I had given up on Virginia wines over a decade ago after one too many Nortons that smelled of nothing but sun tan lotion. But this is a surprisingly enjoyable drink, still a little oakier than I prefer but not so much as to be objectionable. Wouldn’t be surprised if the oak integrates with time, it seems like it could age a bit. Really head and shoulders above anything I tried back in the day.
Lindens age really well. I generally have doubts about them when they are young which I’ve learned to overllook now that I know how they taste at 10 years old.
I don’t drink that much Virginia wine, but from what I have had, Jay, you could have stopped with Linden is really head and shoulders above anything I tried.
I have not had Linden for awhile but they make exceptional Chardonnays.
Ah well, I was taking it as a sign that VA wine had improved dramatically but it seems that they may just have the one really good producer. Useful to know 
Linden Chardonnay is certainly one of the better wines from Virgina. Some other ones exist, but you need to pick and choose very carefully.
The big move in VA has been to sparkling whites, but I haven’t had a chance to sample them. Sparklers do seem like they would excel where there aren’t the conditions to extract the big fruit esters that most wine drinkers [and most professional critics] seem to desire.
I spend a fair amount of time wandering VA wine country - cheaper than flying to the West Coast.
In addition to Linden (the granddaddy of VA wine), the other top producers are RdV, Glen Manor, and Barboursville. Beyond that it’s pretty hit or miss.
All of the above use Merlot heavy Bordeaux blends for their top reds. However, I still think that VA does Cab Franc better than any other red grape as a single varietal. The Glen Manor CabFranc is a favorite of mine.
Whites are somewhat iffier - a lot of semi-dry Viognier and Petit Manseng. No real stand outs for me. The Trump (formerly Kluge) bubbles are inoffensive.
The biggest problem VA has is QPR. As much as I love supporting the local guys, the Glen Manor Cab Franc is $25. I know what I’ll be drinking more of when I can pick up the basic Baudry for $20 or Plouzeau for $15.
Jim Law’s whites, Chards and sauv Blancs, are about the only VA white wines with a consistent pedigree for aging vintage after vintage.
Our biggest problem w/r/t value is that the majority of potential quality vineyard land sits in the more expensive real estate, and so many vineyards have been planted in the last 15 years or so that are just now starting to show aany maturity. Hard to make a $15 Chardonnay from 4 year old vines on land that just as easily could be used for a string of $2M houses on 2 acres of land.
Nathan-hadn’t seen a ‘big move’ in sparkling whites here. Acidity very hard to come by, and few wineries willing to do the work to do so. Curious where you got that impression.
Cannot make that statement as I don’t drink that much Virginia wine. But, Linden Chardonnay is far and away the best I have had from Virginia.
Jay,
I wouldn’t give up on them or view the very good Linden wines as one of the only ones worth your time.
Lots of enjoyment can be had exploring. Having said that, I don’t disagree with the statements about qpr. Too, while I really like a lot of Virginia wine, I’ve never had what I would consider a great bottle.
I generally prefer the Avenius Chardonnay to the Hardscrabble. Try it if you get a chance as its got more of an acid backbone than the Hardscrabble.
In general I don’t think much of the sparkling wine from VA but Veritas and Thibaut-Janisson make nice wines that are decently priced.
Both made by the same person.
+1
I think the Thibaut-Janisson is the best sparkler being produced in VA. As previously mentioned though the real issue is value. The T-J is quickly approaching $30 and for another $10-$20 you can buy great champagne.
T-J is still available at Bassins for $25. I think its been $22-$25 for three years now.
And before I forget a big thank you to Ken McNamara who sent this as a thank you gift after I fooled him with another non-French chardonnay (2012 Matello Richard’s Cuvee).
Looks like Bassins at $25 is the lowest price available, however after paying either the 10% DC tax to pick up or have it shipped the all in cost is heading toward $30. I can get it locally for $29 + 5.5% sales tax. Either way the value just isn’t there.
Interesting thread. Several of the posts are really disappointing.
- 2010 Boisseau is the best wine that Jim Law has ever made. WE gave it 93 points which, I believe, is the highest numerical rating any VA wine has ever received. His '09 Hardscrabble red is absolutely delicious right now. (An apology for even mentioning a numerical rating…)
- Breaux has an '07 Nebbiolo that is remarkable. $60 a bottle and worth every penny.
- Glen Manor’s best wine is Jeff’s Petit Verdot. I’d put both his '09 and '10 on par with any petit verdot in North America. His '13, from the barrel, may be his best. All of his wine is worth every penny.
- Muse Vineyards outside of Woodstock, VA won the Governor’s Cup for its '09 Clio. Absolutely delicious; only problem is that it is virtually impossible to find especially since Muse is only occasionally open on the weekends for an appointment. Their '10 Clio may be even better. Problem with Muse is that when they won the GC they almost doubled their prices. @$40 a bottle and under they are excellent. Not @ $60.
- This is the same problem with RDV: excellent wine but $95 is too much for a wine that has not established its name on the national stage-although he is trying. Still, the '09 and '10’s are delicious.
- Delaplane’s Williams Gap is an excellent value, especially if you buy it as a future when it is $37 or so a bottle. The '13 may be its best yet although the '10 was preferred to '09 RDV Lost Mountain when I took both to Germany for a tasting. Perhaps I should have not focused on red wine in this post but I must mention Delaplane’s Petit Manseng which I really like.
- Jim Law has had a large hand in influencing much of the absolute best of VA wine.
Over the last five or so years VA wine has come onto the national stage. I am NOT talking about what someone will buy at a wine festival. Nor the 19 out of 20 tables at King Family recently which all had an under $25 bottle of wine on them. I am talking about singular wines such as King’s '10 Meritage or Michael Shaps '07 Meritage which along with Barboursville Octagon ('10 Special Reserve is exceptional as is the '09; '01 proves its age worthiness and can be purchased at the winery) and Arterra’s Tannat, even Chateau O’Brien’s '10 Petit Verdot (same winemaker who moved to Arterra) and others. But, again, I am not talking about wine at a mass event nor the plonk served at most $10 tastings nor a cheap bottle to have an experience.
I am talking about $30-50 or more bottles which are now worth it.
I must also note several of the wineries which are absolutely beautiful or have beautiful settings: Delaplane, Hillsboro, Grace Estates, Veritas, King Family, RDV, Afton Mountain and the new Blue Valley among others. Moss may have a 50 mile view (if you can survive the gravel road) and Bluemont a 40 mile view. Trump’s winery actually has a beautiful setting FWIW. And, sitting on the hillside behind Glen Manor, for all of the world, looks like an Austrian hillside.
The WA is going to have an issue where a lot of VA wines were tasted. No idea what will be written. But I believe I have had VA’s best (as well as much of the rest of America) and what I have mentioned above is worth seeking out.
Addendum: I am old. I have been going to Virginia wineries since Piedmont in the '70’s and remember an early visit to Linden sometime in the mid '80’s when it hadn’t been opened too long. There was a time when several VA wineries made a fairly good “white” but never a red. In the forty years since my first visit Virginia wine has changed. In another thread I titled it “on the national stage.”
It is.
Today, when I sip an especially good glass of wine, I do not include the word “Virginia” in my thoughts. Rather, that it is exceptional-regardless of where the grapes are grown and the wine was made.
That is all good and nice. And a little homerism is fine. But at the end of the day, despite the vast improvement, Virginia will never be better than the fourth best wine producing area in the USA. Behind California, Oregon and Washington State. And if you want to focus on whites, NY State will be a interesting match up. Yes there has been vast improvement. But the other areas aren’t standing still waiting on Virginia.
I have never really developed a taste for VA reds, including Linden’s. I remember going to Glenn Manor to taste one of their red blends that had recently gotten good press. It was around $40 a bottle and seemed to have a lot of cosmetics but not a lot else. I have liked Glenn Manor’s Sauvignon Blanc though from back when he bottled it as a Linden wine.