Slater Run is a new-ish winery that has long had a nearby tasting room/wine store, but only recently expanded its seasonal tasting room at the owner’s home/vineyard into a facility that can be open all year. While I liked the old setup, the new room is very roomy and posh. But even better is the view of the hills and vineyards right outside. At 1,000 cases/year they are still on the small side, but with 12 acres of vines they have plenty of room to expand.

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This location has a very ‘adults only’ vibe (and no pets allowed either). I know some will not appreciate that, but given there’s a slew of dog and family friendly locations down the road I think it’s nice to have something only for the grownups.

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Their wine maker is Katell Griaud. She’s worked in Virginia a number of years, mainly in Charlottesville but also as an advisor to nearby Casanel. As you can imagine, her wines are stylistically similar to French wines; the reds tend to be blends, the whites very crisp, and everything is made in French Oak. They even have a desert wine from Katell’s family’s winery in France.

What truly blew me away is Slater Run has the rare distinction of one of the few wineries that I liked-to-loved EVERYTHING on the tasting menu. Seriously…there wasn’t a single ‘meh’ wine in the lot.

What I tried:

Pinot Gris: Made dry but could fool a sweet wine lover

Chardonnay: Strong green apple notes

Rose: Amazing pinkish color, made in the Provence style (of course)

Cabernet Franc: Bramble fruit notes

First Bridge red blend: Cab Franc & Merlot heavy; everything just balanced together very nicely

Roots red blend: Right-bank style that was bolder than the First Bridge. 45% Cab Sauv, 25% Cab Franc, 20% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot.

KALIAN desert-style wine: Almost syrupy; I liked it but you’d have to be a desert wine lover to really enjoy it.

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