VUE

It is hard to find a Vineyard that is more quintessentially "New Jersey" than Unionville. Each of Unionville's properties, reaching across the state, has its own history and own flavor. Unionville Home, the original estate vineyard of the winery, has fertile, channery silt-loam soil with decomposing red shale that lends itself to the limey-minerality of a Chardonnay, fruity acidity in Riesling and brooding, berry flavors in Cabernet Sauvignon. The Amwell Ridge Vineyard brings strong southern exposure and excellent drainage to form clean and expressive white wines and bright reds with savory notes of anise, white pepper, and cocoa. Unionville's other two locations, Pheasant Hill Vineyard in Hopewell, and Coventry Vineyard in Princeton, also bring a wide array of lands to source their European-style grapes. This allows them to make what Cifelli describes to be "very complex and interesting and layered wines." Hunterdon County's conditions are a reflection of the Northern Rhône region in Southeastern France in terms of climate, weather, and soil composition. This allows Unionville to showcase unique varieties of wines in comparison to some other local wineries. For instance, they are one of only a handful of vineyards making wine from Viognier and are the only winery in NJ to make wines from Marsanne, Roussanne, and Picpoul Blanc, all classic varieties of the Rhône Valley. The winemakers at Unionville believe that the environment allows these grapes to not just grow but absolutely thrive. One of these unique wines to be excited about is the 2019 Hunterdon Mistral Blanc. This blend of Rhône original grapes is a special addition to their portfolio. A fantastic vintage, the Hunterdon Mistral Blanc is rich, textural, broad and ripe, with tropical fruit flavors; a perfect encapsulation of the summer experience. V U E N J .C O M 52

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