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Virginia Wines part 2 Naked Mountain Winery

One of the wineries we visited in Virginia last September was Naked Mountain Winery and Vineyards in northern Fauquier County, about 20 miles east of Front Royal.  This is one of the oldest wineries in Virginia but it only has 6 acres planted in grapes.  Additional grapes are purchased from other Virginia growers.  The tasting room is quaint and maybe a little rustic but there is a beautiful view from the top of the mountain.  The winery has a slogan "Drink Naked" and T-shirts are available with that slogan.

The signature wine of this winery is the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.  This is a chardonnay that is fermented in old, nuetral oak barrels and thus does not have a strong oak taste nor does it have the acidic taste of stainless steel aged wine.  For me, it hits the right fruit flavor.  Our supply of this is long gone.

This evening we had the 2008 Scarlet Oak Red.  This wine is 41% Syrah, 41% Mourvedre and 18% Tannat.  Syrah has a very different flavor when grown in cooler climates than if it is grown in warm climates such as California or Australia.  It is fruitier and less earthy.  Mourvedre is also known as Monastrell in Spain and you may remember this grape in the Tranco wine I reviewed last year.  Tannat is a grape from southwest France.  I find that this wine reminds me of a lighter wine from Spain.  I enjoyed this wine and the taste lingered through my meal.

Both the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and the Scarlet Oak Red are $20 at the winery, although I got lucky and found the chardonnay for less in a store in Virginia.

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