During my last visit to Virginia, we set forth on the Loudoun Wine Trail to hit as many wineries as humanly possible in one day. Believe it or not, we actually hit 6! Willowcroft, Village Winery, Loudoun Valley, Corcoran (see my earlier post), Veramar, and Doukenie, the winery I’m focusing on today. Doukenie Winery is located in Hillsboro, Virginia. The winery has been a personal favorite since I first started hitting the local wine scene, and continues to impress with great wine and hospitality. This visit was no different.
We were warmly greeted by Lucy, the Black Labrador, before we made our way to the tasting counter. Lucy is a fan favorite, and always ends up “appearing” in more than one picture. Up at the tasting counter, we were taken through a series of wines by a young lady, which unfortunately, her names escapes me at the moment. She went above and beyond in answering all of our questions, providing extra pours, and sharing samples of the famous Hope’s baklava! Which I might add, is reason enough to visit!
All of the pours, at least the reds, were from the 2006 vintage. After the 2007 Chardonnay (a floral, grapefruit taste), we were treated to the Merlot. I had the following notes on my tasting sheet, nice oak, lots of red fruit, and well-balanced. I love a great Merlot, and Doukenie consistently does a great job with this grape. The next pour was the Cabernet Franc. Easily one of my favorites of the day. Loads of cherry, raspberry and some nice vegetal notes. Could we go for three in a row? The Vintner’s Reserve is their Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Again, a great wine, with nice balance, great fruit, and soft tannins. Wow, lots of adjectives. Last, but certainly not least, the Hope’s Legacy Raspberry wine. I could go on and on about this deliciousness, but think I’ll instead save for another post.
Doukenie Winery is a must visit next time you’re in Loudoun County. Pack a picnic, pick up a bottle of red, and enjoy the great surroundings and be sure to tell them The Other 46 sent you.
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