Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Springfield IL

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I’ve had the opportunity to taste a few Cooper’s Hawk wines at various events in the past , but on a recent trip through Springfield IL my wife and I took time to visit and have an early dinner at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant.

The location itself is very classy with separate entrances directly into the tasting room and bar from the outside patio. The Springfield location is one of over 52 the U.S.

Before stepping in for dinner, we were greeted in the tasting room by Chris. Before discussing the tasting, a bit of information. Cooper’s Hawk winery, located in Woodridge, IL, partners with some of the world’s premier vineyards, importing grapes from many regions, including California, Oregon, Chile, Argentina, Australia and Italy, enabling them to create over 50 varietals of wines.

On the day of our visit, the wine menu had 51 wines from which to choose. That alone was unexpected, and of course very welcome; at least until I had to choose the ones I wanted to try.

It is not often that I participate in a tasting where I like every wine, but I must admit that was the case on this visit. Chris was engaging and was not only knowledgeable about the wines, but was willing to share his personal preferences. My choices for the day are as follows, with their tasting notes my *favorites and +purchases noted:

  • Sauvignon Blanc – SIGHT Pale yel­low, green rim NOSE Clas­sic vari­etal aro­mas of lemon/​lime, goose­ber­ry, green herbs, and white flow­ers abound PALATE Light- to medi­um-bod­ied with mouth­wa­ter­ing acid­i­ty; bold fla­vor and a long cit­rus finish PAIRING Seafood, sal­ads, veg­gies, goat cheese
  • Chardonnay – SIGHT Straw yel­low, NOSE Pro­nounced aro­mas of baked apple, Asian pear, and grilled pineap­ple are accent­ed by toast, cin­na­mon, and vanilla PALATE Rich and creamy with bal­anced acid­i­ty, this medi­um-bod­ied wine deliv­ers notes of banana, mel­on, and spice PAIRING Smoked cheeses, poul­try, grilled or smoked salmon
  • Cooper’s Hawk Lux Chardonnay * + – SIGHT Bright yel­low NOSE A bou­quet of ripe lemon, stone fruits, mel­on, and Gold­en Deli­cious apple inter­twine with smoke, bak­ing spices, and caramel PALATE Dry, full-bod­ied, and round in the mouth, this wine pro­duces a lit­tle heat up front, fin­ish­ing with cit­rus, peach, and spice notes PAIRING Lob­ster or crab, mesquite chick­en, veal, rich sauces
  • Cooper’s Hawk Red * – SIGHT Opaque pur­ple NOSE Fruit for­ward with aro­mas of red rasp­ber­ry, black cher­ry, and black­ber­ry lead­ing into tobac­co, vanil­la bean, and cracked pepper PALATE Smooth tan­nins, medi­um weight, and a core of dark berries make this an easy sip­ping wine PAIRING Roast­ed turkey, chick­en parme­san, bratwurst or sausage
  • Old Vine Zin * – SIGHT Deep ruby red with pur­ple hues NOSE Lay­ers of fruit rang­ing from straw­ber­ry to black cur­rant are punc­tu­at­ed by pink pep­per, bak­ing spices, and sandalwood PALATE Spice notes and ripe, jam­my fruit is in har­mo­ny with round­ed tan­nins and live­ly acidity PAIRING Any­thing wrapped in bacon (dates, filet, scal­lops), sweet/​tangy sauces
  • Cabernet Sauvignon – SIGHT Opaque ruby red NOSE A bou­quet of mixed berries, pen­cil shav­ings, herbs, and a wealth of spices are com­ple­ment­ed by cig­ar box and oak nuances PALATE Dis­play­ing true vari­etal char­ac­ter sup­port­ed by a sol­id struc­ture and great bal­ance, this wine will con­tin­ue to drink well for years to come PAIRING Bone-in steaks, pun­gent cheeses, mush­room risot­to, rich dishes
  • Cooper’s Hawk Lux Meritage * + – SIGHT Dark ruby with hints of brick NOSE A dynam­ic nose of mixed berries, anise, toast, truf­fle, dried herbs, vanil­la, and flowers PALATE Firm tan­nins, good acid­i­ty, and full-bod­ied this wine exhibits amaz­ing depth that will devel­op with age, yet drinks well young PAIRING Mediter­ranean cous­cous, game hen, and Ital­ian braciole
  • Super Tuscan – SIGHT Red/​purple with gar­net rim NOSE Slight­ly earthy with aro­mas of choco­late, raisins, nut­meg, vanil­la, cher­ry, leather, and tobacco PALATE Full-bod­ied with mod­er­ate tan­nins and acid­i­ty, aro­mas devel­op well with decanting PAIRING Rich, hard cheeses, braised beef, or veal

Although I only purchased two bottles that day, I could easily have chosen many more to take home.

Blackened Ahi Tune – Seared Rare with Wasabi Sauce, Cilantro Citrus Rice, Asian Slaw

After the tasting, we moved to the beautiful dining room where we had a wonderful dinner. The menu has quite a selection appetizers, pasta, steak, chop, seafood, and chicken items, but I would not call them classic as they all seem to have chef’s own twist. This also applies to the selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and vegetarian items. I tried the Blackened Ahi Tuna, and it was amazing!

I truly enjoyed everything about Cooper’s Hawk, and look forward to returning to this and other locations in the future.

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, 2501 Wabash Ave, Springfield, IL 62704

Scott Morris