A cool, overcast day in North Georgia saw my wife Sandy, her brother Ron, his wife Cecilia, and their son Joseph and his guest Lina visiting Blackstock winery in the Dahlonega Mountains, the center of the Georgia wine country and near the site of an early gold rush. Blackstock is Georgia’s benchmark winery and I wanted to see and taste why. It didn’t take long. Owner/winemaker David Harris, who received his wine education at Fresno State in California, suggested we taste the wines first. That did not displease me. Before I take you through the wine tasting and give you my comments, I want you to know a little more about David and his vineyards and winery. In 1994, David, who had made wines for Chestnut Mountain, Habersham, and Creekstone wineries, quit winemaking  begin developing Blackstock. His vines were planted in 1997, and his first vintage was 2004. That suggests his wines will get even better as the vines mature. David knows what the different grapes require and has found the perfect marriage of grape and place. There is a podcast with David in that portion of the web site. Remember Merlot as we go through this tasting. The prices quoted for the wines are the price at the winery.

2008 Chardonnay      $15.99  The first of many surprises hit my palate; this chard has some minerality to go with its melon and pear flavors and just a hint of lemon. European oak was used in the fermentation. This is a very nice wine for seafood, especially the trout that swim in the Tocoa river that runs next to our cabin, chicken, and some vegan recipes. I recommend this wine.

2007 Viognier  $19.99  The ’07 vintage was a tough one for the area and resulted in very light wines. That did not stop this grape from letting you know it was Viognier. It has light aromas of peach and honeysuckle with followthrough flavors that show some nuttiness and have nice minerality from the hillside soil.  This was among the wines I purchased for sipping at our cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

2008 Viognier Reserve  $24.99 WOW!  Here we have a complex wine with the expected aromas of peach, some apricot, and honeysuckle that followed through in the flavors that has an added minerality and balanced acidity. This is a marvelous food wine and is the wine my group of experienced wine tasters chose to drink with our lunch of Chicken Cordon Red, White, and Bleu sandwiches, squash casserole, fresh fruit salad, and grilled okra.( it was the 4th of July weekend)  My only advice is get yourself a case while it lasts.

2006 Sangiovese Rose  $10.99  Let me first say that I love rose wines. They go so well with steamed mussels, exotic spiced foods, even barbecued pork. But, the rose must be good. This slightly spicy Sangiovese is light, with good ripe fruit and enough structure to make it interesting. It is slightly off-dry, but certainly not sweet like those bubblegum wines you see  advertised as white zinfandel or white merlot.

2007 Sangiovese  $14.99 Who would have thought that the great grape of Tuscany would grow in North Georgia? Not me, but it does and it makes good wine. This is a light Sangiovese with good fruit and spice flavors you would expect from the grape that makes Chianti. Serve this with your pizza on the porch, pasta, BBQ, and Mexican favorites. Sandy wanted some of this to take back home. 

2006 Rocking Chair Red (merlot)   $7.99 ( by the case only )  This wine gave me my first hint that Merlot is the grape that can make the North Georgia wine industry. If an $8.00 bottle of merlot can taste this good, with earthy blackberry flavors and balanced acidity, imagine what the next step up will be. I’m already looking forward to my next Blackstock merlot. This everyday merlot can stand up to pork, chicken, tuna, salmon, sword fish and would be great picnic fare. I would serve it at around 67 degrees. I would serve all red wines at that temperature.

2005 Merlot  $16.99  This is a seriously good wine. It is rich, earthy, with cherry and blackberry fruit flavors. It has a meaty component that I really like. There is also a hint of black pepper. I like this wine. I like its winemaker. I am sold on North Georgia merlot, and the best is yet to come. But for now, grill me some lamb and pour me some more of this merlot.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon  $23.99 I know, there are some of you that think the only wine is Cabernet Sauvignon and the best comes from California and you like it as soon as it hits the market. You don’t wait until it matures and is ready to drink, you want it now. This cab is blended with a little merlot, giving it a soft component without disturbing the dark fruit flavors you love. This, however, has a Bordeaux influence that gives you a balance of fruit and acidity. It is a wonderful food wine that cries out for lean beef, lamb, hamburgers, and hard cheeses.

2005 ACE Family Reserve  $23.99  ACE is named for the Harris children; Austin, Chandler, and Eliza. Here we have a blend of Touriga, Mourvedre, and Merlot. Touriga is the most important grape of Portugal, Mourvedre is originally from the Rhone Valley of France, and Merlot is from Georgia by way of France and then California. ACE is a perfectly blended wine that showcases very good jammy ripe fruit, soft tannins, rich spices, and a long lasting taste that can best be described as “yummy”. Grab some Reypenaer aged Gouda cheese, kick back and fall in love with Blackstock.

2005 Merlot Reserve  $26.99  As I lifted the glass to my nose I knew I was in for a treat. This is an elite wine, and probably the best wine made on the East Coast of the United States. I waited four days after tasting to think about that statement before writing it down. I stand by it. The wine offers great, ripe dark berry flavors, notes of ripe plum and black cherries with a hint of chocolate and some menthol. There is elegant, balanced acidity and an overall feeling of satisfaction. Folks, David Harris is one hell of a grape grower and winemaker. I highly recommend this Merlot Reserve to people who love good wine.

NV Touriga Dulce  $24.99  Touriga is the most important grape of Portugal as we know, and David has blended in some of the Spanish Mataro grape to make a mellow dessert style wine that is worth a try. It does not have the depth of a Port but it is a good glass for relaxing after dinner with some chocolates, bleu cheeses, walnuts, or, if you still do not believe the Surgeon General, a nice cigar. As one who suffers from the effects of tobacco, I do not recommend the cigar.

I have had time to put reality with the rush even experienced wine tasters get when tasting wine on the ground from which the grapes come. So, these notes are toned down a bit, but my first impressions remained with me and I will return to Blackstock to taste future vintages. I guess the supreme compliment is that Sandy and I bought several of these wines to bring back to Miami and we are now enjoying them. I can’t wait to get back to the winery, sit on the terrace with a nice winery-served lunch and sip some wines. I will however, need a driver.