Whispering Oaks Vineyard and Winery

Wine: Winery: Ambiance: Jun 21, 2012

Favorite Wine: St. Vincent

A terrific room with ample seating and a wide variety of wines to sample. I wasn't too impressed with the Norton, but I'm not certain if the bottle had been opened too long or the character is more tart than other local Nortons. Like Traminettes, the St. Vincent wines in Missouri are highly variable and tend to be very interesting. This one is very nice, with a smooth finish. It rounded out my 6 pack of Missouri wine as a Father's Day gift that also included a Don Virgilio St. Vincent, a small new winery up the road from Whispering Oaks on Hwy. 60. Maybe it was late in the day, but the barrister wasn't very engaging until he realized I actually DRINK WINE and wanted to know more about what they were doing at Whispering Oaks.

Wine: Winery: Ambiance: Oct 11, 2010

Favorite Wine: St. Vincent

Norton Wine Review: This winery has benefited from vines that are at least 13 years old and situated on the second highest ridge (1600’) in Missouri. The elevation presents a continuous flow of air that prevents freezes in early spring that can be found at lower vineyard elevations. Some bright floral Vidal Blancs and Vignoles can be found here. Though we were very disappointed with WOVW’s ’05 burnt caramel colored Norton, I was again taken back with what Missouri does with St. Vincent grapes. Both their ’05 St. Vincent and St. Vincent “Blush” (Whispering Oaks Rose) were distinctive and worthy of purchase consideration. Nice winery, but ambiance is relegated to viewing the traffic of a four lane highway. Now if we can only polish the hostess/owner’s manner. Obviously she has done this for so many years that she’s board out of her skull repeating the same lines and answering the same questions over and over, but hopefully someone will be able to bring out the humor that can be found in her job and what the state government is trying to do for her.