Invite to the Soft Opening: Southwest Mountain Vineyards

At this stage in my life I have a little more flexibility than I used to, and that is important in so many ways. That flexibility allowed me to take a day off to accept an invitation to the “Industry Soft Opening” for Southwest Mountain Vineyards (as of today the website is still coming soon, but the winery opens to the public Sept 30!). It’s one of the wineries very close to home for me, about twenty minutes away. Until a few months ago, I had no idea they were here and preparing to open, and they have vintages dating back to 2019 on their menu- they’ve been growing grapes on this land since at least 2017. This place will be on your list, and it should be. Plan to reserve a spot soon.

There is a story to this place. It was at one time Castalia Farm. At that time, it was all about beef cattle, beginning way back in the 1890s. As such, large barns for the cattle were built on the property, and one of these has been remodeled into an absolutely lovely tasting room. There is a sign that commemorates the land and some of its changes over time, right in front of the tasting room doors.

The Mannings purchased the property and began their plan to restore and transform the barn and build a new legacy on the land.

So here we are. Actually, Matt reached out and offered me a spot joining his party for the soft opening just before the staff at the winery reached about to me about attending. Whichever way I got there, I sure am glad I did. Plus I got to hang out with some Virginia Wine social media VIPs!

It’s not the easiest to find right now – you take a dirt road (Stony Point Pass) from 231 headed towards Gordonsville and drive along it for what will feel like quite a while. You will pass under some power lines and see a left turn on the street the winery is on – Whipper In Lane (it’s about 1.3 miles down from 231 to this turn). This street, unlike the road you’re on, is paved. You’ll drive along this road for a bit and it will bring you up to the winery on your left and you will be able to park and head right in. Right now, Google Maps isn’t helpful and they’re working to fix that. Remember – Stony Point Pass westbound from Gordonsville Road. You’ll find it.

I haven’t been to any soft opening that I can recall, ever. As I understand it, soft openings let the staff practice their procedures and routines and make sure they will work when the general public shows up. I went into the tasting room and gave the name for the reservation. I got there quite early, and beat the group there because my day got shook up as there was a newly scheduled vet appointment later in the afternoon. I was shown first to the tasting bar, and told that after that was done, I would be escorted to a table upstairs to wait for my party and enjoy food and drink.

The tasting bar area is very nice – I didn’t get a photo but it’s set up well. They’ve designed great shirts for the staff (I really want to buy one with a hound on the back) the service is really quite great – they’ve built a team that is attentive and focused, friendly, welcoming, and they set the right tone. The tasting bar presents as refine, you get quickly welcomed by staff and set up with your tasting, and with four parties present, the two staff easily talked us through different wines and were attentive. They’ve got this part ready to go.

At the tasting bar I got to enjoy a 2020 White blend, which was largely Petit Manseng blended with Viognier. This was a crisp and dry white wine, and I think both the aging in bottle and the touch of Viognier gave the wine some lovely texture. It’s not typical to drink an aged white wine from Virginia, and this is a good one. A bottle came home with me to go to the beach next week. Stay tuned and you’ll get the beach vacation wine review!

The second wine we had was the 2021 Rosé, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This wine was pleasant, light, airy and dry. I got some good strawberry from it, but sipping it really created a picture of summer. While it was only 78 degrees outside, the wine was perfect for the very sunny view through the windows. A bottle of this also came home and will go to the beach next week.

The third wine at the tasting bar was the 2021 Cabernet Franc. This is mixed with 15% Merlot. It’s really soft and pleasant, and a good example of Cabernet Franc. The wine feels like one you could drink with nearly any entree or meal, or enjoy all by itself. I may want to check this one in a few more months- while it was good now, it feels like it may benefit from a little more time.

The last tasting bar wine was the 2019 Red Blend. This was a mix of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. I loved this. Again, this is one you could drink with anything, or all by itself. It contained the signature Petit Verdot tannic finish that I adore, but also brought forward darker fruit, and an amazing smell when you first raise the glass. I suspect the Merlot grown here is a good example of the grape, and I look forward to seeing more of it.

After that, staff brought me upstairs, where I awaited the rest of the party while enjoying a glass of the 2021 Petit Verdot. This wine was softened with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Nonetheless, it was bold and lovely. I ordered a spinach and goat cheese flatbread to go with it, and they paired fantastic. The 2021 PV was strong and started with surprisingly soft tannin that got stronger as time went on. It was very drinkable and enjoyable.

Upstairs there are three bars and you can either go to a bar to order or get table service. The team upstairs is fantastic – they were still working through details about how club memberships work and wine sales had just recently been approved (hurrah!), but the staff were ready to answer questions about the property, vineyard history, and talk about each wine. The food menu for the soft opening was also exceptional, with great choices to snack on while you enjoy the wine and the views. There is high and regular table seating, as well as an area of sofas around the fireplace, which is absolutely gorgeous. This will be a nice, intimate space even when full of excited winery visitors, a place to gather with friends and take in views through the expansive windows and enjoy wine and conversation.

As I awaited Matt’s crew’s arrival, someone wonderful dropped by my table and offered me a taste of the 2020 Petit Verdot Reserve. I got excited as soon as I saw the label. 2020 was a cooler year, and the red wines feature a softer approach in general. The overall fruit flavor was the traditional dark fruit you get in a PV, but it was a nice soft and round flavor that was wonderful. This was a great PV. I was kind of hoping for more to sample, but that would be greedy, wouldn’t it?

When I finished both PV’s, I asked for a glass of the 2021 Red Blend. The 2019 downstairs had been really great, and I figured this would be a mellower version from 2021, which was a year not quite as dry and hot as 2019. It reflected that shift in weather in the ways I expected, and again was a great red blend with solid characteristics of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. This is a very solid and versatile blend.

When Matt’s group arrived, I switched from my sofa by the fireplace to the table with them and got to sit next to Kathy Lang Wiedemann. Matt hangs out with some of the Virginia Wine Royalty, and I finally got to meet Kathy after some near misses at Nova wineries. We had a lovely chat about the fact that you can tell a lot about a Virginia winery from the way they make Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, as well as Chardonnay and Viognier. I totally agree about that with PV – if they make a good PV, I tend to like everything else they make. And so it is with Southwest Mountain Vineyards.

I would have loved the opportunity to talk with staff about the vision for the winery – they have about 70 acres under vine now and will expand that to 100. They just brought a South African wine maker on board, and it will be very exciting to see what he does with the wines. As this was a soft opening, I know much of the team was focused on ensuring they were finding any operations that may require tweaking to make a great guest experience, and they were also talking with some of the winery owners and wine makers who had stopped by in order to get their insights.

The facility is stunning – everything comes across as high end in terms of finishes and nice touches. It is very large and will be able to accommodate significant numbers of guests, and there are indoor and outdoor seating options in various parts of the property. The site is great too, with a small lake on it by the vines, stretching from the tasting room down to the main road.

The staff are welcoming and capable, I think it was mainly Crystal helped me upstairs and sat to talk with me a bit, asking about my connection to industry, and even offering me tips for ways to monetize the blog …… anyone who can help with that is a rockstar in my book!

If you skipped the text and just looked at the pictures, then I’ll sum it up like this – they’ve established a great, higher end experience – aiming at the market that places like Crimson Lane are bringing in. While this is a large venue, I don’t expect we will see the busloads of college students and bridesmaids that we see at other wineries. I am wondering about any policies like only 21+, or whether they will separate spaces by child-friendly and not, and whether they will allow dogs on the outdoor parts of the property?

They open in one week, and I recommend you get to their TOCK page and reserve a space soon. I’m expecting this place to bring a lot of visitors and build a consistent crowd. For those of you know me, you know I joined their club for locals – the discounts were a good value, and I know I will be drinking a good bit of their Petit Verdot. When Jill on their team chatted online with me about the soft opening, she said “Get ready to have a new favorite!” That’s bold, and they just may pull that one off!