Beliveau Estate Winery - Tasting

What better way to celebrate your 22nd birthday than going to a winery??  My roommate turned 22 this past weekend and that's exactly what we did.  Beliveau Estate Winery was a beaut...unfortunately, we weren't able to tour the winery and the weather wasn't fully cooperating but it was just beautiful out there.  Conveniently, it was located only about 12 miles from VT but the drive was absolutely sickening.  It was worth it though, I recommend everybody checks this winery out especially when the weather starts to get nice.  

About Beliveau - 

They have one simple goal and that is to make some great wine! Beliveau Estate is situated on 165 acres and was named a Top 2015 Wedding Venue in Southwest Virginia.  It's known for it's "romantic ambiance and scenic backdrops."  The winery opened in May 2012 and since then has received 45 medals for it's delicious wines, a few being ones I have tried and listed below!

White Wines

2013 Pristine Chardonelle 
- Beliveau Estate $18
Dry, unoaked white wine with a fruity scent.  I wasn't quite sure what a 'Chardonelle' was but after doing research on it I found out it's a grape hybird of Chardonnay and Seyval This wine was very light and crisp on the pallet with hints of pear, apples and citrus.  It was a bronze medalist wine but personally, I did not think it was very great.  It did not stick out like some of the other wines I had tasted.  

2013 Reflection Traminette 
- Beliveau Estate $16
Aromas of flowers and fruit, specifically pineapple and lime. This particular wine didn't taste as sweet as it smelled though.  It tasted a little drier to me but I could taste some pineapple and berries. 

Crown Jewel blend of Pinot Grigio, Traminette, and Niagara
- Beliveau Estate $18
This wine was very sweet but had a dry finish.  While I could taste some sort of fruit, I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.  What I did notice was this burnt rubber taste/scent.  It was almost as if somebody has been driving on tires that were worn down.  


Red Wines

Trailblazer Oaked Merlot 
- Beliveau Estate $18
This particular wine smelled like cheese I recently bought to pair with a wine like this.  It had a smokey, bonfire aroma.  It tasted of smoke, cherries, raspberries, and plum.  It was a lot lighter than a typical merlot.   

Portal Red Zinfindel
- Beliveau Estate $20
This was a full bodied wine with smells and tastes of vanilla and cherry.  It had a sweet taste to it and also very thick, I could practically taste the tannins. 

Fireside Chat Cabernet Franc
- Beliveau Estate $20
Dry, lightly oaked Cab Franc with a strong scent of fire smoke.  The shocking part of this wine is that it tasted exactly like a green pepper! It had hints of red berries and a little licorice but the green pepper stood out the most. 

Sweet Surrender Concord wine
- Beliveau Estate $15
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS WINE!  It was like drinking Welches grape juice, it was sweet and fruity.  You couldn't even taste the alcohol but you could definitely taste and smell the berries; blackberries, raspberries, any and all berries you could think of.  This wine could easily pass as juice...I loved it so much that I had to buy a bottle.