Fine Wine Confidential Podcast

In this Episode I interview my friend Scott Elliff the Founder & Owner of DuCard Vineyard along with his winemaker Julien Durantie. It is an in-depth look at how one small Virginia Estate tackles the challenges of growing and producing world-quality wine from the Norton grape. For my part I say, "and they do produce world-quality wine". 

DuCard happens to be the first winery I ever tasted a bottle of Norton from in my now 45 years of wine industry experience. It opened my eyes to a world of wine I had never encountered which would start me on my journey to taste as many wines produced from Norton and learn exactly what this wine was all about. What I discovered was a rich storied history that dates back to the early 1800's in Richmond, Virginia and Dr. Norborne Norton who is credited with the first propagation of this Wild Grape. Thus the book the "Wild Vine" by Todd Kliman would eventually come to my attention and now serves as the best reference you can find about Norton. 

All of this as a result of a chance purchase of DuCard Norton by my wife at a farmer's market here in Charlottesville. Thank you Scott. 

Episode # 3 found me in my studio interviewing the owner of Fifty-Third Winery & Vineyard Dave Drillock and his winemaker Chelsey Blevins who is quickly being recognized as a young rising star in the Virginia wine industry. 

Fifty-Third Winery & Vineyard produces an outstanding Norton along with a wide range of wines from both vinifera and hybrid grapes.  They are my favorite what I call off the radar winery here in the Old Dominion. But that is changing rapidly as a result of the steady leadership Dave Drillock provides and the high-quality wines that Chelsey crafts.

Fifty-Third is one of the upcoming stars in the Virginia growing constellation. A wine that should be on everyone's list who appreciates wine quality and the unique flavor characteristics that the best Virginia wines have to offer.  

Episode # 2 features Jennifer McCloud the Founder & Owner of Chrysalis Vineyards at the Ag District in Middleburg, Virginia. Along with producing some of the finest Viognier and Albarino in the country she is the proud owner of the largest single vineyard planting of Norton in the world. It makes up over 40 acres of the 70 acres of vineyard land she farms. 

Chrysalis was founded in 1998. and in addition to producing estate wines, she also has 10 Dairy Cows at the property from which they produce top-quality cheeses to compliment her wines and the food that is available for sale and enjoyment at the Ag District for its visitors and the public at large. Check out the cheeses along with the wines. 
Jake Blodinger the winemaker at Chrysalis, who joined the operation in 2019 is also part of this interview and brings a unique perspective to the conversation.

Because Chrysalis produces several different styles of Norton in both flavor profile and aging ability there is a Norton wine for every occasion whether the wine is to cellar and age or to enjoy today. 

The Episode is very informative and will give you, the listener, a deeper understanding of what Norton is all about.

This Episode kicks off my new series of Podcasts focusing on wines produced from the Norton grape here in Virginia. In Episode #1 I recorded a conversation between the judges at the Homestead Norton Cup Challenge the weekend of November 3rd & 4th, 2023. It was during the lunch break before the judges finished judging the Final Four Norton wines that had made it into the final round that morning. It is an interesting insight into their thoughts.

I especially enjoyed the conversation at the end between Dr. Bruce Zoecklein Professor Emeritus of Enology at Virginia Tech and Todd Kliman the author of the book Wild Vine which details the history of Norton and its origin dating back to 1823 and Dr. Daniel Norton.

This Epilogue to my Montage about Dennis Horton and his contribution to the Virginia wine industry you get the opportunity to hear directly from 3 generations of women in the Horton family.  

It was my intent to give them the last word on Dennis Horton. The interview was at Horton Cellars where I sat with Sharon Horton, his wife and partner, Shannon Horton their daughter and Caitlin Horton Shannon's daughter and the current winemaker at Horton Cellars. If was a fascinating experience to capture in their words what he meant to each of them.  

I know you will find this a fitting end to Episode #44.

Part 2 of Episode #44 Montage about Dennis Horton features my interviews with Jenni McCloud, Owner and Founder of Chrysalis Vineyards who was inspired by Dennis Horton and planted the largest vineyard of Norton currently in the World. Followed by one of the most respected individual in the Virginia Wine Industry, Luca Paschina General Manager & Winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards.  And last, but certainly not least Lucie Morton one of the foremost Ampelographers and Viticulturist in the world shares her thoughts about Dennis Horton.  

This is an action-packed Episode with plenty of stories and insights into what Dennis Horton meant to the Virginia wine industry both in the past and currently today through the continued efforts of his wife Sharon Horton in their vineyards and Shannon Horton their daughter along with Caitlin Horton the winemaker today and Shannon's daughter.

Take a listen below or download and read the transcript.  More to come in my Epilogue in the final part of this Episode.  I was fortunate to interview all three of the ladies here fore mentioned and let them have the final word.

Because I never had the opportunity to meet of know Dennis Horton before he passed away, I wanted to include his story and contribution to the Virginia Wine Industry in some fashion.   I was given an idea by Bruce Zoecklein Professor Emeritus of Enology at VA Tech.  He suggested that I interview a handful of folks in the Virginia wine community and have them share with me their thoughts on Dennis and 1 or 2 of their favorite stories.  I thought it was a terrific idea.  So, for Episode # 44 I have undertaken that challenge. In Part 1 of a 2-part Episode I interviewed Bruce Zoecklein, which only seemed fitting because it was his idea and Mike Heny who worked as the winemaker at Horton Vineyards from 1997 up through the harvest of 2017. 

What I found fascinating about my interviews was that each of the five folks I interviewed, Bruce Zoeckein, Mike Heny, Jenni McCloud, Luca Paschina, & Lucie Morton, all of who I have interviewed before in an Episode featuring them, was they essentially shared with me the same thoughts and impressions about Dennis and his significant contribution to Virginia winegrowing, but from their own vantage point.  I believe you will find Episode # 44, both Part 1 and Part 2 to be entertaining and enlightening. 

Listen to the audio below or read the transcript.

Arterra Winery was founded by Jason Murray in 2013. Jason is a veteran of winegrowing in Northern Virginia for over 20 years. Arterra, which means "Art of the Land" represents Jason's quest to grow wine in a fashion unseen by most of us in the wine business.  His Marketing moniker is " Clean Wine." When I first heard that I didn't really understand if it was yet another take on "Natural Wine".  I learned in my interview that it is much more than that.

Essentially, as Jason describes it simply, he tends his vineyard with the least amount of intervention possible.  His wines are meant to reflect the vintage, what the vineyard gives him is what is in the wine.  Ultimately sealed in Stelvin tin lined screw caps to preserve that character. No new oak is used and no additives or corrections to the wine are added or employed to do anything to adjust the character that the grapes give him in any given vintage. 

It is a very intriguing interview and tasting is believing.  After trying several of his wines I would tell you that the wines back up his story.  You should check them out for yourself and be the judge.  

Listen to the Episode below or read the edited transcript.  

Common Wealth Crush Company is a new exciting  development in the Virginia Wine Industry.  Ben Jordan along with his brother Tim and Jordan and Patt Eagan have opened what I term a winemaker Studio in the historic district of downtown Waynesboro, Virginia.  Conceptually, it will allow small wine brands to have access to a winemaking facility without having to shell out the up-front costs of building their own winery. Common Wealth Crush hopes to be an incubator for future Virginia wine brands and as they grow they will move on being replaced by other new start up wine brands.

These types of facilities are available in California and Oregon for their industry but nothing like this exists in Virginia today. This is a ground breaking, forward looking addition to help further grow the footprint for Virginia wine throughout the wine market.

Ben must believe this will be successful as he left his position as winemaker at Early Mountain Vineyards in July of this year, where he had been since 2015 as was considered a leader in the growth of quality wine in the Old Dominion.  His brother Tim is also a well-known viticulturalist and winemaker in Virginia.  Patt Eagan their other partner in the enterprise is the business and sales manager.  Between the three of them they bring the necessary experience and skill set to succeed.   

This is a team of entrepreneurs to keep an eye on for years to come.

Chris Pearmund has been in the Virginia wine industry for over 30 years.  He started his career in 1990 when he managed to snag an entry level position at Naked Mountain.  He would then purchase Meriweather vineyard in 1996 which has the oldest Chardonnay vines in Virginia today, planted in 1976. 

The numerous ventures and positions Chris has held in the Virginia Wine Industry is very impressive.  He started Pearmund Cellars in 2002 and today manages that operation along with several others: Vint Hill Winery and Effingham Winery. The later was established as recently as 2015.

As you can imagine Chris is quite busy but continues to improve the quality of his wines and never stops and is constantly trying new innovations in the marketing of Virginia wine.

You will learn a significant amount about Virginia winegrowing during the past several decades packed into this Episode.

Listen below or download the transcript.

Bluestone Vineyard started out as a small family vineyard when Curt and Jackie Hartman were, encouraged by their friends Phil and Lois Kreider, to help them expand their own availability of grapes for the purpose to produce wine for their own personal use in 2003.  In 2007 the decision was made to turn it into a commercial venture and in 2008 they began to plant more vines at their already existing property on the hill alongside of their house.  In 2009 they had their first production of just 500 cases.

In 2010 a winery was built when Lee Hartman, their son joined them and assumed the position of winemaker and production manager. His 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon won a Gold at the Governor's Cup competition and was in the inaugural Governor's Case. That wine was also named one of the "37 Great American Wines" by Saveur magazine. He has never looked back.

HIGHLIGHTS:
a). Lee draws attention to the fact that he was a history major before he started making wine without any formal training or education in Enology. 
b). We learn what sets the Shenandoah Valley apart from the other wine growing regions in Virginia.
c). He explains how the idea and ultimately the execution of putting some of his wine in cans made so much sense to him and why it has worked.
d). The story behind the branding with the name Bluestone and how it ties back to the land/vineyard.
e). Lee takes pride in the fact that his first vintage, 2010 a Cabernet Sauvignon they produced made in into the Inaugural Governor's Cup Case.
f). we get his take on Climate Change and what it has meant to his winemaking.

Much, much more.  Read the transcript below or listen to the audio.

Chelsey Blevins would tell you that winemaking found her.  It was in 2010 that she visited Horton Vineyards and was given a full tour of the cellars.  It was after the tour that Mike Heny, who was the winemaker at that time asked her if she wanted to work the harvest.  She said, why not.  Thus, her entry into the wine business.  

Next, she got a position at Barboursville Vineyards working in their library tasting cellar.  She caught the wine bug and decided to enroll in the wine program at Piedmont Virginia Community College.  It was there that she met the new owner of Fifty-Third winery David Drillock.  

David was intrigued when he saw this student taking copious notes and decided to approach her about a potential assistant winemaker position working under Graham Bell, his winemaker at that time.  She would go on to succeed him in 2019 as the full-time winemaker. 

Chelsey has had the opportunity to work under some of Virginia's top wine folks like Mike Heny, Luca Paschina and the crew at Barboursville, and Graham Bell.  She is now making her mark and impact on the future of Virginia winegrowing.  She is a star on the rise and someone to watch in the coming years.

Listen to the interview below or read the transcript.  I know you will enjoy the Episode

Damien Blanchon was born and raised in the South of France where his family had roots in the Beaujolais Village region of Burgundy. He grew up with wine in his family and when he was 8  years-old he already knew this what he wanted to do--drive a tractor in the vines and be a winegrower.  He would go to school to learn the craft of winemaking and recalls a teacher tell him when he was finishing to gain his degree in Viticulture & Enology that he English would be the most important language he could learn and so he pursued an internship in the U.S.

He was fortunate to answer an announcement placed by Matthieu Finot another French winemaker who was working in Virginia and took a position at Old House Vineyards in Culpeper, Va.  He would be at Old House for 5 years before being recruited by Elizabeth & Tony Smith the new owners of Afton Mountain Vineyards.  He would join them in 2011 and has been the winemaker and vineyard manager since.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INTERVIEW:

a). Damien recounts when he was young his grandfather would test him early by giving him a bottle of wine that had been tainted by the cork to see if he detected it.  He did.
b). He describes how a teacher of his told him that English would be the most important language he could learn.  This promoted him to take an internship in Virginia.
c). Damien talks about his unique approach to vineyard management.  He brews his own concoction of different herbs, and organic teas which he uses to spray the vines in lieu of using large amounts of pesticides and other inorganic sprays that are normally used to fight diseases in the vineyard.\
d). I was surprised that no research university or organization involved in grape growing had even contacted Damien to learn more about his methods and the results. 
e). Damien shares he thoughts on Beaujolais and admits his favorite "Cru" was Mont Brouilly.\
f). Damien speaks about how his Uncle was very involved in the 70's conducting trials for the viticulture department of Beaujolais changing various trellis system inspiring him.

Much, Much more.  Listen to the Audio posted below or read the attached text transcript. 

AFton Mountain Vineyards was one of the first of the early farm wineries in Virginia when it was planted in 1978 by David Medford a Chemist from Richmond, Virginia.  However, he named it Bacchanal Vineyards after the Greek god Bacchus.  It would be purchase later by Tom & Shinko Corpora and renamed Afton Mountain Vineyards in 1987.

In 2009 Elizabeth & Tony Smith would purchase it.  Elizabeth and Tony were both from Charlottesville, had been married at the Chapel on the campus of UVA and wanted to return to the area after spending several years raising a family in coastal Virginia.

Since their purchase they have doubled the acres under vine and currently farm 11 different varietals on 26 acres. They have a full working farm as well.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INTERVIEW:

a).  They share with me the fact that they had several potential sites already that they owned but after consulting with Chris Hill about planting a vineyard they quickly realized those sites won't work.
b).  I learn how they would discover Afton Mountain vineyards and when they purchased it in April of 2009, believing they had a winemaker lined-up they moved forward.  Only to find that it didn't work out and Tony Smith found himself now the winemaker.  Under the tutelage of Michael Shaps for the next several years he filled that role.
c). in 2011 they were fortunate to recruit Damien Blanchot and he has been the winemaker ever since.
d). It was intriguing to learn about the innovative techniques Damien uses to cut back on pesticides and other spray in the vineyard in favor of brewing his own concoctions of herbs and teas to treat the wines.
e). It was exciting to learn how they managed to purchase the Historic Brand label of The Monticello Wine Company which was established in late 1800's.  
f). some of the original vines which were planted in 1978 still produce today.  Possibly some of the oldest vinifera vines in Virginia.  Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Much, much more.  Listen to the Episode below or read the transcript.

Patrick Duffeler purchased his tract of land called Wessex Hundred just outside of Williamsburg, Virginia in 1983 and would start to plant his vineyard in 1985.  Patrick was born in Belgium and after gaining his degree in Economics & Finance from the University of Rochester, New York he started his professional career with Eastman Kodak. He would go on to work in the International Division of Philip Morris in Switzerland as the Director of Marketing and ultimately become President of Fragrances Selective. It was in 1983 that his wife Peggy had convinced them that he needed to slow down and after an exhaustive search they landed in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Along with producing world quality wine Patrick Duffeler has an amazing country Inn called Wedmore Place and several restaurants on the Estate at Wessex Hundred.

His winemaker Matthew Meyer came to Williamsburg via California where he earned a degree at UC Davis in both Oenology and Viticulture and after a short stint at Grigich Hills Wine Cellars was recruited by Heitz Wine Cellars and learned directly from Joe Heitz.  Matthew moved to Virginia and took the position as Winemaker in 2002 and has been producing some of Virginia's highest quality wines ever since.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INTERVIEW:

a). Matthew recounts his introduction to wine as a young boy when he father was a Burgundian wine drinker vs Claret even though they were from England
b). He talked about what a gift it was to work for Joe Heitz early in his career.
c). He relays his father who was a big Burgundy aficionado would send him bottles of Burgundy because he said he would ruin his palette drinking all that California wine.
d). When I ask Matthew about Climate Change he points to the continued issue with late frosts in the Spring and how they are getting later and later.
e). Patrick brought an interesting perspective to the art of tasting wine and how when he learned to be a Perfumer when he was running an Internation Fragrance company the professionals told him that they couldn't smell and sniff fragrances and remember more than 18 before they got fatigued. He said the same for wine at the most.  Tasting a 100 wines in one sitting you only remember maybe 3 or 4 at the most.
f). Matthew surprised me with his answer to my question about what was that one bottle of wine you had that made you go, that's it, now I get it.  Wine can be that ethereal.  
g). Patrick's answer to that question was quite different as he tells the story of his Father taking them to a great restaurant in Perigord and he was served Foie Gras with Monbazillac.
h). Matthew shares his theory about why Ca wine is so much higher in Alcohol than it was several decades ago.  he ties it to the new Rootstocks since AXR1 has been replaced.
i). Patrick has a thought provoking story about what he calls "the Miracle after Midnight" part of winemaking in France.

Much, Much more.  this interview is packed with stories and interesting opinions.  Listen below or read the transcript.

When Bill Curtis opened TASTINGS Restaurant, Wine Bar, & Wine Shop in 1990 it was the first of its kind on the East Coast to combine all these elements under one roof.  Bill has been involved in the Virginia wine and food scene for close to 40 years and has a tremendous Passion still, for the wine world.  He is exceptional in his breadth of knowledge and is especially sharp when it comes to wines from Burgundy, France.

Bill is an example of a "fine wine merchant" in the true sense of that descriptor.  He will learn your palate, what your price threshold is and recommend wine that will always please your palate and keep you within your budget.  In my opinion this type of Wine Merchant is harder and harder to find in today's environment of on-line and flash sales. 
This interview brought another perspective and look back and forward to winegrowing in Virginia.

HIGHLIGHTS:

a).  Bill shares how he hosted several of the early Monticello Cup tastings in the 1980's.
b).  He explains how he learn to be a chef, (in the kitchen no formal training) and his style and approach to cooking.
c). Shares some great stories about the early pioneers in Virginia winegrowing and offers the opinion that Piedmont Vineyards, no longer in operation, produced the best Chardonnay in Virginia at the time and would still stand the test of time against those being produced today.
d). Bill shares how he started by buying two bottles of German Wine in 1972 at a Safeway in Va. one of the bottles was Blue Nun and the other was Spatlese from Prince Rupert Urban and the Blue Nun was 10 cents more expensive. It opened his eyes to wine though.
e). In 1976 he opens Court Square Tavern and in 1977 he turns it into one of the first specialy beer joints in Charlottesville because that is what sold.

There is much, much more of these stories. Take a listen below or read the transcript.

Jennifer McCloud's journey and pursuit to reclaim Norton as Virginia's native grape began in the mid-1990's when she found herself in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Eastern conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture, (A.S.E.V.) where Dennis Horton and his winemaking consultant at the time Alan Kinne were speaking about Viognier and Norton, two grape varietals that Dennis had been producing wine from.  She was intrigued and when she had her first taste of Norton it just spoke to her.  She would later engage Alan Kinne to consult for her when she wanted to plant her own vineyard in 1997.

Jenni claims to have the largest planting of Norton grapes in the world at 40 acres.  There is no question of her commitment to Norton.  However, she pioneered planting Albarino on the east coast and produces one of the finest of all Viogniers in this country. In addition, here 400+ acre farm has dairy cows from which she produces cheeses to sell at the Ag District outlet, here retail space just off of Virginia Highway 50 in Middleburg, VA.

One of the comments Jenni made during her interview resonated with me.  She said: "why not plant a grape vine that wants to grow there, and not try and grow a grape vine that doesn't."  I thought that was an interesting and thought-provoking comment.  Think about it.

There is a lot to unpack in this Episode.  Some of the Highlights are:

a).  How she went from selling her Tech business to becoming a winegrower in VA.
b). The background and deep history of the Norton grape which was propagated in Richmond, Virginia by Daniel Norborne Norton, a medical doctor back in the 1820's
c). Her inspiration and motivation to reclaim Norton as Virginia's grape.
d). The challenges she has faced on this journey and the successes she has enjoyed.
e). The reasons she believes Norton was not a focus of winegrowing here in the Old Dominion after the repeal of Prohibition.
f). Her commitment to the land and how the Ag District became an entity recognized by the state.

So much more.  Listen to the Episode below or read the text transcript and learn all you will ever want to know about Norton.

Tim & Peter Rausse were involved in the planting and development of the Gabriele Rausse winery beginning early in their youth.  Although Tim went off to school shortly thereafter, he would return and immerse himself in the operation and winemaking and hasn't looked back. 
Peter calls himself the unofficial GM these days and recounts in this Episode how his role is to make sure everything at the winery works.  While Tim continues to stay focused on the vineyard and winemaking side of the winery.  Tim's wife is also a winemaker at a Northern Virginia winery and comes from a winegrowing family in the region located in the Southwest region of France that produces Monbazillac.

Between the two brothers the winery is in good hands as their Father, Gabriele continues in his day job as the Director of the Gardens and Grounds at Thomas Jefferson's former estate, Monticello which is just up the road from his namesake winery.

This is a classic winegrowing family story.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE:

a). Peter recounts the story Gabriele often tells about when Peter was 3 years-old he once gave a tour to some guests that were visiting what at the time was called Simeon Vineyards. Simeon Vineyards was planted by Gabriele for the Woodward family in the early 1980s. The guests were amazed as he answered all of their questions accurately an indepth. That vineyard is now called Jefferson Vineyards.

b). Surprisingly both Tim & Peter did not feel they were necessarily destined to run and operate the winery while growing up.

c). Tim tells the story of when they first started to replant the Redlands Vineyard down the road from them how they went about choosing which varietals to put in the ground. There is a funny story surrounding the reasons behind planting Chasselas Dore and then how they figured out to make wine from it that would sell.

d). Tim recounts how his wife and Peter came up with the idea of producing a sulfite free wine and the story behind the interesting naming of Vino dal Bosco.

e). Both Tim & Peter had fascinating answers to my question about which wine they remember that got them to say, Ah, that is what wine is all about!

Much, much more as I capture what it is like to follow in the footsteps of a wine ICON in the Virginia Wine Business.

Listen below or read the text transcript