One Saturday, I convinced my wife and girls to take a day trip out to Lexington, MO. Lexington is located about 60 miles east of Kansas City. Since we took the Subaru and I was driving, I opted to take the more scenic River Road, Route 224 via I-435 and Highway 24 from Independence, MO.
Once off the Interstate, we drove the rolling hills of Independence and Sugar Creek on Highway 24. As we reached Buckner and went further inland, the hills smoothed out to a wide plain with row crops. Other than trees forming windbreaks between fields, you could see for a long way.
That all changed just before reaching Napoleon. We turned north and followed the River Road, Route 224. A windy and twisty road, I slowed down as the Missouri River came into view. I learned my lesson from driving Route 7 to the Lake of the Ozarks a few years earlier and wasn't about to make my passengers sick again.
As we came into Lexington, the road rose sharply and curled into town. Lexington had been on my list of places to visit. A friend at work had told me that in addition to its vineyards and wineries was that it was an Antebellum town and thrived before the Civil War. Much of the town had been settled along the Missouri River at the time and still retained many of the buildings and homes from that period. Looking online, it was also the site of Civil War battle and home to Wentworth Military Academy, a preparatory school. I also recalled that my uncle was an alum to Wentworth prior to going to the Police Academy.
First stop was the boat ramp on the Missouri River. There was a shelter and an informational sign describing Lewis and Clark's stop on the Missouri River. The River was cool, high, and of course muddy. People that were kayaking that day were distant specks at first, soon passed us by.
Next stop was the Lexington Historical Museum. The building housed memorabilia and artifacts from the towns early beginnings as a steamboat stop, as a railroad stop, its time as a boom town for Hemp, as a stop on the Pony Express, and the Civil War. Lexington was an early pioneer in Women's education and was home to many schools & colleges dedicated to their learning, thus earning the town the moniker, Athens of the West.
Next we drove through the town and looked at many of the still-occupied Antebellum homes. The visitor's center in downtown supplied us with an audio trail tour and map, listing the locations of prominent citizens' homes and historic events in Lexington. As the day wound down, we managed to get in a quick visit to the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site.
The museum has a number of exhibits and dioramas, which explain how and why the battle took place. A short movie in the auditorium helped convey the sentiments on both sides of the battle as well of those of the town people; new immigrants for the Union while others in the town vehemently supported the South. Just outside the museum are grounds of the battle and Oliver Anderson House.
By the time we'd walked the site, it was dinner time. With our picky eaters in tow, we ate at Papa Jack's Pizza. The girls had an order of cheesy breadsticks while my wife had an Italian sub & I had a personal pizza. All the food was freshly made and after a long day of exploring, our spirits were renewed.
I looked at our local winery brochure I'd picked up from the Lexington Tourism Bureau, while some of the Wineries were closed by 6pm, Fahrmeier Winery was still open. I called the vineyard and reached Bret Fahrmeier. He said they would be open late and gave us directions from Downtown Lexington.
The vineyard is located off of Highway 24 between Wellington and Lexington. We hadn't seen it since we came into town via Route 224, but Bret's directions ensured we didn't miss their entrance in between hills.
Driving up the gravel entrance, we encountered the tasting room/barn, an outdoor patio, and expansive views of the rolling hills covered with vines and other crops. Catching the kids' eyes was a playground.
We went inside the tasting room and encountered Patrick behind the bar. Patrick led us through the wine tasting. No one else was inside; Patrick said that later that evening a class reunion would be stopping by. We bought some soda and popcorn for girls; there's something about the smell of fresh popped popcorn that makes you want some even after you've already eaten.
Patrick explained that the farm grew fresh produce and that in 2008 the Fahrmeiers had branched out into growing wine grapes. Working with the University of Missouri, they'd also become a test farm for new varieties of grapes from around the world. Researchers were interested in seeing what varieties could grow in the Midwestern humid summers and also thrive in the freezing, icy winters. At last count, they'd had 23 varieties on 21 acres.
We began our tasting with the whites stating with a Vidal Blanc. It was dry with a hint of pear and apricot sweetness. Next we had a Vignoles. It was mouthful with sweet pineapple flavors with citrus notes. Next was the Abstract Pink. It was semi-sweet with fruitiness. The Catawba was next and it was sweet, almost dessert-like with floral notes. We then sampled the River Bluff White. It was a blend of Vidal, Vignole, and Traminette grapes. It was semi-dry with delicate honeysuckle flavors and had a crisp finish.
Then we began tasting Reds. First up was River Bluffs Red. It was a blend of Concord, Catawba, and Norton grapes. It was complex with both sweet and smoky flavors. Then came the Spring Fling, a Strawberry - Vignole blend. It had strawberry earthiness with Vignole sweetness. Up next was a Chambourcin. The wine had Bing Cherry tartness with an olive-like saltiness. It was followed by a La Petit Rue. It was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and La Petit Syrah grapes. It was milder and less full-bodied than the Chambourcin, but would probably be an easier sipping wine. Next was Sweet Tempered Tart, a blend of three years' worth of Chambourcin wines. It had the same Bing tartness, but now had effervescent acidity and bubbles. It was very interesting.
Lastly came the Bruges. A dessert wine with jammy flavors, but not completely sweet. It was like a robust Port with additional wood and spice flavors. Unfortunately, they were all out of their Norton. Patrick explained it was very popular and had won a national award in 2008, placing third out of 800 entries.
After buying our wine, we went outside to let the girls play on the playground. We also ran into Bret who was just returning from a day the Kansas City River Market. He thanked us for stopping by and let us know that the Blackberries would be ready in a couple of weeks by the Fourth of July. "As big as your thumb," he proclaimed. Bret mentioned that in the Fall, the farm has pumpkins for sale and offers hayrides. "It's not unusual to have a number of pumpkins get up to 200 lbs."
As we headed home, chasing the setting sun, we talked about how we'd have to come back to explore more of the town, but also to pick up more wine!
