I visited Star on the Friday of their soft opening and had a chance to chat with Shane, its wine maker/owner. Google maps wanted to take me to a different road but the signage was spot on so I got there no problem.

The first thing you notice is the amazing view! I love the Shenandoah Valley, but the view from the driveway is especially great. They have some outdoor tables too.

Shane decided he didn’t want to ‘work for the man’ if you will, and had the crazy idea of starting a winery. I can’t imagine the amount of courage it takes to do something like that. But when you find something you love, I guess you just gotta go for it.

Their 7 acres of grapes include Chardonnay, Chardonnel, Cab Franc, Chambourcin and (I think) Petit Verdot. Since they were just getting started, only 5 wines were available.

What I tried:

“Field Star”: Chardonnay and Chardonnel. Clean, nice finish.

Chardonnel: Nice! It came off as somewhat sweet but I think it was just my taste buds fooling me.

Cab Franc: Made with a splash of Petit Verdot. I suspect it was young because I had a note of green pepper but it wasn’t overly so.

Star of the Valley: Cab Franc and Chambourcin blend.

They also had a sparkling but I forgot to take notes!

First off, I have to admit: I’m a Gabrielle fanboy. If you’ve ever read about the namesake of the winery, it’s impossible not to be a fan. An Italian from the Piedmont (French is his first language), Gabrielle immigrated to the States in the 70s and help start Barboursville winery. From there, he mentored more wineries than I’ve been able to keep track of. Suffice to say, he’s called “The Godfather of Virginia Wine” for a reason.

I visited on a Friday afternoon thinking it would be slow, only to be shocked at how busy the tasting room was. There’s a reason – the wines are THAT GOOD. And well-priced. The tasting room is small but super cozy, aided and abetted by a constant supply of fresh bread.

One of his sons was my server – that is, when he wasn’t making pasta. Yeah that’s a thing; from opening till mid-afternoon, they offer a food pairing along with the wine. I’d been there several times and been treated to everything from ravioli, fresh bread & olive oil, artichoke hearts, and potato pie.

The whites tend to be light and crisp and the reds low in tannin. But what surprises me is the variety. While he maintains his own vineyard, Gabrielle sources grapes from all over Virginia. One of his favorite vineyards seems to be Muse (his oldest son is the winemaker), but I’ve seen Gabrielle bring in grapes from Honah Lee, Turk Mountain, Trump & Blenheim.

What I tried:

• 2017 Rose: Light cherry notes; made with Malbec and Merlot.
• 2017 Pinot Grigio: Very light and refreshing
• 2017 Chardonnay. Made in a combo of new & neutral French oak; good and not overpriced.
• 2016 Cabernet Franc:  Lighter than I expected; made in neutral oak.
• 2017 Nebbiolo: Had some bite to it, little bit spicy.
• 2018 Charlsseas Dore: Interesting Swiss grape, which he made into a sparkling.
• 2017 Malbec: Good but felt a bit rough.

This is not a place for a picnic or to listen to some music – sadly it’s too small for that. Not only that, but the winery is literally closed on Saturdays! But if you simply love good wine in an intimate setting, it’s one of the best places to go in all of Charlottesville.

Chestnut Oak has a tiny tasting room but great assortment of wines. This was my second visit. While they’ve been making wines since 2009, the tasting room has only been around since 2014. I believe their 8 acres of vines have been around for even longer than that. It’s a good thing when wineries focus on the fruit first and open to the public later.

Located not far from Barboursville winery, the two locations couldn’t be more different. As soon as you walk in you notice the brightly colored walls that gives it a hippy vibe. Bonus points for being dog-friendly as well.

In the past they specialized in flights of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Manseng. Now they have a broader selection of wines, although they still seem to focus on those two.

Of the wines I tried, the standouts were the 16 Cabernet Sauvignon which had cherry-ish notes, the 16 Petit Verdot/Cab Franc blend (which was nice) and the 17 Viognier which was not overly floral. Good Cab is hard to find in Virginia, but they are hitting it out of the park here.

I missed out on their “Chestnut One” red blend! Apparently it’s a competition winner. Hopefully they’ll bring back the Cab and Petit Manseng flights, because those were fun.

I revisited Jefferson after a 4 year delay. It’s actually quite a wonder why I waited so long; Charlottesville is one of my favorite wine regions, PLUS it’s right next door to Montichello. As a history buff, this place is a magnet.

It’s hard to talk about this winery without also mentioning it’s namesake. Thomas Jefferson (I’ll call him TJ for short) is literally the founding father of all American wine, despite failing to make a single decent wine himself. A dedicated oenophile, TJ felt Virginia’s terroir was perfect for wine making. He was right – but what he DIDN’T have was a microscope. Little did he suspect that the US east coast is home to a tiny bug named phylloxera, which does nothing except dine on a grape vine’s rootstock. While native American vines are resistant, TJ’s imported French vines were not. Alas, his vineyards never had a chance.

Had he visited today though, I’m positive he’d have loved this place. They are neighbors with his home of Monticello, so the view is hard to beat. While their tasting room doesn’t have seating, they do have a separate building with indoor seating. Dogs can visit the main tasting room and hang outside as well. Over 20 acres under vine, so they are a good-sized producer.

My servers were very friendly, and I lucked out – they were doing a special tasting of their 14 Petit Verdot this weekend, and were happy to let me sample it. Score!!!

What I tried:

Rose: Off dry; light

2017 Viognier: Wonderful!!! Honeydew notes. Best Viognier I’ve had in a long time

2017 Chardonnay Reserve: Too oakey for me

Vin Rouge (mostly Merlot): Light, soft red

2016 Cab Franc: Soft for a Franc; pepper notes, cherry finish. Very nice

2017 Petit Verdot: Nice nose but too young right now

16 Meritage: Kinda oaky but OK

2014 Petit Verdot: Ooooohhh myyyy! Loved this one. So smooth…

For those who remember the old location down the road, this is going to be a brand new experience for you. In 2018 Flying Fox was sold to members of the same family who own Veritas winery, which is where their wine is made. Emily Pelton is not only a co-owner, but their wine maker for both locations.

Experimentation is a key theme here. Having the Flying Fox label provides the owners with the flexibility to try out new techniques and wine types. They have a total of 14 acres under vine, although its association with Veritas gives them the opportunity to broaden the number of varietals they have access to.

While the old building looked like someone’s home, this has more of a lounge/industrial vibe to it. It’s also conveniently located at the crossroads of several nearby wineries, including Veritas, Afton Mountain, and Valley Road. This is not a section of Virginia that will let you go thirsty.

Nate was my server, and he was definingly excited by his wine! He walked me through a tasting of 6 x samples.

My first two were both Pinot Gris, although stylistically they couldn’t be more different. The first had lots of green apple; good, but pretty typical of what you’d expect to find in a Pinot Gris.

But the second was an ‘orange wine’, an ancient style you almost never see. It was skin fermented, which gave it it’s color. It was sorta tangy, almost salty. I kinda liked it, but was mostly taken aback how different it was.

2015 Merlot: Amazing plumb/cherry nose and black cherry on the palate.

The 2014 “Trio” red blend had some fruit on the palate.

“Sly Fox” Cabernet Franc was aged in bourbon barrels, but despite that it wasn’t over powering. I bought a bottle.

Perhaps the most interesting one was their vermouth. I’d always thought of this as a drink mixer, but actually vermouth is a fortified wine made with wormwood and viognier, which gave it a very floral-y nose. This is definitely the first vermouth I’ve ever had at a Virginia winery, and a good showcase for Flying Fox’s willingness to try new things.

As the name implies, this properly is on the estate of Meriwether Lewis. That’s right – the same dude who (along with his buddy Clark) traveled all the way from Virginia to the Pacific coast and back. Now this property is an event center that more recently opened as a wedding destination, brewery, and (most importantly for me) a winery. I bet Lewis didn’t see that one coming!

I arrived on a Friday afternoon so things were relatively tame. But I can imagine this place getting super busy on weekends and in the evenings. They were still installing the pizza oven when I arrived, but food trucks seemed to be a frequent visitor here.

While as a winery they are new, they’ve been growing grapes and making wine for several years. In fact Matthieu Finot (of King Family fame) is their wine maker. So in terms of devotion to good wines, this place is definitely on the right track.

Since I’m a huge history buff, I need to talk a bit about the property. Merriweather Lewis was a Virginian who grew up on this property, once known as Locust Hill. Most of that farmland has since turned into a residential area (his original home is now a B&B down the street). No original structures remain intact, although there is a well that is original.

The main building looks like a home that was changed into a tasting room. There was still a fair bit of renovating going on, although the basement was ready to go. Not seen but also on the property is a home that can be rented out on Air B&B for weddings. I settled down and perused the options while my servers brought me up to speed on their offerings.

The staff were well versed on both the wines and beers, and neither option seemed to be more in favor over the other. Not wanting to miss out I had a mini flight of craft beer as well. Because seriously, who can miss out on a beer called “Westward Wheat”?

OF COURSE I tried the beer. But this was a wine excursion first and foremost, so after a few sips (OK, more than few sips) I delved into the wine.

Of the whites, I tried but don’t have notes on the Vidal. But the Pinot Grigio was refreshing. But the most interesting of the whites was the White Heritage, which was an apple/vidal combo.

For the reds, I liked the Chambourcin. But the biggest surprise of the visit was their “Apassimento” amaretto-style Chambourcin (its made in a different method than other typical wines – something about drying the grapes). It was very raison-y, if that makes sense. This is the first amaretto style I’ve ever had in Virginia so I didn’t really know what to make of it.

As I was driving up the mountaintop towards Valhalla it should have been obvious that this was an aptly named winery. Valhalla of Norse mythos is said to be an enormous drinking hall where fallen warriors would wine & dine after a glorious death. Well, I’m not a Viking and I didn’t have a Valkyrie guiding me to the afterlife (I was driving a Hyundai Sonata instead of a winged horse, to be truthful about it), but I was totally down with the ‘wine and dine’ part. Heck, the tasting room is even reminiscent of a longhall.

Valhalla Vineyard is one of the older wineries in the state, opening its doors in 1998. That means its these are old vines, which tend to produce more layered wines. At 2000 feet of elevation, the site’s 20 acres have amazing drainage, lots of sun, and cool air; just the right conditions for great wines. The fact it has a fantastic view of Roanoke is an added bonus.

I arrived close to closing time on a Sunday but they still kindly sat me through a full tasting. Several options were available, but of course I went with the Reserve tasting and got pours of several other vintages on top of that.

Choosing wines from here was drafting a fantasy football roster with an unlimited number of picks. At some point I just stopped taking notes as my taste buds became overwhelmed with liquid goodness. And if this I wasn’t already spoiled enough, they kindly allowed me to take home the bottles that were open, rather than pour them out at the end of the day. SCORE!!!

This place is unabashedly about big, bold red wines; and well aged ones at that. Their average tasting is the equivalent of a library tasting elsewhere. What I tried:

2008 Gotterdammerung: Red blend that was still fruity and a bit spicy. And it was only $22 (!!!).

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon: Extremely smooth.

Sangiovese (didn’t get there year): Light color but enough bite to keep me happy.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon: Nice, although it was getting past its prime.

2008 Cornucopia (red blend): It was bold for my palate, although maybe not to the same standards as others on this list.

Non-vintage (NV) Valkyrie: Red blend made with grapes from different years. Actually one of my favorites of the bunch.

2007 Valkyrie: Cab Sauv/Shiraz blend: My favorite; still bold after all these years. Only $28.

Alicante Bouschet: A French hybrid still planted worldwide (including southern France).

I will definitely be back here; preferably as my first option of the day, with food pairings to go with everything. The only downside is I might not make it to any follow-on activities.