celestial 2012 - Lesley liked this because it tasted kind of like tart cherries. It had a fruity minerality that was slightly sour.
Celestial 2016 - Candice liked this because it had a bunch of tannins and finished strong.
Levity 2016 - This is fermented in a terra cotta vessel which is one of the oldest methods of fermentation dating back to the 6th millennia BC. We were told it is very expensive which is why it is no longer common. Lesley liked the acidity and mineral quality to it. Candice found it finished to weakly/quickly for her taste, but enjoyed how it started.
Serendipity 2015 - This is their most popular. We can understand why. This is what you think of when you think of hard cider. It’s apple forward and slightly sweet. It was made entirely with Albermarle Pippin apples
Serendipity 2016 - This just won the 2018 Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medal. This was made with a blend of Pippin and Gold Rush apples. This was milder and more complex than the 2015.
Big Pippin - This was like a sangria in a bottle. The cider is made with sweet apples - Pink Lady, Jonathan and Golden Delicious. They blend the cider with fresh pressed ginger juice and apple brandy made from Albermarle Pippin apples. It packed a punch with 11% ABV. We were big fans of the ginger which offset the sweetness from the apples.
Candice said, “Oh my gosh, I think I like cider.” It was a revelation. She has never felt that way at a cidery before. We both really enjoyed it here. We will be back.
Our last stop was Keswick Vineyards. We haven’t been here in many years. They were running on generators. The hum greeted us as we walked to the tasting room.
They offered 10 wines to taste.
Amélie Rosé - This rosé was force carbonated. We were told it is like putting it through a soda steam. It was dry and tart.
2016 Les Vents d’Anges Chardonnay - Stainless steel aged, it was not memorable, but better than one aged in oak any day
2015 Viognier Reserve - it was floral up front and slightly citrusy at the end, but overall it lacked anything special
2016 Les Vents d’Anges Viognier - these grapes came from Washington state. Lesley thought it sort of tasted like pineapple - sort of tropical sweet with a little over 1% residual sugar. We both poured this out - an extremely rare occurrence.
Commemorative Consensus - This was a bonus pour! It was meant for wine club only, but it was open and late in the day so we got to try it too. This is a blend created by wine club members in a multi-day experimentation process. It sounded pretty cool. This was a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Candice thought this was an easy drinking red.
2016 Consensus - This wine club made blend was 70% Chambourcin, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Touriga and 3% Merlot. Lesley found this jam-like up front (from the Chambourcin) and finished slightly dry
2016 Touriga - Candice called this an immediate red. Lesley found it weird. It was almost grassy instead of woodsy.
Les Vents d’Agnes Rives Red - This is a blend of Merlot, Sauvignon and Franc. Candice dubbed it a mulling red.
Trevillian Red - A Franc and Sauvignon blend. Candice liked it, but Lesley found it sour. It reminded her of sour beers.
2015 Heritage - 64% Cab Sauvignon, 24% Franc and 12% Petit Verdot = 100% delicious! Everything you could want in a red. We opted for an extra pour of this in lieu of their dessert wine.
It was a fun day. We look forward to Part 2 on hopefully a less windy day.
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