What shall we do for December?

The only Kentucky wine that I have had and can honestly say that I enjoyed is a Norton from Elk Creek> Having said that, I must also say that I haven't seen a Norton from them in several years. IMHO, if you want a dinner wine, don't buy Ky. Furthermore, I must also say that I haven't tried a whole lot of Ky wines, because they simply are not worth their cost.

I have been meaning to visit Black Ankle, a very buzzed-about local winery ("...leading the Maryland quality revolution .." or something like that). It's a mere 25 miles from my house.

I was at a Maryland wine festival a few months ago (BA wasn't there). Unfortunately, most of the wines were expensive and undrinkable (what exactly is strawberry Pinor Noir and what part of Maryland is hospitable to PN anyway?)

Dave

I visited Black Ankle this weekend and was very impressed. The wines standout from the other Maryland and Virginia wines I have tasted.

The location is heavenly - narrow, windy country roads lead to the vineyards, located on a "plateau". Once on the property, all you see are the vineyards, surrounding forests, old barn and house (which double as the wine making facility) and a tasting room (made from on-site materials).

They were sold out of all of their white wine (actually, I bought their last bottle of white) so the tasting consists of reds.

2008 Black Ankle Syrah- it was very dark colored in the glass but light-bodied tasting. The tannis were understated and the flavors well balanced but nothing very pronounced. It had just a hint of "raw green vegetable" that seems to plague Maryland and Virgina wines. Overall, very nice.

2008 Black Ankle Rolling Hills - 83% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 5% Syrah. I would have never guessed the majority of this wine was Merlot! It had pronounced tannins and didn't have the silky smoothness of Merlot (at least the kind I buy). Like the Syrah, it was well balanced with a very nice finish.

2008 Black Ankle Crumbling Rock - 57% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec, 1% Syrah. Dark ruby color in the glass and pronounced, yet smooth tannins (is that possible?). Again, very well balanced wine but somewhat understated considering the blends. It tasted a bit young so a few more years in the bottle would be good. At $45 a bottle, it's a bit overpriced.

Overall, I was very impressed with the wines. Most MD & VA reds I have tasted fall into my Awful category, a few into the Drinkable category, and even fewer into the Good! category - Black Ankle were definitively into the Good! category.

The server was very knowledgeable so I asked him what made BA wines better than comparable wines. He gave the standard "it's the soil" answer. Upon further conversation though, he said that they plant their vines closer together (both within each row and by row) and also prune the wines. These actions concentrate the flavors and also help with moisture retention.

I'm hopeful that BA will spur further improvements in Maryland.

Dave

I visited Black Ankle this weekend and was very impressed. The wines standout from the other Maryland and Virginia wines I have tasted.

The location is heavenly - narrow, windy country roads lead to the vineyards, located on a "plateau". Once on the property, all you see are the vineyards, surrounding forests, old barn and house (which double as the wine making facility) and a tasting room (made from on-site materials).

They were sold out of all of their white wine (actually, I bought their last bottle of white) so the tasting consists of reds.

2008 Black Ankle Syrah- it was very dark colored in the glass but light-bodied tasting. The tannis were understated and the flavors well balanced but nothing very pronounced. It had just a hint of "raw green vegetable" that seems to plague Maryland and Virgina wines. Overall, very nice.

2008 Black Ankle Rolling Hills - 83% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 5% Syrah. I would have never guessed the majority of this wine was Merlot! It had pronounced tannins and didn't have the silky smoothness of Merlot (at least the kind I buy). Like the Syrah, it was well balanced with a very nice finish.

2008 Black Ankle Crumbling Rock - 38% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Dark ruby color in the glass and pronounced, yet smooth tannins (is that possible?). Again, very well balanced wine but somewhat understated considering the blends. It tasted a bit young so a few more years in the bottle would be good. At $45 a bottle, it's a bit overpriced.

Overall, I was very impressed with the wines. Most MD & VA reds I have tasted fall into my Awful category, a few into the Drinkable category, and ever fewer into the Good! category - Black Ankle were definitively into the Good! category.

The server was very knowledgeable so I asked him what made BA wines better than comparable wines. He gave the standard "it's the soil" answer. Upon further conversation though, he said that they plant their vines closer together (both within each row and by row) and also prune the wines. These actions concentrate the flavors and also help with moisture retention.

I'm hopeful that BA will spur further improvements in Maryland.

Dave

David, these sound like very interesting wines. So mush so that I Googled them and was a little surprised to see the array of white wines they produce. I was also a bit surprised by their pricing, but if they are worth the price so be it. it. It seems that they are all sold in Maryland and that is too bad as I would really like to try a few of them.

David, these sound like very interesting wines. So mush so that I Googled them and was a little surprised to see the array of white wines they produce. I was also a bit surprised by their pricing, but if they are worth the price so be it. it. It seems that they are all sold in Maryland and that is too bad as I would really like to try a few of them.

Bob,

I was looking forward to the whites also since they grow a variety of grapes, especially the Grüner Veltliner and Albariño (I wonder if Spanish grapes grow well in this area since Keswick Vineyards in Virginia has a nice Verdejo). The server told me they are planting more white this spring (clones from Napa) but they won't be ready for a few years. He said that the whites are real popular during warm months where people relax on the patio.

Note that I updated the blend composition of the Crumbling Rock - I had the 2007 blend instead of the 2008 blend.

Dave