Misty Mountain Hop: Nelson County and Northwest Quadrant Monticello AVA jaunt

On the last weekend in April 2016, The Notebook embarked on a long weekend winery jaunt in Nelson County and the Northwest Quadrant of the Monticello AVA. We visited a few old friends, and a new spot (for us), which is likely to earn a place in our Top Ten in the State list.

The weather was misty all weekend, and rather cool. With all of the green, we got the feeling we were driving through the Scottish highlands, and not the Blue Ridge Mountains. The heavy rain came down on Sunday, but we did our winery hopping on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, we had all three locations pretty much to ourselves - taking a day away from work is truly the best way to do Virginia wineries.

Friday:

Barboursville Vineyards. We decided to hit BBV first around 11:20 on Friday; as any Virginia wine fan knows, this place gets busy. We call it the "Dr. Frank of Virginia" for a reason (and those familiar with wine history on the U.S. east coast will know all about Dr. Frank and his Finger Lakes vineyards). They have been growing grapes here since 1976, and bottling since 1979. We haven't visited BBV since 2007, and were happy to see that tastings are still $7, and efficiently handled (whites on one end of the tasting counter, reds in the middle, and desserts at the end; for an additional fee, you can visit the library and sample reserve wines, including the famous Octagon label). With one other small group ahead of us, the tasting process was slow paced (compared to a sunny Saturday in the spring, when the tasting room is three rows deep with visitors). As expected, every wine was fabulous. Our favorites were the Viognier Reserve, with light citrus and pear notes, and the Cab Sauv, bold and delicious, with a blackberry finish.

Next stop, about a 45 minute drive to Nelson County (south of Waynesboro): Flying Fox Vineyard.
This small winery has been one of our favorites since they opened a little under 10 years ago. The mist was getting heavier, blocking the view of the mountains beyond the meadow in the back a bit. But we had an extremely entertaining tasting experience with Kim at Flying Fox (although no cartoon fox in a mode of flight on any bottles this year....) We were blown away by their Viognier (by this time, we had a feeling that Viognier was going to be the star of this trip), a nice combination of smooth and crisp, with notes of apricot. The Trio blend was one of the reasons we had to visit Flying Fox, and it didn't disappoint.....Merlot/Cab Franc/Petit Verdot, beautifully balanced.

The final stop on Friday was Cardinal Point Winery, a few minutes away from Flying Fox. We were sad to hear Aubie, one of the favorite Virginia winery cats, had passed away several months ago - a picture of him hangs in the tasting room as a tribute. On a more uplifting note, Cardinal Point's red 2014 Clay Hill Cabernet Franc, was selected for the 2016 Virginia Governor's Cup Case. An elegant and not too peppery Cab Franc; a sure fire crowd-pleaser. We were surprised to enjoy the reds more at Cardinal Point during this trip (we've been more of a fan of their whites in previous years; maybe the misty, overcast and cool weather contributed to this). But that's not to say the whites were shabby. Their "Green" (made from Chardonnay and Petit Manseng) was just as unique and tasty as we remembered it to be.

After three wineries, Arby's in Waynesboro hit the spot (sometimes fast food is all you need, and the roast beef sandwiches were a perfect finish to a day of tasting wine....). The party continued at the motel with craft brews from nearby Champion and Blue Mountain breweries. On to day 2....

Saturday:

Saturday was even mistier than the day before, and the clouds shrouding the mountains made for plenty of photo ops. Especially at our first stop, in the Northwest Quadrant of the Monticello AVA: Moss Vineyards. We had been meaning to visit this winery since they opened in 2012. As we drove up the steep (but not as long as nearby Stone Mountain Vineyards...) driveway, the tasting building was an impressive sight, situated right beneath the tree line on a mountainside. We were not surprised to learn that Barry Moss, the owner and winemaker, is an architect based in Virginia Beach. Barry led us through the tastings, explaining the wines while injecting comments about our other passion - music - into the conversation. He has some ambitious ideas for music performers for the covered picnic area down the slope from the tasting building.

Moss Vineyards:

The wines Barry is focusing on are complex and fantastic. Every one of them - a real testament, given the young age of the winery. Viognier, again, was a star here. We did a vertical tasting of the 2011 and 2014 Viogniers. Although they were similar, both aged in stainless steel and with a touch of effervescence, we preferred the 2014 varietal; a bit less watery. As for the reds, the Vino Rosso is the stand out, although all of the reds are wonderful. We picked up a few bottles of Vino Rosso, 75% Cab Sauv and 25% Cab Franc. Several years ago, it was difficult to find a good Cab Sauv in the Commonwealth. Now the Cab Sauvs are worthy of comparison to the California versions, albeit less alcohol than the west coast wines.

The view from Moss Vineyards:

The only negative about Moss Vineyards is there is now another excellent winery in the Charlottesville area to visit on these much-too-short weekends (even long weekends!) Too many Virginia wineries, not enough time.

The final two stops were two long time favorites: White Hall Vineyards and King Family Vineyards. More music talk (toasting Prince) at White Hall Vineyards, and two more bottles of Viognier, please (one for enjoying at the winery, and another for the road). We also learned about White Hall's "rotating cap" (please don't call it a "screw top.") All of their wines, including their reds, utilize the arguably more eco-friendly (and less costly) rotating cap. A few minuscule holes are punctured into the metal cap, to allow a tiny amount of oxygen in (approximately the same amount that would enter the bottle if sealed with a traditional cork). We were assured by the pourers at White Hall that the reds will age just as long sealed with their rotating caps as they would be if sealed with cork.

King Family Vineyards, the place with the majestic view and polo field, was as lively as we remember (this was our first visit in about 7 years). An expanded tasting room, additional patios, and lowered prices - there is plenty of competition in the Crozet area of Virginia now (White Hall, Grace Estate, Stinson, and Pollak a few minutes away). Competition has its rewards to the customer. As the last winery of the weekend, we took our time during the tasting, and made off with a few glasses of Crosé (their cleverly named dry, Merlot-based rosé) and bottles of their port-style "7" (aged for two years in Kentucky Bourbon barrels).

After this weekend, we once again told ourselves, "who needs a flight to San Francisco or Portland? Virginia has the best wine in the country!"

Monticello AVA Quadrant Series: Northeast

The Monticello AVA is officially "Virginia's Napa." With over 30 wineries (and more to come) surrounding the Charlottesville area, the Monticello AVA contains more vineyards and wineries than most other states.

Those who plan to "hit C'Ville for some wine tasting" should plan their trip accordingly. It's very easy to get lost in the world of Jefferson country wineries. For that reason, we've split the AVA into four quadrants: Northwest, Southwest, Southeast and Northeast.

Each quadrant offers the full spectrum of winery experiences: From industrial, working vineyard vibe, to romantic and intimate, to big event focused spots. With so many wineries in the area, even breaking the AVA down into four sections isn't enough spotlight every location. We'll zoom in on our favorites and also suggest the best route.

We left off in the Southeast quadrant, south of Charlottesville on route 20. Continuing north on route 20, under I-64 and into the city, the highway continues north towards the Northeast Quadrant, the final spotlighted section of the Monticello AVA. This quadrant is the home of two of the most famous, and popular, wineries in the AVA (and the state), and two lower key locations. There are plenty of grape cluster signs in these parts, so focus on the roads and the scenery, vs. looking down at your GPS or Virginia Winery map.

Burnley Vineyards is your first stop. The winery actually looks more like a big country home, and the basketball hoop that adorns the building just adds to that home effect. Burnley, named after the nearby village, is one of the oldest wineries in the state. Walk into their warm tasting room and most likely a member of the Reeder family (and one of their dogs) will greet you. In the winter, the family offers a warm mulled wine and hot soup or chili days. The sitting room in the back of the tasting building contains ramshackle tables and rolling desk chairs that the family must have picked up at office sales. This adds to the quirky appeal to Burnley.

Don't let the quaintness and quirkiness of the location fool you--they make a lot of wine here. In fact many of their selections are offered at retailers like Total Wine. Many of their wines are on the sweeter side, making this an excellent option for those just getting into the Virginia wine scene (it was one of the first state locations one of the blogmasters visited way way back in 2001). Rivanna White (a table white from Vidal Blanc) and Rivanna Sunset (a blush made from Chambourcin) are perfect chili and pizza wines, respectively; the sweetness offsetting the spices of the chili and the pasta sauce of the pizza. On the dry side, they are one of the few Virginia locations that has perfected Cabernet Sauvignon; they offer an unfiltered Cab Sauv full of body and with heavy notes of plum. This is a bold red that will age beautifully, and the price for this sophisticated wine is one of the reasons we urge all Virginia fans to visit the Monticello AVA: $18 a bottle. That's about $10 or $15 less than you would pay for this kind of wine in northern Virginia.

The aforementioned mulled wine is made from their Spicy Rivanna wine. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, anise, orange peel, lemon peel and residual sugar added to their Rivanna Red table wine and can be chilled (for summer imbibing) or steaming hot like tea. We prefer the family-feel of Burnley compared to the next two locations in the Northeast quadrant.

However.....those next two locations, Barboursville Vineyards and Horton Vineyards, are two of the most well-known locations along the east coast. Both tasting rooms can be a bit overwhelming so a bit of warning is needed.

Barboursville Vineyards is what we call "the Smithsonian winery of Virginia." Visiting their tasting room is akin to visiting one of the more popular Smithsonian museums, complete with busy tours of their barrel room and the ruins that are featured on their labels. Tastings at the wine counters can be three people deep of visitors (for that reason we encourage visiting during the week). The famous winemaker here, Luca Paschina, can occasionally be found behind the counter, pouring wine. Totally unassuming and modest despite his reputation as a first class winemaker in the country, Paschina offers tastings of their most famous wine, Octagon, a Meritage blend that stands up against the world class wines of France and California. At $50 a bottle, a little on the pricey side, but well worth the investment for the serious collector. Their Pinot Grigio is our favorite here, and can be found at most retailers in Virginia. A superb dry Pinot, with notes of apple and pineapple. Another popular delicious, consistent winner here is their stainless steel Chardonnay, crisp and dry with touches of pear and lemon notes.

Horton Vineyards is a short eight minute drive from Barboursville, and like Barboursville Vineyards, is ever-present on shelves in Virginia (and surrounding states) retailers. There are so many wines offered at Horton that two tasting counters have been set up in the tasting room: White and red. The blogmasters were actually monitored at the white tasting station during one visit, which was a little off-putting at first, but given the number of wines here, the staff was simply looking out for us, otherwise we would have stumbled out of their tasting room. Viognier is one of the star varietals here; Dennis Horton was one of the first Virginia winemakers to experiment with the grape, paving the way for future Commonwealth varietal experts like Bernd Jung at Chester Gap Cellars and Mark and Vicki Fedor at North Gate Vineyard. Viognier is such a specialty at Horton that they offer a customized Viognier for Total Wine, part of Horton's "Tower series" of wines.

Perhaps Horton's most intriguing wine is Rkatsiteli, a slightly off-dry varietal from Georgia (Russia, not the U.S.) that is unique and offers notes of honeysuckle and tangerine. Only a few wineries in the U.S. offer "Rkats" (as they call it here); the famous Dr. Konstantin Frank Cellars in the Finger Lakes region of New York is another location, and Rebec Vineyards between Charlottesville and Lynchburg has also offered the wine in the past. Horton's Black Cat Chardonnay is another fixture at retailers, and is one of those rare Chardonnays that really opens up when chilled. On the red side of the spectrum, we're huge fans of Horton's $9 table wine, Route 33 Red. A blend of several red varietals, including Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Touriga, Syrah, and Grenache, you can buy a case of this stuff and not feel broke. It's a great party gift wine.

After enduring the crowds at Barboursville and Horton, if you're ready for a more relaxed and subdued experience, we can't say enough great things about the newest location in this quadrant: Reynard Florence Vineyard. Named after the French word for "fox" (thus yet another fox-themed winery in Virginia) and the owner/winemaker's wife, Reynard Florence boasts an intimate tasting room, a low key patio and views of the rolling foothills northeast of Charlottesville. It's an irresistible location that is hard to leave. Owner Roe Allison, a native to the Monticello area and former student at UVA, drew from his experience in the building business and skill as a carpenter in planning the vineyard’s design: A high cordon wire to minimize frost, proper spacing for optimal growth, and high, layered guide wires that maximize sunlight and canopy management are techniques that ensure fine vintages. And his wine is out of this world good, particularly his Cab Franc, with touches of cranberry and tobacco, and Merlot.

Reynard Florence is one of the few Virginia locations working with Grenache, which was one of the blending grapes found in Horton's Route 33 Red. Grenache is a bold, tangy red popular in Argentina as an alternative to Merlot. Roe's favorite wine growing section of the world, Côtes du Rhône, usually offers over 80% Grenache. It's one of the most grown varietals in the world, but its tight clusters make it particularly susceptible to powdery mildew and fungi in Virginia's humid growing season, making it as difficult to grow here as Pinot Noir. Roe devotes attention to his Grenache, and his passion for the varietal pays off, as this wine is usually sold out a month after it's released.

As for whites, Reynard Florence spotlights another Virginia up and comer, Petit Manseng, which is off-dry and not as "spit out" sweet as some other Mansengs found in the state. Reynard Blanc (translation: Fox White) is an off-sweet table wine that is sure to please new wine fans, particularly females, from UVA. Any conversation with Roe is sure to include the cute winery dog, a corgi. As evidenced from this write-up, Reynard Florence is one of our new favorites in the state.

Exploring the Monticello AVA quadrants makes for countless memorable vacations, or weekend getaways, from the high pressures of northern Virginia. Whichever quadrant you select, endless pleasures and delicious varietals await you.

Snapshots from the Northeast Quadrant:

Burnley Vineyards:

Barboursville Vineyards:

Reynard Florence Vineyards: