Recommendation: It’s FANTASTIC New Jersey wine.
Winery/Producer: Mike Beneduce Jr.; Beneduce Vineyards; Pittstown, New Jersey.
Grape Variety: Blaufrankisch.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
Vintage: 2013
Price: $28.99
Purchased From: The Beneduce Vineyards; Pittstown, New Jersey.
Paired With: Roast beef, roasted brussels sprouts and squash with cranberries and walnuts, onion pie and green salad with oysters,
Tasting:
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He said: Opened 30-minutes before drinking. Clear, purple/garnet color with a light rim. I need to start with a BIG WOW…and say my socks were knocked off smelling it as the cork came out!!! POWERFUL leather, barnyard, smoke and dark fruit aromas. Dusty plum and blackberry flavors that have more than hints of peppery spice. At mid-palate to the end of the finish there’s a unique mineral taste that’s characteristic of water just dipped from a mountain spring…and it just goes on and on. Nothing short of a magnificent bouquet, smooth and luscious fruit taste, good acidity, supple and with just the right amount of oak. If there is anything missing it’s a little grip to the tannins. So what do I think, we’ll it’s nothing short of OUTSTANDING and simply the best “local” vineyard wine I’ve had this side of the California Central Coast. It’s FANTASTIC New Jersey wine.
Visit to Beneduce Vineyards
After our visit at New Salem Vineyards we drove a mile or so to the Benedice Vineyards and had a tasting of their wines. My first impression was that it’s a very unique setting. The entrance is through a neighborhood of nice suburban homes surrounded by what most Americans would describe as their image of a mid-20 thcentury country setting. The winery is a large building set among a range of greenhouses that supply plants for the family garden center in Gillette, New Jersey. Once inside the building your in the middle of an actively working winery where barrels are being filled and stacked with wine from the most recent harvest. Along the side was a tasting bar and tables where customers were enjoying glasses of Beneduce wines. For a young vineyard with so many good wines, I’d say they were off to a whiz-bang start!!! And, don’t think I didn’t taste carefully and look closely at the Beneduce Vineyards that’s located on gently slopping land with fine grain terminal moraine soils and compare it to what’s potentially possible on my farm with its rolling hillsides, fantastic air drainage and gritty, well drained, rocky gneiss soils that’s just over the hill!!! If your in the Hunterdon County, New Jersey area, it’s worth going out of your way for a visit and a taste of Beneduce Vineyards wines.
She said: What a treat…good from the first sniff. The dark red fruit, smoky barnyard and wet leather aromas were simply enticing. The long flavorful dry taste, soft tannins, smooth pleasant acidity and medium body went well with both beef and oysters as well as with the grilled vegetables and onion pie. A very good wine and a great surprise coming from Northern New Jersey. I have to say something for a vineyard that can produce such a good wine in New Jersey…It was superb.
Visit to Beneduce Vineyards
As you enter the Beneduce Vineyards you know a lot is going on. There are multiple greenhouses and acres of carefully attended vineyards all around the main building. It is impressive and indicative of the caliber of the Beneduce winery. Inside the winery building you can see oak barrels stacked to the ceiling and staff actively working on this years production. The tasting bar is integrated into the winery activity and provides seats that allow you to linger and soak up the unique tasting experience. Our hostess Nora, was not only gracious and friendly, but intimately knowledgeable about the wines and the Beneduce Vineyards. And, not only did we taste excellent wines but everything in the building made for a unique wine setting. A quick glance around revealed quirky fun ideas, items for sale and even a very special decor for the ladies room. Beneduce Vineyards is a fun winery to visit and with their excellent wines is a tasting experience that shouldn’t be missed.
Comments: Learn more about Mike Beneduce Jr. and the Beneduce Vineyards.
Alcohol: 12.5%
UPC Code: NA
Imported by: NA
Photo from Beneduce Vineyards.