2008 Grassy Creek Chambourcin
This spicy red should warm a winter night - and grace any of the heartier fare that greets the season of chilling winds and Jack Frost.
Grassy Creek delivered a wine with deep ruby color boasting plenty of plum, blackberry, black cherry and licorice flavors and aromas.
Chambourcin (pronounced Sham-bore-San) is a French-American hybrid grape born of parentage that remains a mystery to this day. Chambourcin burst on the wine scene in 1963, developing a faithful following among growers in the Mid-Atlantic states because it was so cold-hardy and disease-resistant.
Grassy Creek has about 3.5 acres of the grape planted, producing 226 cases from the 2008 vintage. Winemaker Jim Douthit used a mix of neutral and new oak during a 13-month hibernation in barrel.
Among consumers, Chambourcin has found favor as a fruit-forward red that doesn’t pack the tongue-numbing tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon and brings a spiciness and earthiness reminiscent of Syrah.
Chambourcin is the work of Joannes Seyve in the Loire region of France. He likely brought together nearly a dozen species of grape but when it was introduced to the world in the early 1960s, Seyve was dead, and he left no documentation behind to reveal the secret behind his bold experimentation.
As many as a half dozen different Native American grape species and just as many French hybrid species likely went into bringing Chambourcin to life. Today, it can be made in a dry or off-dry style. It’s generally crafted as a still table wine, but can be made as a sparkling wine, as is sometimes the case in Australia. Chambourcin can also be made in a port style.
For many wineries on the east coast, it was planted as a hedge bet. If Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Cabernet Franc was wrecked by rain, birds, deer, disease, hail, or rot, there would always be Chambourcin from which to produce a red wine.
What scientists do know is that Seyve was successful in what he wanted to accomplish: A thick-skinned hybrid that could withstand harsh winters, fight various diseases, and yield above-average fruit levels.
Growers love the grape because it is prolific - farmers can get 5 to 6 tons of fruit per acre. As an added bonus in sticky Dixie, Chambourcin grows in loose clusters, making it less prone to humidity damage.
Other states that have found success with Chambourcin include Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It was once widely planted in France, but regulators there worried about its spread in lieu of traditional vinifera and ordered it pulled out.
2010 Grassy Creek Riesling
Probably no other wine is as versatile with food as Riesling and for that reason, it is tradition in many households to include that wine during special get-togethers.
Riesling is the highly-prized grape of Germany, crafted in world-class styles that range from dry to off-dry to sweet. In Germany, it lends itself to shortened growing seasons and is often perched on steep hillsides to take full advantage of sunlight.
In France, Riesling is among the ruling elite in the Alsace region. Australia and Washington State do a nice job with the grape as well. On the east coast, Riesling is somewhat of a darling among growers in the New York Finger Lakes area. There, the grape has proved itself cold-weather hardy.
Only a few North Carolina wineries dabble with this particular grape because it can be challenged when temperatures spike and humidity sets in. Because it is a tightly-clustered grape varietal, it's also prone to bunch rot in the Deep South.
Still, when conditions are right, Riesling can deliver a rewarding wine.
The 2010 vintage is Grassy Creek’s first attempt with this grape. The grapes were purchased from Bog Turtle Vineyard near Dobson and winemaker Jim Douthit prizes the fruit that comes from the immaculately-groomed vines there.
Douthit prefers his Riesling on the dry side so he crafted this white at only 1 percent residual sugar level. It offers crisp granny apple, cantaloupe and pear flavors and aromas with a hint of honey.
Many enthusiasts favor Riesling because it is generally a lighter-bodied wine with a lower alcohol level than many other wines..
Interestingly, Riesling's "light touch" persona can take on a very different dimension when the grape is frozen or is beset by the botrytis cineraa fungus (noble rot). In those cases, concentrated sugars yield some of the world's most exciting dessert wines.
Grassy Creek produced 210 cases of its 2010 Riesling.