Key West Fest 2009 - Breaux Vineyards

It's a gorgeous day out, the temperature is in the mid-eighties, the humidity is slightly higher than 40%, the sun is out, the wine is flowing, the music is playing...Hey! we're at a party! Ms Cocktail and I along with one of our good friends decided that the best way to spend our Saturday afternoon was with wine, music and sun the the Annual Key West Fest hosted by Breaux Vineyards located in Purcellville, VA. 

This is not a day for serious tasting of wines though, it is simply a great day to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather and great music. We of course, have to at least attempt a tasting, how else are we supposed to know what to drink? Poor Betty has already done this about fifty times though and is already starting ot lose her voice. The people are packed three deep behind us so we kind of have to move quickly to help keep things moving along. Here are my tasting notes from this frenzied experience under the tent:

• 2007 Sauvignon Blanc - A bit of alcohol, light pineapple and Citrus
• 2007 Vigonier - Fruity nose, fruit forward but not a sweet wine.
• 2005 Madelaine's Chardonnay - Crisp but very smooth
• 2008 Syrah Rosé - Strawberry nose, Strawberry on the palate with a hint of spice in the finish. Nice and light. (My favorite wine of the day)
• Equation Merlot - A blend of 05-07  Merlot plus a bit of 08 Petit Verdot. Very spicy nose. Heavy tannins, you can taste the stems.
• 2005 Marquis de Lafayette Cabernet Franc - Alcohol nose, some tannins at first, peppery finish. Needs decanting to open up.
• 2008 Jen's Jambalaya - A blend of eight difference grapes. Pineapple nose with pineapple and citrus on the tongue.
• 2007 Chere Marie - 100% Vidal Blanc, soft nose, sweet but balanced
• 2006 Soleil - Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, 12% residual sugar, vanilla and coconut

That's about all I could squeeze in. I'm going to have to go back at a less crowded moment to fully appreciate these wines. A quick poll of the group leads us to decide upon Jen's Jambalaya for our afternoon's pleasure. I head off to the purchasing station while others head to find us a place to relax. As I'm standing in line, I watch this poor girl (I later find out her name is Steph) just getting hammered by the crowd of people trying to buy somthing from her. She either running back to the kitchen to check on the bread or running to get another chilled something or other for a customer or answering a bunch of questions. Always done with a smile. I was duly impressed with the level of customer service by all of the staff working this gathering.

Then it's off to the group for relaxation in the sun. Great music was provided by The Key West Band (come on guys, are you serious? you couldn't come up with a better name than that?) who didn't limit themselves to just the music of Mr. Buffet. The only thing missing was the beach.