2021 Vermilion Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – Heads Up Napa Valley!
Picture from Vermilion Valley Vineyard
The Winery
I recently did several stories on Vermilion Valley Vineyards and The Winerie at Sandusky (both labels are the same ownership and winemaker). The Vermilion Valley story was on how delicious their Pinot Noir and who knew the quality of Pinot Noir could be grown in Ohio.
The second story was on a wine seldom seen in California and many have never tasted, Lemberger wine.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/03/10/the-winerie-at-sandusky-2021-lemberger-wine
Now hold on to your hats!! Just tasted their 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake Erie region. While having been a big California Sauvignon fan for over 40 years and tasted thousands from around the world, this is the first Cabernet Sauvignon that was comparable to a Napa Valley Cabernet. Each terroir is unique but this was very similar in taste. Now that may not sit well with many folks, but it is a testimony to the winemaker Joe Juniper and sustainable farming practices to create a solid wine.
Vermilion Valley Vineyards has 100 planted acres in four different locations. With micro climates, this allows all his wines to be 100% estate grown. What is interesting about Ohio is that some 370 wineries exist but only 900 acres of grapes are planted! Doing some simple math, removing the five largest vineyards in the state, you are left with each winery having a one acre parcel! Thus many wineries in Ohio rely on importing juice from various areas like the Central Valley of California and Washington. That is one of many unique characteristics of Vermilion Valley Vineyards and their estate wines.
Currently they produce the following red wines: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Dorsa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger, Chambourcin, Dornfelder, Nebbiolo, Malbec, Pinotage and Merlot. Ditto for their white wines producing: Muscat Ottonel, Riesling. Gruner Veltliner, Müller-Thurgau, Traminette, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Valvin Muscat, Ribola Gialla, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Albariño, Pinot Blanc and Arneis. That is a wide variety of wines and all estate grown!
You can read their webpage about their high level of sustainability incorporating land use and their buildings. Link at the bottom of the page.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The expectations for this wine were set minimally as per my earlier comment. While Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and subsequent wines grow well in other areas, Oregon, Washington, etc., I have not had what I call any Cabernet Sauvignon that was grown in a different state, taste like it came from Napa Valley. Lo and behold, this week, I was tasted and to my amazement, this 2021 Vermilion Valley Vineyards from Lake Erie came as close to if not equal to many Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Joe via correspondence mentioned that this vineyard is “on pace with Rutherford/Oakville as far as heat”. While stating humbly that the vineyard site is not anything incredible, he is proud of the site and just “tries to play to the strengths of the fruit” and have “been fortunate to have been able to put together a string of solid vintages”.
Firstly on the eyes you notice a deep red almost black coloring with a medium heavy viscosity. On the nose, blueberry fragrances waft in the olfactory senses with aromas of pipe tobacco and black pepper. On the palate where it shows the pedigree of uniqueness and quality of cherries, a chewy full body Cabernet Sauvignon with layers of structure and secondary flavor of dark chocolate offering a modicum of a sweet kiss. On the finish is where one is startled thinking of this as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with leathery and jagged tannins providing what can only be described as “spot on”.
I was so impressed I capped and browned bagged the wine and took over to a friend and fellow wine judge for his comments. Here they are randomly assembled: “appellation being high elevation, color deep ruby, pleasant fragrant, berry dominate on the nose- perhaps strawberries or boysenberry, pairing would be great with most meats, pork roast and even chicken biryani”. He concluded his text to me after being instructed to remove the bag brown with “Lake Erie? Amazing? Would never have imagined that region!”
Joe Juniper mentioned he was close to getting his license to export to California and at $32/bottle in my opinion, he will sell out instantly!
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Chose this wine to pair with a Carne Asada steak. Started with a tenderized and marinated flank steak incorporating the following spices: olive oil, soy sauce, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, minced garlic, minced three jalapeño peppers with the seeds, ground cumin, salt & pepper and mesquite seasoning. Seared and BBQ’ed and topped off with some additional jalapeño peppers. Accompanied by a Yukon Gold potato. The wine held up to the steak and spices with its tannins and fruit providing a gorgeous food and wine pairing.
This wine just made my annual Best Wines tasted which is published each December.
Sláinte,
Michael