Taste of Virginia
Virginia Countryside
Tasted November 1, 2005 - November 2, 2005 by MBannon with 1,057 views
Introduction
With the in-laws living in Virginia it seemed a natural fit to tour the local wineries while visiting for a week. Fortunately, they are almost as interested in wine as I am, so it didn't take much to persuade them to drive me all over the Eastern portion of the state. Mostly I was just out to get an idea what the Virginia wine scene is all about. After five wineries, I think I'm starting to get a sense of it. One more trip and I should have a real good feel for the state. I apologize for the terseness of many of these notes, but out there they are perfectly happy to pour a sample of every wine they make, which is often about 20 varieties, so you have to move fast.
Flight 1 - Barboursville Vineyards (15 notes)
I had heard good things about Barboursville Chardonnay, so I was looking forward to this one. Although none of the wines were stinkers, none really jumped out at me, either. Decent, but unexciting.
Flight 2 - Horton Vineyards (14 notes)
This winery has the distinct feeling of a place that is trying desperately to find a niche and is growing everything without really focusing on anything. I suspect their wines would be much more impressive if they would drop a few varieties and pamper the ones they keep. I only tasted about half the wines they were pouring. Their Nebbiolo and Vintage Port are the two that convinced me there is real potential here.
Flight 3 - Burnley Vineyards (10 notes)
A small winery off the beaten path, and oddly enough the most crowded of the day. I don't know why, as most of their wine struck me as thoroughly mediocre at best, funky and odd at worst. Only the Zinfandel and the Rivanna White managed to bring a smile to my face.
Flight 4 - White Hall Vineyards (9 notes)
The wines here are a noticeable step up from all the other wineries we visited. Although I did not get a chance to speak to the winemaker or vineyard manager, I suspect they crop thin and tend to their vines scrupulously. The flavors here were very full and ripe, and all the wines had very good structure. The Touriga was a big surprise and I have tasted two vintages of their Petit Verdot (not open for tasting at the winery) and have been extremely impressed with both. This is a winery to watch.
Flight 5 - Piedmont Vineyards (4 notes)
A very impressive setting for a group of very unimpressive wines. Even these scores are probably a tad high, but it was my last winery for the week, so I was probably feeling a little generous.
Closing
A few hits, a few misses, and a lot of mediocre wine. What's exciting, though, is that when they hit they really hit. There is definitely some good potential, especially for some of the offbeat varieties such as Petit Verdot, Touriga Nacional, and even -could it be?- Nebbiolo.