Arcady Vineyards Wine Tasting Tour (VA Wineworks, First Colony, Blenheim, and Jefferson)

This was our second tour with Erika of Arcady Vineyards. We can't recommend Arcady highly enough - both tours have been completely first rate, from the company to the transport, to (especially) the lunch! And - Erika has great relationships with the wineries in the region so being part of her small group (4 or 5 per tour) results in top-notch service from the wineries. Highly recommended!

Michael Shaps is a winemaking consultant in the Monticello area. He buys grapes from local growers and produces wine under the Virginia Wineworks label. His reserve wines are bottled under the Michael Shaps label. In an effort to make "everyday" Virginia wine price competitive, his most recent vintage of non-reserve Chardonnay (2009), Viognier (2010), and Cab franc (2009) are sold in a 3L bag-in-box format. We kept an open mind. Results below.

• 2009 Virginia Wineworks Chardonnay 82 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  bag-in-box. mild nose, alcohol overpowers fruit on the palate

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• 2008 Michael Shaps Chardonnay Wild Meadow Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  pretty and petite, very floral, with mild fruit

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• 2009 Virginia Wineworks Viognier 87 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  grapefruit notes, very nice acidity

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• 2010 Virginia Wineworks Viognier 80 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  fresh but sour with very little nose to speak of.

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• 2008 Michael Shaps Viognier 85 Points

  USA, Virginia

  High in acidity, a little heat on the back of the palate. winemaker recommends cellaring 5-10 years (?!?)

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• NV Virginia Wineworks Rosé

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

  dry, sour, maybe a hint of strawberry

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• 2008 Virginia Wineworks Red 83 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  intriguing pepper on the nose but too sharp on the nose and back of palate

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• 2009 Virginia Wineworks Cabernet Franc 87 Points

  USA, Virginia

  tobacco, leather, mild pepper, very fresh tasting. very good.

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• 2007 Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc 87 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  sweet cherry and leather notes; a touch sharp

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• 2008 Michael Shaps Petit Verdot 89 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  this was really quite nice. smooth, rich, bordeaux-like in its mouthfeel. best nose of the tasting. a winner.

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• 2007 Michael Shaps Merlot 73 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  all medicine and alcohol - ouch!

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• 2008 Michael Shaps Meritage 87 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  smooth with mellow fruit; a bit hot on the back of the palate

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What a lovely place First Colony Winery is! We had a delicious lunch (awesome turkey sandwiches and a cheese platter provided by Arcady Vineyard Tours) on the back deck with a glass of the 2009 reserve chardonnay. Very well enjoyed!

• 2010 First Colony Winery Seyval Blanc 86 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  when I stuck my nose in the glass and closed my eyes, I was transported to William's Plum Street Sno-Balls in New Orleans for... wait for it... banana sno-ball... yes, this wine smells like a banana sno-ball. the wine is very dry with melon on the palate. interesting and enjoyable.

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• 2009 First Colony Winery Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  delicious. sweet butter nose with vanilla and lemon meringue finish and just a hint of dreamsicle - and I mean that in a good way!

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• 2008 First Colony Winery Merlot 88 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  pretty floral nose, very mellow fruit with a nice soft mouthfeel.

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• 2008 First Colony Winery Meritage 86 Points

  USA, Virginia

  muted closed nose, smooth tannins, great mouthfeel but very little fruit - where is it?

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• 2009 First Colony Winery Petit Verdot Estate Reserve 85 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  soft and rich nose and very smokey palate - which is usually my very favorite combination - - but, sadly, this wine has that "thin" character that so many Virginia wines have. this one is very, very close but not quite there.

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• 2010 First Colony Winery Zephyr

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  sharp and syrupy; not for me.

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• NV First Colony Winery Vidal Sweet Shanando

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  sharp and syrupy, not for me. oh, well.

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• NV First Colony Winery Chambourcin Claret

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

  for me, this is way too sharp for a dessert wine

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• 2007 First Colony Winery 1607 Reserve

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  sickly sweet yet, again, somehow very sharp. not sure if this is a winemaker's style for all of their dessert wines but they just aren't smooth.

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Blenheim has a stunning tasting room overlooking their vineyards - the architecture is fabulous with a glass floor to look down into the work area and vaulted ceilings that allow in lots of sunlight. Unfortunately their wines didn't match our palate - they explained that they are produced in a "drink now" style but to us that just made them quite a bit more thin than we like. (P.S. we were warned that this winery is overrun with groupies hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner, Dave Matthews, but we saw nothing of the sort - it was no more crowded than other area wineries and the setting is gorgeous!)

• 2010 Blenheim Vineyards Chardonnay 86 Points

  USA, Virginia

  crisp refreshing palate; the nose is a touch off with some plastic & barnyard notes - not enough to ruin the wine, just a little off-putting.

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• 2010 Blenheim Vineyards Viognier 83 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  very very dry with muted fruit and a little heat on the back of the palate.

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• 2009 Blenheim Vineyards Chardonnay 84 Points

  USA, Virginia

  tropical, candiied, sharp

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• NV Blenheim Vineyards Red Table Wine 81 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia

  light and thin and almost so sweet it would have to be called a sweet wine. A red wine designed for white wine drinkers? I bet they sell a lot of this wine to the college students at UVA.

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• 2009 Blenheim Vineyards Merlot Seven Oaks 82 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  never would have picked this out as a merlot if poured blind - the mouthfeel is coarse and the flavors have strong accents - not soft at all. brown fruit flavors dominate the palate, with a hint of smoke.

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• 2010 Blenheim Vineyards Syrah 85 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  more than a little brett on the nose, nice pepper on the palate. A bit thin for a Southern Rhone style wine. quite drinkable.

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Jefferson Vineyards, about 1 mile from Monticello, claims to occupy the land on which Thomas Jefferson first planted grapes back in the 1700s. The tasting room atmosphere is lively, and here's a big plus - the $10 tasting fee includes a Reidel Bordeaux glass which is yours to keep - wow! On balance, this was our favorite of the four wineries we visited.

• 2010 Jefferson Vineyards Pinot Gris 83 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  green apples and citrus flavors, with an odd hint of of barnyard/brett (?)

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• 2010 Jefferson Vineyards Chardonnay 88 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  acidic and refreshing, with light crisp fruit that coats the entire mouth in a pleasing way. a clear winner.

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• 2010 Jefferson Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  very nice wine - elegant, with high acidity yet beautiful balancing vanilla notes. liked this very much.

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• 2010 Jefferson Vineyards Viognier 85 Points

  USA, Virginia

  very dry and acidic, alcohol overpowering the fruit a bit at this point.

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• NV Jefferson Vineyards Vin Rouge 81 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  this is so thin and sharp that it blasts right through your nostrils like a shot of whiskey. on the palate, the wine is very light but with strong alcohol notes.

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• 2008 Jefferson Vineyards Merlot 85 Points

  USA, Virginia

  Nose: tootsie roll in a glass.
  Palate: very tannic, with chocolate, a touch of smoke, and red fruit

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• 2009 Jefferson Vineyards Cabernet Franc 86 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  this is very typical of the varietal and region. beautiful peppery nose and palate and it would be a 90+ wine if only they could make it a little richer to get rid of that "virginia sharpness."

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• 2008 Jefferson Vineyards Meritage 88 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  wow! This is pretty and smooth, almost old-world in its mouthfeel and flavor profile. very ripe fruit shown subtly against a backdrop of earth with maybe a faint hint of chocolate and tobacco.

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• 2009 Jefferson Vineyards Johannisberg Riesling 88 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  refreshing, citrusy, and delightfully "not too heavy" as dessert wines go.

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• 2008 Jefferson Vineyards Vin de Trois 88 Points

  USA, Virginia, Central Virginia, Monticello

  sweet and seductive, this wine belongs over ice cream (or, if you're pretending to be healthy, fresh cut fruit). A lovely way to finish our tasting. Well enjoyed!

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Overall these four wineries were disappointing compared to last year's route (which included King Family, Pollak, Afton Mountain, and Cardinal Point). Still, we had a wonderful time and we're already planning to come back next year for four new Monticello Wine Trail wineries!