Mount Alto Releases a New Vintage of Tributary

Now that I’ve been able to sample from each harvest at Mount Alto, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the next release. I made a plan with some Out and About friends that have been turned on to these wines to check in and score some of the new release, and see how harvest preparations are going at Mount Alto. And just because we’ve had a few conversations about Nebbiolo, I decided to bring my last bottle of Glen Manor Vineyards 2022 Nebbiolo with me so they could sample some of this grape from Virginia. While I’m not sure it’s suited to their site, fingers crossed that they may experiment with this grape. Whatever the occasion, no visit to Mount Alto disappoints.

Hands-On with the Merlot

I arrived at 11:00 sharp, just as the Mount Alto team was de-stemming freshly harvested Merlot from Mount Juliet Farm at Grace Estate Winery.

• David and Robert worked the de-stemmer while Camila was helping with the lugs of grapes.
• I even cranked the wheel myself (yes, I’ll work for wine!).
• Gorgeous Merlot clusters tumbled in, stems popped out, and the fruit dropped into a steel fermentation tank.

Unlike large-scale wineries, this work is all done by hand. A few stems sneak through into the tank, but that’s intentional—they add a touch of tannic structure.

We tasted a few berries—absolutely gorgeous fruit. Even the discarded stems destined for compost carried a lovely aroma. This is only the second year Mount Alto has purchased Merlot from Grace Estate, but something exciting is clearly taking shape.

Rosé Dreams

As the tank filled, Robert explained they’d likely pull off some juice for a Saignée-method Rosé. Later that afternoon he sent me an update, and now I’m already dreaming of the 2025 Rosé of Merlot, hopefully bottled and ready to drink in early 2026.

I’m likely to dream of 2025 Rosé of Merlot from Mount Alto.

Tasting Tributary

Camila brought us all a glass of the 2020 Tributary, which was a small production. It’s tasting good, with the tannin somewhat soft and muted. It does not pack quite the punch I recall from previous tastings – it may have needed to open up a bit more to get there. The silkiness I always find in Mount Alto wines was present, however.

We sauntered over by the vines, which are looking lovely. The grapes are hanging and waiting to get to full ripeness and be harvested and go through the same process the Merlot just did.

While David and Camila cleaned up the de-stemmer, we wandered up to the tasting area and Robert went to pull us some grapes from the vines.

The berries are surprisingly small for this year, especially given the bouts of heavy rain in our region. This may just be indicative of the intense struggle the vines undergo on this very rocky site. While the Mount Juliet Farm Merlot grapes were a bit plumpier, these babies are small but packed with good flavor – they’re going to make us some great wine.

Popping Some Corks

I’d say the 2022 Glen Manor Nebbiolo (my last bottle! *gasp*) was quite a hit. We decanted it and it opened pretty quickly and was amazing. Google says that Nebbiolo likes to grow at between 800 and 1200 feet above sea level in Virginia, so maybe they will consider a small planting here in the future? The future for Nebbiolo in Virginia is pretty darned exciting, I will say. This wine was loved by all in the group.

Of course, no visit is complete without sampling from the cellar. Here’s what we enjoyed:

• 2020 Tributary – This stayed on the table and was sampled all afternoon.
• 2021E Tributary (100% Estate Petit Verdot) – concentrated and powerful. Big tannic PV
• 2020 Manteo-Nason – one of the last bottles they have; still showing well with silk and very refined tannins.
• 2019 Manteo-Nason-Tatum – soft, super silky, a little less punch than in its youth but still a stunner.
• 2022 Tributary (82% Cab Sauv, 11% Merlot, 7% PV) – dark fruit, round mouthfeel, Merlot dances beautifully in the blend. Production was just ~25 cases, with only nine magnums bottled (five left when I visited—don’t say I didn’t warn you!). I would say that the Merlot is dancing in the glass as you sip.

Needless to say, I stocked up—three bottles plus one magnum.

Reflections on the Day

Helping with the de-stemmer, tasting berries straight from the vineyard, and previewing new wines reminded me how special Virginia harvest season is. There’s so much buzz around grape quality this year, and even from the smallest sips of juice, it looks like another incredible vintage is on the way.

Mount Alto is truly a boutique winery, and their hands-on approach makes every visit feel personal, and every wine tells the story of this land. When one of my friends asked Robert “Why don’t you get some investment backers who can help you ramp up production?” he responded, “But right now I can touch every vine here, and between the four of us, we do touch every vine in a single day to get the work done.” That approach ensures high quality wines. The 2023 juice is their next project for blending and bottling, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.