Hillick & Hobbs had the best Riesling flight of my 3-day Finger Lakes experience.
This would be high praise under normal circumstances. But when you consider my trip included greatest including Apollo’s Praise, Hermann J, Kemmeter, Forge, and Trestle Thirty One, it becomes even more striking.
To understand why I rated Hillick & Hobbs so highly, you need to understand the site it comes from, and the people who make it.
Brothers Paul and David Hobbs selected the vineyard site of Hillick & Hobbs (named after their parents) because of the combination of an exceptionally steep slope and its slate/shale soil composition. In many ways the vineyard is reminiscent of the soil and topography of the Mosel, the spiritual home of Riesling.
The vineyard’s design and how its farmed also play important roles. The vines are oriented east-to-west towards Seneca Lake, a format that prioritizes airflow over ripeness.
Even the trellis system is different, using the more labor-intensive Guyot system (where the year’s previous cane arms pruned, to be refreshed with new growth) rather than a more traditional spur-pruned VSP system (which leaves cordons in place).
Terrace map
While most Finger Lakes wineries use fruit from multiple vineyards in the region, Paul and David had a different vision. All of their wine is sourced from this single 26-acre vineyard (25 acres Riesling, plus a newer acre of Grüner Veltliner).
This collectively means these wines are extremely expressive of the site they are grown on, with an emphasis on small quantity but high-quality wine.
Two flights were offered during my visit.
The “NY Roots & Global Story” flight combined a vertical of their estate Rieslings alongside a pair of California wines (Paul helped launch Opus One and still makes wines in California).
The “Vineyard Expression” flight included a horizontal of their ‘regular’ 2024 Estate Riesling, alongside wines from their 2024 “Lower Terrace” block and 2024 “North Ravine” block.
Needless to say, I ordered both. My server skipped the California wines and added the 2021 Estate Riesling to complete the lineup.
This means my tasting was essentially both a vertical (different years, same vineyard) and a horizontal (sampling wines from the same location & vintage but were made or grown differently).
What I tried:
2021 Estate Riesling: The most different of the lineup; probably because it was a wet year in the FLX. More fruit forward.
2022 Estate Riesling: Made in steel. Super balanced and delicious.
2023 Estate Riesling: Used 5% oak fermentation but otherwise done in steel. A close contender with 2022.
2024 North Ravine (made in neutral French oak): No notes…but wow! Bought a bottle.
2024 Lower Terrace (also made in neutral French oak): Super complex. Easily one of the best of my trip.
I have to admit, choosing a favorite was a challenge. If my tasting notes are rather thin, it’s because when I taste great wine, I tend to forget to write down my tasting notes.
The 2022-2024 Estate Rieslings were easily cousins, in terms of their shared minerality and precise balance. The 2022 had a slight edge over the others.
The North Ravine as my runner-up, since I did enjoy the extra weight the oak gave the wine.
Until a few months ago, I’d never even heard of Hillick & Hobbs. Now, this location is going to be on *every* trip itinerary. Easily a “Top 3” for the entire region.
Arguably the best wine of my trip was found in a small urban tasting room located in downtown Geneva, a short walk from my hotel.
I admit Trestle wasn’t on my radar, since I was overly focused on locations that hug the shores of the main lakes. But once I read the biography of its winemaker, Nova Cadamatre, I wanted to go.
Love the color of this rosé
In 2017 Nova became the first female winemaker in the US to earn the Master of Wine title, one of the most rigorous and prestigious credentials in the wine industry. She’s also the former Senior Director of Winemaking for Robert Mondavi, amongst other cool job titles.
Her personal wine brand is well known for its Rieslings and Chardonnays, although she makes wines around the US. She and her husband Brian founded Trestle Thirty One in 2015, and opened the tasting room in 2021.
Since it’s a passion project, production is limited. The winery only produces 600-700 cases/year, according to my server.
I ordered two flights and let my server choose a lineup a wine geek would appreciate. He understood the assignment.
2025 Rosé: One of the nicest of my trip. Lovely nose and intentionally made.
2022 Dry Riesling: The nose wasn’t overly expressive (too cold?) but it was otherwise very classic. I remember the banana notes, but was enjoying the wine too much to take detailed notes.
2023 Dry Riesling: I was told to expect a cool-climate style from this wet vintage, but it tasted more tropical than I expected.
2024 Riesling: Graceful. Full and viscous. Notes of melon? Another winner.
2021 Chardonnay: “Is this a Chard?” I wondered as I enjoyed the banana nose. It was a very full wine, with lots of texture.
2023 Chardonnay: Very toasty
2021 Cabernet Franc: I was told this was the product of a very light year, but the wine was lovely. Roasted red pepper notes.
2023 Cabernet Franc: Very soft; more of a ‘soft red wine’ as opposed to a ‘Cab Franc’ since I didn’t get its traditional “Cab Franc-y” notes.
2022 Demi-Sec Riesling: Full and fruity. Easy drinking. Think of it as an elevated version of a porch pounder
How much did I enjoy my visit? I purchased 3 bottles of the 2022 Dry Riesling, the most bottles of a single wine during my entire 3-day trip.
I think a visit to Trestle Thirty One is sufficient reason to add Geneva to your itinerary. But to sweeten the deal, make it a double-header and add nearby F.L.X. Provisions (tasting room for Element Winery) to your trip. Then you’ll have two great urban tasting rooms back-to-back.
Winemaker Jordan Harris was making wine in Virginia years before he arrived in the Finger Lakes, and I’ve always been a big fan of his wine. This made a visit to his new location at Point of the Bluff mandatory.
The tasting room is a repurposed 19th century schoolhouse, so it’s more of a small-and-cozy location than some of the more grandiose locations nearby. They also host concerts at a covered pavilion just down the road.
Jordan walked me through the various vineyards they source from as he poured.
POTB has 15 acres farmed but uses fruit from multiple locations. He explained there are so many great vineyard sites in the FLX that it would be a shame to limit himself to just ‘estate’ fruit. Plus, different vineyards provide qualities that other sites lack.
That said, some of Jordan’s favorite fruit comes from the winery’s namesake, located on a south-facing bluff overlooking Keuka Lake. Its rocky soil provides great drainage, and having a south facing aspect gives the site lots of sun, facilitating ripeness. Cool fact – it’s also one of the only south facing vineyard in the region.
Coming from Virginia, I quizzed him about the rise of Cabernet Franc in the FLX. Jordan surprised me by telling me that while CF does well (and is now the most-planted red vinifera in the area), he feels Blaufränkisch is actually the red vinifera best suited for the region.
But what about Pinot?
Apparently even in upstate NY, Pinot is still the ‘heartbreak grape’. “If Pinot Noir is the Queen, then Cabernet Franc is the King” was one of the major take-aways of this trip.
The undisputed king of grapes in the FLX is still Riesling. It’s also the grape he loves working with the most.
What I tried:
2025 Point of the Bluff (Estate): From their south facing slope. Ripe and round. Probably my favorite of their lineup.
2025 Curtiss Riesling: One of his multi-vineyard wines. Classic acidity and lots of minerality.
2025 Riley Block Riesling: Higher elevation, with more shale
2025 Rocky Block Riesling: Slightly more fruit forward.
2025 Caywood Vineyard Blaufränkisch: Wonderful expression of this grape. I’ve often been meh on this variety elsewhere, but I loved this wine so much I bought a bottle.
2025 Caywood Vineyard Cabernet Franc: Leaner than the Virginia wines he used to make. Earthy; specifically potting soil. Another bottle to take home.
2025 Pinot Noir: Very delicate on the palate.
I wish I could have stayed longer but had an appointment at Kemmeter soon afterwards. Hopefully I’ll catch up with Jordan the next time he brings his wines at one of Walsh Family Wine’s “Bar Takeovers”.
If you’re visiting locations along Keuka, add this to your itinerary!
How does Virginia Chardonnay compare with Burgundy, the spiritual home of Chardonnay?
I thought about this after I met a group of DC-based sommeliers who were participating in Chrisa Giorgi’s “We the Wine People” documentary about Virginia wine. I picked out a lineup of Virginia wines to blind taste next to comparable French wines, and she filmed the results (FYI – they loved the lineup).
One thing I noted is sommeliers have a different approach to wine tastings compared to my usual audience. While I tend to ask, ‘does it taste good?’, they prefer to ask, ‘does it taste right?’
When I say ‘right’, I’m referring to whether a wine reflects the textbook flavors, structure, and overall profile that a grape or winemaking style is typically associated with. These professionals not only look for that profile but can tease out whether it reflects a specific region.
This puts Virginia wine in somewhat of a bind. While it’s true certain producers tend to make wine that echoes those found in France, Virginia’s ‘sense of place’ is very distinct. I genuinely feel a lot of Virginia wine is…well… “Virginia-esque”, which throws off experts who open a bottle expecting to find a certain profile, and discover it doesn’t match up with their expectations for that variety.
Not only that, but I find the DC wine community tends to only be familiar with the same handful of famous wine producers. Nearly everyone in my audience knew (and had likely visited) Linden Vineyards, Lost Mountain/RdV, probably Barboursville, King Family, and Glen Manor. Almost none were familiar with Pearmund, DuCard, Ankida, Pollak, and Chatham.
For this event I picked out 7 Chardonnays from some of my favorite Virginia producers, many of which were completely unfamiliar to this group (I threw in CrossKeys as a starter wine). I also included 2 French wines, to see if I could fool them. Berry Bros. & Rudd hosted us in their upstairs office.
My main goal was to introduce Virginia wine to an audience that tends to only know the most famous Virginia producers. But a secondary goal was to see if they could distinguish between the French and Virginian wines, and if that made a difference in which they picked as their favorite.
The final lineup was divided into 3 flights of 3 wines (7 Virginia/2 French), all served blind.
Flight #1 (Ankida, Albert Bichot, Shaps ‘Wild Meadow’)
Wine #1/Ankida Ridge 2025 ($35): The group noted multiple fruit related notes, including pineapple cake and melon. A few mentioned they enjoyed the balance and thought it had nice acidity (although at least one mentioned it might be a tad higher on alcohol).
The main drawback was the group wanted more complexity. Overall, it was a crowd pleaser and ‘classic’.
Wine #2/Albert Bichot Pouilly-Fuissé 2021 ($75 at Yanis): Classic Burgundy. “Butterball, salty, and reductive” were mentioned several times, especially the last two of these descriptors. I heard someone mention notes of cream and tang. Integrated and easy drinking.
Wine #3/Michael Shaps “Wild Meadow” 2023 ($40): My favorite descriptor was ‘graceful’. The group noted it had a higher level of acidity. Descriptors ranged from plush, subtle, fat and opulent. I also heard ‘salt’ as a descriptor.
It was one of the better-balanced wines of the lineup, with noticeable oak but textured and well-integrated.
Flight #2 (Pollak, Chatham, Linden Hardscrabble)
Wine #4/Pollak Vineyards 2023 ($32): Approachable, round, fruity. Led with ripeness. Floral and bright. Someone mentioned butterbeer, which elicited agreement on the table. Another mentioned notes of banana, or caramel apple.
There was a lot of discussion on the level of oak. I heard one person mention the integration was impressive, but most of the table felt it had too much (note – this group was consistently hyper aware of any oak usage).
Wine #5/Chatham Steel Chardonnay 2023 ($25): The group quickly noted how different this was from the rest of the lineup.
The consensus was it reflected a cooler Chablis style, with higher acidity and toasty aromatics. I heard various descriptors, including citrus-apricot, salt, and green apple. If anything, it was higher in the acidity than some preferred.
One person unwittingly got it on the nose when he said, “I bet the producer wrote ‘steel chardonnay’ on the label,” which was 100% accurate.
Wine #6/Linden Hardscrabble 2021 ($55): Overall, the consensus was that this was the “most Burgundian” of the flight.
Tasters described it as ‘round’, with a creamy texture. More oak-driven than the others, but this wasn’t a negative in this case. I heard a bitter note mentioned, along with a steady mid-palate. I heard it described as the most savory and subtle of the flight.
Wine #7/Louis Jadot Chablis 2021 ($25): Various positive descriptors, including ‘savory’, ‘ripe and fresh’, and especially ‘nutty’. There was a brief discussion about its ‘banana foster’ quality. Balanced, tense, and heavy were also mentioned. Overall, a popular pick.
Wine #8/DuCard “Whetstone Run” 2021 ($42): This wine was zesty and easy-drinking. Descriptors included savory, stony, and steely.
Long discussion on this one. It was pretty firmly identified as ‘Virginia’ but it did have a Burgundy-like quality to it, despite several noticing the lees. Several mentioned it also showed an almost Albariño-esque quality (this wasn’t listed as a negative; this wine was appreciated).
Wine #9/Pearmund Cellars “50th Anniversary” ($37): ‘Burgundian’, although few thought it was one of the two French wines in the lineup. The group detected oak but didn’t mind it because it was so balanced.
I heard lots of very complimentary tasting descriptors. The most frequent descriptors included ‘toasty, savory, and delicious’. I also heard sesame, chive, overripe banana, and especially sourdough. Savory and ‘whisky tannin’ were also mentioned.
This 3rd round was widely regarded as having the strongest set of contenders.
Event Favorites
At the end of the tasting, I asked the sommeliers to complete two tasks: pick their top two favorite wines of the entire event, and correctly identify the two French bottles.
For favorites, two wines quickly rose to the top: wine #2/2021 Albert Bichot Pouilly-Fuissé, and wine #9/2023 Pearmund Cellars ‘50th Anniversary’.
By a very narrow margin, the Albert Bichot was the overall favorite (6 votes), with Pearmund a close second (5 votes). Pearmund was also the overall favorite Virginia wine. Linden Hardscrabble and the Chablis were tied for third place.
France won this event – but only by a tight margin. Even so, I think this event was a huge ‘win’ for Team Virginia, when you consider that a $37 Virginia wine scored very well against a $75 Burgundy.
The 50th Anniversary Pearmund Chardonnay impressed everyone, and surprisingly only a handful in my group were familiar with this producer. As a cool sidenote, it was also made from the oldest vines in Virginia (50 years old, hence the name).
Identifying Virginia vs France
In this task, the somms killed it.
The Albert Bichot was easily identifiable as a French wine (8 of 10 correctly guessed), while the group struggled with the Louis Jadot Chablis (5 of 10 correctly guessed).
Not surprisingly, Linden and Pearmund were the most popular alternative picks as the French wine (2 votes each), while Shaps “Wild Meadow” and DuCard also got a vote each. These were universally judged to be the most ‘Burgundian’ of the Virginia lineup.
Takeaways
I won’t say these were ‘surprises’, but there were a few things that stood out.
First, I was not at all surprised that Pearmund, Linden, and Shaps were the most ‘Burgundian’ wines of the entire lineup. That said, very few confused them with ‘actual’ Burgundy.
In fact, the tasting group was very good about accurately identifying the French vs Virginia wines. If anything, I was somewhat surprised I didn’t fool more people. These somms seemed more dialed-in on the French wines than a group of French sommeliers were during an event hosted by Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Director Frank Morgan.
At that event, the judges heavily leaned towards Virginia wines as their favorites. The top Chardonnay was actually the same 2023 Michael Shaps ‘Wild Meadow’ wine I served. According to Frank, at least one French judge was shocked to discover the Shaps wine wasn’t from Burgundy
Based on these comparisons, I believe there is plenty of evidence that top Virginia wines *can* be viewed as equal or even superior to comparable French wines, with there being enough ambiguity for judges to occasionally confuse the two regions.
Now, the bigger question is this – did the DC somms like the ‘top’ Virginia wines because they were ‘Burgundian’…or because they were ‘good’?
In this case, I think it’s a bit of both.
Yes, I think there was something of a bias in favor of the tasting profile that characterizes Burgundy. And yes, the top Virginia picks of my event leaned in that direction, profile-wise. So being ‘Burgundian’ and ‘good’ were often synonymous terms.
Even so, the somms were impressed by the diversity of quality Chardonnay available to them.
It’s true that only a few were ‘Burgundian’ in character. But my personal takeaway is Virginia Chardonnays doesn’t need to be ‘Burgundian’ to be good.
For many Virginians, NOVA is their gateway to exploring local wine. Over 100 wineries are in this part of the state, most within an hour’s drive from DC.
NOVA’s status as one of the wealthiest areas of the United States influences the wine experiences that are available. While traditional farm-style tasting rooms are still the norm, newer wineries are introducing more specialized experiences, including a focus on sparkling wine or food pairings.
The region’s relative wealth also facilitates new winery investment, despite the challenges facing the broader wine industry. In NOVA, even wineries that change hands often find owners willing to upgrade facilities and hospitality experiences.
Here is a summary of wineries that have opened (or are about to open) in NOVA since 2025.
Catamaran Hills Vineyard (39775 Wenner Rd, Lovettsville, VA 20180)
Visitors familiar with Virginia wine country will recognize the intimate, owner-operated atmosphere at Catamaran Hills Vineyard. Owner Harish Kunshetty is likely to personally guide visitors through a tasting of his wines, a rarity in today’s wine industry.
Harish is an avid wine enthusiast who decided to open his own winery in 2025. Knowing he needed an experienced hand in the wine business, he turned to Virginia ‘wine godfather’ Doug Fabbioli for assistance.
Doug helped Harish find his new property, a hillside north of Leesburg. Together, they established several acres of vines, which now form the basis of Catamaran’s wines.
The vineyard is planted with varieties familiar to Virginia wine country. One exciting exception is Carménère, a Bordeaux grape now better known for its new home in Chile.
The winery offers outdoor seating only, so call ahead to confirm its opening status and make a reservation. Be sure to check out their sparkling Petit Manseng and Cabernet Franc, both of which earned Gold at the 2026 Loudoun Wine Awards.
Ovoka Farm Winery (750 Ovoka Farm Ln, Paris, VA 20130)
Anyone who’s hiked Sky Meadows State Park has seen Ovoka Farm in the distance. Situated on the northern end of the park, the farm’s red-roofed manor home and grain silos have long been magnets for local photographers.
Ovoka started as a farm raising Wagyu beef. Wagyu is prized for its fine marbling and tenderness, the result of a low-stress life. Chefs love it, and Ovoka sells its beef to an assortment of local restaurants and through its on-premises food truck.
One drawback of Wagyu is that it’s not easy for non-chefs to cook. To compensate, Ovoka bred its Wagyu cattle with traditional American Angus. Its 400-head herd is now comprised of ‘F1 Wagyu,’ a 50/50 cross with the best traits of both.
In early 2026, Ovoka expanded its operations to include a winery. They don’t yet have vines at the farm, but Bull Run winemaker Kendell Anderson now makes Ovoka’s wine on the property.
Visitors can also enjoy Ovoka’s wines at its wine and produce store or at one of its Wagyu & Wine tasting events.
Petit Domaine (37938 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, VA 20132)
Petit Domaine opened in October 2025 with one goal – to make high-quality bubbly. They remain the only Virginia winery tasting room dedicated to traditional-method sparkling wine (although they do sell some still wine from partner labels).
Their focus on traditional-method bubbly (the same process used in Champagne) isn’t a coincidence. Winemaker Shai Van Gelder explained it this way: “Champagne is the world’s gold standard for sparkling wine. Petit Domaine is making wine this way precisely because it’s difficult, not despite it.”
In keeping with its status as a premium destination, Petit Domaine also has some of the fanciest events in Virginia. These range from a test drive experience in an Aston Martin to caviar pairings.
Petit Domaine’s own sparkling wines won’t be ready until 2028, but guests can enjoy traditional-method sparkling wines that serve as inspiration for the winery’s future releases.
Silver Dog Vineyards (139 Feathers Lane, Linden, VA 22642)
In July 2026, Silver Dog Vineyard joined what is arguably the best ‘winery neighborhood’ in Virginia, with neighbors including Linden Vineyards, Capstone, Crimson Lane, and Accord (former Fox Meadow).
This isn’t by accident. Owner Eric Gronning explained he deliberately picked a site near Jim Law of Linden Vineyards, one of his inspirations for Virginia wine.
Eric purchased this 18-acre hilltop farm in 2018 from a local attorney. Not only did the farm come with steep slopes and higher elevation, but it already had an acre of vines. The winery also plans to add a full-service kitchen.
Silver Dog aims to produce around 1,200 cases/year, using exclusively estate-grown fruit. While their current lineup focuses on more traditional French grapes, one unusual addition for Virginia is Sagrantino, a high-tannin, medium-acidity Italian grape indigenous to Central Italy.
OH’s Vineyard (35246 Leesburg Pike #190, Round Hill, VA 20141)
OH’s is Virginia’s newest winery, scheduled to open in early October (as of the time of this writing).
Husband-and-wife owners Walo Ortiz and Ana Hirsbrunner purchased the former Bogati Bodega space in 2026 while searching for a home for their future tasting room. “We fell in love with the space as soon as we saw it,” Ana exclaimed while giving a tour of the premises.
While the tasting room is still undergoing its finishing touches, their wine is already available for purchase (courtesy of their partnership with Petit Domaine). OH’s also has plans for a line of sparkling wines.
Calling the space a ‘tasting room’ may be an understatement, as their ‘Wine Salon’ will be a winery/restaurant combination. The restaurant wasn’t originally planned, but is a natural extension given Walo’s culinary background.
Guests will be able to sample OH’s lineup, but Walo also wants patrons to enjoy a farm-to-table experience featuring local food and wines from other Virginia producers.
Septenary Winery at Seven Oaks Farm and Blenheim Vineyard are two wineries that, at least at a glance, couldn’t seem more different.
Septenary’s tasting room is a historic manor house, giving it a boujee, Instagram-able vibe. They are still serving reds from the 2017 and 2019 vintage as they prefer to age their wines for an extended time.
By contrast, Blenheim’s tasting room is more casual than fancy, although I do enjoy the alpine-lodge view as you walk in. Their wines use screwcaps instead of corks since they are made to be enjoyed fairly young.
Both have different styles of winemaking, but they do have one thing in common – trailblazing female winemakers.
Kirsty Harmon has been Blenheim’s winemaker since 2008, making her one of the longest-tenured female winemakers in Virginia. She was once mentored by Gabriele Rausse (whose own winery is down the street) but has since become a mentor herself.
One of the many she’s mentored was a young harvest intern named Corry Craighill. You may have heard of her – she won the Virginia Governor’s Cup in 2026.
Corry’s main gig is at Septenary, where she’s made wine since 2020. Corry also makes wine for Wound Tight (her private label) and Valley Road.
Septenary Winery
Septenary’s full name is “Septenary Winery at Seven Oaks Farm”. They originally wanted to brand themselves “Seven Oaks” but that name was already taken. So they adopted “Septenary” as reference to the number “7”.
It’s definitely one of the prettiest wineries in the area. The farm is huge, although the size of the vineyard has fluctuated over time. They are currently replanting older blocks, with plans to go from 3 acres to 9 acres, exclusively focused on red varieties (they source white grapes locally, including Blenheim).
Last year I met Corry pouring her Wound Tight brand at an event at Walsh Family wine. I loved her “Root Chatter” (one of the few Saparavis made in Virginia) and “Little Light” (a sauv blanc with some kick), but I had to ask – when are the reds she made at Septenary coming out?
Turns out, not for a while. But she was willing to give me a sneak peek.
Fast forward a year, and Corry kindly organized a small tasting for a small group of friends.
She poured three 2021 vintage red blends and a 2022 cabernet franc. One of these is currently for sale, while the others won’t hit the tasting room until 2027.
I initially thought the delay in introducing these wines was because of a backlog in their wine inventory. Not so, Corry clarified.
It turns out the owners prefer to age their wines for an extended time (16-18 months in barrel, plus 2 years in the bottle). Besides that, they had no fruit in 2020, so 2021 was actually the first time Corry was able to make wine at Septenary.
When you do that math, it makes sense that only now is Septenary introducing their 2021 reds blends, all named from parts of the property.
And I’m here to tell you – they are worth the wait. All of them were good to exceptional, leaning towards a lighter style.
2022 Cabernet Franc: A little bit herbaceous with a spice note. Red pepper but no bell pepper. A lighter expression of cab franc, and very yummy.
2021 Cloverplains (61% Merlot/23% PV/15% Cab Franc): Approachable, but still Old World in style (actually, this can be said for many of her wines). Sweet/confectionary note on the nose. The kind of wine you bring to an event and everyone will enjoy it. It turned out to be very food friendly as well (thank you Greenwood Grocer).
2021 Carriage House (50/50 Merlot and PV): Flashier than the Cloverplains but still graceful, silky. Slightly more oak treatment than previous wine.
2021 Deacon (58% Tannat/42% PV): Notes of purple flower on the nose, and plum on the palate. This was a ‘big’ wine, although not quite as heavy as some other PV/Tannat blends (which is meant as a compliment).
Blenheim Vineyards
Next up was Blenheim.
Kenny Bumbaco had won a group tasting from the We the Wine People auction and graciously invited a group of other friends to join him, myself included. It turned out that Kirsty was guiding our tasting herself.
Kristy has been working in Charlottesville for a while, although she’s also spent time in New Zealand. Her time there inspired her to adopted screwcaps for her wines.
Screwcaps get a bad rap from wine snobs. While the technology behind using them has advanced considerably, they still are primarily used for wines not designed to age.
That said, they make sense for Blenheim, since most of their wines are meant to be enjoyed young. This also allows them to make some of the most affordable Virginia-made wines out there.
Kristy’s extended tasting also showed us that at least some of these wines have aging potential, at least from better vintages.
I don’t have extensive notes on everything, so I’ll summarize what we had instead
2023 “Blanc de Blenheim”: 100% Chardonnay, aged 1 year on the lees. Nice brioche nose despite the relatively short aging time.
2024 Sauv Blanc: This was a dead ringer for a NZ sauv blanc, a style that I find rare in Virginia. Super aromatic.
2024 Chardonnay (made in steel): Bright and crisp. Lots of orchard fruit notes
2023 Chardonnay (oak and steel): More weight, a little creamy
2022 Blenheim Farm Chardonnay (oak and steel): Nutty; my favorite of the 3.
2021 Painted White (blend of Chardonnay/Vio/Sauv Blanc): Very aromatic and a little viscous
2023 Painted White (Chardonnay/Roussanne/Viognier/Sauv Blanc): Complex, but can be enjoyed on its own
Dry Rose’: Grenache and some other grapes I didn’t catch. Loved the orange/salmon color. Savory
2021 Farm Red: Juicy! Jolly rancher notes. A good candidate for a chill-able red. Funny story; Kristy originally named this “Table Red” but ‘a chef’ recommended she change that name. That chef was Jose’ Andreas.
2025 Merlot: Fresh and fruity, with lots of acidity. Made in steel.
2024 Painted Red: Too many grapes in here to name. Very crushable
2012 Painted Red: The surprise of the day. Kristy brought this out as a special treat. Still good, despite everything I said earlier about screwcap-topped wines not being age-able.
I like to host my birthday parties in style. So what better way to celebrate than to do a vertical of my favorite winery – Linden Vineyards. Even better, I was assisted by a group of friends with expert-level palates.
I started with a plan for a 9-vintage comparison of their Hardscrabble red blend. That expanded to 11 vintages. Since I was obviously committed, I decided to add a mini vertical of Hardscrabble Chardonnay.
If you’ve read my blog before, you are likely aware I’m a Linden Vineyards fanboy. But for first-time readers, here is a brief background of the winery and the man behind it, Jim Law.
Jim founded Linden in 1983 on an old apple orchard. Their estate vineyard is named Hardscrabble, which has 20 acres of vines planted between 1,100-1,400’. While Linden’s other (much smaller) vineyards – Avenius and Boisseau – have their own advantages, it’s fair to say Hardscrabble is what Linden is best known for.
Tasting 11 vintages is quite an experience. Virginia wine is renowned for its vintage variation, and that variation was on full display. Each vintage had varying levels of ripeness and acidity, as well as (sometimes dramatically) different blends.
But it was more than vintage variation. While Jim may lean “Old World” in style, he’s not afraid to fine-tune his winemaking approach to whatever the vintage requires.
Linden’s Hardscrabble Blog was of great assistance in this writeup. It provides an incredibly detailed record of every wine Linden has ever produced, down to seasonal growing conditions, individual winemaking notes, and recommended food pairings.
Hardscrabble Chardonnay Vertical (2015-2021)
If you ask Jim what his ‘flagship’ wine is, he’d probably say “Chardonnay”. It remains his first love, and arguably the variety Linden is best known for.
We had 4 vintages – 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021. All were 100% Chardonnay from the estate Hardscrabble vineyard.
What stood out is how these wines are meant to age. Some were a little reductive, but that was a winemaking decision to ensure they had staying power.
2015 Hardscrabble Chardonnay: Wine Advocate would tell you this is a 95-point wine (the highest-rated Virginia wine at the time of the score). My group would say it was “Yummy!”
During various visits I remember Jim praising this wine, which is memorable since Jim is not a man known for being effusive regarding his own work.
The 2015 HS Chardonnay was extremely well integrated, with notes of hazelnut, baked apple, and maybe a bit of brioche. I also heard vanilla and cream.
It was full bodied, with the nutty characteristics I associate with older Chardonnays. It did have a ‘matchstick’ quality initially when we opened, but that dissipated quickly.
Last we spoke, Jim professed he didn’t think this wine would improve with more age. But having just tasted it, it easily has several more years before I’d be worried about a decline.
2017 Hardscrabble Chardonnay: Also outstanding, in a different way. Fresher than the 2015, more aggressive, with more obvious ripeness in the fruit.
Group tasting notes mentioned hay, white flower, lemon peel, and a yeasty/brioche nose.
2019 Hardscrabble Chardonnay: My group notes focus on strong tropical notes, including pineapple and papaya, as well as green apple. Another participant mentioned cream.
It had good acidity, although it had a shorter finish compared to the earlier vintages. Those tropical notes were the first to drop off.
2021 Hardscrabble Chardonnay: I thought 2019 was tropical…until I had a whiff of this one. The nose completely jumped out of the glass.
This was more botanical on the palate, with more fruit than structure. It was relatively straightforward compared to the earlier wines. I hate calling it ‘easy drinking’ because that underscores its quality. But comparatively speaking, it was the easiest drinking of the four.
Hardscrabble Red Vertical (2012-2023)
For the reds, I decanted the 2021 and 2022 bottles for 3 hours each, and the 2023 for 4 hours. This was crucial since I was worried these younger wines wouldn’t show well, particularly the 2023.
In retrospect I wish I had decanted the 2017 and 2019 bottles as well. A late decanting of the 2017 helped it evolve, but by then our ‘favorites’ were mostly selected.
Most of these wines had Cabernet Sauvignon as their dominant grape, although sometimes not by much (only in the 2015 and 2020 vintages was Cabernet equaled by another grape).
Note: there is no 2018 Hardscabble red, so this is 11 vintages over a 12 year spread.
2012 Hardscrabble Red: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Aged in new (30%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 21 months. 14.4% alc.
This was one of the best wines of the day, with several participants selecting it as their #1 wine. Rereading Jim’s Hardscrabble blog I can see he was very conservative in his description, listing it as “Drink now till 2021”.
We found the 2012 Hardscrabble red to be surprisingly bright and fresh, with years left on it. It was tannic but not overly so.
Despite being 14 years old it was still showing primary and secondary characteristics. Tasting profile notes list black fruit on the palate that was just starting to evolve into dried fruit. Other descriptors include notes of black raspberry and violets.
The only downside was this wine’s best characteristics faded not long after we sampled it. If you open one – don’t let it sit for long.
2013 Hardscrabble Red: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new (30%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 21 months. 13.7% alc.
Important note here; this was our only 375ml bottle of the day, which impacted the wine’s tasting profile. The smaller format likely caused this wine to taste ‘older’ than it should have (although admittedly it was from a relatively weaker vintage than, say, the 2012).
We felt this wine had lots of tertiary notes, with an emphasis on tannin and structure. But we struggled to find the fruit, so it wasn’t as highly rated as the others. Jim projected a ‘drink through 2023’ date, although that’s hard for me to independently verify given my smaller-format bottle.
2014 Hardscrabble Red: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot. Aged in new (50%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 21 months. 12.5% alc.
This wine was somewhat divisive. If you love ‘funky’ Bordeaux-like Old World wines, you’d like this one.
While we found some brett, it wasn’t present at a level we considered a fault (mostly on the nose, rather than the palate).
Group notes mentioned black cherry, and somewhat tart and astringent. It had high acidity but surprisingly it was only 12.5% alcohol. Someone mentioned ‘dainty cherry’ on the nose.
2015 Hardscrabble Red: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 19% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new (50%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 21 months. 13.4% alc.
Ranking the favorites afterwards, this was our #3 wine of the day. The 2015 Hardscrabble blog notes Jim was very happy with this year.
The group had plenty of notes; so many it was hard to capture them all.
On the nose someone mentioned a candied quality, maybe violet. Someone else mentioned notes of iron or sanguine. On the palate it had fruit tannin, leaning towards a sweet fruit with a licorice finish.
That finish was something we talked about. It was a surprising “New World” style wine.
2016 Hardscrabble Red: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new (60%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 21 months. 13.8% alc.
This was another hit. I’d go so far as to say this wine was the surprise of the day (at least for me).
2016 doesn’t exactly strike me as one of the more memorable years in VA wine history, either for positive or negative qualities. Jim notes it was an uncommonly dry September that produced ripe grapes and mature tannins.
This was one of the softer wines of the lineup. I’m tempted to say this has a ‘drink now’ quality, but keep in mind it’s a 10-year bottle that was showing extremely well. It wasn’t showing any evidence of decline, but the consensus seems to be it won’t get any better.
We thought it had very ripe fruit and soft tannins. I wasn’t able to capture any fruit notes from the group (my excuse is I’m too busy writing things down) but we enjoyed this immensely.
2017 Hardscrabble Red: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot. Aged in new (70%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 22 months. 13.7% alc.
“Smoldering” was my favorite descriptor for this wine. I very much regret not decanting it because it went from good to even better over time. Linden’s Hardscrabble blog notes Jim was very happy with this vintage.
This wine has structure and power, with a long finish. Good acidity and ripe fruit were mentioned. Group notes include blackberry, pomegranate, big tannins and a big finish, with the nose becoming even more expressive as it opened.
Pair this with steak (and invite me).
2019 Hardscrabble Red: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc and 16% Merlot. Aged in new (70%) and slightly used French oak barrels for 22 months. 13.1% alc.
This wine was ‘showy’, possibly because it was the product of an especially hot year so it just had that ‘come look at me’ vibe (when compared to the smoldering glances of the 2017).
Overall opinions were fairly divided. It had big fruit tannins, wasn’t as integrated as we would have liked. Chewy. Notes of raspberry, black raspberry, and plum.
This was another wine I wish I had decanted. We didn’t love this wine as much as the rest of the lineup, but I suspect that opinion would change if we gave it a few more years and some aeration. The Hardscrabble blog projects drink now till 2030, and that’s more than fair.
2020 Hardscrabble: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. Aged for 12 months in used French oak barrels for Merlot and Cabernet Franc and new oak for the Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.3% alc.
This was possibly the biggest change in terms of style in the entire lineup because it was 45% Cab Franc; the largest percentage ever in this wine.
This year isn’t a favorite for much of Virginia because of the frost that devastated many vineyards. The year was characterized by fairly mild heat, so ripening was an issue. This was a vintage that favored Cab Franc, so Jim used it appropriately.
I didn’t get many tasting notes; mostly raspberry and an emphasis on it being floral. Perfectly nice wine with dinner, but not the show-stopper of several others in the lineup.
2021 Hardscrabble Red: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 12 months in used and new French oak barrels. 12.9% alc.
Off the bat we were wowed by this nose. It wasn’t as structured as the other Hardscrabble wines of the day but made up for it by being elegant, hedonistic and delicious.
Tasting notes included flavors of stewed strawberry, blackberry, and cherry. I also heard black raspberry and vanilla.
We had differing opinions on its age-ability. I’d say it was more “New World” in style. If I was going to party and needed a wine everyone would like, I’d bring this.
2022 Hardscrabble Red: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot. Aged for 12 months in used and new French oak barrels. 13.3% alc.
Another very expressive wine, although some noted it was edging towards being green. I heard differing opinions on its ripeness. The Hardscrabble blog put 2026 as the early window for opening this bottle, although it would benefit from another year of aging.
Tasting notes include a flavor of espresso; first on the nose then the palate. Smoked fruit on the palate, even jalapeno. I didn’t see it initially, but upon a re-taste two days later I understood what Jim meant by how this wine had exceptionally ‘fine’ tannins.
Based on our scoring, this wine wasn’t enjoyed as much as some others. But given it’s one of the youngest, I think that opinion will change over time.
This wine had structure yet plenty of ripeness. Powerful and complex. I heard someone mention notes of Black Forest cake; while another said cherry liqueur. Notes of violet were mentioned.
This was everything you want in a wine right now, yet it’s still going to get better. I admit…I opened a 2nd bottle on the spot to share more.
Important note: for much of 2026 this wine wasn’t for sale to the general public, so I joined Linden’s “Winegrowers Selection” club specifically to access it. It went for sale right after my event, and now I need more.
Overall Favorites
Hardscrabble Chardonnay: By a narrow margin, 4 participants favored the 2017 Hardscrabble Chardonnay, while 3 preferred 2015. No votes favored either 2019 or 2021.
I do have to say; 2015 vs 2017 was close. I started on Team 2017, but after re-tasting 2015 two days later I regretted my earlier vote.
Hardscrabble Red: It was a showdown between 2012 and 2023 for top wines of the evening, with 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 competing for 3rd favorite.
For the 2012 vs 2023 comparison, which was favored often depended on when you tried it.
If you went by ‘first taste’ out the gate, then 2012 may have had an edge. But several hours later it faded while 2023 was still going strong.
That said, the 2023 Hardscrabble red was (more-or-less) the top wine of the night.
The 2023 was the only red that all 7 voters selected as one of their “Top 3” wines of the day. That’s remarkable given it was also the youngest wine of my lineup and will only get better with age.
As much as I loved these two wines, I also need to give credit to the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Hardscrabble reds (although if you like Old World funk, you’d go for the 2014).
I know Jim admires the 2015 vintage, so having a 2015 red in our lineup of favorites wasn’t surprising. My understanding is this was a slightly cooler vintage but dry and warm enough for good ripening. Great choice for 3rd overall favorite.
The 2017 Hardscrabble red also had several supporters. It leaned “Old World” in style, to the point that at a separate blind tasting event, my guest from Bordeaux threw down the “I’m from Bordeaux, I can recognize Bordeaux!” line only to be surprised to learn she was wrong.
That said, the 2016 Hardscrabble red was absolutely peaking. Given it was from an otherwise ‘normal’ vintage, this was a shockingly strong showing.
View from the tasting room
Final Observations
A few, but I’ll keep them brief.
First, Linden wines emphasize restraint over power. Even the ‘biggest’, most powerful vintages were unmistakably Linden-esque. It was easy to see Jim prefers “Old World” finesse vs “New World” showy-ness.
Second, Linden’s wines are also especially ageable. This was something I knew going in, yet it was another thing to sample it first-hand. That a 2012 Hardscrabble red and a 2015 Hardscrabble Chardonnay could be so delicious despite being over a decade old was a remarkable achievement.
Third, the 2023 vintage might be one of his best yet. I’ve known for a while that 2023 wines are going to break records for overall quality. The 2023 Hardscrabble red proved it (and at $65 it’s an absolute steal).
Lastly, sleeper vintages were some of our favorites. Linden allows each wine to be an expression of its vintage, so variation was expected. But the reality is that some vintages simply have weather favoring them in a way other years don’t. That led me to privately bet in advance that 2017 and 2023 (two stereotypically ‘good’ vintages) would end up as the night’s favorites.
So you can imagine my surprise at how well received both 2015 and 2016 were. Maybe it was the luck of tasting it at exactly the right moment, but those reds were hitting just right.
It’s not difficult for Virginia wine lovers to find a headline that reads, ‘Winery for sale’. Between slowing wine sales internationally, climate change creating difficult conditions for viticulture, and invasive insects which damage vineyards, saying ‘these are tough times for the wine industry’ may undersell the challenges local wineries face.
The momentum that propelled the industry for decades is indeed shifting. The Virginia wine industry has grown non-stop since the 1980s. Between 2005 and 2025 alone, the number of local tasting rooms grew from 100 to nearly 300.
This growth stalled in 2025. For the first time in the history of the modern Virginia wine industry, there were more winery closings (10) than openings (3).
It would be easy to blame these shifts on the wine industry’s wider downturn. Between tariffs and extreme weather events, local owners may be more inclined than ever to look for an exit plan.
The overall picture is far more complicated.
A Rebalancing in the Virginia Wine Industry
For starters, there is a generational shift in winery ownership.
Owners have traditionally preferred sales to be kept private until the last moment to avoid alarming their regular clientele. The increasingly public nature of recent transactions may indicate there is less of a stigma over having a ‘for sale’ sign than in the past.
While there is very real economic pressure on the wine industry, the number of wineries for sale has increased only modestly in recent years, according to Janine Aquino, a Virginia-based real estate agent specializing in winery acquisitions.
“5 years ago, there were maybe 30 wineries for sale. Today, there are around 40, mainly from legacy owners wanting to retire. It’s a shifting of the guard, not the doomsday that everyone makes this out to be,” Aquino explained via email.
Aquino points to another trend. Many of today’s wineries have been in business for more than a decade, often under owners who retired from a previous career or continue to run another business.
This suggests the perceived surge in winery sales is at least as much about legacy owners wanting to move to the next chapter of their lives as it is about financial stress. The issue can be particularly acute for owners who do not have children willing to take over the family business.
Even wineries that are at the top of their game are looking to sell or close.
Warrenton’s Granite Heights Winery is among them. Owners Toni and Luke Kilyk’s 2024 Humility earned a Top-12 spot in the 2026 Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition. Yet soon afterward, the couple announced they were closing the winery.
“Luke and I started this business 18 years ago from the ground up,” Toni explained. “For a mom and pop winery to have been in the Governor’s case twice in 10 years implies we are doing something right.
Though we still have our other jobs, we decided to retire from the wine business to have more free time to travel and visit with friends and relatives.”
The Kilyks are hardly alone. Many of Virginia’s most famous brands are not just changing hands; their new owners are also looking for opportunities to expand.
In 2024, RdV Vineyards was purchased by Château Montrose, a high-end winery in Bordeaux. Two years later, both Barboursville and Veritas Vineyards went under new ownership.
At Barboursville, the new ownership group has pledged to continue investing in the property’s wine, hospitality, and historic grounds. Veritas’ new owners are likewise expanding their overnight lodging program, which Aquino described as a critical component of the winery’s future success.
Even the 2025 reversal may be a blip. In Northern Virginia alone, 2026 has already seen the opening of Silver Dog Vineyards and Ovoka Farm. Wildkind Estate, OH Vineyard, and others are not far behind.
Ownership Isn’t the Only Thing Changing
This generational change is affecting Virginia wine in other ways. New owners are increasingly choosing to rely on contract winemakers for production. Other wine brands are opting to forego a physical tasting room altogether.
The rise of ‘wine incubators’ such as Common Wealth Crush, The Virginia Wine Collective, and Walsh Family Wine demonstrates this trend.
These incubators fill a crucial role by giving new wine brands access to space, equipment, and winemaking expertise without the expense of building a winery of their own. This has been especially beneficial for communities that have traditionally had limited representation in the wine world.
Incubators have also helped fuel the rise of ‘micro-brands.’ These ultra-small production brands primarily sell their wine through pop-up events and retail rather than through a traditional tasting room.
There are benefits to keeping a wine brand small. Unlike larger brick-and-mortar wineries, these micro-brands don’t have the expenses associated with a physical tasting room. Limited inventory also reduces their exposure to the financial risks of an industry awash in unsold wine.
Perhaps most importantly, the small-batch nature of their model means these owners can take stylistic risks that larger brands may shy away from. Wines made through Common Wealth Crush, for example, have focused on lighter, more approachable styles (many using hybrid grapes) that have resonated with younger drinkers.
Change is nothing new for Virginia wine. The pioneers who helped establish the modern industry in the 1970s largely started with mom-and-pop wineries that relied heavily on hybrid grapes. Over time, the industry learned that vinifera grapes capable of producing fine wine could thrive in Virginia. More recently, wineries have pivoted toward event-based models and added non-alcoholic options to meet changing consumer demands.
This latest generational change is not just inevitable; it may be healthy for the industry. Business models that worked 20 years ago may be increasingly out of sync with the demands of today’s wine market, particularly as the industry’s traditional clientele gets older.
So raise a glass to what this latest generation of winery owners will bring.
Lucie Morton and DuCard Vineyards are one heck of a combo. An event with either would interest me. Combining them is enough to make me giddy.
This past weekend Lucie gave a presentation that ranged from how she got into ampelography, her research proving Norton and Cynthiana are different grapes, to her upcoming documentary Immigrant Grapes: The Odyssey of Forbidden Wines which documents the diaspora of American hybrid grapes, and Cunningham in particular, in the late 19th century.
If that’s not enough, I was able to get a sample of DuCard’s 2023 Norton and his sparkling Norton/Vio blend, Dorothy’s Slippers (although my favorite of the day was the excellent 2023 Triskele red blend).
I don’t recall this event being named, but I’d like to think of it as “hybrid-palooza”. And BTW -this was the latest in long list of great events hosted by DuCard.
For wine lovers who’ve never been – you’re missing out on a place that’s one of my Top-10 wineries in the state. Not only do I love the wine, DuCard has hosted everything from guest speakers like Lucie, “Dark Sky” astronomy viewings, and chocolate pairings with a Master Chocolatier who works with Lindt.
But I digress. Let’s talk about Lucie.
Lucie gave an informal lecture to a packed room, starting with a recap of her career as an ampelographer; a specialist who studies and identifies grapevines. So rare is this field only a few people are recognized as practicing it, and Lucie is perhaps the most famous ampelographer in the world.
Her accomplishments are too numerous to mention them all, so I’ll just list some highlights:
• It was Lucie who first translated Précis d’Ampélographie Pratique (A Practical Ampelography: Grapevine Identification), a seminal work on the subject
• She helped prove California nurseries were inadvertently selling plant material that was already infected with undiscovered diseases, thus saving vineyards down the line from planting diseased vines
• Lucie also helped popularize the practice of planting vineyard rows tightly together. She understood early on that such dense plantings reduced the water available to the vines, forcing them to struggle. Since struggling vines produce better fruit, that resulted in better wine.
But you know what accomplishment she’s most thrilled to discuss? That she got to name one of the diseases she discovered.
And best of all, she named it “Black Goo”.
So yeah – she’s pretty much the most down-to-earth person you could meet.
After her introduction, we did a deep dive on one of her favorite subjects – hybrid grapes.
Norton and Cynthiana – Not the Same Grape!
She set the tone with one of my favorite quotes of the day: “Immigrant grapes were discriminated against, as all immigrants are”.
Hybrid grapes are almost by definition immigrants, as they have both American and European DNA. This combo makes themvery weather and disease resistant, traits that winemakers love.
Unfortunately, wine snobs have traditionally looked down on such grapes, making them less commercially appealing. This is despite her insistence that “young consumers don’t want snobby vinifera”.
Lucie doesn’t have any tolerance for wine snobbery. She quoted one winemaker who said “There are no bad grape varieties. Only bad winemakers,” which summarizes her views on the subject.
Norton is one such ‘immigrant grape,’ although to this day its exact DNA ancestry isn’t clear. But it’s not just the ancestry of Norton that’s confusing, its identifying what grapes are *actually* Norton.
Norton often referred to by another name – Cynthiana. Many places use the names Cynthiana and Norton interchangeably.
But some years ago, Lucie realized something – Norton and Cynthiana are in fact two different grapes that were mistakenly mixed together. And she’s been fighting to get this fact recognized for years.
From what I’ve gathered so far, Norton juice is somewhat darker and more rustic, while Cynthiana is a little more graceful. Unfortunately, plantings of the two are now so mixed together around the state it’s almost impossible to separate them.
Lucie is so good at her job she can tell the two apart just by examining their leaves:
• Norton: According to her, Norton leaves are ‘shaped like a bat’. It also has a rougher underside
• Cynthiana: Has a smoother underside, and no ‘bat wings’
• While I originally thought these two varieties might be cousins, apparently, they are more distantly related than I originally thought. Maybe not cousins at all, in fact.
She even did a little show-and-tell. Not sure if you can tell in the photos, but the leaf on the left is Norton, while the right one is Cynthiana.
Left: Norton. Right: Cynthiana
Immigrant Grapes: The Odyssey of Forbidden Wines
Our chat about Norton was a natural segue about hybrid grapes in general, including an upcoming documentary called The Odyssey of Forbidden Wines.
The documentary is spiritual successor of another film she participated in; Vitis Prohibita. But whereas the former was specifically about French American hybrid grapes that are ‘forbidden’ in France, Odyssey is specifically about the Cunningham grape, and broadly about the journey of largely forgotten American grapes that found their way overseas.
It turns out that Cunningham is something of a ‘spirit grape’ for Lucie in particular. You might say it’s part of her family history.
Her ancestors are Huguenots (French Protestants) who she can trace back to the 16th century, from the Champagne region of France.
Religious oppression forced them to flee their homeland. And their means of escape?
To hide in wine barrels during their crossing from France into Holland. Because of course that’s how a relative of Lucie Morton would escape to freedom.
She has another connection to this grape. Lucie believes these same ancestors took with them seeds of a French cultivar named Meslier Petit, which today is a minor white grape still used in Champagne.
Those ancestors eventually immigrated to Virginia, where she believes they planted Meslier Petit. Those French vines in turn pollinated an unknown American grape, leading to the creation of a red grape known as Bland.
Bland in turn is the parent for the source of Lucie’s current fascination: Cunningham. This grape originated in 1812 in Prince Edward County (also home to Lucie’s family farm) and was a popular varietal in 19th century American winemaking.
This timing is important. The worldwide spread of phylloxera devastated European vineyards, forcing winemakers to rely upon American grapes (including Cunningham) for several decades before the widespread use of grafting. Once grafting took off, those grapes dropped in popularity.
Dropped – but didn’t disappear. While France eventually banned the planting of American hybrids, some rural farmers hid their hybrid grapes and continued to make them in secret (I can’t recommend Vitis Prohibita enough to learn more).
It’s fortunate these farmers secretly kept their vines, because Cunningham disappeared when Prohibition forced US farmers to tear out their vineyards.
That backstory led to Lucie’s most recent mission – to bring back Cunningham to the USA.
I won’t narrate the entire film, but the short version is not only did she find Cunningham in France, but she also found it on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
It turns out that Cunningham’s leaves are so distinctive she recognized them immediately shortly after arriving on the island. Lucie even knocked on a stranger’s door to ask if she could inspect a vine she saw in his yard (she has a running joke she can recognize grapes from the passenger side of a car going 30 miles an hour).
You’d think Madeira is an odd choice for Cunningham, but there is a logic to local farmers continuing to use it even after other options became available. Cunningham is a high-sugar grape, which Lucie noted makes it especially useful in making fortified wine (Isabella is another grape she discovered on the island).
Suffice to say Cunningham’s journey back to the US has been arduous – but ultimately successful. Lucie finally got her vines and planted them at her family farm, Morland, along the bank of the Potomac.
Immigrant Grapes: The Odyssey of Forbidden Wines is still being shopped around at film festivals and awaiting a distributor. But I’m really looking forward to it, and DuCard owner Scott Elliff suggested he might host a viewing party.
Go see it. And pair the viewing with a 2023 Norton…or Triskele.
Albariño is a proven winner in Virginia. It’s currently the 9th most planted grape in the state, going from 61 acres in 2021 to 86 acres in 2025. While the popularity of many varieties have plateaued, growers can’t get enough of this one.
There are conflicting stories who first brought Albariño to the US; Markus and Liz Bokisch of Bokisch Vineyards (in Lodi) or Jenny McCloud of Virginia’s own Chrysalis Vineyards. But there’s no doubt that Jenny had the first local commercial planting, back in 1996.
Jenny explained the idea for planting a Spanish variety was inspired by an American Society of Enology and Viticulture panel on ‘alternative grapes’ led by Dennis Horton and Alan Kinne of Horton Vineyards. But it wasn’t until Jenny visited Rías Baixas that she discovered Albariño, which impressed her with its minerality and acidity.
She may not have realized it at the time, but the weather in Rías Baixas is similar to that of Virginia. Not only do both regions endure high levels of humidity, frequent Atlantic squalls make Rías Baixas one of Spain’s wettest regions. These conditions mean grapes that grow there would likely also perform well in Virginia.
Tasting & Scoring Methodology
A group of friends & I blind tasted 10 wines in 2 flights. All the flights were bagged blind.
We didn’t have a fancy scoring system. The goal was to pick a ‘favorite’ every round, as opposed to rating them and determining ‘the best’ wine.
There’s a reason behind this madness. Qualified wine judges know how to put aside their biases and pick ‘the best’ even if it’s not their favorite. Some tasters at my table have the experience to do that, but not most of them.
Beyond that, I find industry tastings tend to define ‘best’ as ‘the way it’s made in the Old World’, a viewpoint I find to be snobbish.
Experienced tasters prize ‘Typicity’; how clearly a wine shows the distinct traits of the grape. The problem I see with this standard is typicity is often synonymous with how that wine tastes coming from ‘Old World’ regions.
But Virginia’s terroir is different from what you find in Europe, so conforming to Bordeaux/Chablis/ect is a standard we’d always fail. That’s why I insist people judge these wines on ‘is it good’ as opposed to ‘does it conform to the WSET III tasting grid’.
While all my events are often casual, this particular one was especially industry or experience-heavy.
The Albariño contenders:
Revalation Vineyard 2025
Good Spirit Farm 2024
Nokesville Winery 2023
Chrysalis Verde 2024
Ingleside Vineyard 2024
October One Vineyard 2025
Fifty-Third Vineyards 2024
Blenheim Vineyards 2024
Afton Mountain Vineyards 2024
Crimson Lane Vineyards 2023
Most of the above sell for $30-$35. Blenheim and Chrysalis Verde go for $25.
Flight #1
Bottle #1: Revalation Vineyard 2025
Bottle #2: Good Spirit Farm 2024
Bottle #1/ Revalation Vineyard 2025. The more complex and weightier of the two, and more recognizable as ‘Albariño’. Slightly more golden in color. My favorite descriptor is it had a ‘Piña colada’ quality to it. Rougher acidity, more citrus-grapefruit notes. The finish really carried through.
Bottle #2/ Good Spirit Farm 2024. Pale, with peach and melon notes. Less recognizable as an Albariño; maybe more of a Sauv Blanc or even a Riesling. Several mentioned it had a flintiness to it. More notes of peach and melon, maybe even grapefruit.
Alex: For #1, felt a burst of acidity up front. Detected notes of lemon-lime, maybe as a jolly rancher. For #2, notes of flint.
Ashley: Loved the finish of #1. Detected notes of honeysuckle and peach in #2
Renee: Thought #1 was ‘barnyard-adjacent’ (this wasn’t a negative)
Sedale: Described #2 as ‘green’. Notes of melon and had a flintiness to it
Zena: For #1 detected notes of lime and felt it was zesty and crisp. It started as lime driven
Flight #2
Bottle #3: Nokesville Winery 2023
Bottle #4: Chrysalis Vineyards ‘Verde’ 2024
This round couldn’t be more different from the first. #3/Nokesville was more Chardonnay-ish than anything, while #4/Chrystalis was the most fruit-driven wine of the day (not that we minded; it was delicious).
Bottle #3/ Nokesville 2023: This felt more like a Chardonnay than an Albariño. One person wondered if it was a little oxidized. But overall, very clean and smooth, with notes of ripe fruit, especially citrus. One person mentioned it has a golden raisin bouquet.
Bottle #4/ Chrysalis Verde 2024: This was the definition of a porch-sipping wine and was unlike any we had in the entire day of tasting.
Tasting notes included very bright and fruit driven. One person mentioned Asian pear; another said it was honey-ish, maybe notes of old apple. It had a distinct ‘pop’ when I opened it since it was a screwcap wine.
Flight #3
Bottle #5: Ingleside Vineyard 2024
Bottle #6: October One 2025
This was our favorite round. We were convinced both were barrel aged, because there was a roundness and overall complexity to both that we hadn’t seen so far. If some rounds were for casual drinkers, this was the round for wine lovers.
I was able to capture a lot of individual feedback on this round, so I listed them separately as opposed to consolidating them.
Bottle #5/ Ingleside Vineyards 2024: Golden color, and notes of lemon peel.
Bottle #6/ October One 2025: Less floral than #5, but more pepper notes. It was definitely Albariño-ish. It also evolved a lot in the glass.
Kendell: #5 / Ingleside was a little viscous and zesty, notes of lemon peel. He enjoyed the nice lingering finish and called it a ‘wine drinker’s wine’. #6 had a tea note and notable viscosity.
Matt: Loved both; was convinced both were barrel aged based on the roundness. Thought #6 was more mineral driven, with notes of lemon
Renee: #5 was full and ‘round’. Notes of citrus was there but not ‘bright’ citrus. Clearer acidity and nice finish.
Sedale: #5 was ‘warmer’, some citrus notes and weight. #6 was riper and had more acidity.
Zena: #5 was round, pretty, and ‘all the things I like’. #6 had notes of peach, stone fruit, and lime
Flight #4
Bottle #7: Fifty-Third Vineyards 2024
Bottle #8: Blenheim Vineyards 2024
These two were strikingly similar, at least initially. Over time we found more differences.
Bottle #7/ Fifty-Third Vineyards 2024: We generally agreed this was more similar to a Sauvignon Blanc than an Albariño. Bright, sharp acidity. Lime nose. Someone mentioned bitter almond on the nose, and somewhat on the palate. I detected white pepper.
Bottle #8/ Blenheim Vineyards 2024: This was probably the most Rias Baixas-like wine of the lineup. Very soft and approachable. Citrus notes were there, but not especially potent. One mentioned it was a “lime bomb”.
This was the only wine in the entire day were people consistently mentioned saline as a tasting note. Compared to #7 there was more fruit here, with peach especially mentioned.
Alex: Mentioned #8 had a burst of acidity up front.
Kendell: Thought #8 was accessible and clean. Kept emphasizing his surprise of the saline qualities and genuinely wondered if it was a Spanish wine.
Flight #5
Bottle #9: Afton Mountain 2024
Bottle #10: Crimson Lane 2023
My wine notes were getting weak by this point, so I don’t have as much to write.
Bottle #9/ Afton Mountain 2024 – faulted bottle! It happens. But let me tell you about this wine, because I was really, really looking forward to trying it.
This was the winner of the 2024 Monticello Cup, plus scored a Gold at the Virginia Governor’s Cup. I set it aside with the intention of using it for my event, but by luck of the draw this particular bottle had issues. Maybe a faulty cork or seal?
Bottle #10/ Crimson Lane 2023: Notes of melon and citrus were mentioned. I heard its high acidity had an almost pineapple quality to it. It also had some salinity to it, with a pithy finish. It was the only wine of the lineup that I heard ‘smoky’ and ‘funky’ as descriptors.
Finalist Round
I put all the wines on the table and allowed for re-tastings. Every participant gave me a ‘top’ wine, a runner up, and a third place. 3 points went to 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, and 1 point for 3rd place.
We quickly gravitated to 5 wines, with a top 3 being almost universally agreed upon. #1 seemed to die off a little in the finalist round, and we increasingly gravitated to #4. #5 and #6 were almost neck-in-neck.
The scores for ‘Favorite Albariño’
Bottle #5: 2024 Ingleside Vineyards (Top wine of the day)
Bottle #6: 2025 October One Vineyards (Runner Up)
Bottle #4: 2024 Chrysalis Vineyards (3rd place choice)
So Is there ‘Typicity’ in Virginia Albariño?
The short answer – these wines were all over the tasting map.
Of the 9 we sampled (discounting one with a fault), 3 had distinctly non-Albariño tasting profiles. Whether it was that particular vintage, winemaking decisions, or our palates were off, I can’t say.
Most of us agreed that 4-5 were broadly in theAlbariño category, in terms of weight, tasting profile, and acidity. Some people mentioned #1 / #3 / #4 / #8 had that saline content that is identifiable as ‘classic Albariño’, but not all agreed.
1-2 were very close to a Rías Baixas wine, especially the #8 / Blenheim which was almost a dead ringer. #10 / Crimson was also mentioned for having a good amount of salinity.
Descriptions of our “Top Three”
Ingleside Vineyards 2024 Albariño: Ingleside is located in the Northern Neck and historically has made one of the better rated Albariños in Virginia. This particular wine scored Double Gold in the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, one of the largest wine events in the USA.
Tech notes: 100% stainless steel, 12.5% alcohol. Mostly made from older vines.
October One Vineyards 2025 Albariño: Grown at Bluemont, made by Walsh Family Wine, and sold in an urban tasting room in Leesburg. Normally this is a club wine because of scarcity, but I was allowed to buy this one for my event.
Chrysalis Vineyards 2024 Albariño Verde: Chrysalis makes two different Albariños; this one, and a barrel-aged one. Ironically, I prefer the Verde, because it’s just so easy to drink.
At $25 it was also the least expensive wine of the day, yet rated as one of our favorites.
