Jefferson Vineyards

From the moment the first colonist arrived in Jamestown, there has been a concerted effort to grow grapes in the new world - either from the English's desire to compete with France - or from the colonist's desire to reproduce life in the motherland. The early colonial governments encouraged planting vineyards by deeding property contingent on planting vines and even passing quotas on individual winemaking. The most famous colonial vintner was Thomas Jefferson who with the assistance of Italian winemaker Filippo Mazzei attempted to grow vinifera grapes around Monticello. Until then the only native grapes had been vinification on a consistant basis since they were generally resistant to disease and pests. Jefferson believed, correctly, that vinifera grapes were the future and hoped to "jump-start" the Virginian wine industry. He granted Mazzei over 2000 acres to plant grapes in addition to 50 acres adjoining Monticello on which Mazzei would build his home, Colle. Although never a farmer, Mazzei encouraged Jefferson's vision by declaring the land the most suitable for grape growing he had seen. However frost killed the initials year's crop and the Revolutionary War soon followed. Mazzei threw away his plow for a musket and the vineyard fell into disrepair. It was completely destroyed after Mazzei rented Colle to a captured Hessian officer. According to Jefferson, “Riedesel’s horses in one week destroyed the whole labor of three or four years; and thus ended an experiment which, from every appearance, would in a year or two more have established the practicability of that branch of culture in America." Event without Mazzei, Jefferson continued to experiment with vinifera vines - but not surprisingly - each effort failed. For without modern vineyard techniques - vinifera grapes would never succeed in this climate. By the turn of the 19th century, Jefferson did find success with the Alexander grape, a chance hybrid between an native labrusca and vinifera. By 1811 his vineyards had been replanted with 165 cuttings of Alexander and he apparently became accustomed to the grape's unique flavor. But no longer were vinifera vine grown around Monticello.

In 1981 the Woodward family decided to replicate Jefferson's vision and with the assistance of a young Gabrielle Rausse, they replanted the vinifera vineyards that Mazzei had first planted over two years earlier. Rausse, by the way, had successfully planted vineyards at Barboursville Vineyards a few years earlier and has been a regular consultant with other vineyards surrounding Charlottesville since. He also has his own brand, Gabriele Rausse Winery, available for purchase in several Charlottesville retail outlets. But back to Jefferson Vineyards, they have been making award winning wine since this first planting. A few years ago, they hired Andy Reagan to "jump-start" the winery, which had become a little stagnate in the preceding years. Reagan planned to use his experience in several East coast wineries (Benmarl Winery & Vineyard and Chrysalis Vineyards) to boost Jefferson wines to national and international class.

Andy met us in the tasting room and lead us on a short tour of the facilities. This is a small operation. They only have 20 acres of grapes planted and produce about 5,000 cases a year. Yet they produce a large portfolio of wines - and primarily the vinifera wines that Jefferson initially attempted. There was Chardonnay, Gewürztaminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and a Meritage blend. In fact Reagan even blends his "100%" varietals, adding just enough wine from other grapes to legally declare the wine a 100% varietal. Some may quibble with this approach, but it works. The wines were fantastic - the closest to Veritas that we had found since we had left that winery. The 2007 Viognier was excellent and a top medal winner. It includes a small percentage of Petit Manseng and Pinot Gris to add balance. The Reserve Chardonnay was also nice - aged sur lies and made from only the best grapes . I was aged in oak where the heads of the barrel were re-toasted; an interesting approach. This provided a slightly buttery finish - but the initial taste was refreshing and acidic. The reds were even more outstanding. The Reserve Cabernet Franc was the favorite of several in our party - it seemed to just melt in the mouth; for us the Merlot was awesome. Others preferred the Reserve Petit Verdot. Or maybe the Meritage. Basically they were all excellent wines - full bodied, oak aged - but still fruity; some had spicier tails, others more tannic; but all drinkable now. This was a fun round of drinking with almost everyone admiring the next sample - although there were a couple of dissenters... But for us, we will return - Jefferson would be satisfied.

Blenheim Vineyards

We started the second day on our Monticello Wine Tour at Blenheim Vineyards, the domain of the Matthews family: Peter, Kathleen, and Dave. The winery is located in historic Blenheim, an area first granted in 1730 to the John Carter - the Secretary of the Colony of Virginia. Different properties were built and inhabited on the property - with the oldest being the Claims House - built in the 1730's. In 2000 Dave and Peter Matthews, along with partner and winemaker Brad McCarthy planted vines in order to create a winery on the site. The goal was to create a new style of wines, free from oak, the McCarthy saw on a regular basis as a winemaker in California. The winery operated privately for the next eight years with Peter managing the vines and Brad producing the wine. The winery was open by appointment only - so the wines were sold in neighboring retail outlets - basically by word of mouth. In 2007 McCarthy left, leaving Peter as the Directory of Operations. In June 2008 he hired Kirsty Harmon as the new winemaker and that is who greeted us on our arrival.

The winery building itself is a fascinating structure. It's enormity is hidden as the entrance is located on the down side of a hill - and the actual operations located beneath the slope - think of a walk out basement below a house. The fermenting and aging operations can be viewed from the tasting area through glass floors that run the length of the facility. The steeple ceiling and skylights provide character - and apparently no lights are required to brighten the tasting area during the summer. Looking out the back, Blenheim's vineyards spread out on the left, while neighboring Kluge Estate's vines are seen directly in the distance. This is a great location to hang out; and open area with excellent views. Our party of 12 comfortably settled into a long wooden table - ready to try the wines made from Ms. Harmon's predecessor.

The winery currently offers three Chardonnay brands, the Star label, Ox-Eye, and Blenheim Farm. Of the three the two vineyard specific wines were the best - the Ox-Eye grown near Stanton, the Blenheim Farm on the estate. The Ox-Eye had an interesting hazelnut tone whereas the Blenheim Farm was more acidic and refreshing. For reds, Blenheim currently offers a Cabernet Franc, Meritage blend, and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Franc was decent - nothing special, whereas the Meritage was a very good ever day drinking wine. It's lighter than most Bordeaux styled blends but has a nice cherry flavor. Plus its marked down to $10 in order to move inventory. Finally, the Petit Verdot was the full bodied red offering - made from estate grown grapes. It has some blackberry flavors and with enough tannins to encourage aging. It was a little awkward having Ms. Harmon describe wines she did not produce - so we headed into the fermenting area to sample her products.

Blenheim's new winemaker took an interesting route to that position. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1998 with a degree in biology and work with yeast strains for a number of years. Over time she developed an appreciation for wine and apprenticed with local winemaker Gabriele Rausse (look forward to our posting on Jefferson Vineyards to learn more about Rausse). Eventually she attended UC-Davis and in 2007 graduated with an M.S. in Viticulture and Enology. After graduation and pre-Blenheim she worked in France and in New Zealand honing her skills. Back to Blenheim we started with Viognier aging in steel - the wine was already crisp and fruity and look for bottling sometime in April. We moved to the barrels and sampled some free run Cabernet Franc and a more tannic version - with the fruit forward wine ready to drink now. She will eventually blend the two after determining the precise balance of fruit and tannin. The biggest surprise was Cabernet Sauvignon aging in a barrel. In general we are not fans of Virginia made Cabernet Sauvignon, but this version has potential. It actually had body and texture and should make a wine worth aging. We will look forward to this one as well as her Petit Verdot - which we realized is Virginia's nest hope for red wine.




The future is definitely bright at Blenheim. A new tasting room and new winemaker should make this winery a popular destination. We pass the winery on our frequent trips to Scottsville - so look for us on the deck. We may not even make our final destination.

King Family Vineyards

Our second stop on the Monticello Wine Trail was King Family Vineyards, the apparent winery of choice for University of Virginia students. For when we arrived, there were approximately 200 filling the tasting room and the patio. Who needs a keg party when a winery is close by - particularly on the first warm day of the year. Location, Location, Location. And David and Ellen King specifically chose this location when relocating to Charlottesville from Texas. The desired a large flat area for their thoroughbreds and found the flattest land in Albermarle County. Perfect for polo matches. They soon realized, however, that they need to find an economic value for the property - and chose to plant a vineyard. The first vines were planted in 1998, that produced only 500 cases a few years later. Today the winery is still a "boutique" operation, producing about 5,000 cases annually from virtually 100% estate grown fruit.

On our arrival, David King lead us into the barrel room away from the keg party where his wine portfolio was waiting. While sipping a glass of their methode champenoise style Brut, Mr. King informed us of his background, the winery's history and where he'd like to see the industry move. In fact he'd like Virginia to move away from "It's stupid for Virginia wineries to make California styled wines - we should grow grapes suitable for our region". This doesn't mean excluding vinifera wine from their portfolio - it means finding the correct grapes for their micro-climate and vinifying them in a unique style - not in the big, high alcohol, styles made out west. And later, winemaker Matthieu Finot reiterated this point by commented that "I don't believe in Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc will help Virginia wines to make a name. We should pick the varieties more suitable such as Petit Verdot, Viognier, Petit Manseng and possibly Albarino."

The 2007 Chardonnay was a great example of a Virginia made vinifera. It was fermented and aged in 70% neutral/30% new oak barrels for nine months which provided a slight smoky flavor with some vanilla - but allowed the fruit flavor to stand out. The same is true for their Viognier, which was fermented and aged 80% stainless steel tanks and 20% oak barrels. Once again this method provided some vanilla tones, but allowed the apricot fruit flavors to dominate. The only disappointment with the whites was the Roseland, a blend of 55% Viognier and 45% Chardonnay. Each variety was excellent as a single varietal, but the blend sort of washed out the distinctive qualities of the other grape. From a business decision it makes perfect sense to blend your lessor quality grapes - and we're sure the wine was selling quickly outside that day - but we definitely preferred the single varietals.

Moving to reds, we started with the Cabernet Franc - a mouthful of strawberry flavor. There's a hint of spice at the tail - but in general a smooth finish. The Merlot was even better - as Mr. King explained that this grape grows very consistently year to year. This is a good wine - full bodied with cherry flavors - which lead to their best red - the Meritage. A blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Petit Verdot; the wine was aged for 18 months in French. "The Merlot provides the core fruit with black cherry dominating. The Cabernet Franc rounds out the palate with fresh raspberry notes. The Petit Verdot adds depth, structure, color, and a slight floral character." This wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2008 Monticello Cup - a group favorite.

The final wine was the Loreley 'Late Harvest Viognier' made in an "ice wine" style. The grapes were frozen immediately after harvest which provided the concentration in sugar. This wine is pure apricot and similar to a Tokai Furmint. It was obviously sweet but without any gritty sugar sensations. A nice dessert wine. Since we couldn't budge close to the tasting bar, we'll be back on a quieter weekend - or perhaps to watch a polo match. The countryside and wines are worth a repeat visit.

Black Ankle Vineyards

We have been receiving reports lately about the Grand Opening of Black Ankle Vineyards, but really took interest when we learned that the winery was awarded the Maryland Governor's Cup in their first vintage. The winery was founded by Ed Boyce and Sarah O'Herron, who decided to craft their own wine after years of being consumers. They research grapes, the wine-making process, terrior, and discovered a farm in central Maryland that met their criteria. The duo decided on several traditional grapes - but also planted a few unique grapes - primarily the Spanish grape Albarino, the Austrian favorite Gruner Veltliner, and the ancient Muscat. The other estate white wines are made from Viognier and Chardonnay, whereas the reds consist of Syrah, Pinot Noir, and all five Bordeaux red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. It was a blend of these five grapes that won the 2008 Governor's Cup, their 2006 Crumbling Rock.

Black Ankle Vineyards is located just outside of Mt. Airy and is situated near several other wineries. However, Black Ankle differs from these wineries in that they produce only dry wines - if you care for sweet wines - then visit the other wineries afterward. The tasting room is a large stucco building with enough comforts to encourage a long stay - particularly the fireplace and indented table. And the wines were terrific. Ms. O'Herron explained that they attempt to make wine in the style they enjoy - dry, but with flavor and structure. Their Viognier and Gruner Veltliner were good examples of this approach. They both were earthy with honey flavors and a slight nutty finish. Odd for wines aged in stainless steel. The Viognier was much different than the traditional Virginia versions - more old world than new world. The Albarino was also excellent - much more citrus than the other whites. The final white wine we tasted was the 2006 Bedlam - a blend of all their white grapes. It is a refreshing acidic wine with good lineage: the 2007 version was awarded the 2008 Maryland Winemaster's Choice Award.

The red wines were just as intriguing. We started with the 2006 Passeggiato - made from 100 percent Syrah. It is unique in that it is made with a light body - but full of raspberry flavors. The more traditional Syrah spiciness is evident in their 2006 Syrah, which includes 10% Pinot Noir. Even with the spicy finish, it is a smooth wine - we noticed cherry flavors and some vanilla. The first Bordeaux styled blend was the 2006 Cosecha - made from all five of the Bordeaux grapes. It is medium bodied and very drinkable now - in fact - it was our choice for dinner that evening. It is earthy and smooth - with some cherry and raspberry flavors. Finally we tried the 2006 Crumbling Rock - and yes, we can see why it was awarded the cup. Interestingly it has a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than the Cosecha and contains no Malbec. It is made full bodied - earthy, with enough tannins that Ms. O'Herron suggests will age very nicely. The wine also differs from the Cosecha in that the flavor is more evident of black fruits and not red fruits. This is a nice wine - that proves that vinifera grapes can make excellent wines in the mid-Atlantic. And that was it. No semi dry wines nor dessert wines. Just an excellent addition to the Maryland wine community.

Barrel Oak Winery

After many months of delay, we finally visited Barrel Oak Winery, another new winery in Fauquier County. Sharon and Brian Roeder officially launched the winery in May 2008 and we have been lax in visiting - even after several friends and fellow bloggers had favorable impressions after their visits. This weekend the winery was hosting a Pumpkin Decorating for the Kids! so we drove out Route 66 for a visit. Several other families had already beaten us to the winery, and this was apparently a slow day. There were also several four legged friends as BOW encourages visitors to bring their leashed pets. Not only are dogs allowed on the patio - they are also welcome inside the tasting room. Our dogs like that idea.

Barrel Oak is located on a hill overlooking Little Cobbler Mountain and the John Marshall Oak Hill estate. The two year old estate vines roll along one side of the property and soon BOW will have a local source of Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Merlot, Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc, Petit Verdot and Petit Manseng. In the meanwhile, the winery sources grapes from several well established vineyards including Keswick Vineyards. The production facilities are built into a hill and the winery is heated and cooled by a geothermal system.

When we arrived, the children quickly found the pumpkin painting area and we were escorted to the tasting bar. The winery opened on a grand scale - producing over a dozen styles of wine. That's a large selection for any winery - not to mention one in its infancy. We started with the BowHaus White, a semi-dry blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vidal Blanc. It has a citrus flavor and balanced acidity - and it was selected as our picnic choice for the day. The Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay Reserve were next with the later being a favorite. It is made in the traditional European style - sur lees - and fermented in stainles steel and aged in neutral French oak. The final white was their Viognier and this was the most interested version of this varietal we had tasted. It is made dry - but contains some sweetness. The citrus flavor makes way for a silky finish produced by aging in Hungarian oak. This is a nice wine. It's no surprise that the Late Harvest Viognier was also a good dessert styled wine.

Turning to reds, we started with the Bowhaus Red a table wine blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Touriga; Bordeaux and Portugal in a bottle. For a young wine, this is remarkably smooth with great flavor and little acidity. This was our second choice for the afternoon's picnic. The next wine was the Tour Ga Franc, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Touriga, and possibly the first time we had tasted this combination. It is also smooth with a little more spiciness than the Bowhaus Red. Plus, $2 from every bottle is donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. They followed with several Bordeaux styled wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The last was our favorite and perhaps our overall favorite; it is dry, full bodied with cherry and some chocolate flavors. This is a big wine. The other Bordeaux styled wines were not bad either - the Cabernet Sauvignon had a unique nutty finish whereas the Merlot and Cabernet Franc both had full cherry flavors with a slight spiciness to the Cab Franc.

Besides being only an hour outside of Washington, D.C., Barrel Oak Winery offers several incentives to visit. They host various events each month ranging from Friday night movies, Saturday night music, barrel tasting, book signing, plus more.... Even after the events, visitors must have an incentive to return which usually has a direct correlation to the quality of the wine. We really liked the wines, both the whites and reds - and the wine is competitively priced to other wineries in the area. So count us as future returnees.

More pictures are available at Compass Tours at Wine-Compass.com.

Virginia Wine Showcase - Cooper Vineyards Petit Verdot

The bloggers decided to share a bottle of wine since it was getting crowded at the tables and we selected Cooper Vineyards Petit Verdot - which won a Gold medal at the 2007 VA Governors Cup. This wine is a blend of 80% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; it has a full berry flavor and a slightly spicy, but smooth finish. April, The Food Scribe, found samples of cheddar cheese that was a perfect match. She gained instant credibility in our eyes.

Boxwood Winery

While driving through the small village of Middleburg, I noticed that Boxwood Winery's long anticipated satellite tasting room had finally opened. Boxwood's winery complex is only open by appointment only so they opened a tasting room in the middle of Middleburg, convenient for local residence and tourists. Boxwood produces Bordeaux style wines with the consultation of famed wine maker Stephane Derononcourt. Currently they have released two wines; a dry Rosé and a Bordeaux blend Topiary. So that you can compare their offerings with other Bordeaux wines, Boxwood has installed an Enomatic machine loaded with several famous Bordeaux wines and their Topiary.

And their wines are excellent. I missed including the dry Rosé in our blog posting of local rosé wines by a day. This rosé has a great fruit aroma with a strawberry flavor and a smooth, refreshing, dry finish. The Topiary is a full bodied blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The nose is amazing - the exact same as many of the Bordeaux wines we recently tasted at the Bordeaux 100 event. The rest of the wine is smooth - from the black cherry flavor to the long finish.

Visiting Middleburg has also been a worthwhile en devour. Now you have one more reason to visit: a chance to sample extraordinary Bordeaux style wines.

Linden Vineyards

Over the past three years we had heard several Virginia wine enthusiasts recommend a visit to Linden Vineyards. We were told that the winery provided excellent views of the surrounding hillsides and that the wine was some of the best produced in the state. We had previously tasted their Hardscrabble Chardonnay – and were instant fans - and were eager to try their other offerings. Linden is located just off Route 66 close to Front Royal – about 40 minutes from the Beltway. Once you exit Route 66 and reach Linden the trip is an enjoyable, twisting ride among cattle and horse farms. The winery, itself, sits on a hill with awesome views of the surrounding hills. The rumors were apparently true.

Over 25 years ago, Jim Law accepted his first job as a Virginian winemaker and eventually purchased the abandoned Hardscrabble Farm on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Through the years he increased his land holding so that currently all grapes used in Linden wines are grown in the mountains surrounding the winery. These vineyards now include the original Hardscrabble Vineyard, plus the Avenius and Boisseau vineyards.

Linden Vineyards provides a free tasting of several wines and a $12 reserve tasting on the weekends. Today we skipped the reserve tasting because of time constraints and participated in tasting their 2005 Seyval, 2006 Rosé, 2005 Cabernet Franc, 2003 Claret, and 2006 Vidal-Riesling. The 2005 Seyval is a dry wine with a strong grapefruit flavor and a slightly acidic finish. The 2006 Rosé is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, made with minimal skin contact. This wine is also made dry which is a welcome change from the many sweeter Rosé styled wines on the market. The wine also has a nice berry flavor and a slightly grapefruit flavor finish. Interesting. Moving to their reds, the 2005 Cabernet Franc is outstanding. It is a full-bodied, dry wine with a cherry flavor and spicy finish. This is another example of the excellent Cabernet Franc made in Virginia. Their other red is the softer 2003 Claret, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. The wine is medium bodied with berry flavors and a completely smooth finish. Finally, the 2006 Vidal-Riesling was a bomb – that is – a mouthful of acidity and citrus that moved throughout your mouth. Here is your summer wine; slightly sweet with spicy flavors. This is the one we took home.

It was satisfying to validate the many claims we had received regarding Linden’s wines. And we enjoyed “hanging out” on their deck, talking with other patrons about Linden and the Virginia wine industry. We are looking forward to our return visit and a trip into the reserve cellar.