Millbrook Vineyards & Winery Tasting

Now that you know a little history about Millbrook, here are some delicious details from the post-tour tasting!

Andrew, our intrepid tour guide, led us all up to the second story of the building, where we walked past cool art exhibits and paintings, toward a towering room with sunshine streaming in through the windows and skylights.

You can look out the gorgeous arched window towards the lush field of vines.

The first wine we sipped was a white, their 2010 Tocai Friulano ($19/bottle). Jen A & I are red fans, but this wine wowed us! It has a wonderful honeydew aroma, and the flavors just grip your tongue in a wonderful way. We each took a bottle home--it's going to be delicious with some cold summer salads and maybe some grilled chicken.

The second wine was their 2009 Chardonnay. We both got big hints of bell pepper and moved this down our list. Keep in mind I'm just not a chardonnay fan, overall. We did, however, both think that the 2009 Chardonnay Proprietor's Special Reserve was rich and buttery, but we still favored the Tocai.

On to the Hunt Country Rosé! This blend is 37% Cabernet Franc, 37% Pinot Noir, and 26% Chardonnay. It had a fragrant strawberry aroma and taste to it. Pale pink, chilly, and perfect for hot summer days. Jen's not a rosé fan, but I found it soft and smooth.

After the rosé came the Hunt Country Red, a blend of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. One whiff of this and Jen was IN. I found it puckery and tart, but in a good way. We both summed it up thusly: "nice summer red!"

Closing out this delicious tasting was the 2008 Cabernet Franc. Jen & I both are not normally fans of this grape. The Millbrook version, however, with a blend of 13% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, is heavier than others I've tried, and had nice notes of black raspberry and plum. This also got a star from Jen AND me, and completely changed my mind about Cabernet Franc.

Millbrook also has savory biscuits, flavored with white wine and shallots or red wine & pepper. These were both so good (especially the white wine), and really accentuated the layers of flavor in the wine.

I wish I'd brought home some of those white wine crackers. Omnomnom!

Millbrook's owner also has vineyards and olive groves in Tuscany, Italy, and we got to taste their own olive oil. It smelled gorgeously of fresh, tart olives. The olive itself was rich and smooth and packed a SERIOUS wallop of peppery heat. This was very impressive and delicious---well done!

Jen & I each left with a bottle of the Tocai Friulano and a bottle of the Cabernet Franc. We have happily discovered that both are available in a few wine stores around the city--but if you can make the trip out there at least once, you simply must! I can't wait to visit in the fall, too. Thank you again to everyone at Millbrook for showing us such a deliciously lovely time!

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
26 Wing Road
Millbrook, NY 12545
(845) 677-8383

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