Maryland Wine Scores
I don’t publish notes on all the Maryland wines I drink. If I didn’t like it, it didn’t go up on this blog. But as long as it wasn’t really bad, I kept a note and kept it to myself (and the Vincellar community). Here they are along with the scores at the time. These aren’t from tastings. Rather, they were all scored in the sterile, operating-room like conditions of my lab in Federal Hill (the kitchen).
| Year | Wine Name | Color | Varietal | Review date | Score |
| 2007 | Elk Run – Gewurztraminer Cold Friday Vineyard | White | Gewurztraminer | 2/4/2009 | 88 |
| The first sniff gave me the same sort of I-don’t-know that I get in a lot of Maryland wines. I don’t quite know what it is (Old Bay?) but MD wines, both red and white, but it’s a little sulfuric, sharp… not particularly unpleasant but just distinct. The mystery aroma blew off after a few minutes. Past that, there was apple and beach, mostly round, full aromas. The wine had a Juicy Fruit, honeyed taste initially, very layered. Good acidity. The whole thing was almost a little wild. A nice, dry, light caramel finish followed. The wine changed for the better over several hours, giving out more fruit and maturing into complexity. On open, the wine was more of a New World style and after some time it developed a hint of minerality and Old World Characteristics, like something Alsacian. | |||||
| 2007 | Black Ankle – Syrah Leaf-Stone | Red | Syrah | 4/1/2010 | 86 |
| Doesn’t barrel you over with alcohol and oak. A nice domestic Syrah with some balance and elegance. | |||||
| 2006 | Deep Creek – Artisan Red | Red | Proprietary Blend | 8/11/2008 | 84 |
| (No note) | |||||
| 2007 | Black Ankle – Bedlam | White | Proprietary Blend | 1/18/2009 | 83 |
| Bunch of stuff included with this one, including Gruner Veltliner, a grape commonly found in Austrian wines. Owner Sarah O’Herron said that they had a lot of white grapes left over from production, so they worked out the kinks and made Bedlam. Interesting that what amounts to second grapes have gone into a wine that is more expensive than the Chardonnay and the Viognier. this wine is filling in the gaps that the Blank Ankle Viognier left out. Almost identical nose, but so much more on the palette. Lots of flavors coming together. Everything is sort of scattered and out of balance, but that makes it fun. Good wine. | |||||
| 2006 | Boordy – Petit Cabernet | Red | Other | 7/12/2008 | 83 |
| Heated but not too much. Nice plum color, just a bit translucent. Black fruit on the nose, not much else. Nice fruit on the palette. Got some oak as the drinking went on. Nice finish. Not bad overall. One of the better Maryland wines I’ve had. | |||||
| 2007 | Elk Run – Viognier | White | Viognier | 5/26/2009 | 82 |
| Nice. Springy apple and peach. Lots of acidity. | |||||
| 2006 | Black Ankle – Syrah | Red | Syrah | 6/12/2009 | 80 |
| (Zippy note) | |||||
| 2007 | Solomons Island Winery Cabertnet Sauvignon Reserve | Red | Cabernet Sauvignon | 3/11/2010 | 80 |
| Deep ruby color that got darker and more purple as the night went on. Very light nose. Herd to get much of anything from it. Herbal if anything, some floral too. On the palette it is spicy up front, sour cherry taste and pucker on the pack. Little tobacco-ish finish. Overall a very nice, middleweight Cabernet. Not a very complex wine. Maybe could stand to lay around in the bottle for a few years. | |||||
| 2006 | Boordy – Shiraz | Red | Syrah | 4/9/2009 | 79 |
| Not much on the nose. Nice cherry fruit, lots of it. | |||||
| 2005 | Fiore – Merlot | Red | Merlot | 3/11/2009 | 78 |
| Initially got a lot of excited oak on the nose but it all mellowed over a little bit of time. Nice solid red color. Not a lot of fruit here, some spices, some heat. A finish that wasn’t memorable because I can’t find anything about it in my notes. Not bad for twelve bucks. | |||||
| 2006 | Basignani – Zinfandel Erik’s Big Zin | Red | Zinfandel | 8/11/2008 | 77 |
| 2006 | Boordy – Pinot Noir Mallards | Red | Pinot Noir | 8/29/2008 | 75 |
| Didn’t taste like much. Went nicely with Brie cheese though. |
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| 2007 | Black Ankle – Bedlam | White | Proprietary Blend | 7/29/2009 | 74 |
| Color was light, grassy, like a Sauvignon Blanc. Pear, apricot and peach up front on the palette. Fruit gives way to all steel all in your face. Very oily and waxy. The finish zinged around without direction or resolve. Again, it’s indecision is almost a hallmark of the wine. The stuff just couldn’t hold up though. I didn’t end up finishing my second glass. | |||||
| 2008 | Serpent Ridge – Albarino | White | Albarino | 6/29/2009 | 70 |
| Great up front. Pale straw color. Floral aromas, especially honeysuckle. Great palette with lots of steel acidity and even some rocky, gravelly mouth feel. The finish just feel apart though. Violent and unpleasant, I kept trying and hoping for improvement until I eventually gave up on it. | |||||
| 2006 | Woodhall Parkton Reserve | Red | Proprietary Blend | 3/11/2010 | 69 |
| (You get nothing) | |||||
| 2006 | Deep Creek – Watershed Red Reserve | Red | Proprietary Blend | 8/14/2008 | 55 |
| Astringent. Jaw-clenching puckering tart. | |||||
| 2005 | Elk Run – Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Friday Vineyard | Red | Cabernet Sauvignon | 4/7/2008 | XX |
| Awful. As it sat in the glass it fell apart like Two Buck Chuck. | |||||
