I often tell people it’s a good bet that wineries located off the beaten trail will have high-caliber wine, as that’s the only way such locations can stay in business. Jump Mountain Vineyard proves that adage is true. It’s fair to say this extends to the Shenandoah Valley as a whole, although even by their high standards Jump is a hidden gem.

So when I learned that Jump Mountain won the 2023 Shenandoah Cup Wine Competition with its 2019 “Borderlands” tannat-heavy red blend, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.

But I’m jumping ahead in my story, so I’ll start at the beginning.

The farm that is now Jump Mountain was purchased by Mary Hughes and David Vermillion in 2006 for the purpose of growing grapes. When asked what gave her the crazy idea of starting a vineyard, Mary began the story with by explaining, “It’s a cautionary tale…”.

Of course, she was half joking; but only half. Both Mary and David harbored a secret desire to plant a vineyard, and when they fessed up to one another, making the dream come true was the next logical step.

It helped that Virginia was pushing potential buyers to plant vineyards for the then-new-ish Virginia wine scene, which in the mid-2010s was suffering from a lack of good fruit. That Dave was already friends with Gabrielle Rausse, a treasure-trove of Virginia wine knowledge, must have helped as well.

Their decision to plant in the Shenandoah Valley was driven by a combination cheaper land and the valley’s excellent growing conditions. In fact, those conditions were even better than they realized.

When Jump was deciding what vines to plant, ‘experts’ at the time recommended they focus on hybrid grapes, on the assumption their location was too cold for vinifera to survive. Jump proved them wrong. The mountain namesake for their farm can be seen not far in the distance.

With a 1,300 foot slope that leads down to a creek (excellent for leading cold air away from the vines), Jump’s vineyard now consists of 3 acres of vinifera. Around half is Cabernet Sauvignon, with another acre of Grüner Veltliner, a quarter acre of Tannat, and quarter acre of ‘everything else’ (Italian grapes Refosco, Lagrein and Sagrantino, primarily from the mountainous north).

Matthieu Finot is their consultant, but the owners are the winemakers. At 700 cases/year in a good year, Jump’s production is very tiny. Fortunately, their wine is also sold in some stores in Charlottesville.

I visited Jump years ago and loved the wines, but their location in Rockbridge Baths (about 40 minutes southwest of Staunton) makes them one of the more remote vineyards in Virginia. Fortunately, they were open on a Friday for some visitors, and they let me crash the party for a tasting and interview.

I was able to try their entire line-up, including their new sparkling. The price points were great as well, ranging from $17 for the excellent Grüner, low to mid $20s for the reds, with the highest being $30 for their traditional method sparkling.

I was particularly surprised to see a Virginia Cab Sauv at $23. This grape often struggles in Virginia, but it seems to like Jump’s location. Anywhere else it would be a good bit more $$ but even within the low-priced Shenandoah Valley it was still a steal.

• 2018 Grüner: Cold hardy, lots of citrus fruit, ‘adult lemonade’
• 2020 Grüner: Much ‘fuller’ than the 2018. Made in neutral oak and with more lees. I preferred this one over the 2018 (not that I’d turn the 2018 down)
• Sparkling Grüner: Made in the Traditional method; apple-citrus notes
• Syrah Rosé: Made with fruit from a nearby vineyard. Syrah is hard to get ripe in Virginia so Jump uses it to make a rosé instead
• 2021 Livia: 60% Refosco, 20% Cab Franc, 15% Lagrein, and 5% Sagrantino: Named after Caesar’s 2^nd wife, who extolled on the virtues of wine drinking as a method of longevity. Interesting combo of pepper & fruit, plus low tannins
• 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon: Tannins were there but softer as Cabs go
• 2020 Borderland: Tannat & Cab Sav heavy red blend; big and bold mouthfeel. The name ‘Borderlands’ is a reference how Tannat’s home is the Pyrenees Mountains. The 2019 vintage won the Shenandoah Cup.

Not tried on this trip, but the winner of the 2023 Shenandoah Wine Cup was the 2019 Borderlands, a blend of 50% Tannat, 25% Cab Sauv, and 25% Cab Franc. The 3^rd place was the 2021 Livia.