For the first Quarter of the new year, we have some very exciting new releases that Jason has picked for you!
Starting off is the 2021 Barrel Select Chardonnay. Fruit from the Swoope vineyard was aged in a mixture of 20% new and 80% neutral French Oak Barrels for 11 months. With the “Barrel Select” Chardonnay, we blended a slightly larger percentage of the new oak aged wine than we did in the standard bottling, resulting in a richer, fuller expression of Chardonnay perfect for these cooler months. Not so much the oak and butter bombs from California, much more in line with the classic Montracets and Merseault of the Burgundy region that we strive to model our Chardonnays after.
For our next selection, we have the 2021 Cabernet Franc Aged In Stone. This wine has been out in the Tasting Room since the fall of 2023, and the extra time in the bottle has changed it dramatically from initial release. The acidity has softened on the finish and what little tannin was present in the wine to begin with has faded away entirely. What is left is a beautiful example of Shenandoah Valley Cabernet Franc, bursting with fruit-forward raspberry and plum flavors underscored by that black pepper and savory herbal characteristic.
And for our last selection, we have a very special 2021 vintage of Tannat. These grapes were sourced from Thatch (Now Michael Shaps) in the Monticello AVA, and were part of the last vintage of grapes that Jason Hayman, our current Director of Production, supervised there before joining our team in the Spring of 2022. Meticulously cared for from vine to bottle, our Tannat spent 16 months in neutral French Oak and the end result is a full bodied and robust red wine, a great example of what Tannat can do here in Virginia!
The Tannat was specifically sourced with our Wine Club in mind, and as a result we are making this a default selection for this quarter. Feel free to customize the other two selections, but we want to make sure that everybody gets to see just how excited we are for this new wine! This is our first ever Tannat release, and we planted the grape here at the Our Afton Estate in the spring with the intention of producing something to make Virginia proud of!
Starting now, you can log in and make your selections, and the wines will be available for pickup on February 1st!