WTN: Veritas Vineyards and Winery (Virginia, Part 1) - long & some good wine

[David M. Bueker]

Part 1 - Veritas

While visiting my parents in Virginia I was able to take a day to do some wine tasting around the Charlottesville area. I first tasted the wines of the area back in 1988, and while I didn’t have any idea what I was tasting back then, it was one of those experiences that started me down the road to serious interest in the wine hobby.

The most important thing that has happened over the last (nearly) 20 years is that there is no longer any question about the actual winemaking. While there were some wines I liked more than others, not once did I find any serious flaws that would render a wine undrinkable. That’s a far cry from 1988, and even from just a few years ago when there were more than a few badly flawed wines. Certainly some of that is producer specific. We went to three highly regarded wineries in the heart of Virginia wine country.

Our first stop was at Veritas, southwest of Charlottesville. My folks had been there many times, but this was my first visit. It’s a lovely space, rustic but refined. The wines weren’t bad either.

2006 Sauvignon Blanc – ($18, Alc. 12%) Melon and fresh cut grass on the nose. Melon and lemon fruit on the palate. Easy to drink, though I’m not a fan of grassy Sauv Blanc.

2005 Chardonnay Saddleback – ($18, Alc. 12.5%) An unwooded Chardonnay, this showed very nice, crisp apple and melon notes, but it had a very short finish.

2005 Chardonnay Harlequin Reserve – ($20, Alc. 14%) Creamy and spicy, with soft fruit notes. Not enough fruit to support the oak, though I bet this has fans.

2005 Viognier – ($20, Alc. 14%) Honeysuckle and peach aromas and flavors. The fruit is sweet, and the mouthfeel is quite light despite the 14% alcohol. Very nice. I tend to find quality Viognier in Virginia. Given the marginal climate I think it helps for them to be growing a grape without a grand tradition of 100% new oak aging. In most (though not all) Virginia Viognier I have tried the fruit is allowed to shine through, and so the overall lightness is not as obvious.

2006 Rosé of Cabernet Franc/Merlot – ($13, Alc. 12%) Buttery berries!? Lots of berries on the palate & just barely off dry. This is really quite delicious, but buttery?? No oak here, so I’m really confused.

2004 Claret (60% Cab Franc, 40% Merlot) – ($16, Alc. 13.5%) Distinctly green herbal, but not in an unpleasant way, more thyme and rosemary than anything more aggressive (e.g. green pepper). There’s bright cherry fruit, but it’s almost too subtle. Needs some stuffing.

2005 Vintner’s Reserve Red Wine (60% Cab Franc, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot) – ($25, Alc. 13%) Red fruit and leather on the nose. There’s good acidity here, as well as more substantial red fruit than in the Claret. This has a medium length finish. Well made red wine.

2005 Petit Verdot - ($29, Alc. 13.2%) The fruities wine of the bunch. Lots of black cherries here. The Petit Verdot must be where the Vintner’s Reserve Red gets its more substantial fruit. There’s also mint here, as well as a bit of toasty oak, but the fruit in this wine is strong enough to stand up and dominate the oak. Well balanced and interesting. I bought a bottle of this for the curiosity of 100% Petit Verdot, but also because it was just plain good wine.

2005 Petit Manseng - ($25, Alc. 13%, 1.5% Residual Sugar) Slightly thick texture, with crème brulee and underripe pineapple aromas and flavors. Not bad, but not all that substantial.

2005 ‘Kenmar’ (flash frozen Traminette) – ($18 for 375 ml, Alc. 14%, 8% Residual Sugar) Floral and peach aromas. Slightly confected. Bitter grapefruit peel on the finish. There’s good acid balance, but not enough fruit to cover that finishing bitterness.

All in all this is a very good lineup for a relatively new winery. Veritas is well ahead of Virginia wineries with a much longer track record. As has frequently been the case I find that Viognier and Cabernet Franc can make some nice wines, but the real surprise is the Petit Verdot. Given how hard it is to ripen in Bordeaux I’m basically shocked that anyone in Virginia can make a good wine out of it.

Another point in Veritas’ favor is that the prices are very reasonable. The Rosé is inexpensive enough to be a summer quaffer, and the Petit Verdot is reasonably priced for the quality (and rarity) of the wine. This restraint is not the case everywhere in Virginia. Aggressive pricing may be necessary to make some wineries financially viable, but it does them no commercial favor in an emerging region.

I do however have one rant. While the person who poured the wines for us was very nice, she insisted on giving the spiel about what we could taste in the wines, even after we made it very clear we were quite knowledgeable and wanted to form our own impressions. I’m standing there with pen and notebook, doing the whole critical swirl, sniff, spit thing, and getting the “don’t you taste chocolate?” line. No, as a matter of fact I do not taste chocolate. Please tell the group in the fancy jewelry and straw hats, who just pulled up in their Hummer what they taste in the wines. End of rant.

More to come in part 2.

Thanks for the notes, David, it is very interesting to see your impressions--especially from someone with a history going that far back in Virginia wine. The viognier sounded quite nice . . . and I was very pleased to see that their prices have kept in check--most certainly was not the case for most wineries in northern Virginia (i.e., within easy driving from DC). The one thing I liked about Veritas was that they were very upfront when I visited about where they got their fruit--often working out sharing arrangements with other vineyards. And that good fruit really came through in the tasting for me.

tell the group in the fancy jewelry and straw hats, who just pulled up in their Hummer what they taste in the wines.

Hmm, I always found them wearing jeans and black leather jackets, lots of makeup, and transported in a white limo . . . maybe that's a northern Virginia thing!

[David M. Bueker]

Hmm, I always found them wearing jeans and black leather jackets, lots of makeup, and transported in a white limo . . . maybe that's a northern Virginia thing!

To warm that day for leather. They were in their Florida garb.

2005 Petit Verdot - ($29, Alc. 13.2%) The fruities wine of the bunch. Lots of black cherries here. The Petit Verdot must be where the Vintner’s Reserve Red gets its more substantial fruit. There’s also mint here, as well as a bit of toasty oak, but the fruit in this wine is strong enough to stand up and dominate the oak. Well balanced and interesting. I bought a bottle of this for the curiosity of 100% Petit Verdot, but also because it was just plain good wine.

I am sure that I have stated this here before but........There is a small but growing number of people that think that Petit Verdot may end up being the best red grape for Virginia especially if planted on Riparia rootstock instead of the old standard of 3309. Ingleside Plantation also has made a good Petit Verdot but the ones I have tasted need a few years to really show their best.

[David M. Bueker]

There is a small but growing number of people that think that Petit Verdot may end up being the best red grape for Virginia especially if planted on Riparia rootstock instead of the old standard of 3309.

Count me in. I'm surprised it works so well, but it sure does.

David:

We visited Veritas about a year ago and were not tempted to return - interesting how different folks form different impressions. We liked one or two wines out of their line-up, but a couple of the others were really awful, plus we also found the service a turn-off. On the other hand, we quite liked Afton, a smaller winery just down the road from Veritas, which featured a line of good wines, including - incredibly - a decent Virginia Pinot Noir.

Petit Verdot pops up in several Virginia wineries as a solo varietal. Jim Law at Linden has made a couple of Verdot or Verdot-dominated B'x blends that we've found to be impressive, especially with age. His PV grapes, if I understand aright, come from the Avenius (spelling?) vinyard, where they simply out-grow the other varietals in some years.

Ian

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting how different impressions can be. I am inclined to really like Afton, as I have known them from "the very start", but my last tastings (2005) left me unimpressed. I much preferred Veritas' wines.

I have known them from "the very start"

Don't live under the illusion that those quotation marks will shield you from Mr. Hill's attorneys.

Interesting how different impressions can be. I am inclined to really like Afton, as I have known them from "the very start", but my last tastings (2005) left me unimpressed. I much preferred Veritas' wines.

I defer to you in the matter of objectivity, since you obviously do a lot more serious tasting than I do. I am easily influenced by factors like atmosphere, and Veritas put me on edge.

Cheers.

Thank you very David for a very interesting report. While Kathrine was at UVA, I did a great deal of touring -- hit well over half the Virginia wineries -- some several times.

It looks like they are generally doing better than they were 8 to 12 years ago.

I appreciate the report -- it brought back memories of some very pleasant days.

Regards, Bob

Per the Linden web site, http://www.lindenvineyards.com/linden/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&page_id=268
seems Petit Verdot is in both vineyard.

I don't doubt it, but Linden began single vinyard bottling some years back, and it is the Avenius vinyard wines that feature especially high or solo PV content, in my recollection. I haven't been there in a year or so, so there may be new developments. The Avenius owner helps pour at Linden's tasting bar, and it is a pleasure to be able to chat with her about the winery and her work.

[David M. Bueker]

Petit Verdot was indeed the high spot of my trip.

Bob - my first tasting experiences with Virginia wines were in 1988 (when I turned 21), and I have seen vast improvements in their wines (and my tasting abilities) since then.

David, according to my wine diary, here's my first experience with a Virginia wine:

5/21/95 1993 Barboursville Pinot Noir Monticello Virginia. Kathrine's suggestion; purchased at a grocery store for $12; drank in a motel on the top of the Blue Ridge before driving home the next day. Undrinkable -- tasted like creosote. A little fruit, and a bitter taste at the end.

A month later I found the following in my first copy of Wine Spectator: "WS 73. An ugly creosote aroma followed by a hint of burnt cherry. Dry tannins, short and bitter finish." [I was so proud I could taste the creosote! ]

Like you, both I believe both my wine tasting and Virginia wines have improved since 1995.

Regards, Bob

Thanks for these notes! I love Virginia (my degree in City Planning is from UVa), so it is interesting to see that an actual wine industry is developing there! (My studies predated my wine geekery)

The Petit Verdot notes are interesting, too. I've found a few California bottlings that are intriguing (Hess, St. Francis "Anthem" Malbec/PV blend)

[David M. Bueker]

Bob - there's very limited success with Pinot Noir in VA. In fact I think I have only ever tasted one bottling that I even considered drinkable. It was from Afton Mountain.

There are two more parts to this tasting travelogue somewhere down the board. We also visited Blenheim and Kluge.

Thanks, David. I'll check them out -- all three wineries are new to me.

I am not sure why anyone is even trying to grow Pinot in Virginia. It does not make much sense really. The grape is prone to rot under the humid conditions of Virginia. If it does not rot, it is likely to be deficient in color or acid. The only grape that may make less sense than PN is Zinfandel.

For the conditions faced by most of the growers in Virginia, the best bets in red are going to be those that are more resistent to rot and maintain color and acid. This is a short list and of course there are those wineries that are making good wine from other varieties but in general the best reds from Virginia will come from Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, and Barbera.