The Kings of Charlottesville (Part 1 of 2)

Posted by | Posted in Grape Adventures | Posted on 09-18-2014

Ankida Ridge Vineyards. (Photo credit: Jordan Rongers.)

Ankida Ridge Vineyards. (Photo credit: Jordan Rongers.)

The time has come to reassess the wines of Virginia. Gone are the days of weedy, green, foxy, thin and charmless wines of little consequence. In their place have emerged wines of character in a panoply of styles, many of which speak convincingly to Virginia’s terroir.

For a while now I’ve been excited by Virginia whites, and especially Virginia’s Chardonnays that, to my palate, are frequently vastly superior to those over-ripe and oaky versions from California and generally have more in common with Chablis. And I’ll take the Chards over the vast majority of “Virginia’s signature grape,” Viognier, which are too often (although not always) sweet, flabby, and cloying.

But as a rule, historically, I’ve never been a big fan of Virginia reds — with so many great red wine regions to chose from, whatever cache or advantage that was conferred by “buying local” was simply overwhelmed by the massive price-quality gap.

Sure, I’ve sometimes enjoyed Linden reds well enough (although unlike the winemaker, I’ve always preferred his whites), but I’ve never thought of Virginia reds as much more than a novelty. You might come across a drinkable one and say: “Isn’t that adorable! Virginia made a red!” You might then open it for your friends to prove that such a thing can be done, but never because you thought in earnest that the wine could compete with the world’s best.

I’m happy to have been proven wrong.

Much to my surprise, it’s clear that Virginia’s red wines now have a place at the table with the big boys. Indeed, there is now enough good red wine in Virginia that a tipping point has been reached. And some of these are downright world class and well worth of collecting.

In short, learn from my ignorance: if you gave up on Virginian wines earlier than, say, about five years ago, you are missing a quality revolution.

In the north, Jim Law at Linden Vineyards and Rutger de Vink at RdV are leading the revolution through a sophisticated understanding of winemaking and terroir. Until they came along, sometimes it seemed that Virginia winemakers selected vineyard sites based on little more than how pretty the vineyard site might look in wedding photos — naively assuming, perhaps, not unlike Thomas Jefferson, that idyllic and fecund landscapes equated to superior soil. Find a pretty view, and pretty wine would follow.

But in central Virginia, around Charlottesville on the Monticello Wine Trail, a nice view isn’t enough anymore. The area is now teeming with good and occasionally great wineries. With an enchanting landscape; rustic charm; and wineries, breweries, country stores, and cider distilleries seemingly around every corner, Charlottesville is beginning to feel a lot like Sonoma.

And rather than slavishly aping West Coast wine culture, the Charlottesville wine region has more than a touch of Europe about it as well as an idiosyncratic charm all its own — let’s call it “historic-chic.” For the history and the enchanting Blue Ridge landscape alone, it’s worth the trip. And now, so too for the wines.

In a sure sign of the quality revolution, some of these wineries, refusing to accept mediocrity, are following the lead of Law, de Vink, and other pioneers by exploring the countryside for privileged plots of earth — where, for instance, tectonic activity long ago exposed beds of granite, a soil found do provide ideal drainage (crucial to success in Virginia), instead of the typical and mundane red clay. This, following the earlier quality advances that came from experimentation, technical experience, and practices such as hand harvesting and grape triaging at the sorting table.

As a result of the obvious success of Virginia’s best winemakers with privileged soil, it’s become clear that terroir matters–a lot. So other winemakers in the state, winemakers that lacked a terroir-focused vision at the outset, are now following the lead and conducting searches for the best soils. More so even than California, perhaps, where a mostly monolithic soil and crowded real estate leaves winemakers to take whatever they can get, the best winemakers in Virginia are seriously embracing both quality and terroir.

While there are rumors about who is involved in these projects (including some big-time players), some, such as Ankida Ridge, have already carved out their strategic sites.

I recently made the trip down Route 29 from D.C. to visit a handful of wineries with a large group of friends. Of these, we had made appointments at Thibaut-Janneson, King Family Vineyards, and Ankida Ridge. At these wineries and others, we discovered a smart and vibrant wine culture devoted to excellent wines. We were informed and impressed; we were transported and enchanted; we were humbled by the hospitality; and most of all, we had a blast.

Check out Part 2 of this piece on Monday!

Comments (4)

  1. Well said. I shirked VA wines for years, but sussing out the quality wineries is well worth it. Excited to be drinking well AND locally, although I won’t be giving up my Chablis or Champagnes any time soon!

    Cheers,
    Alison (Bon Vivant DC)

  2. “Cider distilleries”? I think you mean breweries, unless they’re making Calvados in Virginia.

  3. ” Until they came along, sometimes it seemed that Virginia winemakers selected vineyard sites based on little more than how pretty the vineyard site might look in wedding photos — naively assuming, perhaps, not unlike Thomas Jefferson, that idyllic and fecund landscapes equated to superior soil. Find a pretty view, and pretty wine would follow.” This statement is entirely incorrect.

  4. Alan:

    I wish I agreed with you, but I think Ed is 100% correct in that statement.

    There’s no other way to explain the bizarre and viticulturally insane practice of planting all the world’s varieties side by side, as so many Virginia wineries do. Riesling and Pinot Grigio and Cab Franc and Viognier and Merlot… oh my!

    Virginia does, indeed, make some delicious wines. But of the state’s 300+ wineries, it’s not a stretch to say that most purchased their land because of the view (and proximity to DC or Charlottesville) and pay their bills through weddings and bachelorette parties.

    If finding good terroir was the motivating factor, I think we’d have a ton more wineries in the Shenendoah Valley out near West Virginia. Every single soil and climate expert I’ve chatted with has told me that’s where the best land is for grapes in Virginia… yet no one is out there.

    Virginia deserves more support from locals. But wine enthusiasts should set the bar high. Linden, RdV, Barboursville, Thibaut Jannison, Ankida Ridge? All making great wine. But they’re the minority.