It is Virginia Wine Month, and that is the perfect time for a visit from wine-loving family members. My sister and Favorite Brother-in-law (FBI!) came down for a long weekend before heading back North to enjoy a little time in the Finger Lakes. It was so awesome to spend some time and share some favorite new wines/wineries with them!
First Things First: Mount Alto
They arrived Friday afternoon and their first request was a visit to Mount Alto. They had not sampled the new release of Tributary and were anxious to taste it and bring some home with them. We met up with Robert, David, and Camila at the winery after they had just finished blending the 2023 Vintage. Bonus! They pulled some for us to taste after we enjoyed the 2022 Tributary. It remains gorgeous, with the Merlot component doing its elegant dance as we sip. FBI bought himself 6 bottles (his allocation of three and my sister’s allocation of three). I tried to talk them into a magnum, but they weren’t ready for it. But then we sipped the 2023.
At this point I’m convinced that 2023 will surpass 2017 as my favorite Virginia vintage. I’m simply blown away. While 2017 was powerful and presented with restraint and depth, 2023 is presenting all of those with additional big fruit flavor in it. I’m absolutely loving what the last two years of development has done for these wines, and I am certain they will age wonderfully. The Mount Alto 2023 Tributary, which is settling itself in a tank after blending, presents with the same lovely fruit, the trademark Mount Alto silk, and an absolutely wonderful wave of chocolate on the palate. The chocolate is not intense, but its presence is so wonderful. This blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot from estate, and 5% Merlot from Grace Estate/Mount Juliet. This wine will settle in its tank and potentially be bottled in the Spring. I am going to be counting the days until release.
Introduction to Rausse
Robert decided to join us for our next stop at Gabrielle Rausse. I had wanted to take my family there for a while, but it never worked out on previous visits. Today was the day! My sister ordered their Rosé flight, while FBI and I went for the reds. Robert had a glass of the 2024 Merlot. The red flight featured the 2024 Vino dal Bosco Cabernet Franc, 2023 Rosso, 2024 Merlot, and 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve. Each one impressed me. The Vino dal Bosco, made with carbonic maceration, had that signature fresh, buoyant fruit and soft texture I recognized from Finot’s Malbec. The Rosso was bright and lively — one came home with me — and the Merlot sparked a long conversation with Robert about why Virginia Merlot might just be hitting its stride. Could it be Virginia’s next big red grape? Finally the 22 Cabernet Franc Reserve was also wonderful- and this one came home too. This had a bit more depth than the 24, which you’d expect from a Reserve wine. This visit really impressed me.
Saturday Recovery Day
Saturday we needed to recover a little bit from our wine day (and their travel). We relaxed and walked around the neighborhood a little, enjoyed some King Family Mountain Plains Rosé, and wound up grilling some steaks for dinner. We served these with two favorites – a Jake Busching 2021 Cabernet Franc, and also his 2017 Tannat. These wines are tailor-made for steak: rich, deeply flavored, and perfectly balanced. Jake’s wines always impress me with how he uses new oak — it supports the wine without overwhelming it (and you know I hate overwhelming oak!). The Cab Franc was bright and expressive, while the eight-year-old Tannat was still remarkably fresh, full of dark fruit and velvety tannins. It’s the kind of wine you could sip by the fire all night long.
Last Day: A New Spot and an Old Favorite
Sunday was the big day. I was so excited to introduce my guests to Pollak. I’ve fallen hard for their red wine lineup, and vertical events are so interesting. I’d say my sister and her husband have a better developed palate than I do, and hearing them talk about these wines would be really interesting. I was also going to be able to introduce them to Kathy and Kenny, and getting wine people together is kind of my jam. We also had a surprise visit with Christine from Ankida Ridge while we were at Pollak, and I’m so glad we got to see her!
We grabbed some sandwiches at Greenwood Grocery (this is my favorite stop when I’m out on that side of the County), and FBI was able to snag a few Jake bottles to take home. It was just a few minutes to Pollak from there, and we arrived to a small crowd. This Meritage Vertical event was going to be a big hit. Kenny had a table for us and the amazing Sara at Pollak greeted us and the team brought our vertical flights over.
Our vertical flight featured 2011, 2019, 2022, and preview tastings of the 2023 Meritage. The 2011 floored me — silky, with delicate red fruit and tobacco notes. Fourteen years on, it’s in the “drink now” phase, but still so alive. The 2019 was my favorite: structured, darker fruit, a touch of spice, and great balance. The 2022 felt a little simpler but still very pleasant, while the 2023 started tight and wound up but opened beautifully with air — bright, fresh, and full of promise.
Then came the bonus pours: the 2015 Meritage, which began with a touch of barnyard funk that faded into a leathery, dark, elegant wine, and the 2022 Smuggler, their $75 flagship red blend. It was incredible — deep, refined, and absolutely a treat. I also grabbed a glass of the 2023 Merlot (still one of my current favorite Virginia reds), plus a splash of Petit Verdot for FBI and Viognier for my sister.
I ended up getting two bottles of the 2011, a 23 Merlot and a 2019 Meritage for myself. FBI bought half a case to take home, he was so impressed!
Final Stop: Hark Vineyards
We headed to our last stop for their weekend visit, Hark. They hadn’t been to the new tasting room yet. Hark had a major event the previous day and wasn’t crowded, so we settled into a quick tasting. They really loved all of the red wines. I ended up getting a bottle of 2021 Merlot, as I wasn’t sure what I had on my rack, and there is a Halloween tradition in my home of sipping Hark Merlot on the porch while handing out candy. We’re only a few weeks away people…. Anyway, FBI took one of each red home with them, as these reds are incredible. I’m loving how the 2019 Spark holds up – still just as wonderful as it was on release. The 2023 Cabernet Franc is also one of my favorite examples of this grape with bright fruit showing up – its so fruit forward and goes down so easily. It’s no wonder I am always out of this wine.
The Hark tasting room is so beautiful, and the vineyard is incredibly fun with a gigantic skeleton out there among the vines in preparation for Halloween. We were able to really relax and finish the weekend right.
I’d say it was a great visit overall, partly because it’s always fun to connect with them when we’re together, and also because it’s great to share fantastic wines with them. In fact, they took a pretty substantial haul home with them:
I may have to buy them a larger storage system…..
I hope your celebration of Virginia Wine Month is going well and you’re tasting some great wines. There is so much good stuff out there, and we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg with the 2023 vintage releases. What’s been in your glass?
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