Tasting at Prince Michel in Virginia

Leon, VA
Tasted Sunday, September 27, 2009 by isaacjamesbaker with 705 views

Introduction

Stopped at this winery right off of Route 29 in Virginia on my way back to D.C. from visiting family. It's a really tourist-oriented winery, with lots of pizzaz and stuff to buy, so I wasn't expecting much. That said, I thought all of their wines were at least enjoyable, at most very good expressions of their varieties and region. Definitely worth a stop. The tasting is complimentary and their wines are almost all under $20.

Flight 1 (8 Notes)

  • 2008 Prince Michel of Virginia Pinot Grigio

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    this was light straw colored with lots of lemon zest on the nose. its creamy on the palate, but with good acid. lime flavors are backed up by some stony and mineral elements. a really racy style, which surprised me for the region. well done.

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  • 2006 Prince Michel of Virginia Chardonnay

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Madison County

    this is 85% stainless stell fermented. the nose shows light pears. its lightweight on the palate with white table grape and simple pear flavors. not much oak here, so the weakness of the fruit shows through. pass.

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  • 2006 Prince Michel of Virginia Chardonnay Barrel Select

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    i liked this a lot better than the basic chardonnay. it spends about two years in french and american oak, at least a good percentage of which has to be new. on the nose, this smells like coconut cream pie. on the palate, its thick, creamy, full-bodied with toast, buttered popcorn, pear and vanilla. i mean, it's typical oaky, buttery chardonnay, but, for what it is, its pleasurable to drink.

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  • 2005 Prince Michel of Virginia Merlot Dry Rosé

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    light strawberry colored. the nose shows pepper, rhubarb and strawberry shortcake. on the palate this is rather light, a bit watery, with basic cherry and strawberry flavors. nose is much better than the palate, but this is an easy-sipping rose.

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  • 2005 Prince Michel of Virginia Merlot Dry Rosé

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    you're either going to really like this wine or really dislike it. for my palate, i liked it a lot. this is a cab franc in a chinon style. its not light and watery like many virginia cab francs. this is spicy on the nose with cherries, bell pepper and tobacco leaves. there's also a bit of cotton candy aromas going on. on the palate this has dense tannins, which surprised me. its spicy too with good acid and balance. lots of leather and mocha flavors with a medium finish. one of the better east coast cab francs i've had.

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  • 2006 Prince Michel of Virginia Merlot Mount Vernon

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    smells like a hair salon with nail polish and soap. on the palate this is silky with rasberry, plums and black cherries. really light tannins. in a blind tasting i might guess this was a basic beaujolais villages or something. no complexity but its easy to drink and kinda fun.

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  • 2005 Prince Michel of Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    medium purple colored. dark nose of cassis and plums. round mouthfeel with medium body. currants, cedar and pepper. for $15, its a good cab. very pleasant.

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  • 2005 Prince Michel of Virginia Symbius

    USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

    this is their high end blend of cab, cab franc, merlot and petit verdot. on the nose this shows prunes, liquer, rasberry and port. nice nose. on the palate this is full-bodied, but its got light tannins. lots of candied cherries, fruit roll-ups and starbust on the palate. the cab franc comes out a bit on the finish with a tobacco and mocha note. not worth $30, but its a nice, fruity red blend.

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