If you live
in Connecticut, or plan to be visiting, wine lovers will appreciate that the State has
a vibrant Wine Trail, which deserves to be experienced. Chamard
Vineyards and Bistro located in Clinton,
Connecticut is the perfect place to discover the beauty and elegance of
Connecticut wines. Established in 1983, they planted their first vines in 1984,
and released their first wine in 1989. Today, Chamard has 20 acres of established
vines on their 40-acre property, and they also have a Bistro. We always enjoy
visiting Chamard Vineyards and discovering their ever-evolving wines. Cheers!
Chamard Vineyard & Bistro
We visited
Chamard Vineyards on July 16, 2023, a rainy Sunday when the grapes glistened
with their raindrop coats, and the vineyards shimmered in the dappled light. As
it had been several years since we had visited Chamard Vineyards, we were
excited to revisit them. Many things have changed since we first "discovered"
them several years ago, including the addition of their beautiful bistro.
Inside the
attractive light-filled Tasting Room, there are walls of windows and stunning
wood sculptures created by the artist Doug
Ball. Interesting to note is that the artist repurposed
retired wine barrels and incorporated them into his sculptures along with the
use of grape vine wood. Also of interest is the use of wine barrel staves used to
create the wrap-around bar. The result is visually compelling, eye-catching,
and gorgeous.
Kerry Ann behind the bar
To
appreciate the essence of Chamard Vineyards and the various nuances of their wine
style, we each opted to experience a flight of wines, which consisted of a
selection of three 2-ounce pours of our choice, as this way we could sample six
of their wines by sharing our pours.
Edward Nesta enjoying a flight tasting
Chamard Vineyard & Bistro
Under the White
Wine section, there was a choice of four wines: Stone Cold White (a
dry white made with Cayuga grapes), Stone Cold White Le Doux (a sweet
white wine made with Cayuga grapes), Estate Riesling 2020 (dry Riesling),
and their Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2019.
Flight Tasting
We began
our flight tasting in the White Wine section and selected the Estate
Riesling 2020 and the Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2019, as our first
two pours. The Estate Riesling 2020 was made in the Alsatian style. This
very dry Riesling had notes of grapefruit and apple with floral aromatics and
was very nice. The Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2019 was rich, elegant,
with vanilla aromatics, was oak-barreled, and had soft tannins on the palate. While
both were delicious, our palates preferred the Estate Riesling 2020.
From the Rose,
Sparkling, and Dessert Wines section, there was a choice of four wines that
we could select from: Estate Rosé 2020 (dry wine), Rosé Le Doux
(sweet wine), Stone Cold Sparkling, and Estate Chardonnay Port
(sweet, fortified wine).
Wine Barrel Art on Walls
From this
grouping, we selected the Estate Rosé 2020, and the Stone Cold
Sparkling. The Estate Rosé 2020 had subtle notes of strawberries and
white peaches on the nose and on the palate. Their Stone Cold Sparkling
was made with Cayuga grapes, a French American hybrid grape that works well for
the creation of sparkling wines and had apple and citrus notes.
From their Red
Wines section, there was a choice of five wines from which we could select from
including their Stone Cold Red, Classes Héritage Merlot 2017, GSM
Blend 2019, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre made in the Rhone
style, Petite Sirah 2017, and Cabernet Merlot 70/30 2019 made in
the Bordeauc style.
Chamard Vineyard vines
From the Red
Wine grouping, we selected to sample their Petite Sirah 2017, and
their Cabernet Merlot 70/30 2019, made in the classic Bordeaux style of a
blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot, as our final pours for our
flight tastings. The Petit Sirah 2017 had luscious blackberry notes, and
a delectable, lingering spicy finish. The Cabernet Merlot 70/30 2019 was
full-bodied and delivered the goods on the palate and was one of our favorite
wines that we tasted.
We
thoroughly enjoyed our flight tastings at Chamard Vineyards and Bistro and look
forward to sampling a few more the next time we are on the Connecticut Wine
Trail. Until next time, cheers!
Hours of
Operation: Chamard Vineyards Bistro is open from Wednesday through Saturday
from 12:00 pm until 9:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm.
Please
check their website for additional information: www.Chamard.com
Chamard
Vineyards Bistro
115 Cow
Hill Road
Clinton, CT
06413
Telephone:
+1-860-664-0299
Read more
about our visit to Madison, Connecticut in Luxury Experience in the
following sections: Destinations, Hotels and Resorts - The Homestead Madison, Restaurants - Café Allegre, Restaurants -La Foresta, Restaurants - The Wharf Restaurant, Chefs' Recipes - Chef Brian Warmingham - The Wharf
Restaurant, Spas - The Healing Salt Cave and Wellness Spa, Adventures - Riding a Bicycle Built for Two, Madison, CT, Adventures - Thimble Island Cruises aboard the Sea Mist, Liquor Cabinet - Stone Creek Brewery, and Wine Cellar - Chamard Vineyards and Bistro.
For more
information on visiting Madison, Connecticut, please visit the websites: www.madisonct.com and www.ctvisit.com.
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