Sauvignon Blanc – Charlottesville UnCorked

Did you ever think you could live in a place too long? Too long from the perspective of taking for granted a beautiful purple Phlox covered countryside with vineyards, mountains and history just a short drive down the road from… Super Walmart? Thanks to my friend and social networking mentor, Lewis Nelson, blog writer of Family of Five, he arranged an afternoon outing with Fernando Franco, viticulturist at Barboursville Vineyards. It was a reminder and welcome opportunity to stop and appreciate the beginnings of Spring in Central Virginia.

Fernando

Lewis, his lovely wife Holly and precious daughter Gwen introduced me to their friend , Fernando who is not only a highly esteemed viticulturist but a salsa dancer and V.P. of the Charlottesville Salsa Club. With a resume of 30 years of growing grapes and a disarming knowledge of Agronomy, we had a real expert to explain the intricacies of wine making. Originally from El Salvador, Fernando spent over a decade at Prince Michel and in Napa as a vintner and viticulturist before taking over the vineyards at Barboursville thirteen years ago. Fernando opened up the conversation by hospitably pouring us a glass of Sauvignon Blanc followed by a delicious Viognier. Most of my experience has been with Barboursville red wines and their dessert wines, Phileo and Malvaxia, but I would have purchased either one of the whites we tasted.

The Tour

Our tour started in the large tasting room, a double-sided fireplace separating it from the gift shop. Souvenir shopping is fun here with lots of wine related novelty items that are easy to pack in a small carry-on suitcase. The Octagon room has Octagon wine barrels on the floor and a photo history and memorabilia on the surrounding walls. At the center of the room is a table set with a floral display flanked by bottles of their signature award-winning Octagon wine, a meritage of the winery’s finest Bordeaux varietals.

Octagon represents the eight sided architectural style used in the central hall designed by Thomas Jefferson for James Barbour’s plantation house. Unfortunately the home burned in Christmas 1884 and we are left with the ruins to contemplate a bygone era in Virginia history.

We then passed into a long hall of stainless steel vats. Immense vats, especially in comparison to our smaller boutique wineries in the Charlottesville area. This is definitely the granddaddy of vat rooms in our area! We tasted some red blends straight from the vat including a Cabernet Franc that was excellent!

Afterwards, Fernando offered us a ride to the newest area being cultivated at Barboursville, the Goodlow Mountain vineyard. Hopping into his vehicle, we drove off the property and back on to the south end, passing by some of their oldest vines.

36,000 New Vines

The 2011 plans for the vineyards call for 24 acres with 36,000 new vines to be planted which will increase the total planted acreage by 20 percent! 3 acres will be devoted to their newest varietal, planting 4,600 vines of Petite Syrah. The conditions of Goodlow Mountain vineyard are similar to those found in the northern Rhone Valley of France where the Petite Syrah thrives. Fernando knows his vines and feels “this site maybe the most perfect site developed so far.”

Completing our tour and my friends off in their own directions, I was left to wander the grounds on my own, exploring rooms and ruins on a sunny afternoon. The following are some of my favorite photographs. If you are in need of a classic backdrop for a photo shoot, this is definitely the location! Brides, pay attention!

Clouds Billowing from a Fireplace in Ruins

Look for a future post about Palladio, the Five Star Restaurant at Barboursville!

Good Bye Barboursville, We’ll be Back! Hopefully, you will be too!

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

…Robert Frost

I know this may be one of the most over used quotations, but it fits so perfectly that I can’t resist. For some unknown reason I have procrastinated visiting Delfosse Winery in Nelson County, but after recently running into Yvette Okros, Tasting Room Manager for Delfosse, we decided to make it a priority. With another winery also in mind, we travelled south on 151, the Rockfish Gap Turnpike, toward Wintergreen. We veered off at highway 6 in the direction of Delfosse Winery . Our GPS steered us left onto Old Roberts Mountain Road. Surely, this wasn’t the way most people visit Delfosse! Gravel road, rutted in many places and traversing over the crest of a small mountain? Definitely this was the road less travelled by!

Arriving at our destination, we found a breath-taking Virginia valley flanked by European-style terraced vineyards. We were warmly welcomed by Yvette, who ushered us in and introduced us to the owner, Claude Delfosse. Yvette arranged a table for us to sample wines and get to know Claude a bit. It was nice to have the opportunity to casually hang out with Claude and ask questions about wine making at our leisure.

Claude Delfosse, a Fulbright Scholar, decided to “take the road less travelled by” himself when he veered away from his professional career of Aeronautical Engineering. French by birth, he chose to make the U.S. his home and settle in Virginia . He was relaxed and pleasant, sipping wine with us and expounding on the attributes of some of his wines. He lights up with a big smile when reflecting on some of his award-winning wines. I really liked the way Claude named some of the wines after his family members. One stand-out wine, Reserve d’ Oriane, was named after his daughter. A complex blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Viognier and Petit Manseng. The Merlot was excellent also, but Claude seemed most proud of the 2006 Meritage , a Double Gold Medal winner at the Monticello Wine Cup! We clearly agreed! We enjoyed homemade crepes along with our wine for an added treat!

We closed out the day and headed out to explore the grounds. Not the best day, cloudy and overcast before bud break, so no lush vines to photograph. The winery sits at the foot of a hill across from a pond with a quaint bridge for photo ops. A generous elegant patio area expands the dining space outdoors and features a whimsical frog sculpture fountain at the center. This must be a wonderful spot in warm weather and we plan to spend some time here enjoying wine with friends in the Spring and Summer!

Perched above the pond and winery and just below the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard is a precious log cabin surrounded by perennial gardens and a flagstone patio. What a heavenly spot for a weekend getaway! The cabin is perfect for a couple and you can invite friends or host a gathering from this vantage point. During the day, take advantage of the miles of hiking trails surrounding the property.

I can only say that I’m sorry I have missed out on this winery in the past and will rectify that in the future!

I highly recommend the drive south from Charlottesville on 29 with Delfosse as your final destination and enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Delfosse, Yvette and Dave ( our wine server who was knowledgeable and unintimidated while pouring in front of his employer!).