Matthew F.
Yelp
Really nice visit; amazing views and several excellent wines. They have 'regular' and Reserve tasting options; I did the Reserve. They also have Tannat and several other grapes I rarely see. Overall a very worthwhile trip. They grow 12 acres of vines (plus 4 planted) and make 2800 cases/year, most of it estate grown (minus the Viognier and the Chardonnay).
I constantly pass Hillsborough but rarely stop there, not because I don't like them but they are in the middle of a whole bunch of wineries. In retrospect I wonder if I downplayed them, because I'd been there several times and always rated them at 'good' at their worst, and usually above average on a good day (and there've been several). But then again, maybe that's because I'm biased towards non-sweet wines, and I appreciate their willingness to experiment in ways that benefit my palate.
The view is amazing; definitely one of the nicer ones I can remember. The tasting room is also well appointed, with a nice patio and a large-ish indoor sitting area. For a smaller winery, this place was definitely built to impress.
But like I said, perhaps what impressed me the most was their willingness to experiment. Not only do they have Tannat (a rare-ish grape for this area) but they also grow Rousanne (a white grape I almost never see) and Fer Servadou (a grape usually found in SW France).
Whites:
None were sweet; in fact some were fairly heavy as whites go. I would say these are more food pairing wines than stand-alone wines.
2012 Carelian (Roussanne): A Rhone valley varietal rarely seen in this area. It seemed fairly thick as white go; that's the best way I could describe it. It wasn't desert-sweet, but I suspect this is a wine best served with pound cake.
2013 Opal (Petit Manseng): Strong honeysuckle notes. Not as heavy as the Carelian, but not bad if you like this varietal (which I do)
2013 Cab Savignon: Actually it's more of a blend (75% Cab Sav plus Merlot and Cab Franc). This was especially light; kinda a red wine for white drinkers. Slight cherry notes and low tannins.
2013 Syrah: I'm not a huge Syrah fan, but theirs wasn't bad. They advertised it as something that can be chilled, which I could totally see.
2014 Bloodstone (Fer Servadou and a small bit of Tannat): A little peppery; kinda reminded me of a Cab Franc. Bought a bottle (mom you're welcome)
2013 Ruby: Red blend with 50% Tannat and the rest Fer and Petit Verdot. My favorite of the lineup. Very complex and smooth
White Merlot: This was another surprise, and a 'bonus' wine beyond my red-heavy tasting. White Merlot is Merlot but fermented like a white grape. VERY light; definitely a hit for someone who claims they don't like red wines. I'm usually a lover of bold reds, but I like this for how different it was.
Sadly they were out of Petit Verdot, and they don't have a 100% Tannat.