Virginia Wineries: North of I66

I'll be in this neck of the woods next weekend and want to visit a few wineries. On my list so far is Chrysalis and Boxwood Tasting room in Middleburg.

Any recommendations for a third in the Middleburg, Purcellville, Leesburg area?

Thanks,

David

[James Roscoe]

There is Swedenburg for historical reasons. That is the winery that helped open the way to interstate shipping in the Supreme Court.

I don't have much experience in that area. Been to the Boxwood tasting room twice but nothing else near by. North of 66 but farther west is Naked Mountain. I liked them in the past but my last few visits have been disapointing. After all of 10 minutes of web surfing, if it were me I would probably take a chance on the Winery at Le Grange.

Thanks for the tips. The Winery at Le Grange is right on the way to the other wineries so I'll give them a try.

[James Roscoe]

Let me know how Le Grange is. I have never been there but have made multiple visits to the other sites.

James et. al.,

I visited all three wineries last Saturday.

The whites at The Winery at La Grange were uninteresting - both the Pinot Gris and Viognier had prevalent alcohol tastes (with abv at 12.5 and 13.5 respectively). The Chardonnay was OK, certainly not-over oaked. I really liked the Rose of Merlot (bought one bottle) and the Cuvee Blanc (nice summer wine, one bottle). I thought the reds were darn good with the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon a standout (bought one bottle) and the Meritage very good (16% CS, 23% Merlot, 38% CF, 23% PV) (bought one). The Cab Franc was a bit harsh and the Tannat quite interesting. Can't beat the venue - historic house on a hill overlooking what appears to be a vineyard but is really a tree farm (I think, maybe small trees).

Chrysalis also had a nice venue and the timed tasting by tent an added dimension ("your tasting will be in 5 minutes at tent number four - Ed will be your server"). I thought the wines were OK, nothing special. I liked the Mariposa so I bought a bottle of that (maybe the hot weather had me craving rose?). The whites were OK but forgettable. Same for the patio series and the Norton Barrel Select and Estate Bottled (which had some off flavors). The Rubiana was a bit harsh same with the Petit Verdot. I liked the Tannat (I ruined Ed's spiel - he asked if anyone has heard of Tannat and I said yes, having just visited La Grange and tasting theirs. He then had a subtle jab about La Grange, mentioned that many of their wines are not estate grown but bought from other growers). I thought the Norton Locksley Reserve (100% Norton) was real good but a bit overpriced at $35/bottle (I would pay maybe $20). I ended up buying a Albarino not on the tasting menu but I like this grape variety and wanted to see how they did it.

Finally, the Boxwood - absolutely outstanding wines! Best of the trip and perhaps best of Virgina I've tasted. Well balanced, flavorful, and "grainy" (I don't know any other word to describe the texture of the wine). The 2007 Topiary was the best followed by the 2008. I also liked the Trellis. A great way to end the journey.

Finally, the Boxwood - absolutely outstanding wines! Best of the trip and perhaps best of Virgina I've tasted. Well balanced, flavorful, and "grainy" (I don't know any other word to describe the texture of the wine). The 2007 Topiary was the best followed by the 2008. I also liked the Trellis. A great way to end the journey.

Thanks for all the notes Dave. Regarding the Boxwood notes copied above, did you try either the 2007 or 2008 Boxwood? I thought the 2007 Boxwood was the best I have had from them but found the 2008 to be very disapointing. I liked both the 2007 and 2008 topiary like you with a preference for the 2007 and I have never had a chance to try the Trellis. As for best in Virginia, I would not make any statements such as that until you have tried Linden and Barboursville.

Brian,

I also had the 2007 Boxwood, which was also very nice.

I have been to Barboursville many times and visited Linden in March. Of all the VA wineries I have visited, Barboursville has always been the benchmark in which I have compared other VA wineries. None have come close, except for Boxwood. So now I have two benchmarks. I couldn't say which one is 'better' but I think they are best in class so far (at least of the ones I have tasted).

I'll have to do a repeat visit to Linden as it didn't impress me. I thought they were good wines but I wasn't blow away. Granted, it was the third winery I had visited in the span of two hours and it was the end of a long day (which started at 7am with a 25K trail run through the Blue Ridge Mountains!). So a fresh visit is needed (don't food critics make multiple visits the restaurant they review???!!!)

Speaking on Linden, on the way to Linden from Chester Gap (which makes fantastic Viognier!), I passed by some vineyards that were overgrown with grass and obviously haven't been tended to in some time. It was the infamous Oassis winery. I've never had their wines before their shutdown, or so I thought. As I was cleaning out my basement, I found the bottle of sparkling wine from my 1989 wedding day (in nearby Orange, VA). Curious, I wondered where it was made. Low and behold, it was from Oassis! Anyone try their wines?

Final note from VA. Back in March, I also visited Glen Manor, a believe on the suggestion of Brian. They were out of most of their wines that day but I tried Sauvignon Blanc, which was fantastic, and the Vin Rouge (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc), which was also very good.

Dave

I'll have to do a repeat visit to Linden as it didn't impress me. I thought they were good wines but I wasn't blow away.

I don't think the reds show so well young. If you are there on a day when they are selling library selctions by the glass give one that has a few years on it a try. The 2006 and 2007 are still so young right now. I do love the Linden Chardonnays and I am not much of a Chardonnay fan.

Speaking on Linden, on the way to Linden from Chester Gap (which makes fantastic Viognier!), I passed by some vineyards that were overgrown with grass and obviously haven't been tended to in some time. It was the infamous Oassis winery.

You obviously did not risk the more direct route to Linden. Probably a wise choice if you had already stopped at a couple wineries.

I've never had their wines before their shutdown, or so I thought. As I was cleaning out my basement, I found the bottle of sparkling wine from my 1989 wedding day (in nearby Orange, VA). Curious, I wondered where it was made. Low and behold, it was from Oassis! Anyone try their wines?

Unfortunately I have tried them. It was in the fall of either 2007 or 2008 and we ended up with more time than anticipated so we stopped at Oasis without any prior knowledge. The place was beautiful but a closer look revealed obviously neglected vines. Not detered, I paid the Napa like tasting fee for inferior wine. Nothing was good. I have visited wineries for the past 20 years and it is the only time I refused to buy a single bottle. trust me when I say that my standards for a sympathy bottle are fairly low. I have bottles from such viticultural hot spots as West Virginia, Southern Indiana, Northern Ohio, Southern Jersey, Eastern PA, and Southern Maryland.