Tasting #2 - SummerWind Vineyards The Pagan

  

Name: SummerWind Vineyards The Pagan

Varietal: Red Blend (Merlot, Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc)

Region: Virginia

Country: United States of America

Year: 2019

Price: $32.00

Professional Wine Review: This lavish red blend is what we like to call our “off dry” wine.  With 2% residual sugar, this heavenly blend of Merlot, Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc produces a semi-sweet velvety mouth feel with pleasurable flavors of strawberry and red raspberry.  Sitting at an ABV of 13% and aged for 8 months in neutral oak The Pagan is for the sweet and bold lovers alike!  I know, it’s hard to believe but whatever your palate is, this wine is sure to whet it! [1]

Wine Folly Review: On the Wine Folly Website, I found this red blend of wine to be most similar to a Bordeaux style of blend [2]. The website cites flavors such as blackberry, cedar, bell pepper, violets, and clove. I found the aroma of blackberry to be notable in the wine, but not bell pepper or any of the other flavors. The benefit of finding a vineyard that is up and coming is that it is fairly unknown in the critic world, thus it is up to my own analysis on the taste and experience.

Personal Wine Review: This was a red blend wine that was made right here in Virginia at a small vineyard. I have not experimented that much with red blends mainly because I had this feeling that it was not "original" wine. That being said, I did enjoy this wine. It was smooth with a hint of sweetness with every sip. While not being completely dry in taste, the addition of dryer wines like Cabernet Sauvignon is clear. Prior to consuming the wine, the aroma that the wine provided was almost blackberry. It was a strong and powerful sense of smell that added in the sweetness. This was consumed without any food. Overall, like most red wines, I would drink this wine again if it was not too expensive. This is the most expensive wine I have tasted.

References:

[1] https://www.swvsmithfield.com/the-wines.html

[2] https://winefolly.com/wine-regions/united-states/virginia/