13th street is a winery that we had tried to visit many times, but we always managed to miss them (the first time because they had moved). An no, they are not on 13th Street, but the winery was there at one point (they are located at 1776 Fourth Avenue).
As we hadn’t eaten lunch and we were running late, we started our tour of 13th Street with lunch, Thankfully the 13th Bakery and Marketplace was open and had a fantastic carrot soup on the menu. The Bakery and Market offer local fruits and vegetables (in season), jams, jellies, & preserves, and delicious baked goods for snacking. The short stop was a great for restoring our energy for the remaining wineries.
Carrot Soup at 13th Street
13th Street has one of the most beautiful settings in a restored farmhouse. With the all white interior, the art on display really seems to pop out.
Beautiful Group Tasting Room with Slab Wood Table
Main Tasting Room at 13th Street Winery
Once in the tasting room, we were welcomed by Lindsay Marcaccio (Retail Sales Manager) who walked us through a great tasting:
2006 Grand Cuvée Blanc De Noirs: “Blanc De Noirs” simply ] means white wine from red grapes, and this wine is 100% Pinot Noir (the skins are removed immediately so no colour is imparted to the wine). It spent 4 years on lees, which has allowed the wine to devellop a brioche/bready nose. On the Palate, the wine exhibits apples & apple pie, slight vanilla notes, and of course the characteristic yeasty notes from the time on lees. The mousse is fine and smooth. Limited quantities of 260 6-packs.
2010 Sandstone Reserve Chardonnay: This is one beautiful Chardonnay…we were really sad that we had already overspent our budget as we would likely have bought more of this than we did! With 8 months of oak aging in a combination of new and old barrels, the nose evoked the most pleasant fresh, sweet fruit aromas of apple, pineapple, and lemon above the warm toasty oak components. The palate was full, luscious, and mouth-watering, something difficult to achieve. The wine had a medium-long, smooth, and slightly sweet finish reminiscent of honey-coated almonds. $34.95
2009 June’s Vineyard Unoaked Chardonnay: With very mild notes of the lees on the nose, the fruit in this unoaked beauty dominates. Green apple and lemon zest carry through the palate with the addition of striking minerality. Very crisp and acidic finish that leaves the mouth watering for more. $19.95
2010 Gamay: The grapes for this Gamay were sourced form 3 different vineyards and spent 8 months in a combination of new and used French oak. There are fantastic earthy notes behind the fruit and sweet spices on the nose, and the palate has a sweet cherry tone to it that almost reminded me of cherry cola, although the wine is dry. There’s decent tannins in this and the fruit us balanced by the nice core of acidity that keeps it fresh.
2010 Sandstone “Old Vines” Gamay: This Cuvee award winner is superbly integrated, from the nose to the finish. Cherry, sweet spice, with some cedar and oak notes and a hint of alcohol on the nose. Bright acidity keeps the bold cherry fruit in check. With a decent tannic structure from 9-10 months in oak, this wine should hold together for several more years and expose even more character. $29.95
13 Below Zero Riesling (Non Vintage): With 70% dry Riesling and 30% Ice Wine, the wine brings together racy acidity and sweet honeyed components to play off each other. The nose is stunning – candied stone fruit and honey gives the illusion of a syrupy wine to follow, but the embedded acidity quickly removes any conceptions of this wine being cloying. The finish is so long and mouthwatering, it seems like ages before you need the next sip. $19.95 (half-bottle)
http://www.13thstreetwinery.com/
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