This past September I had the good fortune of taking a few of my blogger friends on a tour of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions. We had a blast wine tasting, sharing food and enjoying chocolate. One of our planned stops was Meadowcroft Wines where we were treated to fun wine, chocolate, and cheese experience.
Meadowcroft Wines
The location was a delight, and the offerings were superb. Their charming tasting room is casual and warm, featuring their award winning wines, 13 + varietals in all, from their Sonoma and Napa vineyards.
One of the wines they served as part of our wine, chocolate, and cheese pairing was their Meadowcroft Wines 2011 Chardonnay. I usually gravitate to reds, but I have to say I enjoyed this wine with our cheese and chocolate pairings.
Tom Meadowcroft, vintner/owner of Meadowcroft Wines, has three wine labels: Meadowcroft, Magito and Thomas Henry.
Tom moved to the California wine country from Washington State in 1996 to make wine for the Forman Vineyards. After graduating from Napa College Viticulture and Winery program, he joined Buckland Vineyard Management. He works his way up to designing, planting and managing fields for stalwart wineries such as Cakebread, Robert Mondavi, Opus One and Stags Leap to name just a few. All this proved invaluable to his developing skill as an outstanding winemaker.
Tom then made the decision to produce his own vineyard & winery. It took a while. Using sustainable farming practices and much experimenting, Tom was able to produce his first vintage under the Meadowcroft label, Meadowcroft Mt. Veeder Estate 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. His efforts were rewarded with excellent reviews nationally and internationally, garnering a 94 rating for his 2005 Meadowcroft Mt. Veeder Estate Cabernet. As time passed, Tom was able to add two additional labels (Magito and Thomas Henry) to his line of wines.
This is what the winemaker has to say about their Meadowcroft Wines 2011 Chardonnay:
“The wine grapes sourced from Bonneau Vineyards, just a stone’s throw from the Meadowcroft Wines tasting room in the Carneros region of Sonoma County, make this vintage stand out with a good acidity and a broad range of tropical flavors. The wine is in the Burgundian-style with minimal new oak barrel exposure. Well balanced and flavorful.
The wine is layered with aromatics and flavors of citrus, verbena, pear, lemon with minerality and a touch of glycerin on the finish.
Pair this wine with pasta in a seafood lemon cream sauce, roasted chicken, grilled fish, or just enjoy as an aperitif with smoked salmon or a variety of cheeses.”
You can find Meadowcroft Wines 2011 Chardonnay on their website, amazon.com and many good wine purveyors.
The delightful Meadowcroft Wines tasting room, located in the Carneros region of Sonoma was the last stop on our tour for the day. It was a perfect day and location for a picnic before we headed back home.
If you’re headed to Sonoma or in the area for any reason, the Meadowcroft Wines tasting room is well worth a visit.
Time for a glass…
If you enjoyed reading about Meadowcroft Wines 2011 Chardonnay, check out Cantara Cellars Chardonnay, La Crema Chardonnay, and MacRostie Chardonnay.