Va La Vineyards Silk 2008 and Va La Vineyards Mahogany 2006 Batch II

Va La remains one of my favorite wineries on the East Coast. Their red wines taste like those from Barboursville, Bedell, or Heart & Hands Winery. In other words, it's quality stuff. Some of the best.

Here's two well worth seeking out.

Silk 2008
The silk is a rosato-colored wine that offers a soft expression of their home vineyard. They hand harvest the grapes from both the mahogany and the cedar portions of the hill. The grapes are then given a slow, cold fermentation followed by a brief barrel period. It is a blend of Barbera, Corvina Veronese, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Nebbiolo.

At room temperature the wine resembles a Rhone red, and when served chilled the raspberry and blackberry flavors come front and center. A wonderful, deep rose'!

Mahogany 2006 Batch II

This is one of their most successful wines, by achievement, by review, and by sales.

“…what ultimately validates a region is a breakthrough wine that has a combination of structure, flavors, and complexity that will improve over the years. I think that I tasted that wine recently in Anthony Vietri’s 2005 Va La Vineyards Mahogany…”

— Roger Morris, Wilmington News Journal

“Barbera has consistently been one of the best wines at Va La. It is also the core of a plush and powerfully intriguing blend called Mahogany…the early balance of plush dark berry fruit, blood orange acidity, and a framework of rich oak has “cult wine” potential.”

— Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer

This wine expresses the soils of the ‘mahogany’ area of the home vineyard. The wine made from these particular vines and is aged for approximately 3 years. 850 to 2,000 bottles are normally produced.

Mahogany is a big, deep, dark, incredible dry red wine. Incredible. One of the best red wines made on the east coast. I'd stack it up against anything, bar none. A wonderful wine.

Take the ride down to Gap, PA, and see what I'm talking about.