CD Baker 2015 Cab Sauv Aged in Bourbon Barrels

As Jenni will attest, I'm a self confessed Cab Sauv snob. It is generally my opinion, a Cabernet Sauvignon is either good, or it is not. There seems to me absolutely no in-between. Cab Sauv is known to pair well with steak, or beef in general as a full-bodied red, high in tannins and alcohol content. Therefore easy to conclude, if I'm writing a blog about one, it must be a good one.

Baker Buffalo Creek Vineyards, is located in the small rural farming community of Fallston, just outside of Shelby, North Carolina. A few months back we had visited and Charles was so excited about the Cab Sauv aging in bourbon barrels. Charles and Ann brought a few bottles to the North Carolina Wine Month Kickoff event and we were thrilled to sample a little tasting. I was immediately hooked, and couldn't wait to get back by the winery to pick up a bottle to take home.

Aged in bourbon barrels for 4 months, this wine is intensely complex. I would suggest allowing the bottle to breathe, it's full bodied, with color of deep cherry red. The bourbon is robustly noticeable to the nose, with complex aromas of deep caramel and soft notes of vanilla. First taste is rich, dry, & slightly bitter. The caramel tends to linger with bold notes of black cherry along with blackberry fading to a slightly leathery, intense smoky and spicy, peppery finish. Perhaps a bit overwhelming to enjoy without food, this is the quintessential wine to pair a grilled New York Strip, T_Bone, Filet Mignon, or Ribeye. 

I often hear from friends, "I'm just not a wine guy." I always believe that statement at its core is simply a "don't want to" response, but nevertheless, your excuse is shot. The CD Baker 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Aged in Bourbon Barrels fits the bill. This North Carolina Cab Sauv which retails at $24 a bottle is not only good, it's uniquely special. Produced in small batches, each bottle is consistent yet in limited quantity. This Cabernet Sauvignon deserves to be in your wine rack or cellar and should be expected to age extremely well.

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Weekend Escapade - Week 40

This past weekend started on Friday when Dennis and I went to Abbeville to go to a play at the Abbeville Opera House and we stayed at the Belmont Inn. Both of these buildings are very quaint and hold a LOT of history. We love staying at the Belmont and can’t wait to return in April to see another play. 

The play we saw was Everybody Loves Opal. If you ever get the chance, go see this play! It is funny, cute and in the end has a sweet message for all ages. The cast was amazing! Maryanne Campbell played the title character and did an amazing job! Bradford Winter was played by D. C. Moody. We had seen both of them in Arsenic and Old Lace over a year ago. I have to wonder if D C likes playing the bad boy. J Sydney Wells played Gloria Gurlock,, Dave DiGeronimo played Solomon Bozo, the Doctor was played by Bruce Johnston and Office Joe Jankie by Taylor McNair. The entire cast was amazing! We also got to chat with most of the cast at Tinkers Alley Bar which is the bar/restaurant at the Belmont. I so appreciate them letting me invade their group for a little bit!

The remainder of the winter season consists of the following plays and I hope I get to see some of the actors from Everybody Loves Opal in JB (the one Dennis have decided to attend in April).

Coney Island Christmas Dec 1,2,8,9,15 & 16

Vanya, Sonia, Masha & Spike Feb 2,3,9 &10 (We’ve seen this show at another venue & it’s great!)

The Wind in the Willows Mar 9, 10, 11, 16 & 17

J.B Apr 6, 7, 8, 13 & 14

We got up Saturday morning, had breakfast at the hotel and then rambled around downtown Abbeville for a bit. We found a fun little moonshine distillery called Red Barn Likker, and can’t wait to go back & get some of the apple spice mixer and his 70 proof moonshine.

We left there and headed for GA. Our first stop was CeNitaVineyard. Very quaint winery with a great story. The winery used to be a dairy farm. They have a lovely red barn in the back for events. There was a wedding Saturday. They were taking pictures while we were there. Beautiful scenery for a wedding. They had literally just finished harvesting the Chambourcin grapes that morning and we got to sample some of the fresh juice. That was a real treat. All the wines were very nice, but the Buckie Estate Wine and the Rouge Estate Wine were my favorites.

We left there and headed to Yonah Mountain Vineyards. The venue is lovely and again, there was a wedding going on in their event space. Other than wedding attendees, the winery was very busy on Saturday. They have 17 acres of vine that consist of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

From there we headed to The Cottage Vineyard. Nathan, the son of the owner did our tasting. This 7’ tall man made my 6’3” husband look short! The bear cub on their logo was an actual bear that was on the property at one time. Again, they had several really nice wines, but Dennis & I decided on a bottle of the Baby Doll Legs Rose. We also enjoyed the Southern Sass which is a peach wine and is named for one of the employees that has worked at the winery from the beginning. We sat outside and met some extremely nice people.

Sunday we stayed close to home and went to see Andre at Russian Chapel Hills and enjoyed a bottle of his very nice Mosaic. It was a tad rainy but the porch is covered and wide enough that we got to sit outside and play with the dogs (as usual!). 

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NOTE: above blog was actually written by Jenni Turner, only posted by Dennis.

This Weekend's Escapade (Week 37 of 2017)

We started our weekend with a Friday night visit to Spartoberfest celebration in Spartanburg, S.C. I enjoyed a beer and Jenni a glass of white wine. Saturday we first stopped at Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery in York, S.C. This place was hopping. Singer/guitarist Chris Holder was performing. Families were enjoying picnics. Children were playing in the Orchard. Apple cider donuts were being freshly made. Best of all, The barkeeps were serving the hard cider. 

Windy Hill Orchard, licensed as a Cidery since 1996, has expanded their selection and production to keep up with a growing demand. We both enjoyed the Gala Peach, though the Hopping Johnny was my favorite. Jenni also enjoyed the Spicy Peach, a seasonal, and the Rusty Gold, an apple cinnamon blend. I mentioned the donuts, these were so good, freshly made on site. The cider bar is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so check their website. 

We left and headed towards Lincolnton. The town was hosting its annual Apple festival. We proposed this an excellent reason to venture back to Southern Charm Winery. We really enjoy their Peach wine, aptly named Southern Charm. Jenni and I each enjoyed a glass of the Southern Charm Peach as we perused the gift selection. Just couldn't leave without taking a bottle home. Fiddler's Vineyard and Woodmill Winery also had booths set up for the festival. We browsed the craft vendors up and down Main Street until the heat just got too overwhelming.

Several months earlier we had purchased a Groupon for a distillery tour in Charlotte. Click the Groupon link and search for Doc Porters Distillery. I had earlier in the week made us a 5:30 appointment for the guided tour, so we headed towards Charlotte. Andrew Porter, owner/ founder, conducted our tour. He explained the distilling process and shared with us the different grains used in each spirit. The Distillery is making a Vodka, a Gin, and a Bourbon, with a Rye about ready to release. We enjoyed all, my favorite being the Gin which was very floral and smooth.  They are also in a collaboration with Sospreso Coffee Roasters of Waxhaw, offering bourbon roasted coffee beans. Gourmet coffee beans roasted in their used bourbon barrels. This is an excellent way for a quick evening outing and is certainly interesting to learn more about the distilling process. Of course tasting the distilled spirits isn't bad either. We give Doc Potters a strong recommendation.  Check out their website. 

As Jenni and I left, we realized we weren't but 40 or so minutes from Monroe. We knew that Hilton Vineyards in Monroe was open late and we had yet to visit this winery. Glad we made this decision, and glad we visited at night. A DJ was spinning tunes and the natives were dancing in the streets. Thomas, one of the owners, graciously poured our tasting. He explained that his father had always grown his own grapes and fruits and used what he grew to home crafted wine. After spending several years living on the coast, his father decided to retire back home to Union County, and make a living by making wine. The vineyard was planted in what was then a dry county, so the winery was opened in neighboring Monroe allowing the sell of their wines. The winery is open until 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and has the feel of a local wine bar. They are growing the larger majority of grapes and fruits used in their wines and all wine sold is made on site. The Malbec was really good, though it is dryer than some others of the region. We also liked the Chardonel Peach and the Apple Riesling.  The Mango is their best seller and it is certainly flavorful.  We also tasted the "ice wine," and this one is somewhat unique, just got to try for yourself. I appreciate Hilton staying open late, wish we had planned to spend the night. It would have been nice to sit outside and listen to the music while sipping on a glass of wine. Next time right?

Sunday afternoon we headed over to CityScape Winery in Pelzer, South Carolina, in lower Greenville County.  CityScape is long one our favorites and I'll try to write an updated review soon. Our friends and owners, Josh and Deb Jones, weren't there, but the staff took good care of us. We sat under the portico outside and enjoyed a bottle of Müller Two-Goats (Müller Thurgau). We also had a taste of their new release of Chocolate Red and it did not disappoint. They posted on Facebook Saturday that their wines are now sold in two local Fresh Markets. Congratulation are in order for this huge accomplishment.  We know Josh, Deb, and their staff work extremely hard to make this small winery a big success. Jenni and I certainly missed seeing both and  of course Pinot the Pig, but are thrilled to see them grow and look forward to seeing them all next time.

Happy Weekend Wining!

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