Kinkead Ridge - 2008 White Wines

This weekend was the release of the Kinkead Ridge 2008 white wines at the winery in Ripley, Ohio. It's always a fun trip at this time of year because we always seem to wind up in the middle of the Memorial Day parade in Mt. Orab, about 20 miles north of the winery. We waved at the crowd and continued on south to the winery, but it's nice to know the local "Mt. Orbians" think so much of us that they greet us each year with a parade as we pass through.

Let's start with the picture above. Those are Viognier grapes on the vine last September at vineyard. They went into the 2008 Viognier/Roussanne blend. This wine was fully ripe and the nose was about sweet citrus, some flowers and ripe pears, or more exactly the pear skin. There was more Viognier in the blend, but the taste of pears and the kiwi of the Roussanne seemed stronger. The Viognier perked up the wine with it's unique aromas. A nice acid balance finished off the wine. The wine was tight and somewhat closed but what it was showing was delicious. It checked in at 14.8% alcohol which is very high for an Ohio white wine. This one was full flavored and just flat out good. $15.95

The Revelation was distinctly different from the 2007 version. This one was dominated by Sauvignon Blanc with a few other white varieties blended in. This wine was probably wound tighter than the Viognier/Roussanne. It offered up hints of green grape and minerality in the nose. There was definite grapefruit in the taste with just a hint of hay and it had the acid to match the grapefruit taste. It reminded most of a Sancerre wine from France and that is my favorite region for Sauvignon Blanc wines. Production on this wine was less than 150 cases and it checked in at 14% alcohol. This wine will be very good this fall. $13.95

Next came the Riesling. This wine was almost colorless in the glass, but there was peach and tart apple in the nose with just a tiny whiff of kerosene. While the Viognier/Roussanne smelled of pear skin the Riesling picked up the pear flesh in the nose. All those fruits were in the taste along with a touch of lemon. There was great acidity here with just a bit of sweetness. It finished with a suggestion of dry, crushed limestone at the very end. 1.2% residual sugar and 12.1% alcohol. This wine is consistently good from vintage to vintage but this one could be a very good wine with a few more months in the bottle. $11.95

The last white wine was a Rock Springs Vineyard Traminette. This was made with purchased grapes from Kentucky. Traminette is a hybrid cross between Gewurztraminer and Joannes Sevye 23.416. The nose was all Gewurztraminer with the musky smell of nutmeg, flowers and spices. That part was easy as it is a very distinct aroma. I have no idea what the hybrid 23.416 offers so it was all about going with the Gewurztraminer. Sadly the wine failed to deliver much in the spicy taste department as it was rather neutral. There was 3% residual sugar and 13% alcohol. A well made wine that just wasn't my cup of tea. $9.95

Each of the wines is a little young and could use more time in the bottle so the ones we brought home are sequestered for a few months. Come fall there will be some good oysters with the Revelation, a wood-fire roasted chicken with the Viongier and some good spicy food with the Riesling.

The added bonus is that these wines are local for me and they are more than fairly priced. If you're reading this in Ohio you will find them in some of the better wines stores and restaurants. For those of you outside of Ohio you'll have to schedule a visit.