Naked Mountain

Taking note of the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having, my wife informed me that we should “do something” this weekend, which is code for something outside and/or an hour or more away from our home. January is a good time to visit some of the wineries since the tasting rooms are less crowded in the winter months. A little bit of research revealed that Naked Mountain winery was serving a lasagna lunch on weekends between January and March. Several of the local wineries do this to get people through the door during otherwise slow seasons. In the past, we’ve had some great stew at Loudoun Valley and tasty lentil soup at Windham, so I guess it works.

Naked Mountain is located in Markham, Virginia, about an hour from where we live. In other words, it’s out in the sticks. We took the scenic route down Route 50 through Aldie and Middleburg. My wife and I had visited about three or four years ago. They specialize in Chardonnay, and back then that was all they had. They were planting Riesling then and this time, there was some of that to be found, although it was blended into one of their Chardonnays. Their 2004 Blue Label Chardonnay has 5% Riesling and it’s just the right amount to give the wine a little bit of a dry edge that makes it great to drink. Their 2002 Blue Label, like the 2004, was fermented in neutral barrels (older than 5 years) as well as stainless steel. The 2002 Blue Label, as well as the 2002 and 2003 Black Label Chardonnays are 100% varietals, however the Black Label wines are fermented in newer oak barrels, which imparts that traditional smooth chardonnay texture.

Naked Mountain also offers two red wines: a Cabernet Franc, which did not impress, and a 2002 Raptor Reserve, comprised of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. They got it right with this one. Fruit forward with hints of cherry and pepper. We picked this wine to go with our lasagna lunch. Here’s a good tip: if the wine is included in the price, go with the most expensive one.

We had a nice time eating lunch and taking in the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the cloudy weather didn’t detract from the good time. I think we’ll be back in the future to Drink Naked.