While our son was hanging out with Grandma, Mrs. Wino and I headed out for a long overdue date. We had originally planned to go to Delaplane Cellars to pick up our latest wine club shipment and then hit up another winery in the vicinity, however, Mrs. Wino called an audible and pointed the car towards Purcellville, home of Otium Cellars, which we knew was now open thanks to Wine About Virginia. We had sampled one of Otium’s bottlings when we visited 8 Chains North about a month ago, and really liked it, so we were pretty excited to hear that they had opened up a tasting room. Located on a horse farm close to RT 7 and not too far from “downtown” Purcellville, Otium is a new kid on the block. However, they make some outstanding wines and are going to become a serious player in Virginia wine.
As we pulled up the gravel road adjacent to the tasting room, we knew we were in luck because there wasn’t another car to be seen. Horses trailers and four wheelers? Check. No cars. I like having the tasting room relatively quiet, especially if you get a cool and knowledgeable staffer, so you can learn about the history of the winery and the story. And indeed that was the case, so forgive me if my notes are a little lacking.
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We were met by Max Bauer, the son of the owner and winemaker, Gerhard Bauer (forgive me if I spelled his first name wrong). Real nice dude, Max (didn’t meet Gerhard), and were soon joined by Simon, another staffer who later took over the pouring so Max could tend to some things around the property. After a quick review of the beautiful tasting room we got down to business.
With the exception of their Cabernet Sauvignon (which is grown across the “street” at Tranquillity Vineyard), all of Otium’s grapes are estate grown. Ben Renshaw from 8 Chains North made all the wine along with Gerhard at 8CN’s facilitates prior to the construction of the winery at Otium. Ben also helped tend the vines, which is convenient because 8CN has grapes grown at Tranquility as well. With the construction of the tasting room complete and everything else almost done, Otium is moving everything on-site.
A view of Tranquility Vineyard from the tasting room of Otium
On to the tasting:
$5 gets you 2 whites and 3 reds. $10 gets you everything: 3 whites and 7 reds. We chose the latter.
One of the great things about Otium’s current selection is the opportunity to taste different vintages of the same varietal, something not always offered at every winery.
First up, 2009 Pinot Gris. I was taken aback by the sweet syrup nose. Almost amber in color, this was a full bodied wine and with a tart finish. Neither I nor Mrs. Wino particularly cared for this one. It was by no means a bad wine, just not to our liking.
Next, 2010 Pinot Gris. Holy cow, what a difference a year makes. A complete transformation, not only in color (light yellow hue), but in aroma and taste. It had nice lemon curd notes on the nose, and the palate was soft, crisp, with nice acid. This is a great wine.
Last white, 2010 Chardonnay. I am typically not a fan of Chardonnay, at all. Perhaps it’s because I hate the California-style Chardonnays that are so buttery, they’d make Paula Dean blush. However, I like this one. It was soft, smooth, with a hit of butter. It had a long drawn out finish that we quite nice. I still prefer the 2010 Pinot Gris, however.
On to the reds:
2010 Pinot Noir: I’m going to go and say that making a pinot was a ballsy move. I was surprised to see a pinot on a VA wine tasting menu. I think it has potential, but for me it missed the mark. Perhaps, it’s because I’m not a huge pinot drinker (GASP!). I noted a hit of brown sugar and some cherry,but overall I found it a little too tart and acidic. This is the first Virginia pinot I’ve had, and I’m looking forward to trying Ankida Ridge’s.
2010 Blaufränkisch: Now the fun begins. Have I heard of this grape? Never. Will I seek it out again? Certainly. I found this wine to be excellent. It’s s deep purple, almost magenta color, and was full of dark cherries. Simon had just opened up this bottle, so it was really tight. I suspect that it could also use a little more time to settle down, but overall, its delicious.
2009 Dornfelder: This wine is what hooked me on Otium when I first had it at 8CN. Tasting it this time, I noted, a touch of “barnyard” (read: funk) on the nose, off-putting to some (most?), but it wasn’t overpowering. The palate is tannic and full of dark berries. This wine is good.
2010 Dornfelder: This was hands down our favorite wine of the bunch. I love being able to taste the two vintages side by side. The 2010 had loads of delicious blackberry, that was really enjoyable. It’s still a big wine, but I couldn’t get enough.
2009 Dornfelder Reserve: This wine saw an extra year in oak which really smoothed it out. However, I still preferred the 2010.
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: This was a very good cabernet sauvignon. It was tannic, smooth and had blackberries on the palate. Well done.
2010 Malbec: I have zero notes on this one. However, I remember enjoying it. It was soft, very drinkable and completely different from Argentinian malbecs, if that is what you are used to. It’s a bit steep at $36, however, Max told us that his father decided to make a malbec as a hat tip to his Argentinian business partners. I think they’d be proud.
Overall, Otiums wines are stellar. They plan a wine club, which I am excited about, and are also looking at bottling some other German grapes, such as Reisling. In fairness, most of the wines we tasted were from 2010, a very good weather year, however, I think they have a very bright future, and I’m looking forward to going back and drinking more of their wine.
We walked away with a few bottles of the 2010 Dornfelder ($22), one for us and one for grandma. When we got home, we were met with big hugs from our son, who later reminded us – by pooping in the bathtub – that even though we may get away for an afternoon, he still owns us.
Go check out Otium, you won’t regret it. May 12th is their grand opening, but they are open now. (PS you won’t find their number or address on their website. Special thanks to Wine About Virginia for supplying that).
18050 Tranquility Rd.
Purcellville, VA 20132
(540) 338-2027
The vines
Inside the tasting room.
More vines
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