Terry Hoage Vineyards

Terry Hoage is a large man.  Terry Hoage is not large like other men are large; he is the special kind of huge only seen in those born to be professional athletes.  There is a menacing quality to his size, a reminder that he once made his living assaulting equally large men.  A former All-American and Super Bowl champion, Mr. Hoage patrolled the defensive backfield for a number of teams over 13 NFL seasons.  I was, therefore, more than a little bit surprised when I heard that he would be stopping by the shop to promote his Paso Robles winery.

What was more surprising was the overwhelming quality of Mr. Hoage’s wines.  Using Rhone varietals, the College Football Hall of Famer manages to suggest the spicy depth of the eponymous river valley while expressing the intensity of Paso Robles.  As with the mountain-grown Garnacha of northern Spain, Paso’s hot days and cool nights definitely produce a focused structure in Hoage’s Grenache, named “Skins” for his former employers the Washington Redskins.  Hoage’s blackberry and violet-laden Syrah benefits from the the vineyard’s calcerous soil, which retains moisture and promotes later ripening and development of the grape.  Ultimately, what is most notable about all of Mr. Hoage’s wines is the care with which he cultivates and produces them.

None of the Hoage wines can be construed as cheap.  The hand-crafted character of the wines coupled with a tiny production volume means these are special occasion purchases for most wine buyers.  That being said,  when that special occasion does arise, keep these wines in mind, you will not be disappointed.

J.

Tags: all-american, blackberry, calcerous, football, garnacha, grenache, nfl, paso robles, rhone, syrah, terry hoage, violet, washington redskins
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