If you have never seen “A Walk in the Clouds” with Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, I encourage you to “run out” and rent it…immediately; after finishing my article of course. This past Saturday, I attended the annual “Grape Stomp” at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards in Dickerson, Maryland.
When asked what his favorite wine is [historically speaking], Judge Jim McKenna used to in jest respond, “My favorite wine is Sam Adams.” But that is history; ancient history in fact. Judge McKenna and his wife inherited the property that is now home to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards from his wife’s parents; Dan and Polly O’Donoghue, who purchased the property in 1962. Until 2004, it was 92 acres of land that the family farmed. But the gods had more planned…much more.
On a joyous end to a family occasion back in 2002 in the Napa Valley, Mike McGarry brought up the subject of the family farm. Returning from Danny O’Donoghue’s wedding in San Francisco [Jim’s nephew]; they took the time to visit friends at Buehler Winery in Napa. What started as a simple idea for a change in direction would soon become a family affair. Mike’s vision, while casual and audacious would all too soon be taken seriously. It went something like this: “Why don’t we turn the farm into a vineyard?” The resulting reality that would follow this request would become greatness…even beyond what the family would initially imagine.
The partners would humbly admit to not knowing much about the wine business in the beginning. But when the decision was made to make this “casual mention over dinner” a reality, they started with what they did know. You have to have a solid foundation. So they asked friends and vineyard owners Fred and Carol Wilson from Elk Run Winery for some guidance. Consultant Lucie Morton scoured the globe for the best vines available to them to purchase. Good idea. They then decided they wanted to make the wine; both in production methods and in philosophy, in line with the Bordeaux style. Better idea. Commitment would be essential, and they wanted the best possible people around them to see this project through. They started with family. The best idea. Partner Mike McGarry became the vineyard manager [among many other things], they hired Carl DiManno as winemaker [also at Lucie’s recommendation] and his Jim’s son-in-laws’ graphic design firm was the easy choice for designing labels, gift bags and souvenir items. This is a true family affair, and Judge McKenna and the family would have it no other way.
They planted rootstock in 2004 with the understanding that time was a critical element in the equation to the success of any vineyard. To their amazement, the gods intervened and they had grapes to harvest in 2005. Officially, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard was open for business on May 10, 2006. I point this out because it is not uncommon to wait three years to see your first grapes begin to form clusters on the vines. So now, it’s time for that history lesson I promised.
Let’s follow the Greek family tree according to Wikipedia for a moment, shall we. Bacchus or Dionysus is the Greek god of wine and intoxication. It is also a grape varietal grown in England and Germany. Circe; a minor goddess of magic was a witch of sorts; fluent in the use of magic potions. Comus or Komos is the God of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliance; which even makes me interested in mythical figures. The son of Bacchus and Circe, he is a believer in imbibing to excess. Sure enough this is partly why he is depicted in art as being on the verge of dropping his torch; not carrying it, which would not be good in the middle of a vineyard. There is a good example of what can go wrong in “A Walk in the Clouds”; pertaining to vineyards and fire. At any rate, two of the wines by name available at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard are Comus and Circe; and forthcoming on November 8th, Evoe! Evoe refers to the cry of the Bacchanals during wild and mystical festivals held by the Roman god Bacchus, called “bacchanalia.” This trio is sure to please!
Admittedly, I was not nearly prepared for the homework that would follow the annual “Grape Stomp”; but it is always exciting to learn about how the owners fell in love with wine, what the philosophy is from the perspective of the proprietor(s), and how the vision and efforts translates into a saleable product that you and I get to enjoy. This is usually my first and sometimes the only question I have. In this case, McKenna states candidly that the vision for Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard was not a purposely devised or “divine” plan; but rather “Serendipity”; or a fortunate accident.
Serendipitous event or not, success is exactly what has happened in the short three and a half years that Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard has been in operation. In the history of Maryland wine, there has been only four double-gold medal winners. They have received two; awarded at the annual international competition held in the Finger Lakes wine region in New York. I am told that (2600) wines are represented from (14) countries and (38) states. They also have caught the attention of two highly regarded institutions; none other than the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the “Government House”, or the Governor’s residence. Governor O’Malley’s wine expert completely ignored three other bottles sitting on his desk for tasting and approval for the Governor’s guests. Upon tasting Comus, he thought it unnecessary to taste the other wines. With a spit bucket next to his chair for deposits, he had not even a notion to spit.
I tasted six wines during the event. Without question, my favorite was Circe. An enchantress with the ability to turn man into animals, I am happy to report that the wine did no such thing to me. What I can say is that this is a typical Bordeaux blend. It has a smaller amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and larger percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec. What results is an amazing nectar exhibiting roasted nut and black olive on the nose with undertones of sour cherry. The black olive is unique and is also featured strongly in the finish with spice and black pepper in the background. When breathing out through your nose after a proper taste, it clears the nasal passageway in a pleasant manner; reopening the airways and inviting you to have another sniff.
I was even more amazed at the end of the festival as Judge McKenna invited me to the tasting room. Here I would receive a proper introduction to Comus. It is barrel aged for (12) months in oak and seemed to “raise the bar”; even beyond my high praise of Circe. And then there’s Evoe. A reserve bottling of Comus, Evoe! has been maturing in the barrel for (24) months. A pre-release sale will take place on November 7th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM for case club members. That alone I believe is worth membership, as Evoe! is a limited production offering with only two bottles available for sale per family after the official release.
While I did lose in competition to Traci during my “stomping” effort, I can say with confidence that you are in for a delightful experience when visiting Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard. In my opinion it is worth buying a case and cellaring a few bottles of Evoe!; as it certainly has the underpinnings and potential to age gracefully. At least that is my plan, but I suppose I will have to see what the “god’s” have in store.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards
18125 Comus Road
Dickerson, MD 20842
1.301.605.0130
http://www.smvwinery.com
The Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard and winery is owned in partnership by Mike McGarry, Judge Jim McKenna and Phil and Dan O’Donoghue. The four O’Donoghues own a wind mill farm, Windmill Farm, LLC.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacchanalia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komos
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