Tousey The Mentor - One of the Best Dessert Wines on the East Coast

So, I was passing through Germantown a few weeks ago, while I was driving to see someone else, and decided to drop in to see what was going on at Tousey Winery. I hadn't been there in a bit, and I was curious. Ben and Kimberly Peacock, the owners, weren't there, but there was an incredibly polite and knowledgeable staffer behind the bar, who stood in quite well.

 

 

For those of you who don't know about Tousey, their winery began as a family-run enterprise (and still is today).  With Ray Tousey’s dream of turning beautiful family-owned grounds into a vineyard, the journey began.  Tousey is now run by Ben and Kimberly Peacock – Ray’s daughter, Kimberly, was the natural choice in overseeing the winery along with her husband Ben, whose wine knowledge and business know-how rounds out the team perfectly.  With Kimberly having lived in Denmark and Ben hailing from the U.K., we have a unique blend of European sensibility and Hudson Valley roots.

 

 

Even though they’re new, they have come a long way towards reaching their goal. Lenn Thompson, the Executive Editor of the New York Cork Report wrote this in January 2012:

“It’s hard not to consider Tousey Winery a major player in the resurgence of quality wine in Hudson Valley.”

And I would have to agree. Lots of lovely wines to try. But I was intrigued by something very new....

 

What was this new wine? The Mentor? Ah, ha! A new dessert wine. Tousey originally became known for its cassis, which is made with local honey, which is what Ray Tousey is still known for today. But then Mentor was a new step out - a port-styled dessert wine. I could not wait to try this.

This is not a traditional port, in the sense that, if your looking for a highly alcoholic grapey styled wine, you might be disappointed. But if you're up for trying something different, you might be in luck. This is more of a tawny port, but like nothing I have ever had. Big, beautiful, with a massive nose of toffee, caramel, cocoa, and dark fruits like cassis and fig and dates. It's thick and viscous. And you can chew on this wine for a good, long time. Fantastic! I was begging for a brownie and a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a warm fire as soon as it hit my palate. Or a small bowl of warm bread pudding?

 

If I had to, I would say this was some near a Pedro Ximénez-styled wine, with it's dark brown-ish/reddish coloring, with hint of raisins and molasses, and it's somewhat sherry like overtones. Exquisite! Deftly crafted. Strikingly beautiful! It became instantly, one of my favorite dessert wines made on the east coast.

 

It is another giant leap forward for a quality driven producer here in the valley. But isn't that what we've come to expect form Ben and Kimberly? You gotta try this stuff!