Blue crabs are iconic in Maryland. Few food and wine aficiniados, however, would point to premium wines, when talking about Maryland; instead, Maryland has the reputation of being a mediocre wine producer. But Maryland winemakers are very successfully changing that. Increasingly, winemakers in Maryland are moving away from fruit wines and non-European grape varieties that have long plagued the East Coast to produce wines that can compete with the best wines in the world.
As Drew Baker of the brand-new Old Westminster Winery explained to Frank Morgan, a popular wine blogger, “Maryland has great potential and I believe that the quality bar is rising quickly. Soon, poorly made wines will be the exception in an otherwise great region.” Old Westminster Winery, led by the three siblings Drew, Lisa, and Ashli, who manage the vineyard, winemaking, and marketing, respectively, has not yet released any wine, but is already generating a buzz. Other promising newcomers include Black Ankle, Slack, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Port of Leonardtown. Add to that the Maryland classics Boordy, Basignani and Elk Run, which are in the process of changing gears.
See also:
At the Fifth Annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Grand Tasting of Maryland Wines and Twitter Taste-off - Drink Local Wine Conference 2013 in Maryland, USA
Touring Wine Country Maryland, USA
Maryland Crabs and Wine
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
This is one posting in a series of 3 profiles of Maryland wineries:
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in Maryland - A Profile, USA
Boordy Vineyards in Maryland - A Profile, USA
Black Ankle Vineyards in Maryland - A Profile, USA
Black Ankle Vineyards
Black Ankle sets the new standard for what is going on in Maryland wine. Black Ankle has won numerous awards for their wines, including recent Maryland Governor’s Cup Awards.
Owners Sarah O’Herron and Ed Boyce (both former management consultants) planted their first vines in 2003 after a lengthy search looking for farms with the worst soil. They succeeded, buying a 142-acre farm on Black Ankle Road in the rolling hills of Carroll County near Mt. Airy.
Ed and Sarah explained that the meager 1 1/2 feet of soil is 60 percent rock with a solid layer of rock below. Although this soil environment would be a nightmare for a farmer planting traditional agricultural crops, it proved perfect for their vision of a world-class vineyard growing vinifera grapes.
Currently, Black Ankle has 42 producing acres. Since Ed and Sarah purchased the property, they have made and applied compost in place of chemical fertilizers and they have never used herbicides of any kind. “Although we are not yet able to farm 100% organically, we are optimistic that with more research and ingenuity we will get there before too long,” say Ed and Sarah. “We have also made the decision to farm with the principles of Biodynamics. Black Ankle’s barrel room holds 300 French oak barrels. It is constructed with hay-bale walls coated with a plaster made from the farm’s earth and wood harvested from their acreage.
The business has been a bit of a juggling act for Ed and Sarah, who have kept their house in Silver Spring and, except at harvest time, alternate days at Black Ankle with working from home. They have five children, one in college and four at home.
The Wines
I visited Black Ankle Vineyards earlier this year with Aaron Nix-Gomez (Hogshead) and other wine writers and tasted some wines:
2012 Black Ankle Vineyards, Gruener Veltliner – (Barrel Sample)
We were greeted by a glass of a excellent 2012 Gruener Veltliner that complemented seasonal tartines.
Hogsheadwine: “The nose revealed white fruit then some weight yellow fruit aromas. In the mouth the floral fruit had both good acidity and mouthfeel. There were flavors of honeysuckle in this wine with good length and round aftertaste. Nice.”
2011 Black Ankle Vineyards, Bedlam
With grilled Chesapeake oysters we sipped the floral 2011 Bedlam, a blend of Chardonnay, Albarino, Muscat, Viognier and Gruener Veltliner.
Hogsheadwine: “There was a fresh, bright nose with herbs and the slight texture of white fruit. In the mouth the flavors were of drier white fruit which was tart and mixed with acidity that made my tongue salivate on the sides. There was a yeasty note in the middle.”
2010 Black Ankle Vineyards, Rollings Hills
This wine is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 8% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot which was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Alcohol 13.6%.
Hogsheadwine: “The nose was of light red berries. In the mouth there were berry flavors and a hint of something bright. The flavors had density with acidity at the back of the mouth. There were some grapey tannins along with fine-grained tannins in the structure. There was a cool finish.”
2010 Black Ankle Vineyards, Leaf Stone Syrah
This wine was aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak. Alcohol 14.6%.
Hogsheadwine: “The beautiful nose had depth with floral fruit that smelled proper and was evocative of the Northern Rhone. The flavors were young and tight but still enjoyable. There was some grainy texture to the fruit and a creamy feel to the blue, grapey, and red flavors. There was a touch of lipstick in the finish. The acidity was well-integrated along with a deft touch of ripe oak tannins. Nice.”
NV Black Ankle Vineyards, Terra Dulce II
A fortified wine, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Viognier, Chardonnay, Albarino, Gruener Veltliner, and Muscat.
Hogsheadwine: “The color was a tawny garnet. There was tangy red fruit in this fortified wine. Herbs and acidity came out at first with the red fruit. Then tea, tobacco, and more tobacco. It was a little spirity at this point and could use some age for integration.”
schiller-wine: Related Postings
At the Fifth Annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Grand Tasting of Maryland Wines and Twitter Taste-off - Drink Local Wine Conference 2013 in Maryland, USA
Touring Wine Country Maryland, USA
Wine and Crab Cakes: Amy Brandwein from Casa Nonna and Chris Clime from PassionFish win the 6th Annual Crab Cake Competition in Washington DC, USA
Maryland Crabs and Wine
Schiller's World of Seafood
Chef Spike Gjerde's Farm-to-Table Food of Woodberry Kitchen and Sarah O’Herron's and Ed Boyce's Premium Organic Wines of Black Ankle Vineyards, Maryland, USA
Boordy Vineyards in Maryland - A Profile, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
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