Fauquier County Winery Spotlight: Delaplane Cellars

Our continuing coverage of wineries in that most winery-unfriendly county in Northern Virginia......

Delaplane Cellars, perched up on a hill with an irresistable view of the mountains on the western horizon, is another winner in the Delaplane/Marshall/The Plains section of the county (also known as "Crooked Run Valley," named after a creek many visitors will cross at least four times in this part of the county).

This is where wineries share the landscape with cattle ranchers, "old money" grumps, and antique stores. Employing sustainable practices similar to Cooper Vineyards and North Gate Vineyard, the airy interior of the tasting room meets expectations created while driving (and then walking) up the steep hillside. And the wines are stellar. This Fauquier location reminded the blogmasters of spots in Sonoma County.

The long tasting bar guarantees a tasting nearly as soon as you walk in, despite how busy they are. Viognier is the winner here; yet another Virginia winery working wonders with the official white grape. Maggie's Viognier is aged in French oak, versus American oak (which is the norm for many other Virginia wineries). The resulting wine is smooth with notes of butter rum and tangerine. Delaplane also ages its Chardonnay in French oak, resulting in a pleasing, dry white that pairs beautifully with trout or perch.

Of the reds, Delaplane is now working with Tannat, which some predict could be Virginia's new unique red, alongside Petit Verdot and Norton. Delaplane offers a 100% Tannat, as well as a blend (blended with Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc). Both make great cold weather reds, for pairing with stew or chili.

For warmer days, Delaplane Cellars has several picnic tables along the sloping hillside, looking down on the tasting room, as well as a patio offering a view that is one of the finest in Northern Virginia. The tasting room is encased by windows that boast these views for the colder months ahead.

You could make a day at Delaplane Cellars, or move on to other spots a stone's throw away in the Crooked Run Valley:
Three Fox Vineyards, Barrel Oak, and Vintage Ridge Vineyards, to name just three others.

URL:
Delaplane Cellars

Fauquier County Winery Spotlight: Mountains to Valley

In our ongoing coverage of vineyards and wineries in that "winery unfriendly" county of Fauquier, we turn the spotlight to Cobbler Mountain Cellars and Miracle Valley Vineyards--two wineries about 15 minutes from each other, located off state highway 55 near Delaplane. Cobbler Mountain Cellars, the younger of the two vineyards, gets its name from Cobbler Mountain (actually, mountains--the vineyards are located in the shadows of Big Cobbler Mountain and Little Cobbler Mountain, two foothills of the Blue Ridge). The blogmasters expect big things for this spot - they do nearly everything right. The owners are generous and hospitable. The wines are good to great. The tasting room is located in the cellar of their home. You truly feel that you're part of their family when you visit Cobbler Mountain Cellars. It may sound like a cliché, but there is something magical about this location. The owners are aware of this too, and the theme here is Irish folklore. On one visit, a group of teenagers performed haunting Irish folk songs with ukuleles and mandolins, adding to the "magic in the air" vibe. The home/tasting room lies on a hillside, and benches, chairs and tables adorn the sloping lawn. Or, you can grab a table under one of the apple trees. Which leads us to their offerings. This is a wine blog, but we have to call it like it is. The winner at Cobbler Mountain Cellars is their hard apple cider. This is not to be confused with apple wine. Apple wine is typically made incorporating grapes in the process. Hard apple cider is 100% apple. There is nothing better for a cool fall afternoon in October than hard apple cider. Cobbler Mountain's is incredible - like biting into a juicy golden delicious apple. Try it with brats or burgers. As for the wine, not a sub-par one on the list, and their varietals are impressive, considering how young the winery is: Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Meritage. They have more reds than whites (their sole white grape wine is a very good chardonnay, with notes of buttercream). Of the reds, our favorite was the merlot--peppery but smooth. Cobbler Mountain Cellars is an oasis from civilization - only about 45 minutes from Washington DC, but another world. From the mountains/foothills to the valley....Miracle Valley Vineyard, similar to Cobbler Mountain Cellars in size (that is, not a slick commercial operation). The tasting room is housed in charming old farm house overlooking a pond. The tasting is slow and leisurely paced. Several of their wines are award winners: Their Cab Franc and Cab Sauv are Virginia Gold Medal winners. Their Meritage is a Silver Medal winner at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. They've been making wine here longer than Cobbler Cellars, and have more options on the white side of the scale. Of the whites, the viognier and reserve Chardonnay stood out. The viognier is steel-aged and introduced to Hungarian oak for 30 days, resulting in a dry, spritzer-like wine with notes of grapefruit and pineapple. The reserve chardonnay begins in stainless steel and then is introduced to Hungarian oak for a year. The result is an incredibly complex chardonnay that works perfectly with poultry dishes. As for the reds, our favorite was the award-winning Cab Sauv, with soft tannins and the right amount of spice notes. From the mountains to the valley - visit these fine spots this weekend. Support Fauquier County wineries! Winery URLs: Cobbler Mountain Cellars; Miracle Valley Vineyard

Village Wine Stop #2: Delaplane

"Where, exactly, IS Delaplane?" Long-time northern Virginia residents will recognize the name Delaplane - one time home of Willard Scott and Robert Duvall; some "place" near Marshall and The Plains on the way to Skyline Drive; the name that appears on GPS systems along route 66. But where is the place? It's a crossroads, near the railroad tracks, right off Exit 23, and offers a general store, a post office, and an antiques shop. But Delaplane also offers a bonafide wine loop - some call this area the "mini Napa" of Northern Virginia. TEN wineries, all unique in their own ways, within seven miles of each other.

A list of these ten wineries can be found under this blog entry, but we will spotlight four of them, for a nice cross-section of this mini Napa.

Barrel Oak Winery, affectionately called "BOW," is a northern Virginia favorite, and despite only being open for about five years, is already an institution in the world of Virginia wine. Owner Brian Roeder is the always upbeat host, his wife Sharon is the head winemaker, and the place is always buzzing on the weekends (visit during the week for a more intimate experience). This winery has gone to the dogs. In a good way. A visit to this vineyard is like a Best in Show dog contest: You'll see dogs of every shape and size. The wines aren't too shabby: Our favorites remain their "pizza wines" (table white and table red--named Bowhaus White and Red). Their petit verdot is a bold award winner (for the other side of the wine spectrum). Their wines are a bit pricey compared to other wineries in the area, probably due to the constant improvements Brian makes to his property. And despite how busy the location is during the weekend, you can always be guaranteed a picnic table on the sloping hill.

A few minutes away from BOW is Three Fox Vineyards, up a steep grade near the railroad tracks and Goose Creek. Three Fox is home to some wonderfully dry white wines, as well as a smooth merlot (silver medal winner in the 2012 Governor's Cup). Three Fox has a great property for spreading out--name your pleasure. Relaxing on a hammock? Check. Picnic by the babbling creek? Check. "Unwined" near the tasting room on the patio? Check. Grab their famous "table in the sky" (a picnic table perched on a hilltop)? Check. Become their Facebook friend for special deals.

Further down the road, past the village of Delaplane, lies Vintage Ridge Vineyards. This location is unique in that they specialize in sit-down tastings where light food is paired with their vino offerings. On a warm day, take your seat on their patio overlooking the Blue Ridge foothills, and mellow out with a glass or bottle of the blogmasters favorites: "Summer Night" (vidal blanc) or delicious syrah.

Delaplane Cellars is the final spotlighted location in this "winery congested" section of Fauquier County. The tasting room is on a slope overlooking the mountains, and the whole location is environmentally friendly and airy. The stars here are the viogniers: A light one (LoCo Viognier) and a bolder one (Maggie's Vineyard Viognier). The Williams Gap red is a true meat lovers red, a blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot.

No longer just a crossroads, Delaplane is the heart of the Fauquier County wine trail and rumor has it a white oval bumper sticker is on the way: DELA.

Barrel Oak Winery
Three Fox Vineyards
Vintage Ridge Vineyards
Delaplane Vineyards

Additional Delaplane-area wineries:

Miracle Valley Vineyard
Cobbler Mountain Cellars
Aspen Dale Winery
Naked Mountain Winery
Capitol Vineyards
Linden Vineyards

Virginia Winery Snapshots: State Hwy 55

A virtual trip on the "wine highway" near Delaplane/Marshall, VA. Click on photo to start slide show.