Flyover Country Wines

Tonight’s club meeting had us parachuting into what we call “Fly-Over Country” – that is, locales situated between the wine-producing regions on the east (New York, mainly)  and west (California, Washington, Oregon) coasts of the US.   Our travels took us to Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia with the objective of determining whether to schedule a stop-off on our next cross-country trip.
Texas and Virginia
We started out making a blind comparison between a Texas Hills Vineyards 2009 Kick Butt Cab (12.5% alcohol) and a Virginia 2001 Barboursville Vineyards Sangiovese (13.5% alcohol content).  We wanted to know two things:  (1) could we tell the difference between a cabernet and a sangiovese (the grape used for chiantis), and (2) is it worth going to Texas or Virginia to buy wine?
Wine # 1 had a browner, murkier look to it with definite legs.   It did not have a strong or distinct aroma, but we did notice a slightly sour note to its smell.  On tasting we found it astringent, and otherwise bland and not very interesting.  Some thought it smooth and light like a pinot noir and others found a touch of plum.  It seemed like it would go well with a pasta or fish dish.
Wine #2 was more violet in color and clearer.  As for smell, it was stronger with more alcohol hitting the nose.  So it was no surprise that its mouth feel was even tinglier on the tongue.  There was some sweeter, fruity flavor that might have been cranberry, though one of us tasted plum again.  Basically, it had more personality, though its character was not altogether deep.
Though neither had a lot of flavor, guests said they’d like to drink both at a party with cheese.  One guest was very specific about how to pair them.  He thought #1 would go well with Tasmanian ocean perch , while #2 would go well with steak.  Because wine #2 seemed to have a little more punch everyone liked it more, and most guests chose it as the “Italian” sangiovese.  They were wrong, however.  They should have paid more attention to the name:  Kick Butt Cab.
Missouri
The next stop took us to Missouri where a very American grape is grown (see our April 21, 2011 tasting notes Montauk Wine Club Heads to Tornado Country (Hold Down the Ash Tray!!)).   Here, we compared a Missouri Stone Hill Winery 2007 Cross J Norton (13% alcohol content) and a Stone Hill Winery 2008 Chambourcin (13.4%).   The Norton is the wine made from our indigenous grape.
So, we found wine #3 was reasonable leggy, but not murky.  We described the smell as a little like a rubber band (but that smell started dissipating as the wine opened up), a little like mucilage, and a little like petroleum.  (Clue number one fans – these aren’t words normally associated with French grapes or terroirs).  The taste became less strange as we went along.  That is it became less like glue and more like wine.
Wine #4 was leggy like #1 but prettier.  Thankfully, we enjoyed more fruity smells with this one.  On tasting we got a tailing sense of a jolly rancher (what flavor jolly rancher we couldn’t say, but far better than glue).  One guest started comparing the flavor to that of popcorn butter.  (OK, maybe that’s not so French either, but still.)
Of course, the verdict was unanimous.  Wine #3 was the Norton, and #4 was the Chambourcin.  Fortunately for this year’s attendees,  the Norton was much better than the bottle (same vintage) we had in 2011 which was “stunningly terrible”.  Everyone quite liked the Chambourcin.
Tennessee
Finally we tasted a Sumner Crest Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (12% alcohol content) from Tennessee.  The grapes are grown in Washington, however.  This wine is sold in Tennessee only.  Jim picked this up when he was there for a working dog competition.  He asked for something that actually tasted like wine.  Here’s what we thought.
It seems we couldn’t get past the smell to take a good look at the wine.  Right away we were hit with the aroma of vegetables (some even would have said rotten vegetables), and the odor seemed to get worse as the wine opened up.  Thankfully, the wine turned out to be drinkable, disappointingly so, according to some.  It was bold and very drying.

All in all, we decided it would not be worth it to jump out of the plane on your next fly over, but if you happen to find yourself stuck on a lay-over in Texas or Missouri, the Texas cab and the Missouri Chambourcin were likeable enough to see you through.