Glen Manor Vineyards is, hands down, one of my favorite wineries in the state (or the world, really).  I’ve yet to taste one of Jeff White’s wines that I haven’t wanted to take home with me.  Many of the Glen Manor wines we’ve bought to date are ones we’re trying to age, but every time we decide to open one of these wines, I feel immediately better because I know we’re getting a great wine.

The last two months have been really insane for both Grape Envy Guy and me, so an evening with a nice bottle of wine is a wonderful small thing we can do to make a week feel a little bit better.  The Glen Manor 2008 Vin Rouge, a blend of 53% cab sauv, 33% petit verdot, 7% cab franc, and 7% merlot, definitely fit the bill.

I noted a rich, dark fruit nose, plum and black cherry particularly, with a hint of graphite.  Black cherry and some wild berry notes  were what I noted on the palate along with a hint of black pepper and graphite on the finish.  As the wine opened up, it became fruitier with more black raspberry flavors coming out – along with some nice acidity (have you figured out yet that I’m a bit of an acid freak when it comes to my wine?).  After the wine had been open for a while, some licorice flavors also started to come out.

This was an incredibly smooth wine with a lot of great flavors that kept changing as the wine opened up.  I loved that each glass was different than the one before.  Score another win for Glen Manor!