From Four Sisters Winery, we drove along Route 46 to Brook Hollow Winery. This part of 46 is completely different than the 46 I grew up with. The drive was nice and the road was sprinkled with farmer’s market stores and unique restaurants.
The Atmosphere
As we approached Brook Hollow Winery, we turned left onto a dirt and gravel road. We headed down hill and past an orchard on the left. As we drove a little further, there it was on the right, a big red beautiful barn. A door was open that looked like it leads to a country store. We pulled straight ahead and parked besides another barn-like building. The wine tasting room was on the back side of the first barn. We walked into the small tasting room. As we entered, there was a gentleman at the counter on the left, siphoning wine from one container into another. I was excited to catch a glimpse of the process. The other gentleman in the room greeted us and said they were preparing for wine making classes that evening. He invited us up to the bar on the left to taste the wines. He said there was a charge for the tasting, but if we brought our glasses back next time, there’s no charge. By the way, this guy was wearing a shirt that said “Out of Wine, Life is Crap.” I thought it was funny. As we approached the counter, we noticed that it was topped with old labels. We asked about them and he said they were very artful vintage labels from Mr. Fresh packages of grapes. How cool. If you go, you have to check it out. We love stuff like that. This guy really shapes the character of this place and we enjoyed it.
The Wines
The sommelier said all his wines are dry. I’m thinking this is right up Tom’s alley as my tastes are slightly sweeter. We began with the first dry white on the list, Cayuga White. It was light and crisp. The next wine was Tundra Mist, which was the same wine, but grown in different soil. This wine is used as a fundraiser for the wolf preservation that is just up the road from here. Again, how cool. He said he grew this wine in different soil so that you can taste the difference it has on the resulting wine. It seemed like the flavors were richer and almost more mineral. It tasted a bit earthier – definitely an interesting wine. We moved onto Rieslings with the Riesling Dry first. This wine was dynamic by presenting a sweet, tart and dry taste at the same time. Riesling Semi was next. This one had table sugar added to it which gave it bigger flavor. The Rieslings were my favorite among their selection.
We switched to the Reds and started with Merlot. This wine is flavored with French Oak chips giving it a smooth and smoky flavor. Next was Blackstar which featured a Cornell grape, Leo’s Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chambourcin with dill and olive. Some say they can taste the dill on this one. It was certainly distinct. Then we tried Cabernet Sauvignon a smooth wine which is flavored with American oak that provides a vanilla taste and a lovely aroma that smells great. Cabernet Franc followed with a peppery and grape taste. It seemed light in body, but heavy in flavor. The sommelier mentioned that this would go great with ANYTHING grilled and that’s when I tasted that this wine has as grilled flavor to it. This was very unique. Tom loved this one. Of course, I knew he was picturing it with a steak. Last of the reds was Chambourcin, that was described as tasting like chocolate covered cherries. I tasted a hint of that and noticed its light and smooth quality. Lastly, we tasted their fruit wine, Cranberry. This is made from their heirloom cranberries. What I noticed about this one is that it definitely tastes like cranberry, but in a much lighter way than cranberry juice.
We left with a bottle of Cabernet Franc. I enjoyed this place, the atmosphere and the people. Since my taste is on the sweeter side, I didn’t enjoy the wines as much, but I still think Brook Hollow Winery is worth the visit. What I most enjoyed was the character of this winery along with the educational experience.
Wine responsibly.
Rating
3 Wine Glasses (Out of 5)
Brook Hollow Winery is my very favorite NJ winery. My husband and I happened to discover it while taking a day trip down the back roads of Northwestern New Jersey, and boy, were we in for a pleasant surprise! Upon taking the trip down the gravel road and walking through the country store, we thought for sure we were in the wrong place. But lo and behold, about thirty feet ahead loomed the tasting room, glowing warmly as if to say, “Come on in!” And with the tinkling of the tiny bell above the door, in we went.
The room’s woodsy-folksy decor lent to the intimacy of the place and spoke volumes of both the vintner and his wines. Down to earth, straightforward, friendly. And yet it belied the depth and intricacy of the wines themselves – looks can be deceiving.
Our sommelier patiently introduced each of Brook Hollow’s wines in friendly detail. Never condescending, he took the time to answer questions and to ask for our impressions. Explaining that with wines, dryness is a physical, rather than descriptive, property, he told us that a majority of their wines have little to no residual sugar. To me, this translated to a bitter, acerbic tasting experience ahead and, frankly, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to embark on the journey. But in spite of my reservations, I pushed my glass forward and “sampled on!”
First up? The Cayuga White. Dry, but pleasant. Promising, but I wasn’t sold. Onto the next…
The Tundra Mist was a welcome revelation. Evocative of a warm Spring day spent in Adirondack chairs, it was crisp, slightly fruity, and wonderfully complex. The perfect wine for a late April afternoon. The dryness of the wine meant that it lacked the butter sweet, cloying properties we so often dislike in white wines, yet the subtle citrus flavors made this wine wonderfully drinkable. Even their Reisling Semi, while still sweet, was a refreshing and colorful encounter for the palate. Bring on the warm weather, they beckoned! And in hopes of doing just that, we made mental notes to purchase a bottle of each.
Then pausing to rinse our glasses and neutralize our palates, we moved onto the reds. The Blackstar Merlot is one of their newer vintages, and part of Brook Hollow’s wolf series, meaning a portion of the proceeds go to supporting the nearby Lakota Wolf Preserve. Aged in oak, Blackstar is a blend of the Proprietor’s Red, Cab. Sauvignon, and Chambourcin. I was intrigued, if already slightly biased by the great cause it supported. Still, I was pleasantly surprised. The oak added the perfect touch of smokiness and complexity to this already shining cast of characters. And it had just enough sweet to make it palate friendly: This is a wine I’d share with novice and discerning wine drinkers alike. Personally, I think it’d go just as well with a pizza as it would with a filet.
I wasn’t as big a fan of their steel-aged Merlot. Smokey and fruit-forward, it didn’t make my taste buds as excited as the Blackstar. Still, I wouldn’t turn down a bottle for a relaxed Girls’ Night In.
…And speaking of Girls’ Night In, the Brook Hollow Red was, in my opinion, the most “drinkable” of the red wines. Smooth and sweet without plaguing floral or tart undertones, the Brook Hollow Red had the makings of a great red table wine. My husband, affirmed loather of all things sweet, made sure to purchase two bottles.
However, it wasn’t the next two wines on our tasting list that Brook Hollow made lifelong groupies out of my husband and I. I’ll begin with our favorite of the two: The Chambourcin Reserve. Upon first swirl, our nostrils were assailed with hints of smoke and. . . cherry cordials? Sure enough, our sommelier explained that the Chambourcin’s smokey, cherry undertones make it the perfect companion to dark chocolate (similar to a good port). And upon first taste, his description was right on the money. Instructing my husband and I to take a sip of the wine, but not to swallow, he handed each of us a handful dark chocolate chips. Popping two of the chips into my mouth, my taste buds died and went to heaven! Letting the chocolate and wine melt and mingle on my tongue, I allowed myself a second to close my eyes and imagine a winter’s night spend in front of a fire. Bliss. “Hmm, this might be great around a campfire too,” I thought and made a mental note to check-out the campground down the road. Not fifteen minutes later, we left with three bottles of the Chambourcin Reserve and plans for a summer camping trip! (We ended-up spending a long weekend at Camp Taylor, less than ten minutes down the road, and having a blast!)
The Cabernet Franc was another delicious, insightful experience. Easily my second favorite wine at Brook Hollow, it was also the most complex. Right off the bat, I picked-up notes of pepper and licorice. Still though, I felt like I could spend a couple hours with this wine and miss describing it accurately. The Cabernet Franc was my Jane Eyre – reading it only one time wasn’t going to be enough. I looked forward to opening up this wine again and learning what it had to say to me. Not a wine to be rushed, the Cab. Franc was a definite a win in the savor category.
All in all, our first experience at Brook Hollow was an eye-opening, delightful journey for the senses. Our sommelier (whose name I can’t remember – Paul?) was such a welcome, refreshing change of pace from those we’ve encountered on our winery travels. He was funny, informative, and patient and I truly believe our experience wouldn’t have been the same without him. Bring your wine questions to him – no question too “silly!” Our wine tasting was a whopping $5.00 – with glass – and it not only entitled us to a generous sampling of all their wines, but a super-intimate tasting of wines that had yet to be named, or bottled! “I knew that wine when…”
We left with a case of wine, a “frequent flyer” card which entitled us to a discount after every case purchase, and a new appreciation for “dry” wines. At Brook Hollow, the wine – not the sugar – does the talking. We’ve since returned to “our favorite winery” a half-dozen times, making sure to stop by whenever we’re in the area. We’ve since learned of plans to open a new winery site in the near future. Onto big and better things for Brook Hollow, but I, for one, will always treasure our first meeting in the tiny, woodsy tasting room at the back of the big red barn.
Thank you for the thorough review! I place a great deal of time and effort into making each and every visit for our customers a memorable experience. Glad you had a nice time.
I didn’t mean to post such a long comment, LOL! I was attempting to cut and paste an excerpt from a post I’d written on my wine blog, but accidentally hit “Enter.” After that, there was no editing or deleting my lengthy reply. Oh well – love Brook Hollow just the same!