Update from Mount Alto

This place, this team and their wine have a draw that I struggle to put into words. They have captured an essence here that eludes winemakers seeking fame and fortune or looking for shortcuts to success. Those with deep understanding of wine tell us about terroir and how it shows up in the flavors of the wine, but I find more often than not, that the wines I come back to move me in different ways – the flavors, aromas and power in the glass, sure, that’s important. But also the sense of something special, unique, vibrant – a “je ne sais quoi” that you will not find in very many bottles on most shelves. Mount Alto brings forth a wine made with determination, precision, but also reverence for the wine itself and what it chooses to express.

Husband and I spent an absolutely lovely afternoon with Robert and David at the vineyard site. They’ve completed their production facility’s structure, put their first vintage produced on site to rest in barrel, and now are focused on plastering the exterior of the building. Whether they complete it in time for winter, they’re not sure, but the straw should insulate it from winter chill and protect the developing 2023 vintage. They’re combining some old school technology here with really building off the elements available on this land, with wood beams right out of the woods on the property. It’s a really cool place conceptually, and I can’t wait to see how it works for them.

We settled in by their office/workspace on the property for our tasting of their three available red blends. David had a pleasant surprise too – two wines they have bottled that will make it to release sometime soon. More on those in a bit too.

With their signature decanters, these wines were poured about an hour before we tried them, and shielded from the sun, so they had plenty of time to open up. We began with the 2020 Manteo-Nason blend. At 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Petit Verdot, this blend brings forward some strong tannins. Remember that their site has incredible drainage and amazing soils, and Cabernet grows shockingly well here. 2020 was a cooler growing season too, so these wines tended to be more restrained than those of the hotter 2019 and 2021 growing seasons. The 2020 felt (as it did in the tasting back in the spring) a bit muted right now. It’s still a very good red blend, but David noted that he feels it has gone to rest for the winter and isn’t quite the same at the moment, hence they have released the 2021 now. I still adore this blend and I remember in the Spring that over the course of several hours it really opens up – this is not a wine to simply open and drink. It’s a great example of what Petit Verdot can bring to wine – there is a smooth elegance even within the restraint we see right now. It’s a good wine, and I brought two home, and they will lay down for a bit.

We moved then to the 2021 Manteo-Nason. This one is explosive right now, possibly even more so than in the spring – I mean the first moment of the sip all of the flavor comes to life in your mouth. This is big, and full, and round and just incredible. I can see why they released it right now – it’s showing in the most incredible way, and I am hopeful it will continue on this path. I got some for thanksgiving, because even if we’re having turkey and ham, not steak, it brings so much to the mouth. It will be incredible after dinner too as we rest and try to get ourselves ready for dessert. This one is available in a couple of places, and I think this is one to buy and drink now, as well as hold.

Finally, we hit the 2019 Manteo-Nason-Tatum. This one is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 55% Petit Verdot. As you may recall, we had this wine at the beach back in September – it paired so gorgeously with a good cut of filet. It continues to be fantastic, but I wonder if it seemed a little quieter now because the 21 is showing so fully? I try to remind myself that the order we drink in truly matters in how the flavors come through and to our overall perception of the wine. It is gorgeous right now, however. I think the Petit Verdot will help it hold steady for a few more years, and I got two, one to lay down for the long haul.

There were two bonus wines, which hopefully will come to release soon. The first was the inverse of the 2021 that was so mind-blowing, a 2021 60% Petit Verdot/ 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was actually mind-bendingly good. Even beloved husband was impressed with this one – and he tends to dislike the strength of Petit Verdot. We almost never agree on wines, but I have to give it to him, this one won the day. This is showing just incredibly – there is a very silky, flowing quality to the tannins in this wine – they don’t hit you big and bold – but they simply glide. I don’t have better words to describe this wine, but I look forward to getting quite a lot of it. The second bonus wine was 100% 2021 Petit Verdot from the site. Much like the blend before it, there was that silky quality – it was big, but it did not punch you at all – rather there was round and lovely fruit that was full and expressive to this wine. David, who is my new very best friend, gave me the remainder to take home. If I recall correctly, there is a limited amount of this wine in bottle, so when it comes out, be ready to grab it – and as PV, it will likely age gorgeously.

We sampled 2023 from the barrel. It’s been in there just a short time. They described it as having “shut down” while it settles and decides its identity. There are, I think, hints of vibrancy to come in that sample – as with my previous visit to Jake and checking out his barrels, the 2023s even at this stage are telegraphing a sense of intensity and vibrancy that is incredibly exciting. It’s going to be 2 or 3 years or more before we really get to check out what they become, but these early signs are auspicious.

I ended up with 8 bottles – 2 vertical sets (19, 20, 21) and 2 more 21s for thanksgiving. I’m violating my rule about not pretending I’m going to hold bottles for a vertical tasting or a varietal across winemakers tasting – that simply never happens. But I do want to see how these will develop over time, and what they will bring forth. Now that I splurged and bought a Coravin, I can actually take some bottle samples, so maybe I will do better on my pledge and actually do some comparing.

We were able to sit and talk about plans for the site – they have that patch of Petit Manseng they are growing and they’re interested in perhaps playing with that on some co-fermenting in the future, possibly with apples from the site (more of a cider maybe, or something just kind of fun)! There was some talk of Merlot on a future plot to clear, but with concern for whether the site is conducive and the vines can really thrive there. They have an interest in Nebbiolo – and Virginia’s interest in this grape fascinates me. It strikes me that this grape requires very specific sites with specific climates – it wants to break bud early and it is a very late ripener. I am not sure how any can grow it successfully in Virginia, they must have microclimates that protect from frost. If they do this, it will be interesting to see what they can do if and when they come to plant it.

Mount Alto is an incredibly exciting project because there is such a focus on producing incredible wine. As I shared in my first post about them, they’ve foregone the tasting room and event space for an agricultural and wine-making experience, and created something very special on their plot of land. I think we spent three hours with them tasting and thinking about Virginia wine, talking about our families and generally enjoying an oddly warm November day. If you have not made it to the site, consider a scheduling a visit by reaching out to them about checking out what they are doing. There really isn’t anything like it, and they are well worth checking out. While you won’t capture the most amazing and instagram-ready photo of yourself in the marble foyer of their tasting room, you can get a great shot like this.

And check out that incredible shirt I’m wearing….. grab one – the OG ones or the new, more sophisticated style – by clicking here.