Winery Visit - Black Ankle Vineyard

Me, Dad, Pat's mom, and Patrick in front of the tasting room

A few weeks ago, I, along with my dad, my boyfriend (who is also in this class) and his mom all went to Black Ankle Vineyards while visiting home for the weekend, in Mt. Airy, Maryland.

Black Ankle started in 2003 an old 146-acre farm property in Mt. Airy, where their first vintage year wasn't until 2006.  While on the tour, the guide said that the property was for sale because nothing would grow, and that was perfectly fine with the owners of Black Ankle, because that meant their vines would grow even better.

 

Early March -- no grapes yet!

Black Ankle is an estate winery, which means that all of the grapes used in their wines are grown on property.  Black Ankle has a different approach to planting their grape vines than other wineries; their vines are 6 feet between rows of vines, 3 feet between vines.  Most wineries plant their vines 10 feet between rows, 6 feet between vines.  These grapes are hand picked 6-7 times a year.  Due to this close planting, these grapes provide an exponentially higher sugar content, causing a higher alcohol content for their wines.  While most east coast grapes reach a sugar content level around 20%, Black Ankle is able to get their grapes to a level as high as 25-26%.

Black Ankle Vineyards were really eco-friendly.  They had cows on property who ate the skins of the grapes after they've been crushed, as well as chickens roaming freely, providing insect control.

The barreling house was also naturally insulated, made of mud and hay on the walls, and the building built with wood and stone found and grown almost exclusively on the property.

Outside of the newest addition of the fermentation building, where the barrels are stored

Black Ankle uses both French Oak barrels and South African Stainless Steel barrels to age their wine.  When we asked why the   Due to their rapid growth over the past few years, they recently added more on to the barreling house, now housing the oak barrels, while the stainless steel are stored in the original section.  They try to keep the house at 55 degrees, which unfortunately for us, was warmer than it was outside.

After the tour, we were able to taste wine at their tasting room, where they had a large bar, and lots of tables to enjoy wine, and tables outside as well (I'll definitely have to come back to visit this summer!)

It was super busy when we visited...even a bachelorette party was there!

 They offered light hor d'voeuvres, and we all split a cheese try to have with our wine after the tasting. (The cheese and bread was all local too, sticking with their eco friendly theme)

The wines we were able to taste were:

• 2011 Bedlam 58% Viognier, 39% Gruner Veltliner, 1% Albarino, 1% Chardonnay, 1% Muscat
• The 2011 Bedlam boasts a bright nose of spring flowers, honeysuckle, apricot and lavender.  Its silky and rounded texture compliments flavors of Asian pears, mineral, and white peach.  This is the first Bedlam since our 2006 vintage that was not co-fermented

• 2011 Passeggiata Syrah variety (Rose)
• With bright raspberry and vanilla on the nose, the 2011 Passeggiata's light to medium texture and body is food friendly and smooth.  Fermentation in French Oak brings hints of butterscotch and cedar supporting the lively fruit flavors of this unique wine.

• 2010 Rolling Hills 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
• This bright, vibrant and full-bodied Bordeaux style blend opens with aromas of black currant, black cherry, and toasty vanilla spice followed by notes of sweet tobacco and cedar.  This vintage is rich and complex, outlined with clean and ripe flavors of cassis, black raspberry and cherry, finished with spice and eucalyptus.

•  2010 Leaf-Stone Syrah 100% Syrah
• Fans of the 2007 Leaf-Stone should be excited about this wine.  With a droughty summer and long hot fall, the resulting wine is rich with dark fruit and aromas of smoke, leather and tobacco.  It is ready to drink now, but should continue to age well into 2020.

Last few bottles of limited edition wines for sale

 Black Ankle is definitely an up and coming winery in Maryland, already holding multiple awards, including:

• 2011 Maryland Governor's Cup for Slate
• 2009 Maryland Governor's Cup for 2007 Crumbling Rock
• Best Syrah in the 2009 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition for 2007 Leaf-Stone Syrah
• 2008 Maryland Governor's Cup for 2006 Crumbling Rock

I can't wait to come back and visit this winery during the summer, sitting on the patio, and drinking a nice, local bottle of wine.