Mt. Alto is as I understand it under the management of Monticello grounds and gardens, not necessarily a commercial venture. The varieties there are more a nod to Jefferson era wine sentiments than the idea of growing the best possible wines on that site, and they have some logistic issues to deal with. The vines about 1/2 a mile along the ridge at Carter Mountain Orchards have been producing fruit for well over a decade; similar soils and sit above the relative fog line as well, made for some interesting Chardonnay.
RE: costs. There is a reason Jefferson failed to make wine here. The climate, largely, sucks ass for growing vitis vinifera by and large, and there are not that many stretches of land that are worthwhile of even trying. Problem is most of that land sits in the more expensive parts of the state, so the real estate costs getting the vineyards started are high even before the potential quality of the wine is even seen. Barboursville is probably the only winery with more than 50 acres of contiguous vineyards on the estate, and still planting, so it’s not a surprise they are considered one of the few values. It helps they were started so early, had a huge bank roll from Zonin to do everything right from the start, and grown incrementally on their property.
There are very good SITES in Virginia. It’s just a matter of having a winery able to tap them as a resource. Early Mountain just took over a property called Quaker Run that’s planted out in the boonies of Madison County near the mountain base. Now that they run it outright it provides the fruit for many of their higher end cuvees, whereas before they were only sourcing fruit. It’s a property that would NEVER work as it’s own winery because it’s so remote and would have a difficult time getting tourists there. Sadly there are more than a few wineries around here that have far more success due to hosting weddings and weekend tastings than having anything to do with the quality of the wine, and in the first 4-5 years when there are no sales waiting for the fruit to grow in, that money is everything.
I was just down in Charlottesville 2 weekends ago and stopped by Barboursville with my wife. We both agreed it wasn’t worth the trip. You really feel the weight of the tourist volume there…it just wasn’t that enjoyable. It’s already been said above, but there are many more interesting options in terms of historical opportunities that are not to miss. My advise is to bring some of your own wine, or buy some locally, and go visit the spots that are truly worthwhile.
A bit south of Charlottesville off Rte. 29 is DelFosse Vineyards and Winery. The winery is tucked back in the hills off a long gravel road. The white were decent, especially the Petit Manseng.
Was that the tasting room or the library? I agree if the tasting room but have never felt that way in the library which is one of my favorite tasting experiences in VA.
Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts. As many said, we ended up doing more non-wine (Skyline Drive, Monticello, UVA, etc) then wine stuff. We did end up going to Veritas and Blenheim. Enjoyed the Veritas wines better although with some of the wines at Veritas it was hard to tell since the tasting pour was less than an ounce at times and we were very rushed by the person who was pouring.
I think you refer to Montalto, which if I have it right is what Jefferson called the spot near Carters Mountain near Monticello. The Mount Alto Craig refers to is about 30 minutes south of Jeffersons Montalto — a rocky little mountain near Esmont and Schuyler. While there are only 2 vineyards there at present (ours and a neighbors) I can say we’re definitely focused on trying to understand what suits the land best as opposed to going for an historical angle. Thus far cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot seem to appreciate the dry, rocky soil — but as a wiser man than myself told me: after 10 years we’ll know if we need to pull them out and plant something else.
Good to know. One of the girls that works at our store manages Montalto as well as the landscaping at Monticello under Gabrielle Rausse and she was racking her mind for who may have been up there on a tour!
Anyone consulting on the viticultural or winemaking side? Do you sell your fruit off now or are you far enough along to bottle your own? Feel free to pm me if you want, our store is always looking for new local action.
My notes from 6/13 when we were at a wedding in Charlottesville:
Gabriele Rausse Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 and * Rosso 2010. The Cab opened weirdly, but settled down after about 30 min, however I didn’t find it very compelling at all, a somewhat strange flavor combination. Good-. The Rosso was fairly interesting. Medium body, clear, good acidity and balance. A serious wine, I’d say. Good or good+
Pollak (tasted at wedding):
Chardonnay 2011 An OK wine, midway between CA and Burg style. Good.
Pinot Gris 2012 (also at BBQ). OK, good body but not enough cut for me. Good.
Durant 2012 (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, IIRC). Forget it. Good-
Cabernet Franc 2011 Yes!! Not bad at all. Good+.
At BBQ:
** Rockbridge Cabernet Franc 2005 DeChiel Reserve. Very nice, smooth, good length, compelling. Paired beautifully with barbecued food. Worth trying again. Good+
A Matt Brown rec (go talk to him at Wine Warehouse if you can!)
Lovingston
Pinotage 2011 Monticello
Gilbert’s Vineyard
Lovingston, VA
13.5%. Hand picked, double sorted, small lot fermented gravity flow.
About $25 from Wine Warehouse, Charlottesville, thanks to WBer Matt Brown.
A bit disjointed and drying on opening. But after about 40 min it settled down and became quite interesting. Good balance and length, compelling. Drinks very nicely. Good+
We handle the viticulture ourselves – though we did get some advice from Jim Law about matching soils to varietals before planting – we really look up to Jim, not only does he make fantastic wine (IMO), he is so willing to share his knowledge that it’s amazing (to the OP: Linden Vineyards is about 1.5 hrs north of Cville). For wine-making, we worked with Matthieu Finot at King Family this year (they do some limited custom crush stuff at KFV). Having worked with Matthieu during what many regard as the most difficult vintage in a decade or more, I can say he is a true pro, and is uncompromising in terms of fruit quality entering the fermenter. His approach led to about a 40% reduction in wine yield this vintage (for us), but what resulted was a fresh, beautiful (in our opinion) wine without resorting to any black-magic in the winery.
Thus, I second the recommendations for KFV – The King Family wines all show that emphasis on quality fruit – something that can be difficult to achieve in our climate.
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