Virginia wines specifically Chardonnay

Virginia wines specifically Chardonnay - Episode #325

October 2, 2007

Gary Tries 3 Chardonnay’s From Virginia and gives his take on em!

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Comments on this episode(241) Leave a comment ›

“Probably the Barboursville Cab Franc from VA. Also, Augusta Winery (M…” by fondue-stl
“I live in VA and in all honesty the wineries here are still up and com…” by manonthemoon
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Wines tasted in this episode:

Gadino Cellars 2005 Barrel Select ChardonnayVirginia
Gray Ghost 2005 ChardonnayVirginia
La Grange Fletchers 2003 ChardonnayVirginia

Links mentioned in todays episode.

241 Responses

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about 3 months ago

fondue-stl
Probably the Barboursville Cab Franc from VA. Also, Augusta Winery (MO) makes a Reserve Norton that I feel pretty good about.
about 4 months ago

manonthemoon
I live in VA and in all honesty the wineries here are still up and comming and as other posters have said the wine is not worth the money that they charge for it. The reds are to light and have no length to the finish. I still go and visit some of the wineries from time to time, but it is to just help support the local people, not because I think the wine is great

QOTD: There is a red blend called Octogon that I tried last year that was a decent wine, but way to expensive at $35 or I would agree with the previous post that the Gray Ghost’s Adieu is a decent desert wine, but neither are special.
about 5 months ago

TonyStro
SHOUTOUT to Valhalla Vineyards in Roanoke, VA. Give them a try. Check out theur website for some very interesting wines, esp the best of barrel Valkyrie and the Alicante Bouschet. GaryV, ever had this grape??

http://www.valhallawines.com/
about 6 months ago

John in Virginia
Gary,

I’m from Virginia and the best wine I’ve had outside of the “big four” is a ‘99 Merlot from Breaux Vinyards.

You are NOT tasting Virginia wine by tasting 3 chardonay’s. I agree that our wine is overpriced, but I was recently in New York and I think our wine is much better than what I tasted up there. I would stack Breaux’s merlot against anybody’s.

John
Woodbridge, Va.
about 8 months ago

VAcab
QOTD - I don’t know if it is the BEST wine I have ever had, but I think Horton Petite Manseng is a real treat and very unusual. Would love to see your review of it! And I will echo everyone’s comments on Linden and winemaker Jim Law - amazing!
about 8 months ago

Dave
VA Chardonnays definitely not the best grape to choose from. Would echo previous comments that the Viognier and Cab Franc grapes are much stronger here in Old Dominion. If you want something good to try, I would also recommend:

Veritas
Barboursville
Keswick
Kluge

Personally I am not a fan of Horton, especially since my wife and I went to their tasting room and had to dodge the cigarette smoke being blown from the guy handing out the glasses.

Cheers!
about 9 months ago

Dan-o
There was an interesting blend from RayLen Estate in North Carolina - part of the Yadkin Valley AVA. It was called “Category 5″ - kind of a neat play on the hurricane classifications. It is a Bordeaux style blend with the five primary varietals.

Decent wine…
about 9 months ago

Paul
Rieslings from Leelanau Peninsula area in Michigan.
about 9 months ago

JayZee
Disappointing outing from Virginia, but I have some friends who live there and they tell me that Chardonnay is definitely NOT the best wine in the VA.

QOTD: A tough call because I have had some very interesting wines from my home state, Ohio. However, I will go “off the board” a little and say that I had 2-3 Colorado wines a couple of years ago that were surprisingly decent, although perhaps a little overpriced. I see that in Ohio as well. The QPR just isn’t there yet outside of the Big Four.
about 9 months ago

Matt the Lurker
QOTD - Ummm… Old Mexico? Our 51st state, the one next to New Mexico. Actually I’m not sure.
about 9 months ago

Pardus
It is a shame people sent you chardonnays from Virginia. Virginia has a lot of good wine. Pretty much none of it is chardonnay. And all of it is more expensive than wine from California. They just don’t have the volume that is needed to make the wine less expensive.

I know Al and Cheryl from Gray Ghost, they make some decent reds and a really great dessert wine called Adieu.
about 9 months ago

BelgianBeerMistress
QOTD: Paradocx Vineyard’s Reserve Chardonnay, Chester County, PA. From what I remember, it was steely, floral, fruity. Very nice. $18.99, so considering it’s a small winery, and how much I liked this wine, I think the price is fair.
about 9 months ago

the big wine O
the Cab Franc from Cape May Vineyards in NJ is very good…nice and smoky
or some wines from Chaddsford Winery in PA.
about 9 months ago

Tommy Vernieri
QOTD: By far, the worst wine I’ve tasted was from Carolina Vineyards in Myrtle Beach, SC. I can’t think of anything that I would want to call out as the best but I did enjoy several wines I had at a tasting from Childress in North Carolina.
about 9 months ago

Jeff Barrett
Gary - So I work at a shop in Virginia, and while I’m no great champion of Virginia wines across the board… really, I’m not… I have to say that there are a handful of stunning chardonnays out there, and viogniers. As for the chards, though, I would recommend, and in a serious way, the Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay. It’s brilliant. The 1999 is still drinking well, believe it or not. As for the wines you chose, none are really taken seriously by serious Virginia wine drinkers. I live in Charlottesville, in the heart of this little industry. I’ll host you if ever you want to come and seriously check it out.
about 9 months ago

Daniel O
Gary, it’s so sad to see you so sad! Chin up big guy!

Remember what you always say: As long as you and your family are healthy, nothing else matters!
about 9 months ago

Carlitos
QOTD. Tough! Probably that sparkling wine from New Mexico. Big surprise.
about 9 months ago

Brian
Hands down the Robusto from Creedside Cellars, Evergreen Colorado.
about 9 months ago

Lawrence Leichtman
As a Virginian, I am always disappointed with Virginia wines. Too little flavor too high a price. My favorites outside of the big 4 are from Lllano Estacado from Lubbock. Their Viviano Tuscan and their reserve Cabernet Sauvignon are outstanding wines to my taste.
about 9 months ago

wwave
QOTD: Gabrielle Rausse Geddes Mountain Viognier- VA
about 9 months ago

KT
This is so sad….I wish that you had tried Linden Chardonnay. Linden is Virginia’s gem in the wine world. The wine maker, Jim Law is genius. His Chardonnay is very Burgundian in style. I’m sure your response would’ve been much different.
about 9 months ago

Cam
It’s a shame the VA wines you got to try weren’t great. You need to try Virginia Viogniers, Gary. We’re starting to get known for those a little bit.

QOTD: Best non-big four? Chateau Morrisette 2001 Cabernet Franc, Meadows of Dan, VA. That was a great year. The 2005 is less old-world, more new world and fruity, but still good. I also really enjoy their Chambourcin and Viognier, if I want to spend a*little* money. If not, their low-end stuff, Our Dog Blue and Black Dog, are plenty good for everyday.
about 9 months ago

NeilT
Hey, the Winery at LaGrange Fletcher’s Chardonnay was a 2006 not 2003. They didn’t open until Labor Day 2005. Come on down to ol’ Virginia and we’ll hook you up with some wines that will score 90 + and rival anything in the big 4 or europe.
about 9 months ago

yowens
GV- I cant turn off those stupid comments that everyone writes while your show is going on. QOTD: Sakonnet Vidal Blanc. Dude, its money and from Rhode Island.
about 9 months ago

Chuck G.
A Cabernet from Anderson Valley Vineyards in New Mexico. The owner was the late balloonist Maxie Anderson. The label included a view of his balloon over the Rio Grande.