This Saturday I joined Jason Murray of Arterra Wines for a fall wine release/vineyard tour of Seven Oaks, his main satellite vineyard. Joining us was Seven Oaks owners Mark and Madeline Skinner.

For those unfamiliar with Arterra, Jason is a huge proponent of low-intervention winemaking. I’d go so far to call it ‘ultra-low’ intervention, given his focus on using only natural yeast fermentation and basically allowing his wines to decide ‘what they want to be’ rather than force them into a certain direction.

The result is Jason produces wine that, if you tasted them blind in a lineup, you can always tell which are his. During the tour he explained, “I like wine that’s distinctive, that doesn’t taste like every other wine”. All his wines are made to be variety-specific or vineyard-specific.

Arterra’s estate vineyard provides most of their fruit. But since 2005 he’s also partnered with the Skinners to grow wine at their home in the town of Philomont (roughly halfway between Middleburg and Purcellville). Today, Seven Oaks Vineyard has 8.5 acres under vine.

When we got started, Mark and Jason gave us the low-down of the property.

It turns out the farm is historic, going back to colonial times when Lord Fairfax was sub-dividing his land grant into different segments (driving in you pass a sign that says “Seven Oaks Circa 1795”). You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but the main house started as a log cabin and was repeatedly expanded upon over time.

The land was purchased years back by Mark’s father Ben Skinner, a retired Marine Corps aviator who wanted a place away from the city. It’s also really, really pretty and I hope the Skinners host more events here. I especially loved the pond with a sitting area in front of it.

Seven Oaks is what Jason calls a “Piedmont site”, which he defines as relatively lower-elevation site with more energetic soil, as opposed to the thinner soils of a mountain site such as his 950-foot elevation estate vineyard. Seven Oaks’ lower 450-foot elevation drives much of the decision-making on what to plant here.

The vineyard’s original plantings includes Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. More recently it’s become home to Arterra’s Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch, and Zweigelt. It used to grow Arterra’s Malbec, until it was torn out around 2019.

Planning for cold weather events is actually why Jason chose the last three varieties. All three are indigenous to Austria, which only grows grapes suitable for cooler climates.

At first I was confused why someone would plant cool-climate varieties in warm-climate Virginia. But Jason explained “It’s all about the right grape in the right site”.

While Virginia’s summers are characterized as ‘hot and humid’, its winters can occasionally be very cold (as the polar vortex of 2014 demonstrated). Low-elevation sites are especially vulnerable to cold weather, which is why Jason decided to keep his most tender vinifera at his estate vineyard while focusing on early ripening, cold-hardy varieties here.

Jason and Mark walked us through their various plantings and we sampled grapes from the vine while tasting wine made from those plots. It was my first time tasting the Zweigelt and Blau, and only second time tasting the Grüner.

I felt the Blau was very fresh and juicy; a summer/fall wine that can be enjoyed a little chilled. The Zweigelt was more of a fall/winter or food wine; it was too warm for me to enjoy on our walk but I’d enjoy it with hearty meal. It was also a favorite of the local wildlife, apparently.

I loved the Grüner as well. This was different from the lean, austere wines of Austria. It was ‘bigger’ in volume and richer in texture than the typical Grüners you find. Some of that may be its location, but I think most of the credit is because of Jason’s focus on ‘clean’ wine and use of natural yeast.

All three varieties were recent additions, with 2022 being their first vintages. Sandy and Jason Murray were really excited to see how the vine’s growing maturity would influence the wine.

We also tried the no-sulfite PV, Cab Franc, and his rosé. While Jason makes a more ‘traditional’ PV, this one only uses fruit from the Seven Oaks Vineyard. This PV was softer than his regular PV, while the Cab Franc might have been my favorite wine of the day.

We finished the day with a big charcuterie plate and other light bites, which we paired with his Seven Oaks red blend.

I typically only review wineries…but I’ll make an exception here, because this is very much a stop for Virginia wine lovers.

First of all, Curio is operated by Rogers Ford Farm Winery, which was actually my very first wine club and still a favorite to visit. Not coincidentally, Rogers Ford was also the first winery to introduce me to one of my all-time favorite grapes, petit verdot.

Second, you can find a lot of Virginia wine here, and not just from Rogers Ford. Of course they sell Rogers Ford here, but when I visited they had Old House on tap, and owner Johnny Puckett is interested in adding more.

Curio is located in downtown Fredericksburg. I’ve often visited this town to tour the local history sites, but this was the first time I’ve visited the town for wine (although I may have to visit for mead as well, since I noticed Haley’s Honey Meadery is up the street).

Johnny recently retired from his full-time job as an IT guy, although the words ‘retirement’ and ‘winery owner’ rarely go together. So it wasn’t a coincidence that Curio opened only a few weeks later.

Curio is a wine bar, but it’s also something of a satellite tasting room for Rogers Ford wine. Club members can find all their wines here (and still receive their club discounts). But it’s not *just* Rogers Ford; you will find a wide assortment of wines from across the world.

One thing that makes this place different from a traditional ‘wine bar’ is they use WineStations to pour your wine. The way the system operates is you buy a debit card that you charge up, then insert the card in the machine. You then select the size of your pour (1 ounce, 3 ounces, 6 ounces) from the wine you want. The machine debits your card the appropriate amount, and automatically pours your wine.

If I had one complaint…is this system makes it almost *too* easy to sample a lot. You’d think 1 ounce isn’t a lot. But when are curious and have a dozen samples to choose from, it goes fast!

I visited the second weekend after their grand opening and Johnny was there serving flatbreads and chatting up new visitors. He explained that ‘Curio’ was selected because he wanted guests to be curious about both wine and people. You can sample a wide assortment of wines, but he was also intent that you chat-up your neighbors.

I charged my card with $30, and between a guests and I we sampled a wide assortment of wine. Being a fan of Rogers Ford I started with his orange wine, but as soon as that was gone I moved to his petit verdot then a few other international wines.

For this visit I went through samples of Johnny’s orange wine, PV, and cab franc, plus several other wines. Make sure to visit the patio outside.

Apologies if the photos have bad lighting; I was more worried about eating the flatbreads than photography.

Any visitor to 12 Ridges Vineyard is guaranteed to be blown away by the mountain views and wine that demonstrate a ‘sense of place’. Located on an old Christmas tree farm, it has the vibe of a get-away retreat.

The tasting room adroitly maximizes their huge deck so guests can take in their surroundings. You can even hang out on the swing set at the top of the hill, overlooking the vineyard and Blue Ridge Mountains.

I’ll get to the wine in a moment, but before talking about that it’s important to explain *why* wine grown here is so special.

In telling the story of ‘how I started my winery’, owner Craig Colberg said when he bought the property in 2010, he didn’t have a specific long-term plan. Fortunately, Craig’s friends gave him the idea of planting a vineyard precisely to take advantage of its unique potential.

That’s because this place is all about location location location. Vineyard consultant Jake Busching planted the vineyard in 2018 fully knowing its terroir had the potential to make fantastic white wines, especially suitable to make sparkling.

12 Ridges opened in 2019, initially selling wine from other high-mountain sites while their vines matured. Their 20 acres are roughly equally divided between chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot noir, and riesling, with the first vintage coming out in 2022.

What You Need To Know About High Elevation Wine

Situated off northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, at 3,300 feet it’s the highest elevation vineyard in Virginia (and 2^nd highest in all the east coast). It also has rocky, well drained soils, important for producing high-quality grapes.

But 12 Ridge’s greatest advantage comes down to one word: acidity. Grapes grown at cooler sites retain higher levels of acid, making them crisp, food friendly and ageable. Acid is also one of the key components for sparkling wine. Not coincidentally, they planted slightly heavier on the chardonnay and pinot noir, as these are Champagne’s most famous grapes.

Higher elevation sites are by default cooler, an important advantage as global warming takes hold. That said, sites with high relative elevation (higher than the surrounding area) have a special additional advantage, referred to as a ‘thermal belt’.

Cold air is heavy and drops to lower elevations. As the cold comes in, it displaces lighter warm air which create a zone of warmer temperature above it.

It’s not uncommon for mornings at 12 Ridges to be a full 10 degrees warmer than the valley below, helping guard the vines from morning frost. Craig explained the diurnal temperature shift could take them from the upper 50s in the morning to highs in the 70s in the daytime.

High elevation sites have other advantages. Grapes grown in such locations are subjected to stronger UV rays, resulting in thicker skins that provide more intense color and bolder tannins. Stronger winds also reduce disease pressure, as good airflow removes moisture from the vines.

But as with nearly everything, there’s a tradeoff.

Winegrower Josh Seaman explained how 12 Ridges doesn’t have bud break until late April. While this puts them past much of the ‘danger zone’ of a spring frost, being 3-4 weeks behind the rest of the state elevates their risk to hurricane season.

Cool weather sites also must juggle the tradeoff between ripeness and acidity. Heat ripens grapes on the vine, but also causes their acidity to drop. The cool weather means 12 Ridge’s fruit struggles to ripen even into September. Windy conditions also make fruit set more difficult.

A Taste of Terroir

As of late 2023, 12 Ridges has only produced two vintages. Fortunately, Craig was very generous and let us try what he had.

While production should ramp up in the future, this is unlikely to ever be a high-producing site. The vineyard typically only produces 1 ton of fruit per acre, which is a lower yield than they’d prefer. Sadly, quantity is often the enemy of quality.

We also talked about their plans for a sparkling program. With acidity like this, the grapes here almost cry out to be made into sparkling wine. Their first release using chardonnay and pinot gris will come out in 2025, so I’ll have to be patient until then.

While the prospect of high-acid whites is enticing, I was just as excited at the prospect of more pinot noir. While there almost 50 acres planted in Virginia, I’d argue less than half of that is planted in cooler sites where it can reach its full potential. This is one of them.

I was also happy to learn their wine is made at newly-formed Common Wealth Crush, with Ben and Tim Jordan as their winemakers. Their low-intervention philosophy is a great fit for 12 Ridges, and Common Wealth Crush (which I visited later that day) has a great setup for both sparkling and still wine.

Over an extended tasting Craig and Josh discussed the lineup, and we found a lot to love. That said, if I *had* to pick a favorite, it would be the chardonnay.

This chardonnay was, not to exaggerate, my favorite Virginia chardonnay of the past year; and I’ve had a LOT of great chardonnay. To say I held back a tear when I learned there was none for purchase would be only a slight exaggeration.

What we tried:

• 2021 Chardonnay; fresh, high acidity. It also had surprising weight, with light apple notes which reminded me of a golden delicious. More Chablis than Burgundy in style, which in itself is very different from what you find elsewhere in Virginia.
• 2021 Riesling: Bright, green apple. Mostly dry with a sweet note at the end. Well balanced.
• 2021 Pinot Gris: Made in an orange wine style, which means they used white wine but didn’t remove the skin during fermentation. Tangy, weighty, and overall really nice and interesting.
• 2021 Pinot Noir: A bit heavier than a west coast pinot, but that’s not a negative; we all enjoyed it. Made using native yeast and a bit of whole cluster fermentation.

For those who are curious, here is a brief list of Virginia’s high-elevation vineyards.

1. 12 Ridges Vineyard: 3,300 feet
2. Rock Roadhouse Winery: 3,000 feet
3. Ankida Ridge Farm & Vineyard: 1,800 feet
4. Fox Meadow Winery: 1,800 feet
5. Stone Mountain Vineyards: 1,800 feet

This list could be even longer if I included vineyards in the Upper Shenandoah Valley / Roanoke / Wytheville areas. I omitted these locations because while they have raw elevation, the lack of ‘relative’ elevation (meaning the vineyards are closer to the valley floor) means those vineyards lack the ‘thermal belt’ and airflow needed to excel in the same way vineyard like 12 Ridges or Ankida can.

It’s tough to find a Virginia wine lover who’s unfamiliar with Ankida Ridge. While Ankida is one of the state’s more remote vineyards, being one of Virginia’s very few pinot noir growers make them one of the more famous.

Ankida is only 75 minutes from downtown Charlottesville, but the last leg of the journey is all uphill. You know things will get interesting when you pass signs that say “end of state maintenance” and your signal gets weak, but at least the views are beautiful.  

I’d been trying to meet up with owners Christine and Dennis Vrooman for a long time but always seemed to miss them. But this time I was in luck; Christine was happy to host a small group, and it was easy to find ‘volunteers’ to come with me.

With an elevation that tops out at 1,800 feet, Ankida is one of Virginia’s higher-elevation vineyards. While one wouldn’t blame the Vroomans for choosing the location for the view alone (which is technically true – the land was originally going to be a weekend getaway), its elevation actually serves a more practical purpose.

Standing on the deck of her tasting room overlooking the valley, Christine gestured at the scenery before us. “We have a little valley here and a little valley there, and cold air moves down them to the bottom of the mountain. We’ve never been touched by spring frost, and our disease pressure is low since we never get morning dew. I could have called it Utopia Ridge.”

The phenomenon Christine was referring to is called a ‘thermal belt’, and its why winegrowers prize mountaintop sites. Cold air is dense, and like water flows to the lowest point available. This in turn displaces lighter warm air which rises above it. This results in a narrow zone where the temperature is warmer than what is above and below it.

As Ankida is 1,000 feet higher than the bottom of the valley, the morning cold air passes through the vineyard but like an unwanted guest is shown the way out. This lets the vines stay within a consistent temperature range, one that is conducive for growing grapes. Christine explained their mornings start off warmer than the town below, but in the afternoon, the vineyard is typically 5-15 degrees cooler than the surrounding lower regions. Even in the hot 2023 summer the temperature never hit 90 degrees.

This climate (plus the ancient granite the vines are planted on) makes it a great place for pinot, gamay, and chardonnay; 6 acres in total. The first two grapes are nearly unheard of in Virginia, while the later retains a degree of acidity that’s rarely found.

This unique microclimate is the inspiration for an initiative that Ankida and nearby 12 Ridges Vineyard are working on; a new American Viticultural Area (AVA) dedicated to high-elevation vineyards.

Details are scarce since it’s mostly conceptual, but the idea is to have a non-contiguous AVA which only includes vineyards situated above a certain elevation. 1,000 feet has been bandied around as the measuring stick to join the club, but fine details such as the vineyard’s elevation in relation to its surrounding area are just as important as the site’s true elevation above sea level.

Fortunately for my group, Christine didn’t let my geeky wine questions stop her from pouring. Out came several cheese plates and a number of bottles, starting with their newest wine, the Blanc de Noir champenoise-style sparkling.

As much as I missed their Blanc de Blanc, this Blanc de Noir was equally good. Even in a lineup full of stars, it was special.

Next up were a pair of pinot-based wines; Ankida’s rosé and “Verday”, plus a chardonnay.

The rosé was nice, but I’ve had lots of great rosés and it was almost unfair to it put it next to a wine that truly surprised me; the Verday. Named after the light, refreshing wine that Portugal is known for, Verday had the same zestiest as any Vino Verde I’ve had.

Next up was their chardonnay. While the pinot noir gets the majority of the press, I think their bright & creamy 2021 Chardonnay should get equal billing. Not sure if I should give credit to the terroir or winemaker Nathan Vrooman, but dang I liked that one.

Then came a pair of pinot noirs; 2017 Reserve and 2019. The former was a special treat and made me kick myself for not ordering it while I could (granted it was $85…but still). 2021 wasn’t quite as complex but was still very quaffable. I was excited to learn that a 2021 Reserve was also in the works.

We ended the day sitting at the top of the vineyard finishing off the open bottles and admiring the view before heading home – but not before we were treated with a ride through the vineyard.

During a 4-winery visit weekend last month, a group of friends and I kicked things off with a visit to Mountain & Vine (which for now still goes by its old name, DelFosse).

I’d been to Mountain & Vine a few years earlier, but this was my first stop since they won the 2023 Virginia’s Governor’s Cup for their 2021 Screaming Hawk Meritage. If the chance to taste this wine wasn’t enough, getting to catch up with their new winemaker Stephen Barnard (formerly at Keswick) sealed the deal.

Mountain & Vine is located about 30 minutes SW of Charlottesville in the lower hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It feels like an exceptionally rural area, but the tasting room is pretty and the view from the top of the hill is absolutely killer. They even have a B&B on the property.

Stephen was gracious enough to host my group, but we lucked out we also got to meet with owner Mike Albers.

He and his wife Adrienne purchased the property from Claude DelFosse in 2017. It didn’t make sense to keep the name of the old owner forever, but the Albers weren’t in a rush to change it either. They slowly shifted the name to Mountain & Vine, focusing on rebranding the name on the bottles as opposed to the name of website.

This new labeling proved fortuitous as their Cup win brought a ton of publicity. While the sign at the entrance still says DelFosse, they’ve almost completely pivoted to Mountain & Vine.

As for the vineyard, based on the slopes I saw it was easy to tell this is a great place for winegrowing. The have 17 acres vines using 11 varietals; all vinifera with the sole exception of some chambourcin. At an elevation of 850-1,100 feet, those vines are (for the most part) safely above the frost line.

Mike fully admitted that when he submitted the Screaming Hawk he thought it was a bit too young, but figured he’s submit it anyway just to get their opinion. Well – surprise! The judges obviously disagreed and he came away with the Cup.

Once Stephen came in from the vineyard we sat down for an extended tasting. As he’d only been here for a matter of weeks none of these wines were his, but that didn’t stop him from chatting them up. All in all we easily tried at least a dozen wines, all estate grown.

We kicked things off with the whites, and I found a lot to love. The Grand Cru Reserve is a rich white blend and one of my favorite wines of the weekend. I also loved the sauv blanc and chardonnay. I left with two bottles of the Cru.

For reds, obviously my favorite was the bigger, drier wines, but they had several options that were designed to be served chilled or could satisfy a sweeter audience.

The 50% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec Screaming Hawk was the favorite of the lineup. For a PV-heavy wine it didn’t taste overly ‘big’, and neither did I feel it was overly youthful. It was totally drinkable now and had Mike poured me more I would have finished it right there.

The runners up were their “Grinning Fox” (75/25 PV and Malbec), 2020 PV, and “1970” chambourcin. It’s not often that I’m impressed with chambourcin but I really liked the fruity-strawberry notes.

Rounding it out we tried a soft cabernet franc, the “Deer Rock” and the “Hippie Chick” that was more for a sweeter palate. Sadly no 100% Malbec (theirs is one of the few in Virginia); that was already sold out.

All the wines were good-to-great (even ones that normally don’t fit my palate). But if the quality wasn’t enough, I really appreciated how the prices were easily a good 10-20%-ish cheaper than elsewhere in the Charlottesville area. Being remote has other advantages.

To anyone who visits – TAKE PICTURES FROM THE HILL. The view alone is worth the trip.

Common Wealth Crush Co. (CWCC) is tough to describe at a glance because it has a lot going on. Its core business is to make wine for other customers, a process often called ‘custom crush’ but technically should be referred to as contract winemaking. 7 Lady Vineyards is one of their main customers, but they make wine for others as well.

On top of that CWCC provides a venue for vintners to make wine under their private labels. Jake Busching does his winemaking here, and CWCC rents tank space for other winemakers like Stinson Vineyards who have outgrown their own facilities.

As if that’s not enough, winemakers Ben and Tim Jordan craft wine under their own labels. This includes wine made under the Common Wealth’s logo, plus their personal and family brands.

CWCC is located in an old metal crafting facility in Waynesboro. While most of the space is dedicated to winemaking they also have a small tasting room which serves bottles from CWCC, Midland Wine (using fruit from the Jordan family farm in the Shenandoah Valley), Lightwell Survey (Ben Jordan’s side project), and Star Party (Tim Jordan’s side project).

The backstory to Commonwealth is the founders (Ben and Tim, plus partner Patt Eagan) recognized the Virginia wine scene needed a contract winemaking facility that is scalable to different customer needs. Members of the local wine industry often associate ‘custom crush’ with Michael Shaps Wineworks, who famously makes wine on behalf of at least a dozen major customers. But others have gotten in on the action, recognizing a number of vineyards lack the space, funding, or expertise to support winemaking on their own property.

In most cases contract winemaking facilities do all the work from start to finish. While CWCC offers this same beginning-to-end service, what makes them different is they allow winemakers the option of renting space and equipment so they can do their own winemaking.

This is important as many small producers, including winemakers working on their own side projects, are at risk of being displaced from their existing facility should the owner require the extra space. This makes CWCC a great incubator for micro brands that need a place to call home for an extended period of time.

The Jordan brothers also make a ‘family of wines’ that are branded separately but share broad stylistic similarities. For one, all or nearly all the fruit used for CWCC, Midland (the Jordan family farm), Lightwell (Tim’s brand), and Star Party (Ben’s brand) wines are from the Shenandoah Valley, so they tend to be higher in acidity. Ben and Tim also share a love of fanciful labels, minimal intervention winemaking, and a flair for blending, often using varieties that are otherwise rarely seen in the same bottle.

My group met up with partner Lee Campbell, a somm with extensive restaurant experience who previously acted as Early Mountain Vineyard’s New York state rep. Saying she’s a wine rock star is an understatement; we jumped at the chance of a tour.

Lee explained how their broad customer base requires multiple sizes and styles of fermentation vessels to meet different needs. Wandering down the aisles we saw a number of fiberglass tanks as well as more traditional steel ones. CWCC currently has 6 start-to-finish customers, 5 ‘winemaker’ customers, and several others who fell somewhere in-between.

After our tour we sat down for an extended tasting of CWCC, Midland, Star Party, and Lightwell wine in their cozy tasting area. Lee stayed with us to walk us through all the options.

Nearly all of these labels include ‘non-traditional’ blends or styles, which made for an exciting tasting. I soon realized with around 20 wine options at my disposal it was unnecessary to visit another winery afterwards.

There are far too many to list individually, so here are a few of the more interesting wines:

• Star Party 2021 Rosé, made with the hybrid noriet (their 2022 was a blend of chambourcin and traminette)
• Lightwell 2021 Colorwave Rosé, made with vidal, petit manseng, chambourcin and noriet.
• Lightwell “Btw Dark & the Light”, a co-ferment with 2/3rds grapes and 1/3^rd apples
• CWCC 2022 MISE, an orange wine with PM, sauv blanc, and chardonel
• CWCC The Artist Formerly Known as Sparkling, a white wine originally planned to be a sparkling but ultimately became a still wine
• Midland 2019 Petit Manseng, I can’t find my tasting notes but remembering having several stars next to it
• Midland 2018 Blanc de Blancs “Zero”, sparkling wine (also my favorite here)

20 potential tastings are too much for a single visit, but I did my best to sample the menu (being able to share with my group helped). Needless to say, we found a lot we liked and left with many bottles.

I asked about Lightwell Survey’s old space and was told they will continue to use it for big events. But otherwise, this is basically the new Lightwell tasting room.

I loved the entire idea of CWCC; you’ll have to make multiple trips before you try everything. I also love how Lee (and presumably others) are partners or otherwise paid staff since this is a gratuity-free space. With exciting wine and fair labor, so what’s not to love?

Lately, clean air has been something in short supply in northern Virginia. I spent much of the week inside, plotting where I would spend the weekend (and more importantly, someplace I could breathe easily). Fortunately, Shenandoah Park specializes in clean air…which also meant a side-trek to DuCard Vineyards was in order.

DuCard is located not far from the Sperryville entrance of Skyline Drive, and even closer to the White Oak Canyon and Old Rag trailheads. I’ve long thought of it as a hidden gem, although more of my friends including My NOVA Wine Blog have been discovering it.

DuCard exemplifies a theory of mine; wineries off the beaten path work extra hard to make your visit worthwhile. Not only has the wine consistently been above-par, their service is always top notch. It helps the local scenery serves as a great brand ambassador.

I’d last wrote about DuCard in 2019 (and been back a few times) but since they’d had a few changes in the lineup, a new blog seemed necessary.

Owner Scott Elliff was making the rounds amongst guests when I walked in, showcasing his latest wine; “Pet-Nat”. He even made t-shirts with a gnat logo for the occasion! My group managed to grab a table near the brook and settled down with a glass. Even the 2 1/2-year-old seemed to appreciate the color.

Scott wasn’t the only friendly face there; Kathy Wiedemann was at the tasting bar when I came in for a fresh bottle. Asking her to join a mini vineyard tour with Scott was an easy sell.

While walking amongst the vines Scott told us about his three vineyards. The main one at the winery had 20-year old vines; not something you see everyday in Virginia.

He also talked about the trellising system for his Norton vines. I’m probably mis-remembering half of the details but there was something unique in how they designed it, allowing the fruit to hang in such a way to minimize its acidity. Norton is a HUGELY acidic grape, so taming that quality is important. But it must have done the trick, since DuCard’s was the favorite of a Virginia Norton comparison last year.

But it was his new additions that really excited me. Scott managed to convince his neighbor to sell him a few extra acres of land adjacent to his vineyard, which he’s using to plant two acres of Albariño. Not only that, but Tannat is being planted at another vineyard. I mean seriously; just when I thought I couldn’t love this place enough, they are planting two of my favorite grapes.

Since it was the weekend of National Rosé Day, we of course had to have the obligatory photo of a bottle, perched on the bridge across the brook.

After some snacks, we made our way inside of a seated tasting.

They had a red, white, and mixed flight available. Scott talked us through much of it before going off to check on other guests. They also had a library tasting, which made Kathy’s eyes light up.

The mixed flight had two Chardonnays (one made in steel, one oaked), the Popham Run red blend, and a fairly soft Cab Franc. I liked the two reds, but LOVED one the “TANA ” Macon-style Chard. Very full for a Chardonnay; I think it would be even better with food but great on its own.

But arguably the hit of the day was their 2019 Petit Verdot (which Kathy shared a sample of with me). I was tempted to open the TANA right there, but as time was running short I took it home with me. Kathy was so impressed she grabbed the TANA, a library 2019 Petit Verdot, and the very effervescant and quaffable pet-nat.

All in all, a really successful day. Extra kudos to the staff for giving the dog a water bowl, which he sampled while under my table.