A Day in the Potomac Cluster

As much as we enjoy exploring all of the wineries in the Commonwealth, we seem to land in Loudoun County most often. With over 40 wineries (more wineries than most states), in such close proximity to Washington DC and Northern Virginia (and the western Maryland DC suburbs), these wineries are a natural fit. Not that we would love to check out the wineries in the far-off regions of Virginia the Notebook has not explored yet (for those familiar with the Virginia winery map, the "yellow region," in particular–the wineries in south central Virginia on the North Carolina border). Our day jobs don't allow for such long weekend journeys, and our vacations are usually occupied with family members not especially interested in the winery scene.

We have been to over 155 wineries in the state, with more to come (hopefully). Loudoun County draws us back for the aforementioned reasons, plus the wines are uniformly fantastic, and with such heavy competition from other wineries, the prices are not as high as you'd expect.

The county is divided into six clusters, making a day (or weekend) jaunt to wineries relatively close to each other more enjoyable (i.e., less time in the car driving). Choose a cluster and then select your wineries.

On a whim last weekend, the Notebook descended on the Potomac Cluster, appropriately named as most of these wineries are only a few miles from the river and the Maryland border. A right turn off northbound route 15, onto Limestone School Road, about 7 miles north of Leesburg, leads you to Fabbioli Cellars....a place the Notebook has been visiting since their opening. Anyone with even a passing interest in Virginia wine knows who Doug Fabbioli is, and he was taking care of his guests via tractor, offering to ignite fire pits on a sunny, almost-too-cold-to-be-outside, Sunday afternoon. We skipped the food and wine pairing here, as we know that every wine is a winner. The new round house-style tasting room was open (it had been open for 6 weeks), and bustling with people. Although the previous tasting room was memorable, the place could get packed on the weekends. The new tasting building is two stories, the second story over 21 only....and a ground-level deck is in the works.

Fabbioli Cellars' new tasting building:

The aforementioned food and wine pairings are set up in individual stations on the ground floor of the tasting building. Upstairs, the space is airy, with tables tastefully arranged, and has the potential of being a great wedding reception and parties room:

The Notebook wrote about new tasting rooms in "Washington DC's Wine Country" a few months ago, and Fabbioli's is a worthy addition to the article.

Down Fabbioli's driveway, making a left turn, we pass by Winery 32, about 2 miles up the road (which seems like 10 miles because of the quality of the gravel road). We spotlighted Winery 32 a few years ago, and with other destinations in mind, we decided to drive past their entrance (the 32 peach trees planted along their driveway seem to be doing well). The next stop was The Winery at Lost Creek (formerly known as simply Lost Creek Winery). We haven't visited this winery in over ten years, when it was owned by the Hauck family, one of the first wineries in the county. Back then, their wines tended to be on the sweeter side, although we always enjoyed their location and hospitality. New owners Todd and Aimee Henkle, and consulting winemaker Sebastien Marquet (from Doukenie Winery), have shifted gears and now concentrate on drier Burgundy and Bordeaux styles. Three Chardonnays (two oak barrel aged, and one steel barrel aged), Vidal Blanc, an off-dry (not too sweet) rosé, and three red gems: A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and two Bordeaux blends. We got the feeling during our visit that Lost Creek, with Marquet's assistance, is striving for the notch above the typical winery offerings in the county.

The tasting room, with its gas fireplace, is just as we remembered. Outside, the location on the bluff invites you to stay a few hours, especially if you're a fire pit fan:

Enjoying a glass of the Lost Creek Provenance, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot:

After visiting The Winery at Lost Creek, the next winery is literally a stone's throw away. Pushed back from the main road and surrounded by pine trees, the log cabin-set Hidden Brook Winery was the sister winery of Lost Creek Winery, run by the son of the previous Lost Creek owners and his wife. Eric and Deborah Hauck continue to run the winery, and the relationship with Lost Creek next door is no longer "in the family," although it is a friendly competition (there are signs on the driveway leaving Lost Creek leading visitors to Hidden Brook).

As is the case with Lost Creek, Hidden Brook matured from the previous line up of sweeter offerings. Most wine fanatics start with the sweet stuff, and then evolve into dry wine fans. That is certainly the case with Hidden Brook. The current (April 2016) line up of wines contains only one off-dry style, Vidal Blanc. Chambourcin and Merlot are the stand-outs here, both perfect for the unseasonably cold April day we visited. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only true log cabin tasting room in the state, although we have yet to discover the "yellow area" of the Virginia wine map. The surrounding pine trees make you feel as if you're in rural Maine, not suburban Virginia.

Inside the Hidden Brook tasting room:

Kicking back with Chambourcin, which despite its "American" label, is grown and made in Virginia:

The front porch at Hidden Brook:

No trip to the Potomac Cluster would be complete without a visit to Tarara, one of the original Virginia wineries. Stop in and try their latest Tranquility Red.

Cheers!

NEW WINERY SPOTLIGHT 8: WINERY 32

Yet another newbie in Loudoun County (they keep coming and coming and coming....see our previous post on the subject), Winery 32 opened a few weeks ago in the Potomac winery of the cluster. This cluster is also home to Fabbioli Cellars, The Winery at Lost Creek, and its neighbor Hidden Brook Winery, as well as one of the grand daddys of the Virginia wine scene, Tarara.

A leisurely 20 minute (due to the gravel) drive down Limestone School Road, directly off route 15, will lead you right to Winery 32's gates (look for the windmill). After entering, you'll immediately notice peach trees that hug the driveway to the tasting room. 32 peach trees, to be exact. The number has several meanings at this location that we won't spoil for you (the tasting room pourers love to tell the story - hint: it's a love story).

A large pond (large enough it could be dubbed a lake) appears in the distance as you make your way up the long driveway. Winery 32's beautiful new tasting building is wood-focused, bright, and airy. There is a loft upstairs open to all visitors, and a separate room behind the tasting room that can be reserved for large parties.

Views of the tasting room from the loft:

The winery's bar is normally staffed by very enthusiastic pourers who run through a relaxed tasting. As the winery is new, it's not as congested as others in the area; however as the case with every other new winery, word will get out and you can expect crowds in the future.

Each bottle of wine has labels that were designed by the daughter of the owners, and reflect the environment in and around the winery. Koi fish (who live in the large pond), herons (who amazingly do not attempt to eat the koi), alpacas (they raise alpacas, small llamas, on this farm), the windmill and the power plant (across the Potomac in Maryland). Admittedly the image of the ugly power plant did not mesh with the natural beauty of the other pictures, but fair is fair. And having two symbols of power (farm windmill and power plant) is appropriate for the wine inside the bottle: A powerful and peppery Cabernet Franc.

The Koi fish bottle houses a table white, off dry but not too sweet (a blend of Vidal Blanc and Traminette). Chardonnay, slightly oaked but not overly buttery, fills the alpaca bottle. A heron graces their Merlot, velvety smooth with notes of elderberry. A complex Chambourcin has a downtown Leesburg image on its bottle. Finally, there are the peach wines, one blended with Vidal blanc and the other a pure peach dessert wine. The former would work wonders with hot Thai or Chinese food and the latter could be poured over pound cake or cheesecake. The peach wines are named after Gloria, the variety of peach tree growing on their property.

Enjoying a bottle of the chardonnay:

Plenty of tables with umbrellas are set up on the deck; alas it was misty and rainy when we visited, but that created a different type of mood:

The Moosher family and the Notebook invite you to visit this beautiful new spot this weekend!

Winery URL:
http://www.winery32.com/

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:

A Creek Runs Through It (Part II)

Continuing with our creek/stream/river running through it theme, we visit another creekside location, this one a little closer to home base (Washington DC suburbs...): Creek's Edge Winery, in north Loudoun County near the town of Lovettsville.

We have been waiting for Creek's Edge to open its doors for nearly a year. They were listed prematurely in last year's Virginia Winery Map, and a visit to the winery last fall was met with a disappointing chain across their driveway and an "opening soon" sign.

The creek in the winery's namesake is Catoctin Creek, which flows through the county before emptying out into the nearby Potomac. The creek goes through a tiny historic village adjacent to the winery property: Taylorstown. Currently Taylorstown is made up of narrow, hilly roads (adored by cyclists), and an old general store. Creek's Edge's owners Tedd and Dana Durden, two more examples of former DC-area "office jockeys" who craved an outdoor-based business in Loudoun County's booming agricultural industry, have plans to acquire, renovate, and re-open this general store, making Taylorstown a go-to spot for curio shopping and wine imbibing, similar to the now hip (and larger) village of Hillsboro in the western part of the county.

The driveway, "opening soon" chain now removed, meanders to the winery grounds and once you arrive, you instantly forget you're in highly populated Loudoun County. One complaint we have about some wineries in the county (even the best wineries in the county) is the presence of multi million dollar mansions (don't call them, ahem, "McMansions"). You see these grand estates while enjoying a glass or bottle of wine. Because of this, the fact that you're in densely populated Northern Virginia is ever-present. This is not the case at Creek's Edge. The tasting building (built by Tedd, whose background is in the construction business) resembles a lodge with an adjoining silo. This building sits on an incline between the parking lot and the sloping vineyards. And surrounding the property: Nothing but trees. Granted, we visited in the summer, in full foliage; a trip in the winter may reveal some huge houses behind the trees.

Due to the sloping vineyards, gravity flow is the name of the game here. Their varietals include Chambourcin, Pinot Gris, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Ben Renshaw, one of the Loudoun County wine pioneers (along with Doug Fabbioli, Mark and Vicki Fedor, Stephen Mackey, and Clyde Housel), is assisting Creek's Edge with perfecting their craft. Because of Renshaw's expertise, the wines here are mature and complex, despite the newness of the winery.

Probably due to Renshaw's influence, we view Creek's Edge as more of a red wine destination. The Merlot, particularly their 2009, was our all-around favorite; medium bodied yet intense, and not somewhat watery due to the rainy harvest seasons that have plagued Virginia over the last few years. We also enjoyed their Cab Sauv, slightly lighter style with notes of plum and licorice.

As for the whites, the crisp Vidal Blanc (touch of sweetness) and Pinot Gris (touch of dandelion) should satisfy the white fans in your group.

Every time we visit a new winery, we are astounded how unique the tasting building is. Creek's Edge boasts one of the most innovative tasting rooms we've seen; that must be due to Tedd's background. The Amish-built building is appointed with wood - wood, wood, everywhere. The best noise-absorbing material is wood. There is a fireplace for colder days, and the entire room resembles a wine chalet you'd find in the Rocky Mountains. The highlight of the tasting room, something that has already provided hundreds of photo ops (the Notebook included), is the silo. A spiral staircase leads from the tasting room both up and down the silo. Go up, to a loft space that could be a future wine club member area. Go down, to enjoy a bottle at the table under the silo, or visit the barrel room. Plenty of tasting rooms are housed in barns (actual restored barns, or mock barns) - this is especially true in Loudoun County. But we have never enjoyed great wine while looking up at the inside of a farm silo before until we visited Creek's Edge.

The silo from outside:

The silo from inside (looking down):

From the loft:

The winery also offers a nicely appointed deck overlooking the property and the woods. The Notebook pretty much had the place to ourselves when we visited, but word has gotten out. Enjoy Creek's Edge this weekend!

Winery URL: http://www.creeksedgewinery.com/home.html

Winery Spotlight: Fabbioli Cellars (7/30/10)

Anyone familiar with the Virginia wine industry, particularly the northern Virginia wine industry, will be familiar with the name Fabbioli. Doug Fabbioli is one of the Godfathers of Virginia wine, and opened his earth-friendly tasting room a few years ago off U.S. Highway 15, north of Leesburg. The views from his tasting room (vineyards mixed with typical Loudoun county McMansions) may not be as spectacular as Fox Meadow's, but the wine certainly is.

This is a red wine place. Virginia may be best known for its whites, but Doug Fabbioli is doing some great things with red - Cab Franc and Chambourcin, in particular. Despite his limited production, Total Wine sells several of his reds. But a trip to his small, but always hopping, tasting room is a treat. The pourers are chatty and provide history lessons to go with the wine tastings. Doug himself is usually onsite. Last fall, he dyed his beard blue on the afternoon we visited (Halloween weekend). He's an entertaining fellow, and his passion for the industry is infectious. In addition to growing grapes and making wine here, he consults with other nearby wineries (Notaviva, Sunset Hills and Hiddencroft), and writes a column for the free newspaper, The Old Town Crier.

He also has a few fruit wines that are extremely popular, especially for the chocolate lover crowd: A raspberry Merlot and a blackberry. Perhaps the most unusual in his collection is a pear wine which comes billed as an aperitif.

You get the feeling you are at a working winery at Fabbioli. No live bands, no dog parks....this is a winery through and through. He has a few picnic tables and a fire pit that works perfectly on cool evenings as well as fall and spring days. As for the more extreme months, this winery is better for tasting, buying a few bottles, and moving on to another Loudoun spot, due to the lack of indoor picnic areas.

Must tries: Chambourcin, Rosa Luna (a terrific dry rose), Tre Sorélle
(a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot) and the raspberry Merlot.

www.fabbioliwines.com/