Places like Rosemont Vineyards are the reward you get for exploring the more distant corners of Virginia wine country. While many smaller, more remote wineries tend to cater to more local tastes, Rosemont wines consistently equal anything I’ve found in NOVA or Charlottesville.

I credit this quality to the owners, the Rose family. Justin and Aubrey Rose now run the winery, with Justin also serving as their winemaker. Both very active in the Virginia wine industry, with Justin having previously served as President of the Virginia Wineries Association and Aubrey as Treasurer of the Virginia Wine Board. A week after my visit, Aubrey was representing Virginia wine at an exhibit in London.

Rosemont’s terroir is unique in a few ways. Their location 90 minutes south of Richmond means Rosemont’s weather is often different from what the rest of Virginia encounters (which can be either good or bad). In recent months this proved to be a positive, as Rosemont was largely spared from the April freeze that damaged vines across the rest of the state.

Nearby Lake Gaston also gives Rosemont a unique microclimate. Cold bodies of water essentially ‘steal’ energy from incoming storm front, which somewhat protects their vineyard from harsh weather.

But what I appreciate the most is how Rosemont is something jack-of-all-trades winery.

Rosemont makes wines from both vinifera and hybrids. While I’m often skeptical of hybrids, I appreciate that Justin makes his with the same seriousness that I associate with their vinifera.

On top of that, Justin makes several sparkling wines…and a vermouth. Because…why not?!?

I visited as part of a trip to southern Virginia and had a chance to catch up with Justin, including sampling a few recent releases from their “Teaghlach” series (a Scottish word for family or close-knit group of people). Their family heritage is actually closely interwoven with their branding, being mentioned in several labels.

I could only do a small cross-section of their wines, so I picked some favorites:

• NV Extra Brut Sparking (made in a Charmat-style, using Chardonel): Bright and summer-y, with notes of white flowers. I picked up a bottle, in no small part because I feel for $25 this is one of the best-value wines in the state. I think this is a great use for Chardonel as well.

• 2025 “Block A” Chardonel: Notes of lemon curd. This wine was powerful on the palate. One of my favorite Chardonels in the state.

• 2022 Kilvarock: Their ‘flagship’ wine, named after the ancestral castle of Clan Rose. Merlot forward, but (surprisingly) no tannat this year!

• 2023 “1858” red blend (29% Petit Verdot, 29% Merlot, 24% Tannat, 18% Cabernet Franc): Ironically, the addition of tannat reminded me of previous editions of their Kilvarock more than it did their previous vintages of this wine. Named after the year the farm was founded.

• 2023 Tannat: This was powerful, ripe year for reds. I think Justin made a smart move to blend 14% merlot in the wine, which I think smoothed it out.

I didn’t taste them, but I picked up bottles of Petit Verdot, 2023 Kilvarock, and Cabernet Franc on reputation alone.