“Three winemakers,
three wineries, three vineyards, three varietals, one wine” is the tagline
for Virginia Bordeaux styled blend named “3”. This unique collaborative effort
was born from a conversation shared over a friendly beer by a trio of prize
winning Virginia
The wine makers Emily Pelton (Veritas Winery), Jake Busching
(Pollak Vineyards) and Matthieu Finot (King Family Vineyards) thought this
opportunity would not only give the three friends a chance to work together but
learn from one another as well, while producing a unique vintage that reflects
the blending of wine, terroirs and personalities. Between them, they have more
than 30 years winemaking experience, and in creating “3” these three winemakers
not only showcased their own individual talents they also selected two barrels
from their cellars that they felt would highlight their fellow colleague’s wine.
“3” is a blend of three varietals in equal one-third
portions all from the 2009 vintage. The varietals that were chosen were Merlot
from King Family Vineyards, Petit Verdot from Veritas Winery and Cabernet Franc
from Pollak vineyards. The wineries involved in this collaborative effort, are
all located near each other on the Monticello wine trail in the Monticello AVA
in central Virginia. The press release for the 3 stated, “the wine is a limited
edition (production was 150 cases) that was crafted in friendship and bottled
to show unity of the industry.”
The color of “3” is a gorgeous dark reddish purple. Since
this is a young wine it was decanted for about an hour to an hour and a half.
When the bottle was first opened the predominant aroma was red fruit, as time
passed the wine opened up revealing quite the full aromatic profile. Darker
fruits (plum), leather, currant, spice, cedar and hints of oak emerged as time
passed. Dark fruits, leather, woodsy (cedar/maple) and spice are the dominate
flavors. “3” does not have a long finish and there are notes of minerality.
After a bite of the risotto, the gorgonzola really makes the
dark fruit flavors of the wine pop and adds a crispness to the wine. The
creaminess of the risotto cuts “3’s” minerality. Even with the decanting, “3”
still has a back bone to stand up and not be over powered the risotto. The the
Old Bay seasoning on the shrimp brought forward the spice notes of “3”. The
earthy notes of the wine were brought out by the asparagus and mushroom.
Since “3” was a wine born from the concept collaboration
that is not often seen but should be encourage and due to its limited
production, not many individuals would be able to enjoy this wine. With that in
mind, I invited a few friends over to partake in this food and wine pairing.
The marriage of “3” and the meal, in particular the risotto, created
extraordinary conversation stopping moment several times throughout the meal.
2009 “3” is a remarkable wine born of an idea collaboration,
supported by friendship and illustrates that something great can come out of
the question “Wouldn’t it be fun… if?
