In February, I went to Stokelan Winery for the second time. It was a lesson to me not to make a judgment about a place on just one visit. I first visited Stokelan last July 16th, soon after it opened. While the property is gorgeous and decorated beautifully, it was a hot day, the winery was packed, the pours were short, and the food was packaged. I was underwhelmed, and left with the impression that the wines were too young, a bit thin, and the packaged food was overpriced. I went back this month for a friend’s birthday, delighted to discover that the entire experience was much better than the last one.

Stokelan Mansion was built in 1853 in the Greek revival style. The mansion sits on preserved farmland. The current owners, Deepa and Jay Lal, are from Simla, India, in the Himalayan foothills. An interesting connection: in 1904, Samuel Stokes, a young son of this Medford family, traveled to India to get away from his parents and pressure to join the family business, landing in Simla, India, to volunteer at a leper colony. He eventually became a Quaker missionary, bringing the apple to India in 1916, before converting to Hinduism and joining the Indian Independence movement in the 1920s. The Lals took this connection as a sign that this was the property for them.

The elegant interior decor is mid-century modern with Victorian architectural accents. We had a reservation (highly recommended) for lunch last Saturday, and sat at a table in the library. There is also a tent out back, a wrap around porch, seats by an outdoor fire pit, and another large room inside, which was being used for a bridal shower on this Saturday afternoon.

There are three wine flights for tastings, in addition to full glasses of wine, red sangria, and non-alcoholic beverages. Two of us chose Andrew’s Selection wine flight, a flight of all five of their currently-available wines, named after their winemaker, Andrew Dick, a fellow WSET alum: 2020 Myra (rosé), 2019 Crossroads (Chardonnay), 2021 Winter Rosé (Petite Sirah), 2019 Kirby’s Mill (red blend), and 2019 Simla (red blend) The wines are quite dry, which I prefer, but several in our party hoping for an off-dry wine settled for sangria instead. My preferred wines were Myra, Crossroads, and Simla.

The 2020 Myra is a dry rosé made from Petit Sirah. This salmon pink rosé was nicely balanced, with strawberry and raspberry on the nose and palate, and a pleasing finish. A simple, but elegant, rosé. 11.5%, ABV $25. 

The 2019 Crossroads Chardonnay is a blend of “Californian and European style Chardonnays” (no technical notes available online to provide more specificity). Although I’m not normally a fan of oaked Chardonnays, the oak here is mild, imparting vanilla notes. More importantly, the malolactic fermentation (which can render Chadonnays into buttered popcorn) was stopped early enough to impart creaminess without voiding the citrus and apple aromas and flavors. After the tasting, I got a full glass of this to pair with my lunch, a turkey sandwich with brie, pears, and fig spread.12.7% ABV, $30.

The 2019 Simla is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. In addition to the fresh red berries of the Cabernet Franc, I noted some coffee and chocolate notes on the nose, and spice and tobacco on the palate. This is a medium-bodied red wine with (still young) chewy tannins, that would pair well with roast meats. 12.8% ABV, $35. This wine won a Gold Medal in the “other red” category at the 2022 Beverage Tasting Institute Awards.

The winery is featuring a February special of an Andrew’s Selection flight paired with chocolates from Riley’s Candies and other sweet treats. They have musicians on Saturdays in their tent. With time, this young winery will only improve. Well worth a visit!