MWT Winemaker Sessions
- Week Two -
Bright Whites
Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 PM
Click the link below to view the recording on the
Monticello Wine Trail Facebook Page
Join host Dave McIntyre for week two of this four-part winemaker sessions series with a discussion focused on four white wines from MWT wineries and the winemakers who crafted them!
- Featured Winemakers & Wines -
Blenheim Vineyards
Winemaker Kirsty Harmon
Kirsty Harmon manages and oversees the winery, tasting room, and vineyards, while also making the wines at Blenheim Vineyards since 2008. She received her Masters in Viticulture and Oenology from U.C. Davis and is dedicated to her daily gin & tonic.
2019 Grüner Veltliner
Crisp, dry white wine made from 100% estate grown Grüner Veltliner grapes.
Fermented and aged in stainless steel. Bottled on April 30, 2020. 261 cases produced.
Notes of spearmint, lime leaf, freshly cut hay.
Cardinal Point Winery
Winemaker Tim Gorman
Tim Gorman is the grape grower and wine maker at Cardinal Point Vineyards and Winery in Afton, Virginia. Cardinal Point is owned by Paul and Ruth Gorman, Tim's parents. Tim started planting and managing the vineyard at Cardinal Point in 1987 after getting a B.S. in Psychology('86) from James Madison University. In 1993 he earned a degree in Horticulture/Fruit Science from Virginia Tech. While expanding the vineyards during the 90's, Tim volunteered for the Virginia Vineyards Association and served a two year term as president. In 2002, Cardinal Point Winery was constructed adding wine production to fifteen acres of vinfera grape vines.
Tim enjoys growing the fruit and fostering the resultant wines for Cardinal Point. He has a wonderful family including his parents and siblings, his wife Susan Gorman, and their two now grown children, Sam and Max.
2019 Green
50% Petit Manseng/ 50% Chardonnay (co-ferment)
ABV: 12.7%
R.S.: 6.5g/L
Horton Vineyards
Winemaker Shannon Horton
Shannon was raised in the wine industry. Her father, Dennis Horton instilled in her the importance of hard work and to follow her passion. This passion has led her to work in a more active role at Horton Vineyards. Her wine knowledge has come as “on the job training” which started at a young age. She remembers punching down reds after school when she was no more than 10 years old. Many family events and conversations centered around the weather, the crop and the wine in the cellar. She is proud to be a part of what her father built while still putting her own touch on the wines.
2019 Private Reserve Albariño
Winemaker’s Notes
Tune-in to the session to find out!
Septenary Winery
Winemaker Corry Craighill
Corry brings many years of winemaking experience from a variety of regions, including South Africa, France, Australia, New Zealand and Oregon in addition to her native Virginia. A graduate of the University of Virginia, she is excited to be back in Charlottesville making wine and tending to the vineyards. As Corry describes it: "I want to farm with respect to the surrounding environment and to produce the best quality of fruit I can. It is a learning process and it takes patience, but I hope to make wine that best reflects this idea and most favorably expresses our vineyards."
Corry was named Loudoun County Winemaker of the Year in 2019. She enjoys being outdoors and hiking with her dog, Sully. She also likes to rock climb and explore new recipes.
2019 Viognier
The fruit is pressed whole cluster and settled overnight before fermentation. Cool temperatures and fermentation in stainless steel maintain fresh aromatics. The wine was aged for eight months before bottling for summertime release.
Notes of honeysuckle, lemon zest, and orange blossom. The 2019 Viognier has both medium body and medium acid but keeps a delicate note of freshness.