MWT Winemaker Sessions

- Week Four -
Blending the Best
Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 PM

Click the link below to view the recording on the
Monticello Wine Trail Facebook Page

Join host Dave McIntyre for week four of this four-part winemaker sessions series with a discussion focused on red blends from MWT wineries and the winemakers who crafted them!

- Featured Winemakers & Wines -

Keswick Vineyards
Winemaker Stephen Barnard

Stephen started working in the wine industry at Groot Constantia Winery, the oldest winery in South Africa, as a pourer and tour guide. Through various courses of events he managed to find a position in the cellar as a cellar worker and then eventually became the assistant winemaker there. He studied Enology and Viticulture at Elsenburg Agricultural College.  Upon completion of his studies Stephen became the assistant winemaker at Flagstone Winery where he worked exclusively with red wines.

Through the Ohio State Internship program he came to Virginia in 2002 and joined Keswick Vineyards as an intern and held that position until May 2004 when he took the position of Winemaker at Rappahannock Cellars. In June of 2006 he re-joined Keswick Vineyards as the Winemaker.

Stephen’s philosophy for winemaking is minimal intervention.  He prefers to focus on the vineyard to produce optimal fruit for winemaking. Keswick Vineyards is one of the few wineries that ferments most of its wines without the addition of yeast and do not fine or filter any of their reds since the 2006 harvest. Keswick Vineyards is committed to producing world-class wines and are now seeing the potential Virginia, as well as Keswick Vineyards, has to offer.

2017 Heritage Estate Reserve (Cabernet Sauvignon Dominant)

Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 7.5% Cabernet Franc         Alcohol: 14% ABV       
R.S: 2g/L or 0.2%   
Cooperage: 75% French oak [3yr] 25% American Oak [2yr]       Maturation: 34 Months on the fine lees     
Bottled: August 28th 2020     

Deep Ruby red in color and uniform throughout the glass, showing little signs of ageing or oxidation. The nose is intense and aromatic with more oak derived aromas initially, with pronounced smoky, charred wood and cured meat tones. With aeration and warmth, the subdued fruit tones come to the fore with dark berries [plum, black and blue berry], with additional notes of bitter chocolate, violets and dried herbs. A compelling a complex nose that changes in the glass.

Make no mistake, this is a big wine, it is bone dry with luscious tannins and a long and lengthy finish. It has good grip, showing little astringency and the oak is well balanced with the acidity and the fruit of the wine. The palate is dominated by dark berries with secondary flavors of espresso, black tea and pencil lead or graphite.

A beautifully harmonious and balanced wine that will require a few years of ageing to truly show its pedigree. Ageing potential 10 to 15 years conservatively. I truly believe this to be the best Heritage wine was have produced thus far.   

Michael Shaps Wineworks
Winemaker Michael Shaps

Michael Shaps is the managing partner of Michael Shaps Wineworks in Charlottesville, Virginia, a winery operation that specializes in contract winemaking, vineyard and winery consulting, and wine importation. He produces nationally acclaimed wine under the Michael Shaps label, available for tasting and sales at his two tasting rooms—the winery called Michael Shaps Wineworks located 15 minutes south of Charlottesville and the warehouse called Wineworks Extended, a wine bar and taproom located near downtown Charlottesville.

Michael has been a major contributor to the development of the Virginia wine industry for the past 23 years, consulting for dozens of start-up wineries. In addition Michael is the managing partner of Maison Shaps in Meursault, France, where he produces high end Burgundy wines under the Maison Shaps label.  Michael has a degree in enology and viticulture from the Lycée Viticole de Beaune in France, where he studied and trained before arriving in Virginia.

2015 Meritage

The majority of this fruit was grown on Rougemont farm in Keswick, a vineyard with a hot southeastern facing slope on deep Davidson clay soils in the Monticello AVA. 16 Miles southwest at Carter’s Mountain vineyard, a majority of the cabernet franc and some merlot was grown at 1000 feet elevation on a southwest facing slope with lighter clay and loam soils. The malbec was grown at the Wild Meadow vineyard, located in Purcellville, VA, where the late season makes for ideal malbec growing conditions, and the cabernet sauvignon was grown at Adventure Farm, located in Earlysville, VA at 850 feet elevation. The 2015 vintage was warm and dry, with moderate rain showers, and hot temperatures late in the season, making for a higher brix level at harvest.

All of the grapes were de-stemmed into open top fermenters and then cold soaked for 5-7 days for added extraction. The tanks are then heated in order to encourage ambient yeast fermentation. We do not use any commercial yeast strain, but rather create a starter from its own juice during the cold maceration process. During fermentation, we conduct pump-overs twice daily until the end of fermentation and continue to extend the maceration for several weeks with daily pump-overs. After pressing and settling, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels, of which 65% are new oak. The wines are aged as varietals, blended, and aged for a total of 20 months.

We believe that the Bordeaux blends produce some of Virginia’s best and more expressive wines. The art of blending different varietals from different vineyards highlights the nuances of each of our vineyard sites. Our 2015 Meritage blend is a reflection of what we strive for in both the grape growing and winemaking. We are crafting a wine to represent the highest quality of what we are capable of producing from the vineyard to the bottle. Only the best grapes and finished barrels go into this blend.

Pollak Vineyards
Winemaker Benoit Pineau

Benoit Pineau, our winemaker, directs all aspects of vineyard management and wine production. He has broad education and experience in the field having degrees in oenology from Blanquefort in Bordeaux and viticulture and oenology from the University of Toulouse. His extensive cellar experience includes work in France, Australia, California and Virginia.

Our goal in the vineyards is to produce the highest quality of fruit. It is accomplished by a small but accomplished crew whose work extends throughout the entire year. In early winter they prune by hand most of the old growth. They also prepare sites where new or replacement vines will be planted.  Following bud break in the spring there are continual passes through the vineyards, leaf pulling, managing the canopy, spraying and adjusting crop load to improve quality .  Beginning in August or early September all hands are engaged for an intense 6 – 8 weeks of harvest.  100 tons of grapes will be hand harvested and transported for the next part of their journey –  to your glass.

2017 Meritage

Winemaker’s Notes
This wine continues our tradition of making a red blend based upon careful selection of barrels from each of the three varietals. We begin a blind tasting of different proportions of varietals in November after the individual wines have completed 12 months in barrel using 60% new French oak and 40% neutral barrels. Based on the selected mix, varietals are blended and barrel aged another 5 months. This final wine was then aged in the bottle another 12 months permitting the various components to come together for a nuanced flavor.

Tasting Notes
Produced in a Bordeaux style, this wine presents a full bodied, opulent feel in the mouth with silky tannins and sound acidity to frame blackcurrant, black cherry and leather flavors. This wine is impeccably balanced and leaves a mouthwatering finish. It is approachable now, but will gain complexity with additional aging in your cellar.

Awards

• Gold, Virginia Governors Cup

• Gold, San Diego International

• Gold, Berlin International

• 93 Points

• Gold, East Meets West Wine Competition

Stinson Vineyards
Winemaker Rachel Stinson Vrooman

Rachel Stinson Vrooman is Director of Operations at Stinson Vineyards, a family-owned, estate winery in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Wines are made on premises by the winemaking team of Rachel and her husband Nathan Vrooman. Her previous career as a photo editor in Manhattan shares features with her current one. “I love that winemaking is a blend of science and artistry,” Rachel says. “This was familiar to me coming from a photography background. I also appreciate the idea of a vintage – the chance to start over each year and the challenge of not having complete control over harvest conditions.” The wines of Stinson Vineyards are enjoying growing critical acclaim, and the winery has become a visitor destination for its fine wines, stunning views and artisan farm store.

2016 Meritage

Vintage
A hard frost in April of 2016 meant lower yields across the state. Early budding varietals such as Merlot were hit especially hard. Late budding Petit Verdot was the star of the vintage, both in terms of quantity and quality. All ripening energy was focused on small clusters, giving us intensely flavorful, high acid fruit.

Vineyard
The 2016 Meritage is 70% Estate fruit. Stinson Farms vines are cane pruned and close spaced on Braddock soil – a red clay loam derived from crystalline rocks that make up the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. The remaining 30% comes from neighboring Turk Mountain Vineyards in Afton and Mount Fair Farm in White Hall.

Winemaker’s Notes
Ripe red current and black cherry combine with warm sage and spicy licorice in our 2016 blend. A Petit Verdot base contributes textured, smoky tannins. Restrained oak lends structure and length to the finish.

Label
Our Local Artist Series Meritage Labels debuts with the 2016 vintage. Designed by Courtney Hopkins, it is dedicated to resident chicken-tender/flower-arranger Martha Stinson.

Harvest Dates: September 28 – October 7, 2016

Technical Notes
Varietal Content: 35% Petit Verdot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot
AVA: Monticello
Aged 22 months in French oak, 35% new
End pH: 3.73 Alcohol: 13.5%
Bottled: Aug 8, 2018
Case Production: 200
Release Date: September 2020