| Country: | United States |
| Region: | Virginia |
| Winery: | Pearmund Cellars |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Franc |
| Vintage: | 2010 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Vintage Notes: A cool summer and early fall allowed a longer ripening season, helping benefit this years Cabernet Franc, as its natural spice was allowed to mature and become better defined.
Pearmund Cellars Cabernet Franc is made from100% Cabernet Franc. Known primarily as a blending grape in Bordeaux’s left bank. Its ability to grow and mature in Virginia makes it one of the States finest varietals.
Tasting Notes: A nose of cherries, raspberries and fennel. Peppery spice continues on the palate with notes of cocoa and sweet cedar wood, allowing for easy drinking. A hint of pepper will linger on the finish.
Pearmund Cellars Ameritage Red is made from 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot.
Cherry, currant, and herbaceous flavors. Balanced tannins with a lingering finish. Full-bodied and complex. Limited production.
In 2019, Chris Pearmund worked with sixteen Virginia wineries to create a blended wine with grapes from each participating vineyard to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Winemaking in Virginia. A portion of the wine’s proceeds were donated to museums and events that would contribute to tourism in the Commonwealth and foster a broader understanding of Virginia’s cultures and cuisines. This idea sparked another movement to celebrate through wine, and Cameo seemed a perfect way to commemorate the milestone moment in history.
Cameo Wine Collection was created to highlight women in Virginia, and the memorable events that have unfolded in the Commonwealth that lead to the movement to secure women’s right to vote. Raise a glass and toast the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Cameo Rosé honors 12 of Virginia’s most influential women. Each bottle has a label depicting one of the chosen women, who’s contributions range from historic, business, entertainment, politics, and wine. The story of the suffrage movement in Virginia is an important part of the collective history. A variety of cultures and eras have been curated to share recollections of the fearless, passionate ways each woman lived so that a case of wine will contain twelve different individuals to celebrate. Women like Martha Washington, Pearl Bailey, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Cameo Rosé offers aromas of raspberry, strawberry, and peach. Dry on the palate, silky tannins and minerality are balanced by strawberry and orange zest flavors.
Pearmund Cellars Old Vine Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Warm buttery flavor, hint of pear and apple. Full-bodied and lush to the palate. Aged nine months in French oak
Pearmund Cellars Petit Verdot is made from 100 percent Petit Verdot.
Blackberry aromas with rich plum flavors. Well-rounded tannins and a smooth finish. Earthy, rustic, and warm. Limited production.
Pearmund Cellars Viognier Vinecroft Vineyard is made from 100 percent Viognier.
Explosive tropical fruit flavors: Pineapple and peach with hints of grapefruit. Powerful, yet feminine.
Sweet and ripe on the palate with peach, apricot, pineapple, and mango notes. Long and flavorful finish.
Pearmund Cellars Cabernet Franc is herbal with touches of pepper and cherry. Dry, medium body with raspberry finish. Aged in French oak barrels.
The Pearmund Cellars Estate
Pearmund Cellars was founded in 1976 and purchased by Chris in 1993 (with his first vintage in 2002), the estate has had active agriculture since the mid-1700s.. It is located in the foothills of eastern Fauquier County, VA. The winery spreads over 7500-square-foot and they farm 25 acres of vines: Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, Late Harvest Vidal, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Ameritage.
At the estate the oldest Chardonnay vines in Virginia are planted, while the rest of the grapes are sourced from various parts of the Commonwealth. The vineyard is managed with as little intrusion as possible, and the estate operates in a largely holistic, earth-conscious manner. They produce about 7,000 cases annually with an almost equal split between red and white.
They produce 7,000 cases
Pearmund Cellars was voted Virginia's Favorite Winery in 2007.
Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot.
Super structured and with minerality to spare, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a real presence on the palate from start to finish. Generous notes of dark chocolate balance beautifully with a blue and black fruit flavor explosion, finishing with a subtle whisper of rose petal.
Reviews:
- James Suckling 98 Points
Molly Dooker Carnival of Love is made from 100% Shiraz.
The Wine
Carnival of Love is Mollydooker's flagship McLaren Vale Shiraz — a bold, richly layered red that has become one of Australia's most sought-after Shiraz bottlings. Grown on the Gateway vineyard and matured in 100% new American oak, it pours a deep, saturated purple and opens with lifted aromas of raspberry, black cherry and a whisper of aniseed spice. The palate is generous and plush, brimming with dark and red fruit, mocha, coconut and plum, all framed by chocolate, sweet spice and the signature Mollydooker fruit weight that carries the wine without ever feeling heavy. Powerful yet remarkably fresh, it drinks beautifully now and will reward another decade in the cellar.
Serving Tip
Give it the famous "Mollydooker Shake": pour off a small splash, re-cap the bottle and gently tip it a few times to release the winemaking nitrogen. The wine opens up richer, softer and more expressive in the glass.
Winery Info
Mollydooker was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife winemakers Sparky and Sarah Marquis in McLaren Vale, South Australia. "Mollydooker" is Australian slang for a left-hander — both Sparky and Sarah are left-handed — and that playful, against-the-grain spirit runs through everything they make. The Marquises built their name on a fruit-first philosophy they call Marquis Fruit Weight™: farming for intensely concentrated, perfectly ripe grapes and letting that fruit, rather than heavy oak or extraction, define the wine. From a standing start the winery rocketed to international fame and a devoted worldwide following, and today ranks among the most recognized names in Australian wine. Carnival of Love sits at the top of the Mollydooker range as the flagship expression of everything McLaren Vale Shiraz can be.
Review:
Notes of star anise, red licorice and sarsaparilla add a wonderfully spicy thread that complements the core of cherry, including dried and kirschlike flavors. The dense tannins show a firming side that’s reminiscent of strong, malty Assam black tea and unsweetened chocolate.
Wine Spectator 93 Points