West Bend Vineyards Barrel Chardonnay 2006

This chardonnay had a bigger bouquet, better integration and a longer finish than the stainless steel chard. I got figs, vanilla and a twang of acidity. It was mouthfilling and satisfying, and I got a bottle for $19.95(the wife was particularly fond of it).

West Bend Vineyards Viognier 2006

As one would expect from a Viognier, the bouquet of this one is perfumy and floral. The mouthfeel is rich and almost oily, and the flavors are figs and apricots with a wee bit of oak. This is a nice wine.

West Bend Vineyards Chardonnay 2006

This is West Bend's unoaked chardonnay. It is a clean, very drinkable wine with flavors of pear and vanilla. There is a bit of tartness there which is quite appetizing. Of the unoaked NC chardonnays I've had so far, I think I like this one best.

West Bend Vineyards Yadkin Fumé 2006

This Sauvignon Blanc has a clean nose and palate. There are notes of pineapple there, and it is clean and well balanced. I'd say it is pretty much free of faults, but it is also not terribly interesting. Many people prefer that quality in a wine, but I'm too much of a geek to be satisfied with that.

Hanover Park Barrel Chardonnay 2006

This is the oaked version of their chardonnay. As I expected, I like this one a bit better because I like the added complexity. Things I got out of this wine include orange marmalade, wood and a wee bit of vanilla. It's nice and dry, too. The food that comes to mind is pan-seared tilapia with some mango salsa.

Hanover Park Unoaked Chardonnay 2006

Classic, albeit restrained, chardonnay aroma of buttery figs and vanilla. It's a clean, simple wine with a pleasing tang of lemon in the finish. I'd like to have this with some broiled catfish.

Hanover Park Viognier 2006

This wine has a sweet bouquet that reminded me of apricots and cinnamon. The palate is clean, with some nice acidity and a brief finish. I liked it, and so did the two locals who came in and enjoyed a bottle at the table in the tasting room.

RayLen Riesling 2007

I smelled pears and honeysuckle here. It has a classic Riesling palate with a nice, rich apricot overtone. I might have to try this with a pork sandwich from Snook's, just down the road from the winery (I like to dump a lot of Texas Pete on my sandwich).

RayLen Yadkin Gold 2005

This wine is a blend of Riesling, Viognier and Chardonnay. I got such things as apricot, melon, vanilla and melon. This one has just a bit of sweet richness to it, and I agree with the RayLen website's suggestion that this is a picnic wine.

RayLen SMV Chardonnay 2006

This one was one of the highlights of my visit to this winery. The grapes come from the South Mountain Vineyard in Burke County.
The nose was bigger than the regular barrel chardonnay, with a more perfumy character. I smelled figs, butter, apricots and some subtle suggestion of meat (in a good, appetizing way). The palate is clean, with plenty of everything in the bouquet. Nice, long finish. I bought a bottle of this one($15).

RayLen Viognier 2004

The bouquet has a floral, vanilla quality. The mouthfeel is honeyish and almost oily, and there is a bit of an herbal note. I could imagine drinking this with a pile of steamed mussels.

RayLen Barrel Chardonnay 2006

This is Raylen's oaked chardonnay. The bouquet has figs, butter, vanilla and perhaps flowers. When it comes to oak vs stainless steel in chardonnay, I seem to be an oak man. This is a very satisfying wine, with a bit more complexity, depth and finish than the unoaked version.

RayLen Chardonnay 2005

This is RayLen's unoaked version of chardonnay. The nose has the classic chardonnay elements of butter and vanilla with an added hint of cedar and cinnamon. It's a nice, refreshing wine with some nice apricot/pear flavors and a bit of acidity.

RayLen Pinot Grigio 2006

Nose- melons, butter and a suggestion of spices (cinnamon?)
This was a nice, clean, white wine. It's not very complex, and the finish is brief, but that's part of the refreshing nature of this grape. It had a nice freshness to it.