Following an excellent breakfast of berries, yogurt, scrambled eggs and toast, provided by our B&B host Peter, we headed down to the other end of the peninsula to a winery we inexplicably missed yesterday: The Grange.
Now, I have one wee bone to pick with this place. While it's called The Grange, after the Granger father and daughter who founded it, all of their wines are called "Trumpour's Mill", after the Trumpour family who owned the farmland before the winery. So, every wine is The Grange: Trumpour's Mill or Trumpour's Mill by The Grange Winery or some other combination. Guys, pick a name, please?
That minor peeve out of the way, this is certainly one of the prettiest wineries and tasting rooms we visited. The parking area is slotted between the vineyards, so it's easy to see why The Grange is proud of its incredible terroir: the soil is as much limestone rock as dirt, every farmer's nightmare. Unless he or she is raising grapes, of course.
And the wines show it. We were overwhelmed with the selection and quality, and a quick chat with Operations Manager Mike Pettleson confirmed that the winery uses only bentonite for fining; all Grange products are vegan.
Trumpour's Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Citrus, grapefruit, vegetal and asparagus on the nose, this is a classic New World Sauv. The asparagus and grapefruit persist in the mouth, where a medium-high acidity makes it crisp and mouthwatering. Very nice! I bought two bottles for personal consumption.
Trumpour's Mill Riesling 2007
I was going to skip this Riesling, because I hadn't yet had a good one in The County. But the senior customer service rep ordered me to try it, and she was right. With an immediate floral perfume, there are good secondary characteristics of vegetal and citrus. The veg and citrus continue in the taste. The winery calls this off-dry with a 0.5 sugar level, but the citrus made it seem dry to me. We liked this one so much, we bought a case for lucky ZenKitchen diners.
Trumpour's Mill Pinot Gris 2006
With a surprising deep golden hue, the result of a "later" harvesting and being left to sit on the skins a while, this Gris tastes of sweet summer fruit, cinammon and honey. Off-dry, it still managed a tart mouthfeel, with some grapefruit and vegetal notes and a little residual sugar.
Trumpour's Mill Chardonnay Reserve 2004
This light bodied oaked Chard offers the expected vanilla and peach aromas, continuing on into the mouth. But it's a dry vanilla, and there's some grapefruit in the long finish. Unusual, but well worth trying.
Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir 2006
The aromas offer plum, tobacco and sweet red fruit and the strong tobacco flavour is followed by red fruit in the mouth. With medium tannins and medium acidity, this light bodied, cherry coloured Gamay is well rounded, ending with a long sour cherry finish.
Trumpour's Mill Assemblage 2005
Blended from Gamay (80%), Cab Franc and Zweigelt (the server thought each of the latter split the difference), the sweet cherry and leather aromas are overtaken by the very tannic mouthfeel. There's a long citrus finish.
Trumpour's Mill Cabernet Merlot 2006
Here's a well-rounded, complex blend. The aromas of red fruit and leather lead to flavours of tart cherries, tobacco and vegetal, with a medium sour cherry finish. Excellent for BBQs and winter stews, we bought a bottle for further appreciation.
Now, I have one wee bone to pick with this place. While it's called The Grange, after the Granger father and daughter who founded it, all of their wines are called "Trumpour's Mill", after the Trumpour family who owned the farmland before the winery. So, every wine is The Grange: Trumpour's Mill or Trumpour's Mill by The Grange Winery or some other combination. Guys, pick a name, please?
That minor peeve out of the way, this is certainly one of the prettiest wineries and tasting rooms we visited. The parking area is slotted between the vineyards, so it's easy to see why The Grange is proud of its incredible terroir: the soil is as much limestone rock as dirt, every farmer's nightmare. Unless he or she is raising grapes, of course.
And the wines show it. We were overwhelmed with the selection and quality, and a quick chat with Operations Manager Mike Pettleson confirmed that the winery uses only bentonite for fining; all Grange products are vegan.Trumpour's Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Citrus, grapefruit, vegetal and asparagus on the nose, this is a classic New World Sauv. The asparagus and grapefruit persist in the mouth, where a medium-high acidity makes it crisp and mouthwatering. Very nice! I bought two bottles for personal consumption.
Trumpour's Mill Riesling 2007
I was going to skip this Riesling, because I hadn't yet had a good one in The County. But the senior customer service rep ordered me to try it, and she was right. With an immediate floral perfume, there are good secondary characteristics of vegetal and citrus. The veg and citrus continue in the taste. The winery calls this off-dry with a 0.5 sugar level, but the citrus made it seem dry to me. We liked this one so much, we bought a case for lucky ZenKitchen diners.
Trumpour's Mill Pinot Gris 2006
With a surprising deep golden hue, the result of a "later" harvesting and being left to sit on the skins a while, this Gris tastes of sweet summer fruit, cinammon and honey. Off-dry, it still managed a tart mouthfeel, with some grapefruit and vegetal notes and a little residual sugar.
Trumpour's Mill Chardonnay Reserve 2004
This light bodied oaked Chard offers the expected vanilla and peach aromas, continuing on into the mouth. But it's a dry vanilla, and there's some grapefruit in the long finish. Unusual, but well worth trying.
Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir 2006
The aromas offer plum, tobacco and sweet red fruit and the strong tobacco flavour is followed by red fruit in the mouth. With medium tannins and medium acidity, this light bodied, cherry coloured Gamay is well rounded, ending with a long sour cherry finish.
Trumpour's Mill Assemblage 2005
Blended from Gamay (80%), Cab Franc and Zweigelt (the server thought each of the latter split the difference), the sweet cherry and leather aromas are overtaken by the very tannic mouthfeel. There's a long citrus finish.
Trumpour's Mill Cabernet Merlot 2006
Here's a well-rounded, complex blend. The aromas of red fruit and leather lead to flavours of tart cherries, tobacco and vegetal, with a medium sour cherry finish. Excellent for BBQs and winter stews, we bought a bottle for further appreciation.
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