A Day at Crimson Lane

So I move away and all kinds of cool stuff starts happening in the NoVa wine scene. **Sigh**

The reviews have been astonishingly positive since they opened. People have raved about the wine, the views, the service, you name it. And they’re not wrong.

I finally bit the bullet and made the reservation for Wine Friend 1 (remember her?) and I to spend an afternoon at Crimson Lane. It’s quite a drive from my current location, and Google Maps didn’t send me north on 231 like it originally planned, but instead on the busy highways – that’s ok, but I was looking forward to a leisurely, calming drive through the mountains. Getting to the winery immediately lowered blood pressure and stress and made it all worthwhile.

They’ve gone all-in on sustainability with a large set of solar panels on the hill behind the tasting room, and a set of car chargers in the parking lot. This thrilled me, and I got my plug-in hybrid’s battery above 50% during about two and a half hour visit!

They went did a fantastic job on the facility and decor – it’s a STUNNING building and sets the tone for a very elevated experience. The reservation itself was for a two hour visit. We planned to eat our lunch there and didn’t bring food (it’s not allowed), but I had not been able to find the offerings online.

Coming here is like going into a fancy restaurant – you’re greeted on entry by the team who check for your reservation – no walk-in’s here, they fill the place, and that allows them to ensure they’re ready to provide good service. We checked in and were escorted to our table. At 11:30 on the dot, we were the first in line, although there was a couple at the tasting bar enjoying themselves.

We had a nice table by the screened in porch, and that allowed for an amazing view across the valley – I actually correctly identified Shari Avenius’ Sauvignon Blanc patch off in the distance! The tasting room is just beautifully set up with many areas for guests and different sizes of groups to reserve spaces to enjoy or celebrate.

Your reservation sets you up for the tasting flight – six wines for $35 (that’s pretty typical now for you flight). A staff member comes by and gets you started with water and lets you know she will be back soon with your wine. As she poured the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, we made the decision to order the empanadas. The Sauvignon Blanc was a good example of the varietal – soft, light, airy, ending with pineapple. As you well know the way I love my Sauvignon Blanc, it is made in stainless steel. I really enjoyed this and am adding it to my list of summer white wines.

The second wine was the 2019 Chardonnay. This was a very light Chardonnay – Again stainless steel – so it came out crisp but was surprisingly soft and muted – We liked it – it was great with the spicy beef empanada, and on its own. Christine, who was serving us, called this a backyard picnic wine. She wasn’t wrong.

The next wine up was the 2019 Barrel-Aged Chardonnay. Same grapes, same year, same everything except treatment after being picked. Aged in 30% new oak for 14 months, this had the oakey Chardonnay attributes I don’t usually seek out – there was a butteriness to it, and it had the most interesting aromas of pastry and cheese. It wasn’t bad, but I much preferred the stainless steel version.

Next we switched to red wines, and we moved on and ordered the hummus plate too. The food offerings here are great. We got our fill between sharing the empanadas and hummus plate, and they were all delicious.

The first red was the softer of their two blends, the 2019 Collina – this was 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was dark and rich and overall had a great taste. We probably should have had the hummus with the white wines, and saved empanadas for this wine, as I think the pairing may have been better, but we still loved both hummus and wine. I did try to sort out a specific fruit flavor within this, but the impression I took away was more one of faint smoke (from the long oak aging?) and the strong sense of a good Virginia Merlot.

The second red blend was the bolder of the two, we thought, the 2019 “Parral.” Cabernet Sauvignon led this blend, with Cabernet Franc and Merlot trailing. It was darker than the first with none of the smoke sense, though it was in new oak just as long. Again, it was a good red blend, with no fruit flavor dominating for us. We both decided we liked the first blend better, although I could be convinced that Parral is better if I had a great cut of steak with it. Yum.

Our tasting ended with the 2022 Petit Manseng – all from stainless steel with 4% residual sugar. I cringed when she said that, but it actually didn’t carry the intensity of sweetness implied by that sugar level. Finishing the hummus with this was a great pairing, in all honesty – with salt and oil balancing the wine’s sweetness nicely. I’d say this is one of the better sweet Petit Mansengs I have had. It was definitely very bright and pleasant. I hope they are contemplating a dry version of this, as I think the grapes were fantastic and would have amazing crisp acidity and balance in a dry wine. It’s a hunch, and I’m holding out hope….

Once we finished the tasting flight, we had the table for more than another hour so we asked about the 2021 Albariño. We were told they weren’t tasting it anymore, but our new best friend told us she would check for an open bottle, and sure enough came back with one. It was a stunning example of Virginia Albariño. So of course we ordered the bottle and split it there. This is a great summer wine, and we were so glad to be by the screened porch, looking out over the hills with the Canadian wildfire smoke finally clearing up. This wine carried the tropical notes we usually get from Albariño in Virginia, and presented in a very crisp manner.

During the tasting experience, Tom, the owner, dropped by as he made his rounds through the tasting room greeting guests. Tom was very personable and was happy to talk about the winery fo unding and opening. We also made a nice connection through my previous work life. I shared my ultimate life goal of being a tasting bar associate who got to pour more if the guest was nice and less if the guest was rude, and he found that worthy of a life goal, so we got along great. It was very busy, and he had many tables to greet, so we didn’t get to talk in depth, unfortunately. I’m hoping to save that for another time.

As we talked through the wines, Wine Friend 1 and I decided that the white wines were winners in show and took one each of the Albariño, stainless steel Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc home. I am very excited to be able to share these on the patio (or even hoard for myself) this summer. While we enjoyed the red wines, the price point for them is very high. It’s the kind of wine I’d buy to share with friends while enjoying an afternoon there, but I’m less likely at this point to bring several of them home to cellar. I am sad there was no tasting of their Petit Verdot, as I would love to check that out too.

We took the time to walk around outside and check out the whole property. It’s simply beautiful – I think we were at around 1000 feet above sea level, and the views were incredible. This was the right place to put a winery and tasting room like this!

I get why everyone is talking about Crimson Lane, and I think it’s an amazing place to visit. Their white wine releases are on point and perfect for this summer. The red wines show a lot of promise, and are great now too. This is the kind of place you come to for something very special, or to treat yourself. The views alone make the drive worth it. The wine and food and service are also top-notch. It’s got a bright future in the NoVa wine scene!