The Grapevine » Wine Buzz

New Wine Release – Jean Farris Syrah

Webmaster — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:04:09 +0000

Jean Farris Winery in Lexington announced the release of their 2007 Syrah in their July newsletter. Ben O’Daniel, owner states “After 19 months in the barrel and and repeated tastings, the wine is true to syrah style.”

From the Jean Farris July 2009 Newsletter:

“The Tempest has always been one of those wines. It was an original concept that just seemed to work in my mind and in the winery. The Viognier has always been a challenge, the needy child. Then we have the 2007 Syrah. This is not a large production for Jean Farris but it has been a learning experience.

The 2007 growing season was not great; the Easter Freeze limited yields on everything. With the reduced yields the fruit came in like a lumbering ox; big berries, with ruby coloring, flavors of tea and hints of berry under a tannic skin. I had to pull a few tricks out of my sleeve to tame the beast.

After 19 months in barrel and repeated tastings, the wine is true to the syrah style. In France the tradition is to blend the Syrah with Grenache and Mourvedre. The Grenache adds a light cherry or raspberry fruit while the Mourvedre adds a little rounding and supports the spice notes of the Syrah. In the lab I begin the blending of the Jean Farris Syrah with Mourvedre from the Desimone’s Grimes Mill Vineyard and then added a splash of Grenache, swirl, sip, and… reblend.

A blend is rarely an immediate success. A percentage here or there can make the difference. So after a few trials I arrived at a blend I like. I prepared a sample of the blend and over dinner we looked into every nuance of the wine, every flavor, tannin levels, mouth feel. It was good. I pulled the wine from barrel and now we have it to offer you.

The wine is still dense. The nose gives hints of dark cherry, and smokiness. While on the palette the fruit is of candied cherry, currents and spice. A layer of herb underlies the fruit and offers deep complexities. The finish is warm and bright. The wine has power and structure; it is a wine that changes with each taste. It offers itself with coaxing, not yielding all its secrets easily but in time like a new friend. Our hope is that you will enjoy the Syrah and that it may enrich a meal, or time with old friends.”

Several Kentucky wineries struck gold at Derby WineFest

Webmaster — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:35:41 +0000

Kentucky wineries earned 15 gold medals at the Kentucky Derby Festival wine competition March 24 in Louisville.

Eighteen Kentucky and Indiana wineries brought 145 varietals to the competition. A panel of 17 experts from the American Wine Society judged the competition.

Those winning gold were: Acres of Land (Richmond), Elk Creek (Owenton), Equus Run (Midway), River Bend (Louisville), Talon Winery (Lexington), and Wight-Meyer (Shepardsville).

Some of the winners will be featured at the fifth annual Kentucky Derby Festival WineFest April 28-29 at Kroger’s Fest-A-Ville on the Waterfront. Thirteen Kentucky and Indiana wineries will sample 99 varietals at the event.

Kentucky wineries and the medals they earned included:

Acres of Land, Richmond – two gold medals (Concord and Chambourcin), three silver and two bronze

Black Oak, Princeton – one silver and one bronze

Brooks Hill, Louisville – three silver and five bronze

Elk Creek, Owenton – two gold (Riesling and Petite Syrah), four silver and four bronze

Felice, Louisville – one bronze

Equus Run, Midway – one gold (Derby Chardonnay) and one silver

River Bend, Louisville – two gold (Chambourcin and Pomegranate)

StoneBrook Winery, Louisville – one bronze

Talon Winery, Lexington – two gold (both red hybrids), one silver and one bronze

Wight-Meyer, Shepherdsville – six gold (Moores Diamond, Concord, Chambourcin, Norton, Zinfandel and Moores Diamond Ice Wine), two silver and three bronze

For more information about the Kentucky Derby Festival and the WineFest, go to www.kdf.org.

For more information about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Grape and Wine Program page at www.kyagr.com/marketing/plantmktg/grape.htm.

Open that bottle night

Webmaster — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:53:22 +0000

Open that bottle night, a tradition started by a wine writing pair at the Wall St Journal, is observed on the last Saturday of February. This year that’s the 28th.

This year there is a new twist…

Wine importer, Wilson Daniels, and Twitter Taster Live (TTL), a premier forum for real-time wine tasting on the Web have teamed up to host an online web tasting to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Open that bottle night. For more information visit, Twitter Taster Live

An idea conceived in 2000 by respected wine writers Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher of the Wall Street Journal, Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) encourages wine enthusiasts worldwide to open and share a special bottle of wine. Twitter Taste Live has added a new twist to the OTBN theme in honor of the 10th anniversary: exploration and discovery. Consumers will have the opportunity to open bottles of intriguing, lesser-known wines from four regions in Europe from tiny producers they may never have heard of before and share these discoveries at OTBN’s first global, online forum. Also, anyone with a Facebook account is encouraged to join the Open That Bottle Night Revelers group to post pictures and comments of their OTBN memories.

Liquor Barn announces Double Discount Tuesdays

Webmaster — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:39:16 +0000

Liquor Barn announced that starting Tuesday, January 13, 2009 customers can enjoy double the discount on the purchase of your favorite wines. By the case or 6pk, all the same or mix and match. But hurry in, because this offer is good on Tuesdays only, and who knows how long it will last!

Click here to find the nearest Liquor Barn

Talon Winery announces new food pairings

Webmaster — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:32:28 +0000

Talon Winery (Lexington, KY) announced two new food pairing events today. The first is to be held on Saturday, Dec 13 with Azur Restaurant and Patio and another on Dec 20th with Summit Patio, Bar & Restaurant.