Cult Cab Buyers Need Not Apply

In a defense of East Coast red wines that I penned for this site a few months back, I implied that any quest to discover the key ingredients in Virginia red wines is bound to elude the First Growth and Cult Cab buyer. And that is most certainly the case with the latest red wines. Yes, oak was an issue in some of the “bigger” red wines on my recent trip, but two additional elements were in even more abundance: acidity and varietal intensity. Classicists will be intrigued; I was.

One sad fact: The revolution going on in the various Virginia wine country areas isn’t as visible as it should be, and that’s due to two factors that have hamstrung the industry. The 120-odd wineries that ply the trade here do so in a variety of climates from the cooler north to the warmer south, and as a result there is a wide variety of opinion as to which area is best. But even within areas, some political (and societal) infighting has some winery owners at other winery owners’ throats, leaving the state’s wine industry mired in a squabble of petty bickering.

Moreover, Virginia’s “courageous” lawmakers recently sided with powerful wholesale interests and chose to strip small, family-run wineries of marketing opportunities in their own state that would benefit their fast-growing image as well as benefit consumers. Wineries now are forbidden from selling directly to local restaurants and retailers and that has severed a lifeblood line for many up-and-coming producers, meanwhile leaving the industry in a bit of limbo.

Required by law to distribute their wares through wholesalers, smaller wineries are at the mercy of salespeople who usually do not care to promote the local product. And some wineries can’t find a wholesaler to represent them so they are limited to tasting room sales. Does anyone hear the dread footsteps of Chapter 11 lurking nearby?

Virginia Fine Wines Overcome Many Obstacles

Despite these painful realities, optimism reigns in many areas. I particularly noted it in the wines of Jim Law at Linden Vineyards, located in the remote and rugged hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The wines, simply impeccably made, deliver a stylish, pointillist distinctiveness that proves that Virginia is a great growing region. The energetic Law, a long-timer in these hills, is so respected hereabouts that he does not care whether his winery is listed in local winery tour guides and actually prefers that it is not! “We have so many visitors on the weekends,” he says, and his voice trails off.

Fact is, Linden wines are so superb that they could all sell out of the cellar door, but Law is loyal to a tiny handful of local merchants. His Bordeaux varieties, white as well as red, and a Seyval Blanc of utterly sublime character are the eye-openers. And his prices, most of which top others in the state, are justified. Though Linden is the best of the best, the others are moving fast in Law’s direction.

The red wines are the surprises. Notably the Norton, such as the great red at Chrysalis Vineyards. I also was impressed with the Italian varietals (like Nebbiolo) as well as Bordeaux reds at Barboursville Vineyards.
In whites, I loved the handful of dramatic wines that included a startling Pinot Gris, some superb Viogniers, and plenty of other lovely crisp wines. For better or worse, many local wineries look to their Cabernet Franc as the wine that will captivate the most people. Still, in the more southerly climes, Cabernet Sauvignon is still a major varietal.

Cabernet Franc, however, is a grape that many producers say delivers a far more distinctive wine. It’s more food-oriented than most of today’s long hang-time influenced California reds and it actually approaches a true Bordeaux style of wine. The Cab Franc of Luca Paschina, who has been winemaker for Barboursville in the warmer mid-central region for 16 years, is sleek, crisp and age-worthy.

Say Hello to Norton

If Virginia has a distinctive calling card, however, it is the American native grape Norton. Not everyone grows it, but those who do make from it a dark, near-black wine with a distinctive aroma and taste that’s not at all like the assertive foxy wines of Vitis labrusca, such as Concord. Norton, classified as Vitis aestivalis, was first made into wine in Virginia by Horton Vineyards about 15 years ago. Today, the variety is the life-goal of Jenni McCloud at Chrysalis Vineyards near Middleburg.

With 69 acres of the grape, McCloud has the largest single planting in the world and winemaker Mark Bunter makes from it a startling, deeply wrought red that is rustic but also shows a degree of grace and verve. McCloud is eager to see all Norton producers join forces to promote it.

As the tasting notes below will show, a multitude of other grapes also do well here. In particular, the Pinot Gris of White Hall; Chrysalis’s pioneering Albariño, Shep Rouse’s Vidal-based ice wine at Rockbridge; a number of off-dry and recently dry versions of Petit Manseng (an otherwise obscure French variety that can have a peach/pineapple aroma).

The stronger acid in Virginian wines often leads to a bit of residual sugar in some whites, and efforts have been made to keep pH levels from dropping so far so that the reds avoid being simply like battery acid. With softness being the key stylistic tactic in so many parts of the wine world, the basic crispness of the Virginia wines offers a counterpoint to the flabby, lifeless aftertastes of so many wines that once were crisper than they are today. Except for a handful of oakier wines and a small number that were technically made poorly, most of the Virginia wines that I tasted displayed a faint but attractive note of under-ripeness that showed the terroir nicely.

As can be expected, unless consumers are aware of such a style in which crispness and minerality are essential elements, a first sip often is a surprise. That, however, subsides quickly when food is added to the equation.

Alas, the lack of cohesion among Virginia winemakers has left most of them with enormous problems promoting what they do best. And although the state of Virginia funds promotional efforts, most of those funds seem to be aimed at tourism. You don’t see much image-building for the best Virginia wines at wine shops and restaurants.

Indeed, at some of the restaurants at which I dined, there was some subtle but noticeable disparagement of the local brew. How sad. How misguided. Part of this is due to infighting among various factions that has left the entire industry divergent. It certainly wasn’t a powerful lobbying force when it came to the vital right to self-distribute directly to on- and off-sale accounts.

One of the most passionate of the vintners is Chrysalis’ McCloud, who has grand plans to market her Norton nationally as the 'The Real American Grape!®'. McCloud was amused when a California legislator tried recently to get Zinfandel recognized as the official state wine, arguing in the process that it was an American variety. “Zinfandel comes from Croatia,” she says with a big grin. “Norton is native.” To pursue her goal of pushing the grape and the wine that it makes, she has designed a logo and formed a fledgling support group for the variety, (which also grows well in Missouri, New York and many other states).

Virginia makes a wide array of stylish and individualistic wines that test the wine lovers’ conventional wisdom. But once lunch or dinner are on the table, these wines take the center stage and deliver a performance of which Jefferson would be proud.

---

Virginia Wines – Tasting Notes for 12 Top Choices

2004 Linden Boisseau, Virginia ($32): Classic aroma of fresh red cherry, dried cherry, herbs, and earth. A 77% Cabernet Franc blend that is a startlingly superb example of cooler-climate wine growing. Serve it blind to a Bordeaux snob!

2004 Linden Avenius, Virginia ($35): Blueberry, spice, earth and a trace of black pepper. A 70% Petit Verdot blend that should age at least a decade.

2005 White Hall Pinot Gris, Virginia ($17): Striking floral/spicy aroma with white peaches, pepper and a fresh, faintly tropical note. Soft entry, juicy, but dry and crisp in the finish. One of the finest Pinot Gris I have ever tasted.

1999 Linden Chardonnay, Virginia, “Hardscrabble” ($24): Flinty/steely aroma with amazing depth; like Puligny-Montrachet of two decades ago, with still-closed fruit! This 7-year-old wine is still available and not to be believed for its complexity and youthful vigor. Simply mind-bogglingly fresh for so mature a white wine.

2005 Chrysalis Norton, Virginia, Barrel Select ($29): Pure raspberry jam, spice, pepper, and a hint of anise. A rich and rewarding red wine that complements steaks and should age nicely. Chrysalis also makes other less expensive Nortons, all superb. (Buy it here!)

2004 Barboursville Cabernet Franc, Virginia, Reserve ($23): One whiff says it’s Bordeaux incarnate! Herbal notes intertwine with fruit; great structure. Best decanted; serve blind to wine snobs and watch them try to figure out which commune it’s from! Should age nicely for a decade.

2004 Rockbridge V d’Or, Virginia (late harvest Vidal Blanc) ($20/half bottle): White peach, mandarin orange, and subtle spices; sweet but perfect acid balance. Impossible to put down!

2005 Linden Sauvignon Blanc, Virginia ($21): Mirror image of Sancerre, with mineral/lime and slate. Tart entry: think oysters! I can imagine it, with five years of bottle age, smelling a bit like a great white from the eastern Loire.

2004 Rappahannock Meritage, Virginia ($24.50) Toasty aroma from oak, but a solid core of red fruit with great structure. Terrific with red meat.

2003 Horton Petit Manseng, Virginia ($20): Mandarin orange, dried kiwi and star fruits, with a fascinating sweet-sour entry. Tiny trace of sugar offset by bracing acidity. A superb wine for Asian food. Unlike any white wine you have ever tasted.

2003 Linden Claret, Virginia ($20): Bordeaux-styled red with bright red fruit, some blueberry, and plenty of acidity to allow it to work with tomato-based dishes.

2005 Veritas Viognier, Monticello ($20): Spice, dramatic fruit with a genuine Rhône-ish flair (like quince). Relatively delicate, but with great acid.

~ Dan Berger, Editor-at-Large


To comment on Dan ’s writings and thoughts, contact him at d.berger@appellationamerica.com