To start off our NC Wine Month celebrations, we decided to make a trip out to vineyards in far western North Carolina. How far west? Well, at one of the vineyards, you can see Tennessee and Georgia as well as North Carolina. That’s right, we made a trip out to the wineries out in Murphy, Andrews, and a surprise visit to Robbinsville.
Making our way to Murphy, NC
From our home base in Mooresville, our first stop at Nottley River Vineyards in Murphy, NC was about 4 hours away. We took off early, made a quick stop for lunch, and made it to Nottley River Vineyards not too long after they opened. There was already a good crowd there when we drove in, so we made our way to the tasting bar. After the formal tasting, Steve took us out to the crush pad and gave us a sneak peek of the 2016 releases (which was a stellar year). Most of these will be ready in Spring 2019, so we’ll be making a return visit for sure.
Our Tasting at Nottley River Vineyards 
The Tasting Room at Nottley River Vineyards
Our Visit in Andrews, NC
Next up was FernCrest Winery in Andrews, NC. This was our first visit to FernCrest and we had a great time. Co-owner Jan Olson guided us through our tasting. They have a small vineyard of their own, but also buy fruit from across the state and elsewhere. One interesting fact is that each of their wines are named after a different fern, and each label has a drawing of that fern. The white wines we tasted had a great acidity and will be perfect with some early fall foods.
Calaboose Cellars is just a few blocks away from FernCrest. This winery is officially the state’s smallest self-contained winery, measuring in at about 300 square feet for the whole operation. They focus on producing small batch wines that are very well crafted and fruit forward. Judy conducted our tasting and we were happy to see all the new wines on the list.
Mead in the Mountains
After we finished up, we decided to head back to our hotel. On the way, we made a last minute decision to head to new-to-us meadery, Wehrloom Honey in Robbinsville, NC. This unexpected stop turned out to be a great visit. Wehrloom is an active farm with hundreds of beehives. Honey from these hives is used to make their meads along with the other honey products they offer in their shop. We went through a quick tasting at their tasting bar and went on a walking tour of the farm. If you stop by, be sure to take a quick hike up the hill and see massive land tortoise that’s in with the goats and chickens. He’s a lively thing.
Goats at Wehrloom Honey 
The Tortoise at Wehrloom
Read on for tasting notes of the wines at each of the locations we visited. If you find yourself out in far Western North Carolina, we highly recommend a visit to each of these wineries.
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Our Tasting Notes
Nottley River Valley Vineyards
Standard Tasting
2014 Seyval Blanc – This wine went through partial malolactic fermentation. It had a mellow nose of stone fruits. The palate was rich in minerals with a flinty finish.
2015 Chardonnay – This Chardonnay is Chablis style meaning all stainless steel and no oak. Green apple, fresh acids and a nice overall fruit profile were present on this wine.
Dry Rose – A blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Watermelon and red fruits came through on the nose. Nice acids, mild strawberry and a rounder profile were present on the palate.
2015 War Woman Red – This blend of both Cabernets had an herbaceous nose. The flavors were light with strong acids and slightly twiggy tannins.
2015 Chardonell – This off-dry wine was filled with big yellow apples, nice acids and a mildly sweet profile.
2015 Riesling – This semi-sweet Riesling had a floral nose mixed with apricots and wet stones. Overall fruit forward and well rounded.
Pre-Release Tastings
2016 Oaked Chardonnel – Aged in Hungarian oak, this wine had a very nice oak presence. Grapey acids came through on the palate with excellent fruit character.
2016 Chardonnay – Aged in Hungarian and American oak, toasty vanilla clearly came through on the aroma. No malolactic fermentation means this wine has great green apple notes with crisp acids.
2016 Cabernet Franc – This wine had a classic cabernet franc nose with light pepper gracing the aroma. Green and White peper came through on the finish and were supported by a bright cherry profile.
2017 Seyval Blanc – This bubbly wine was nice and effervescent. The nose was slightly slightly foxy with wile grape flavors balanced by a nice acidity.
FernCrest Winery
Royal White (Vidal Blanc) – This wine had a nice floral nose with subtle white fruits. The flavors were nice and acidic with an overall pleasing profile.
Southern Lady White (Chardonnel) – The nose was of lemon cream. The flavors were bright with citrus lemon and very zesty.
Mountain Holly Red (Bordeaux Blend) – The nose was of tomato jam and figs. Red fruits came through on the palate with gentle tannins.
Mountainwood Red (Cynthiana) – The color on this wine was incredibly dark. Baking spices and dark fruits came through on the nose. Big acids came through on the palate with a smooth overall profile.
Fiddlehead Red – This slightly sweet red blend had a great fruit forward profile.
Black Lady – This dessert wine of blackberry and blueberry was nicely balanced. It was only mildly sweet with a great fruity profile.
Calaboose Cellars
2017 Seyval Blanc – Pleasing apricot and mild fruits came through on this mildly sweet white wine.
2017 Norton – This was dark and inky. Having gone through malolactic fermentation, it imparted a jammy flavor with a slightly acidic profile. Not yet released.
2017 Chambourcin – This wine had a classic Chambourcin profile with light baking spices. Being off-dry, it highlighted the red fruit flavors with an overall smooth profile.
Sparkling Niagara – The grapey nose was unmistakably Niagara grapes. The flavors were not too sweet with a nice fruity balance.
2017 Catawba – Fresh acids and a great grapey profile made this wine very easy to drink.
Revinoors Red – This wine made from the Sunbelt grape is brightly colored with an overall foxy profile.
Wehrloom
Dry County Dry – This mead was very herbaceous with a nice and mellow overall profile.
Home Sweet Home – This mead was made from sourwood honey. It had a nice nose, slightly sour, with a fantastic honey profile.
Black “Bear”ry – This mildly fruity mead was less sweet than the sourwood, but still had a great herbaceous profile .
Pretty in Peach – With a name that implies sweetness, this mead was surprisingly tart with clean peach flavors and a nice overall profile.
