I attended Virginia’s largest wine festival this past weekend, where I braved the throngs of sorority girls bellowing for sweet booze like trained seals barking for herring, in hopes of finding some tasty local wines. With more than fifty wineries from across the state pouring their finest creations my chances of finding at least a few palatable quaffs seemed decent.
As I ventured into the daunting fairground layout of alcoholic ecstasy, I stumbled upon several wineries offering more than just an adequate selection of drinkable wines. Sure there were the expected substandard pours suitable for cougars, high school students, and boxed wine drinkers but there were also numerous wines for those of us with more discerning tastes. Three of the wineries I tried stood out above the rest: Breaux, Valhalla, and Mountfair Vineyards.
Breaux Vineyards (despite their lack of gators, air boating toothless swamp dwellers, and huddling masses trying to avoid a storm surge) presented an authentic creole flare. They served up lovely Cajun treats such as jambalaya and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese alongside some very delicious wines. The ‘07 Viognier with pronounced orange blossom aromatics, the ’05 Marquis De Lafayette a Cabernet Franc full of black pepper spice and leather, and the Equation a beefy blend of Merlot and Petit Verdot were my favorites.
Valhalla, named after the viking hall in Asgard reserved for heroes, produces some intensely masculine red wines. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a name that conjures up imagery of such bad ass things as Led Zeppelin lyrics and fucking vikings. Valhalla’s reds are as powerful as the one eyed king of the viking gods. For those of you unfamiliar with Norse mythology I am referring to Odin, not Bret Farve’s penis. The ‘04 Syrah with subdued red fruits and strong spicy flavor and the ‘05 Alicante Bouschet a self proclaimed cigar wine were the standouts.
Mountfair Vineyards was the newest and seemingly most sophisticated of my top three. In fact they seem more suited for cotillions and Junior League meetings than they do to my raucous brand of wine consumption. The fact remains that these limited production wines are stellar. The ‘07 Engagement and the ‘07 Composition are both well balanced medium to full bodied reds. The ‘08 Bradford Reed Cellars Chardonnay and the ‘08 Stick Dog Riesling, both made by central Virginia’s mad scientist wine maker Brad McCarthy, were exceptionally nice whites being offered alongside Mountfair’s reds.
I would also like to give an honorable mention to Rockbridge Vineyard’s Traminette. This light bodied white, overripe with lychee fruit and asian spices, was like hentai in my mouth without all the pesky probing tentacles.
Please feel free to continue reading my personal Virginia wine odyssey when I follow up October 10th & 11th at the Rebec Vineyards Garlic Fest.
Related posts:
- Touristy Mini Wine Tour
- Charlottesville Food and Wine Festival: International Food and Wine Experience!
- Charlottesville’s Food and Wine Experience Postponed
Bravo for what may very well be the first Cvillain article with useful information! I’d never heard of these vineyards before – are they new? or just far from our Albemarle/Nelson county field of view? Virginia can crank out some killer Viognier and Cab Franc. I’ll try those out next time I’m at the store.
Montfair is in Crozet. But they are relatively new.
what’s the name of the festival and where was it held?
For those of you unfamiliar with NFL players, his name is spelled Brett Favre, not “Bret Farve.”
Thanks for the good article. I look forward to reading about your next excursion. Although, if I may ask a favor… maybe give an idea of the prices (if they’re listed)? I mean it all sounds good until you find out something is way, way out of your price range. Then comes the sulking, the crawling back to your box o’ wine, and the crying into the arms of a cougar.
/”awwww… come here, mama will make everything better”
In my experience with Virginia wine, there are some expensive varietals but usually you can find something damn good for under $20. Especially at wine festivals where it seems like they usually have discounts, right? If you’re looking for under $10 as affordable then maybe you need a different hobby. I do have some low end fortified wines I can recommend in that case.
Then comes the sulking, the crawling back to your box o’ wine, and the crying into the arms of a cougar.
You say that like it’s a bad thing?
I think he should stick to wine. If he can’t spell Brett Favre then he’ll know fuck all squared about a Ford SUV.
/good article EE
hentai in your mouth without all the probing tentacles…..
thats some imagery. you might wanna get that imagination of your checked out
Mountfair! They are in Albemarle County – just down the road from White Hall. Super nice guys run the place and they really are making some excellent red blends.
We were out there a couple of weeks ago for the release party for their newest wine – Composition. The prices are around $25 a bottle but worth it since these aren’t the types of wines you slug down while watching tv.
What an unfortunate typo. I guess that is what I get for typing my article late night after hitting up the bars. My sincerest apologies to Brett Favre and the spelling police.
The event was the Virginia Wine Festival held at Bull Run Regional Park in Manassas VA. cbob is correct everything I wrote about is $25 per bottle or less.
While Mountfair is a relatively new winery the others have been around for quite some time. Rockbridge and Valhalla are both located in the valley near Roanoke and Breaux is located far to the north in Purcellville.
thanks Easy E. do inform us with these important details in the next review. looking forward to it.
the problem with VA wine is that you can get a much better bottle of CA, French, whatever-floats-your-boat, for the same price – let’s say $20. Now that’s bang for your buck.
So, while I support buying local, I wish VA would step up its wine game. Perhaps in time.
Exactly. Fuck your fucking fuck.
Don’t give me that ‘Virginia needs to step up it’s wine game.’ There are some wines here that will knock the fucking fucking fucks off California wines for half the price. You elitist fuck.
/channeling Floozy
not all Cali wine is expensive. Aren’t you being an elitist fuck for pimping on Va wines? You are as elitist as I.
Virginia has stepped up its wine game.
Here are a few for you to try so prove my point – and all are under $20! Plus, you can get really local and purchase directly from the winery which is always the most fun.
Pollak | Viognier 2008 | $18
White Hall | Gewurtztraminer 2008 | $17.99
Cardinal Point | A6 2008 | $19 (blend of Chard and Viognier)
Lovingston | Reserve Merlot 2006 | $17
Jefferson | Petit Verdot 2007 | $19.95
Spot on. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I agree with Lisa. One trip to Napa is all you need to see that California produces more than its fair share of rotgut, plonk-ass wines and most of them cost a lot more than Two-Buck Chuck. Need I remind anyone that such mind numbingly horrible libations as Turning Leaf, Sutter Home, and Franzia all hail form the Golden State.
So you’re saying that the best VA wines blow the doors off the worst CA wines?
Um… good point. I guess.
Sounds like it’s time for Bottle Shock 2: Suck It, Cali.
My point was more that people tend to glorify California wines. Drinkers seem to forget that what they see on the shelves of their local wine stores are above average wines selected by a hopefully knowledgeable buyer. But thanks for playing. If you would like a toe to toe comparison than here you are. Trefethen Vineyards and ZD Wines are both heavily lauded producers selling most of their wines for over $30 per bottle, and nothing they produce comes close to the wines I mentioned above. If that wasn’t enough, Robert Mondavi has been peddling thousands of cases of ass piss in the $20 -$100 dollar range for decades now many of which fall well short of comparably priced Virginia wines I’ve tried.
Vintage ‘09 Epic Testiness… low sweetness, a highly acidic nose, a hint of crab apple and you’ll be amused by his passionate smarm.
Look. You are obviously a wine guy, and wine is obviously Very. Serious. Business. to you. I am not a wine guy, and confess openly to knowing very little, so I I am just letting you know that you have already won this argument. A cognoscen-tip of the hat to you sir.
That said, I believe there may be some room for the concept of the “subjective qualitative judgement” in this here discussion, at least in the way you are framing your arguments (“its is better… because, well… I say it is. I am a wine guy.”). I could go into how price too, is relative to individual budgets, but that would belabor the point.
Lastly, although I am no oenophile, I am from california and can tell you that no one out there drinks Robert Mondavi outside a paper bag unless they are in a greyhound bus station.
You make a very valid point sir. Discussing wine is a highly subjective matter, and therefore almost all arguments about one wine being better than another are pointless. Degustibus non disputandum est.
It does bring me some small pleasure to know that others, especially Californians, share my distaste for Mondavi wines.
well I wasn’t impressed with Trefethen or ZD’s offerings either so we agree on something.
the problem is, during prohibition, california wineries had to rip out all their good wine grape vines & grow crappy, make-your-own-wine grapes. a lot of places never bothered to switch back.
One trip to Napa and I don’t want to drink VA wine anymore. IMO.
i’d personally go with jefferson viognier, a pollak red, lovingston rotunda red, & barboursville cab franc, & stay the fuck away from cardinal point.
but yes–see, e.g., http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/18/ST2009081802401.html & http://www.barboursvillewine.net/pdf/washingtonian.pdf
pollak viognier = miami pool boy. i don’t want notes of pineapple in my effin viognier
white hall g’miner = they don’t dish this out in the tasting room. not dishing out $17.99 to try it.
cardinal point A6 = eh
lovingston reserve – haven’t had it
jefferson petit verdot ‘07 = give me 10 years and i’ll get back to you
You are so right! Don’t forget Pollak’s fantastic Pinot Gris too – they are probably sold out by now but will have a new relase soon. They had a great Cabernet Sauvignon when they opened but it sold out right away.
ANYTHING by Lovingston is fantastic.
Our wine tours love Mountfair reds the best. Owner operated, that’s why it’s so friendly. Fritz and Chris.
Cardinal Point has yes wonderful wines – and if you’re looking for a FINE off-dry for someone with a sweeter palate don’t forget their Gewrutz/Reisling and Quattro. Even dry palates like it with spicy food.
What about Virginia Wineworks? Michael’s wines are not cheap but were mistaken for French at the Washington Blind tasting recently. Try his everyday Virginia Wineworks line – they are $12, $14, $15 and $16. Just pay for the wine, not the fancy ambiance!!! And see inside a real “custom crush” winery.
Arcady
EE, fyi, you won’t find any tasty local wines at the rebec garlic festival. most of them are barely drinkable. our theory was that rebec has weak wines; therefore, it invites wineries that are even worse than itself to try to make itself look better. it’s fun though, esp if you stop at a decent winery or two on the way.
New Zealand. That’s all I’m sayin.
NZ wine tastes like hobbits.
/I think EE is cocoNUT 2.0. Quick, somebody prod him on the old tartare / norwegian water debate.
Drinking NZ wine to excess is indeed one of my bad hobbits.
which is the one that doesn’t like butter?
any heavy balkan reds…the blood of recent martyrs. and chilean cabs. tanins peel the enamel right off your teeth.
Carménère, ftw.
Breaux is older than most other Virginia wineries…and is producing award winning wines at both ends of the price spectrum. Check out this article in C-ville magazine. I saw the Equation at Sam’s Club for under $10!! Oh, and the CA wine right next 2 it was $12.
Here is the link to the article:
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=11431101084614805&ShowArticle_ID=11802109092744578
Speaking of Breaux, California wines, and Bottleshock (Yeah, I’m gonna tie all 3 together…) check out this quote:
“Breaux Vineyards 2007 Viognier.
Fine lemony yellow, quite rich on the glass, ripe/unctuous peach/apricot nose, quite full and succulent, yet just dry on the finish, alcohol is there, but this is much better than the California version. ”
Tasting notes by none other than Steven Spurrier, the guy that Bottle Shock is about. Take that Cali! VA is in full effect…awwww yeeaaahhh!
RHYMES WITH ORANGE:
First of all, I don’t think anyone gets what “Miami Pool Boy” means.
Also, you might want to move to another wine if you can’t handle pineapple in your Viognier as it is often, if not usually, something to be desired in that particular varietal.
Miami pool boy = heavy tropical notes
I prefer my Viognier to be floral and not Miami pool boy. I think Miami pool boy wines are reminiscent of wine coolers and Horton fruit wines (“hot tub wine”).
ok, LISA?