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!"

Cheers to the Virginia Winery Cats

Winery dogs have long been a spotlight of wineries in Virginia, and elsewhere (just about every wine producing state has a "winery dog" coffee table book). The Notebook toasted our top five winery dogs several months ago: Virginia Wineries Going to the Dogs.

Feline fans have been emailing us (and asking us in person) when will the cats be spotlighted. Well, it has taken us several months to pare down the list of favorite Virginia winery felines to five. The blogmasters enjoy dogs but we are definitely more cat people. So when we find a winery that has a friendly cat in the vicinity, it is a big deal. Many (if not every) winery in the state seems to have a dog on the premises. Finding a cat winery is more of a challenge. But several do exist.

Cats are just as important for a winery and the vineyards as dogs are. Cats keep the vermin away. And some winery cat owners have confessed that their farm cats chase deer away too. And while a cat entering a tasting room won't usually be the entertainment provider to most visitors as a dog can be, those who appreciate the felines will stop their tasting process to say hi.

Admittedly, cats are not the center of attention at wineries compared to dogs, and as much as we'd love to write about the wild and crazy antics performed by these cats at the wineries, there is not much action to be seen with a cat around. It is an honor to be in their presence, however; there is a mystical quality to cats that dogs simply do not possess.

So with this lead up, we confess that the wines, as well as the wineries, in our list are perfect Virginia spots in nearly every way. The cat is an added bonus.

The Top Five Virginia Cat Wineries:

5. Cardinal Point Winery (south of Charlottesville)
Aubie is one of a few resident farm cats at Cardinal Point, one of the original Monticello AVA locations. We didn't know his name until recently, and dubbed him "Basketball" several years ago after meeting him the first time. Aubie is usually a presence in and around the tasting room, and hangs out with guests on the patio. Dogs don't deter him. He has made it abundantly clear on several occasions that he is in charge of that patio (and tasting room.....and the entire winery).

Aubie eating - what else?

Aubie marching down the steps in front of the tasting room to greet visitors:

4. North Mountain Vineyard and Winery (south of Winchester)
Ginger is a beautiful tortoise shell cat at North Mountain, a calming presence, particularly in the winter when she's napping by the tasting room's fireplace. She loves going outside as well, and has a knack for sniffing out the cat people visitors, and making herself at home on their picnic bench. North Mountain also was home to "OJ," (named after the beverage, not the infamous ex football star). OJ was an orange tabby who always greeted customers (Ginger is a bit more shy), and who sadly passed away a few years ago.

Ginger visits the picnic table:

3. First Colony Winery (south of Charlottesville)
Fritz the Cat is the feline attraction here (the owners must be Bob Crumb fans). Fritz is an orange tabby who landed at First Colony as a kitten, with two broken legs, about eight years ago. Fritz is a feisty one, rather typical of orange tabbies, and was recently featured in a Cat Fancy magazine article on winery cats.

Fritz says hi to visitors on the First Colony patio:

Fritz, indoors:

2. Willowcroft Winery (south of Leesburg)
Willowcroft is home to a bonafide Hemingway cat, a polydactyl (six toed) tabby who arrived at Willowcroft from a nearby home as a kitten, and splits his time between the winery and his home up the road. At the time of Flint's arrival, another feline named Bailey ruled the roost here. Bailey left several years ago (he belonged to the previous tasting room manager), but his name lives on empty wine bottles that featured his namesake: Bailey's Bluff (an off-dry rosé offered at the winery about ten years ago). Flint is a lively cat and always seems to be in "stalking" mode when we visit. That stands to reason given Willowcroft's rustic setting on a Blue Ridge foothill; lots of insects and small rodents to find! We keep waiting for a wine featuring Flint's name or image on a bottle here.

Flint, inside the Willowcroft barn:

Flint, chillin' in front of the tasting room:

1. Fabbioli Cellars (north of Leesburg)
All you need to know about the cat loving owners of Loudoun County's Fabbioli Cellars is summed up by this sign posted on the door leading to their tasting room:

Several cats have made Doug and Colleen's place their home through the years. So many, in fact, that the cats' names were printed on their bottles of rosé. But Warren is the indisputable king of this cat winery. Warren is another orange tabby (what is it about wineries and orange tabbies?), and presides over all matters of winery operation.

Warren at the tasting counter:

Warren shares the lair with Goldie, a white and orange tabby. Other felines have been spotted coming and going, but Warren and Goldie are the most social of the cats here.

Blogmaster David's cat and her favorite bottle of Fabbioli wine:

And no cat blog would be complete without cat videos! Here are some of the aforementioned kitties, along with a few honorable mentions.

Ginger (North Mountain Vineyard):


Fritz (First Colony):


Warren (Fabbioli Cellars):
Clip 1 (drinking from a wine glass)


Clip 2 (managing the tasting counter):


Rex (Capitol Vineyards, near Front Royal):


Charlie (James River Cellars, north of Richmond):


And finally, introducing Daug....Barrel Oak Winery's (BOW's) first winery feline. A wonderful Russian Blue taken in by BOW staff about four months ago: