Get to Know Your Winemaker: Kirsty Harmon of Blenheim Vineyards

G2KYW continues with Blenheim Vineyards‘ winemaker, Kirsty Harmon.

Where did you grow up?
My Dad was in the US Air Force and my Mother is English, so my childhood was spent split between the different places in the US and England

How long have you lived in VA?
We moved to Charlottesville 22 years ago.

What brought you to wine?
I got into winemaking by chance/accident/luck.  After working in a yeast genetics lab for a number of years I decided to change course and become a wedding planner. After just a few weddings, I was offered a job and ended up building a winery. I met Gabriele Rausse and, as they say, the rest was history. I fell in love with winemaking and decided to head back to school for winemaking a few years ago.

Where else (besides your current winery) have you made wine?
I’ve made wine with Gabriele Rausse, Domaine Faiveley in France, and Craggy Range Winery in New Zealand.

What characteristics do you enjoy in wine?
I love wines that have good acidity and aren’t too high in alcohol or tannin. I like to be able to drink a glass or three during a meal and still be able to taste what I’m eating.

If you could have a private tour of any winery in the world, which would you choose?
I’d like to see the cellars at Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing?
Champagne with scallops.

What are your favorite wine varietals?
I really enjoy drinking Syrah, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot Noir. I especially enjoy making Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

A lot of wine folks are excited for the 2010 wines. Which of your wines are you the most excited about?
I’m really pleased with how the 2010 Rosé turned out and I have high hopes for Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Danger mouse

What is one thing we haven’t asked that you want Virginia wine lovers to know about you or your winery?
Everyone wants to know the name and breed of the big brown dog at the winery. She’s a mix of a Blue Tick Hound and a Black and Tan and her name is Winnie. (It’s actually Winston Churchill Harmon Titus, but that’s too long to yell when she misbehaves).

Have you made a wine since you’ve been in VA that you think speaks to who you are as a winemaker? If so, what is it and why that one?
Hopefully all of them!

 

Who invited Herb to this party?

I love herbs!  I was one of the pickiest eaters in the world as a kid.  I am still one to choose my food carefully, but I’ve definitely moved beyond the realm of the truly picky.  It turns out that I disliked poorly cooked and badly seasoned food rather than just disliking most food.  (My family has many strengths, but cooking isn’t one of them.)  As I taught myself to cook, I came to really appreciate what herbs and spices could offer in terms of flavor in remarkably simple dishes.  The punch of bright fresh flavor that herbs can offer still amazes me sometimes.  That said, I don’t typically think about herbs when I drink red wine – spices sure, but not so much the herbs.  The ’08 Blenheim Vineyards cab franc, however definitely made me think of herbs.

On the nose, I first got a hit of acid, followed by red fruits, and a green/herbal element.  The acid was still present on the palate – acid in wine is good, after all – but it was much tamer.  Fresh cherry flavors were the first thing I noticed.  Some of the vegetal greenness I have come to enjoy in cab franc came in next.  This was accompanied by sage flavors and a hint of smoke on the finish.  On night two, the nose was mostly vegetal, and the flavors on the palate had shifted as well.  The cherry was now more cranberry, the vegetal flavors were mostly gone, and the herbal and smoke notes were way more prominent.

This is not a huge, full bodied, really oaked cab franc.  While I love a big wine, I prefer my francs a bit leaner – still full of flavor, but not trying to be a California cab.  This one offered me tons of flavor, a good acid balance, and a really enjoyable night two when I found the wine even more open and interesting.  Kirsty Harmon is still doing it for me (and no, I’m not planning to leave Grape Envy Guy to run away with her despite what he might say…).

 

Under the Table and Dreaming

After our first visit to Blenheim Vineyards, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines, to the point where I wondered if VA Wine Diva would leave me for winemaker Kirsty Harmon given the chance. Reading back through our archives, it’s clear that our tastes have changed in the last year, so we always approach a previous winner with some trepidation.

Palms sweaty and nerves a-jangling, we threw open the doors to the tasting room to see if the wines would still appeal to us. We started with the ’09 chardonnay. Here’s a fun fact for you – it’s aged in French and Minnesota Oak. Minnesota? Sure, why not. Anyhow, even with the oak, the wine still had some great tart, citrus notes (especially lime) showing. With the oak, it ends soft but still fruity and somewhat crisp. It’s a pretty enjoyable chardonnay and a good value at $15.

I actually like that one better than the Bleinheim Farm chardonnay. This one was aged a bit longer, and while I got apple and pear notes, it was softer and oakier and not to my taste. Next up was the ’09 viognier. This one was a bit oakier than I tend to like in a viognier. Some fruit still made it through to the palate, but it’s not what I look for in a viognier.

The ’09 rosé is one that came home with us. The numbers: 1.5% residual sugar, 99% merlot and 1% cab franc. The tasting notes speak of strawberry and watermelon, and they’re spot on. This wine is more tart than sweet, and there’s a really interesting ginger thing going on at the back of the palate. Hot weather awesomeness!

Both reds were winners. First up was the ’08 cab franc. It was very green (something we’ve come to like in our cab francs), clean, and light. We finished with the Painted Red which is a blend of 37% cab franc, 32% petit verdot, 28% merlot, and 3% malbec. This one had lots of dark jammy fruit and was super smooth and well balanced with a great finish.

The verdict? Blenheim Vineyards is still a winner, and well worth the (short) trip from Charlottesville.

[mappress]