perigeaux vineyards & winery

Upon driving into the lovely property with its magnificent old oaks, neat rows of ripening vinifera grapes, and nice modern tasting room, my hopes for good wine were uplifted. Unfortunately, my optimism was dashed after tasting more than a dozen labels, some NV but mostly from the 2011 vintage. All the wines were thin, lacking in varietal character, and were out of balance. PH levels were too low in nearly every sample. Two wines were "frizzante" not because they were intended to be bubbly, but because they were undergoing malolactic fermentation in the bottle! I could barely swallow any of the samples. None were oxidized from being open too long. They were all simply flawed wines that would score between 50 and maybe 62 on a 100-point scale. Maybe 2011 was a tough vintage in southern Maryland, but these "wines" should have never seen a bottle. An embarrassment to the good wine makers of Maryland, few though they may be, i.e. Basignani, Black Ankle, Boordy, and a few others. Perigeux needs to hire Lucy Morton to figure out whether they can even grow decent vinifera on this site. If that works, then they need to hire a professional winemaker who at least understands ripeness, balance, and how to manage malolactic fermentation. Until then, take a trip to Black Ankle, or Glen Manor in Virginia where all of these matters have been exceedingly well dealt with, as evidenced by the contents of their bottles.

Visited Perigeaux this weekend with some friends. My husband and I had been there before and felt it was decent. But this time... not so much. I will say the site is beautiful, perfect for some relaxing with friends. They even have corn hole! :) Tastings are pricey -- $8 and you don't even get a glass -- and the pours are TINY. The ladies doing our tasting hardly even spoke when they poured, so honestly, we know NOTHING about the wines. It wasn't even that busy... and they were still open for at least an hour. We were outdoors rather than indoors... but still. We felt that nearly every wine just needed more time. Everything tasted kind of bitter and really not that enjoyable. The one we felt the best about was the Organic red. Other than that... There are two tasting lists, perhaps the other one was better. We all shared the same one. The other list seemed like it was sweeter wines, so we avoided it. Not bad for getting your stamp on the Maryland Wine Passport, but not necessarily a must.

My boyfriend and I took my mom to Perigeaux Vineyards to celebrate Mother's Day. I usually allow the friendliness of the pourer to influence my perception of the experience. On this day, because of the crowds, I gave them a pass on the banter and fun conversation I often expect. Thus my review focuses on the wines. Perigeaux has 2 tasting sheets, the Estate Wines ($8) and the lighter, sweeter ones ($5). The estate wine list emphasizes their dryer reds, which I prefer. My boyfriend and I shared our pours, so we sampled both lists. Even without sharing, however, the pours were paltry, hardly enough to wet your whole tongue. Certainly not enough to do a proper tasting. Overall, I was unimpressed. The dry reds were very light in both body and color. (Their vines are 12-13 years old---old enough, I would have thought, to produce fuller wines.) From the other list, only the Shiraz stands out as pretty good. My rating includes two other considerations. Their tasting room is very pleasantly designed, light and airy. And they had live music, which was wonderful. The weather was perfect, and chairs and tables arrayed across a shady lawn were delightful. By the way, this is my second visit to Perigeaux. I came on Valentines Day a couple of years ago. Back then I thought the wines were terrible, largely because of a few unfiltered, literally stinky offerings. So ... Perigeaux has improved since then. Maybe in a few more years we'll get some fuller-bodied reds out of this lovely spot.

We had a Living Social deal for a tasting, tour and bottle of wine. The tour was nice, very informative about their start, and their current wines. The tasting room has very small tables, but enough room for plenty of people to enjoy a glass of wine after their tasting. We were there on a very rainy day, so we stayed inside to enjoy our wine, but we could see some seating outside, and we were told that they sometimes have free music ad you can sit outside to enjoy it. They also have pleasant views of the vines from their tasting room. Our server was very nice and informative, very knowledgeable about the wines.

Dropped in at the end of the day, and the staff there was more than happy to do a wine tasting for us! Great setting. Dog friendly. Host to a variety of events throughout the year. We'll go again!

Beautiful winery and paths. Facility has bar and tables with chairs. Server was very informative. I found the wines very light in taste.

I went with friends, and I was really amazed by their white wines. The tasting was great. Since it was old, we decided to stay inside and enjoy a glass of white wine and conversation. Great atmosphere.