Welcome 2010!!!

It is a new year here at Tarara and now that the dust has settled from closing down all of 2009, we can look at a year that promises to be great.

This year we have many changes that will be coming on line. We have our all new design, including a new website, new labels, brand, and of course some luxurious wines. The new brand/website should be live sometime throughout March.

This will be the year we release our 2007 Reds. This is the vintage to stock up on. It is the bet vintage we have seen here in Loudoun and at Tarara we treated it as such. We will be releasing our 2007 Meritage and Cabernet Franc.

We will also be releasing our 2008 Chardonnay (already out actually), our 2008 Viognier (will be released at our Fine Vine...Just Say Viognier event), our 2009 Charval, and 2008 Long Bomb ED2. While 2007 was the year nature gave us a gift, in 2008 and forward we are just better understanding our terroir from each vineyard. The 2008 Chardonnay and Viognier show lovely character and complexity that we have never before found. This was just from treating the fruit with the care it deserves and showcasing our vineyard. The wines show a great minty and anise note across our estate vineyard. You will have to taste for yourself.

The 2009 Charval is another year into trying to master the art of blending through this fun wine. It shows great fruit, complexity and a touch of sweetness just to balance the crisp acidity of the 2009 vintage. The blend is Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Exquisite!

The Long Bomb Ed2 has already been tasted by several at our Premier Tastings and pre-release tastings. Almost everyone has raved about the new blend of this powerhouse. It showcases the some of the best o our Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat, and Petit Verdot. This wine is actually available in the month of January through the online store only and for every cases purchased you will receive a complementary Long Bomb football Jersey to celebrate the NFL playoffs (click here if interested). Too bad neither the Skins or my beloved Bills got anywhere close.

Two other great pieces to note about the releases in 2010 is that we will finally be 100% screwtops by the end of the year. The 2006 vintage was the last at Tarara to use cork in order to ensure the quality of the wines moving forward without the risk of the pesky cork taint. Also, and maybe the most exciting is the release of our Commonwealth Series. This is a series of three wines that will only be sold as futures and only 50 cases of each are available.

The Commonwealth series will include a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend with some Tannat and Merlot from predominately Tranquility Vineyard, a Merlot Dominated blend with small amounts of Petit Verdot and Tannat from predominately Mountainview Vineyards, and a Meritage style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from our Estate Vineyards. Each of these wines is a blend of the best 2 new barrels from their selected wines. The oak is dominated by Virginia Oak as the whole package is a step for us in our direction of supporting local to the furthest extent possible.

So many special wines to be released in 2010. It will be a great year and many more as we move forward expressing the terroirs of several local partner vineyards through our soon to come vineyard designated series of wines. Sante.