Pippin Hill Wild Acre 2018 LIVE

VARIETIES

Pro tip: Use the word "variety" instead of "varietal" when referring to the type of grape in a wine (e.g. Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.).

Varietal refers to a wine that is mostly made up of one grape variety.

This is a VERY common misconception, so don't feel bad. (I'm generally terrible with grammar and spelling, so zero judgment). But it is still misused in a lot of prominent publications, so it can be confusing.

An easy way to remember it is:

Variety is a noun.

Varietal is an adjective.

For example: A wine that is made from 95% Merlot would be a varietal wine made from the Merlot variety.

Producer

Pippin Hill

Wine

Wild Acre

Vintage

2018

State

Virginia, USA

Appellation

Monticello AVA

Tannat 73%

Petit Verdot 15%

Merlot 12%

MATURATION

24 Months

New French oak 3%

1 Year old oak 47%

Neutral oak 50%

Oak influence on flavor

STRUCTURE

Short answer: Structure includes the elements in a wine that you feel more than taste. Think of it as what you could detect if you had a cold and took a sip.

Acidity: Makes your mouth water after you swallow the wine. Common terms: Bright, crisp, linear.

Tannin: This is responsible for the drying sensation felt on your palate, typically with big reds. Similar to a tea that has been steeped for a long time. Common terms: Grippy, chewy, velvety.

Alcohol: The real reason you're here. Wines are usually somewhere between 7% and 16%.

Sweetness: The amount of sugar left over in the wine after fermentation. Usually referred to as residual sugar or RS for short.

Acidity

Tannin

Alcohol 11.4%

Body

Sweetness

FLAVOR NOTES

This part can be pretty intimidating for newcomers. Someone asks you what you're getting from the wine, but all you smell is...wine?

The fact is, wine contains THOUSANDS of chemical compounds found in other fruits that make up the aromas and flavors in each glass, which can make it difficult to pick out a select few.

The good news is that this not only makes wine complex and interesting, but also means that it's actually pretty difficult to be "wrong" when calling out flavors. As with most things in life, confidence is everything.

Some prompts if you're stuck:

Blackberry, Cocoa powder, Sour cherry, Red Currant.

Pippin Hill 2018 Wild Acre

Wine Style

Elevator Pitch

Introducing, our newly released Wild Acre 2018! With this wine, we wanted to showcase our vineyard, its Monticello terroir, and the mix of clay and loam soils that combine for great wine balance. It is the loam that defines this premium red wine blend, its medium body and tannins, and red fruit notes. 24 months of oak aging give this wine the character that will let it age gracefully.

On the label, the aerial photo is literally 50 yards from our Tasting Room. It shows the ‘Wild’ natural touch of our surroundings and the ‘Acre’ of vines you can see from our veranda.

Think Meritage but with darker fruit, firmer tannins, and dusted with cocoa powder. (Not actual powder, just tasting notes).

The Tannat adds rich, earthy tones that give this wine depth and structure. It’s great right out of the bottle, but really starts to shine with some time to breathe.

In A Pinch

Red meat, especially anything smokey or barbecued, and cave-ripened cheeses.

Deeper Dive

Don’t let the varieties in this wine fool you, it looks like it should be a massive wine able to pair with the richest and fattiest dishes, but at 11.4% alcohol, medium body, and mayyybe medium plus tannins, this wine is going to be well suited for some of your leaner cuts of meat, especially if grilled.

Because of its more elegant nature, this wine can also go nicely with richer poultry like duck or turkey.

Basically this bottle is going to be great to fill the position of pairings between Pinot Noir and California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stand out features: Earthy chocolate tones, firm tannins.

Wine/Dish Intensity Scale

Recipe Ideas

Pippin’s Famous Short Ribs

Grilled Lamb Chops

Seared Duck Breast with Grape Sauce

Cheeses

Steer Clear

Anything too rich or fatty or too light and delicate. Fish in general is probably not a great option here.

Glassware

Large Bordeaux or All-purpose glasses are probably best.

Should I decant this wine?

Explanation

There’s a lot of complexity in this wine and the depth of which really won’t start to show without some generous oxygen.

You could still enjoy this wine right out of the bottle, but to fully experience what it has to offer, decanting is a good idea.

Time

Before 2025

45 min

2025 – 2028

25 min

2028 – 2030

10 min

After 2030

0 min

Serving Temp

When should I open this?

If a wine has been released by the producer and is available for sale, it means it is ready to drink. Wines don’t necessarily get “better” with age, they just change. Typically, this change involves things like losing fresh fruit flavors in exchange for more savory notes.

The moment you should open the bottle depends on your preference, so it’s more important to understand the evolution and the life span of the bottle than it is to try to time its opening perfectly. (It’s far better to open a bottle too early than too late.)

This bottle should probably be opened between:

2020 – 2030

Our Approach to Winemaking

Crafting the finest Virginia Estate wines is our passion and our purpose. Pippin Hill is delighted to partner with Michael Shaps of Virginia WineWorks to oversee our boutique-scale production. After harvesting at their prime, our grapes go through “custom crush” processing – the initial crush, quality evaluation, stainless and French oak barrel fermentation, blending, filtering, and bottling.

MONTICELLO WINE TRAIL

We at Pippin Hill tip our hat to Thomas Jefferson, “America’s first distinguished viticulturist.” And we are thrilled to have realized the dream that Mr. Jefferson never achieved—producing world-class wines in his native state. Pippin Hill is honored to be among 25 other vineyards and wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail here in the Birthplace of American Wine.

Sustainable Viticulture

Pippin Hill is committed to protecting and preserving the rural agrarian health and beauty of our vineyard and farm environs. We proactively embrace and follow environmentally sound and supportive viticulture practices, minimizing chemical repellents and optimizing natural sprays to keep our vines productive and our land healthy.

Terroir

“Terroir” in French winemaking terminology means the holistic interface of environment and earth. In other words, the elements and conditions in which wine is produced (elevation, sunlight, soil, topography, water, climate). Pippin Hill’s ideal terroir features a stable foundation of granitic pre-Cambrian formation, a deep groundwater aquifer and soils from two ancient and four alluvial fans.

Dean & Lynn

As the CEO and co-founder of Easton Porter Group– Opens in a new tab, Dean Andrews knows the nitty-gritty of five-star hospitality as well as anyone. Before launching EPG, Andrews served as senior operating officer for Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd., overseeing some of the world’s most exclusive properties. He’s acquired, repositioned and operated resorts, small and large luxury hotels and acclaimed restaurants across the globe, helping elevate the standards of hospitality excellence worldwide. Today he loves nothing more than honing the finer points of EPG’s boutique properties, because that’s what three decades in the hospitality industry has taught him:
every detail counts.

As creative director and co-founder of Easton Porter Group, Lynn Easton brings her exceptional design eye and event expertise to complement Dean’s business acumen. All EPG properties bear her signature style imprint. As founder of Easton Events– Opens in a new tab, a leading event planning and design company, Lynn’s classic taste, bespoke events, and weddings have earned her a devoted following as well as a nod as one of Vogue’s Top 5 Event Planners. Her work has been widely published including Martha Stewart, Town & Country, The Knot, Southern Weddings, and Southern Living Weddings.

Contact

5022 Plank Rd North Garden
Virginia 22959 USA

1-434-202-8063

INFO@PIPPINHILLFARM.COM

www.pippinhillfarm.com