Blenheim's First Vintage

By Waldo Jaquith

Dave Matthews, who is working with Charlottesville-area winemaker Brad McCarthy to operate their own Blenheim Vineyards, has released the first of the fruits of their labors. The first four vintages – including a Meritage, a Chardonnay, and a Merlot – are now for sale, exclusively at upscale food store "Feast!" on Charlottesville's West Main Street.

Diane was kind enough to drop by Feast! and pick up a bottle of the Merlot for the party, which was a house-warming gathering for recent imports Alicia and Stephan. None of the bunch here could be considered to be wine experts by any stretch of the imagination (my tolerance allows me perhaps two glasses before I'm a stumbling drunk), but we did our best to come up with fancy-sounding terminology to weigh the merits of Blenheim's offerings.

First, the comments of Alicia, our host: "The bouquet is nice, not too strong, but a little on the dry side. If we do drink wine, it is usually not a red wine. When I tasted this other merlot recently (trying to broaden my taste buds) it made the hair on my arms stand straight up! Too much of an alcohol taste to it. The Blenheim Merlot is rather easy to consume for my palate. Steph just re-tasted it...he agrees on the ‘dry' comment. Perhaps the indicator to the wine was that out of 10 of age drinkers at our house, the bottle remained over 1/2 full at the end of the gathering."

Fellow guest Kristen, no stranger to wine, was a little more optimistic: "I enjoyed the wine. But it didn't taste like a cabernet. It was a little lighter and fruitier than I'm used to in a red, but after a few sips I got used to it...and after a couple glasses it was my new best friend. Or was that 'cuz I was sitting next to you, Waldo? HA. I'll be trying out the other 3 available types soon. I predict big things for Dave and his grapes. DMB fans from all over are already irritating me with requests for shipment. I'll be getting a few bottles as gifts for a couple friends that I know would enjoy a good wine."

Kristin (not to be confused with Kristen) claims not to be a wine expert, but she wins points for the most wine-aficionado-like comments: "I think Dave's wine was pretty good, a little young tasting. I think in a couple of years it'll be better, when it's had time to mature. I think it's a little pricey at around $20.00 a bottle. I also think he got his grapes mixed up, and his Merlot tasted like a Pinot Noir."

Finally, Diane, who provided the bottle, obviously angling to be a professional DMB wine reviewer for nancies.org: "Surprisingly good Merlot! Fresh and sassy with smooth undertones, not unlike Dave himself. I enjoyed it very much. Serve slightly chilled with BTCS or Busted Stuff."

As for me, I think I'll be having it again, but not too soon. I like my Merlot a little more full-bodied and mature than the 2002 Blenheim Merlot. On the other hand, in the months that it would take me to consume an entire bottle, it may have plenty of time to mature.