This past weekend my best friend Sammi came to stay with me and we were both excited to try out a winery that was new to us. Sammi has been with my family and me to a few wineries before, but this was the first time we were venturing out on our own. Our other companion on this trip was my boyfriend Tony. I knew we'd be hungry and I wanted to save a little bit of money so I packed up some salami, asiago and cheddar cheese, multi-grain chips, hummus, crackers, and water. We made the 30 minute drive out to Christiansburg to check this place out. It's really nice that there are wineries so close by.
The outside of Attimo's tasting room
Attimo is a family owned winery with 10 acres of grape vines (they also grow a few other things like raspberries and blackberries). Their first vines were planted in 2007 and the most recent ones were planted in 2011. The tasting room looks nice and new from the outside with a small patio for some outdoor seating. Inside was also beautiful.
There is a tasting bar with a kitchen behind it, and a large room with tables, chairs, and couches. Probably my favorite part about this winery is that they do sit down tastings! Every other winery I've been to (and that's more than I can count on 2 hands) only does tastings at their bar. I have chronic back pain and can't stand for long periods of time without experiencing some serious discomfort, so I greatly appreciate not having to wait in line to stand at a crowded bar where I will spend more time waiting to be served each wine. But, I digress...
Sammi, Tony, and I found a little table in the back of the room and our pourer came by soon after with the wine list and a few glasses. It was his first day pouring (he was an intern from Radford University) but he was very friendly and had a lot of knowledge about the winery and the wines. He told us that attimo means "in the moment" in Italian, and each wine is name after a certain moment the wine makers wanted to capture. Attimo has 3 white wines, 3 red wines, 2 desert wines, and a handful of reserve wines.
We began with the whites, and let me tell you it was not a good beginning. The first white we tried was the Chardonnay called Masquerade. It's called Masquerade because there was a mix up shipping the barrels and this wine accidentally sat in its oak barrel for 3 months too long. This wine tastes like a bad accident. It has almost no bouquet and it's really unbalanced. Way too tannic. You know that feeling you get when you suck on a popsicle stick long after your popsicle's gone? That's what this was like. I didn't like it at all and I think it's the worst wine I've ever had. On the other hand, Sammi and Tony both liked it, so there you go.
Sammi loves some white wine.
The next white is a Vidal Blanc called Sonnet 98. The bouquet has floral and apple note. On the palate it's crisp and dry but still shows strong fruit. This wasn't half as bad Masquerade but there was still something disappointing about it. The last white we tasted is the Traminette-Petit Manseng blend called I do. The aroma is mostly like lemon Pine Sol, which wasn't a bad thing. It is really sweet when it hits your tongue, has no mid palate, then finishes with mild flavors of pear and honeydew. Again, not all together bad, but this one just isn't my style. All three whites left me with a big sad face, and I was really hoping Attimo had more to offer with their reds.
The first red we had is a reserve wine made form 6 different grapes called Bullfrog Symphony. It's reddish brown in color with aromas of black and white pepper and cherry. It had flavors of cherry and other dark berries and a kind of mineral quality. I found this wine a little bit thin for my liking and although it was alright I think maybe Attimo tried to pack too many grapes into one wine.
Hey, that's me!
Next was their Cabernet Franc named Deep Silence. This was one spicy red. The bouquet was full of pepper, tobacco, and blackberry. All of those same flavors came through on the palate along with minerals and some bold tannins. I haven't tried enough Cabernet Francs to know if they all tend to be so spicy but that was the overwhelming impression I got from Deep Silence. I liked this wine. Sammi and Tony made yucky faces at this one (I think Tony even dumped the rest of his in my glass). The Chambourcin, called AD 325, was up next. It's a purple-red color and it smells like cherries and blackberries soaked in sea water. There was also a slight sweaty sock aroma coming through too. I thought that was really interesting since I've never really smelled or tasted a salty wine before. On the palate there was dark berries and pepper. AD 325 is dry and tannic. I would actually buy a bottle of this wine. Finally! After tasting 6 I had found one that was good enough to buy. The last red was a Cabernet Sauvignon called Vertex. I was getting more and more excited to try Vertex with each wine I tasted because I had guessed it would be one of my favorites, and damn was I right. Vertex has a very woodsy, blackberry bouquet, my favorite! On the palate this was so nice. There was a perfect balance between the oak flavors, tannins, and fruitiness. Although it's dry and definitely oaked, it leaves the most pleasant lingering fruitiness in your mouth. This one's a winner.
Tony and me enjoying the visit
Last came the desert wines. I don't get too excited about wines made from fruit other than grapes but I was willing to give these a shot. The first is a raspberry/ red wine blend called Sweet Berry Sunset. The bouquet was pretty obvious: raspberries. There are flavors of raspberry, apple, and cranberry. It tasted a lot like a Minute Maid juice box. Meh. Next was Sudden Downpour, a blend of apple and white wine. All there is to say about this one is apple, apple, apple... oh yeah, and apple. Very sweet, nothing to jump up and down about. The last wine we tasted for the day was a Tinta Madera/ Touriga nacional/ Souzao blend (Port-style) called Seduction. I've never tried a Port before (at least I don't think I have) so this was interesting for me. I couldn't really get past the smell of the alcohol to analyze the bouquet. It had flavors of raspberry and raisins. There was lots of heat on the tail end of this, which I expected. I can't think of an occasion to have this wine other than to get drunk so I passed.
Having a bit of fun
To wrap up our visit Sammi and I each ordered a glass of our favorite wine and went to town on the food we brought. It was a great few hours of relaxation and I'm really glad I went and tried Attimo out. I ended up going home with a full stomach, lots of notes, and a bottle of Vertex. Success!
