2020 Governor’s Cup

Virginia’s 868 Estate Vineyards Earns 2020 Governor’s Cup® with 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito

Top-ranked dessert wine joins 11 other gold medal-winning wines in the 2020 Governor’s Cup Case®

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam tonight awarded the Virginia Wineries Association’s 2020 Governor’s Cup® to 868 Estate Vineyards for their 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito. The winning wine was unveiled at the annual Governor’s Cup Celebration, which took place Tuesday evening at the Main Street Station in Richmond.

All wines in the Governor’s Cup competition must be made from 100 percent Virginia fruit, but the 868 Vidal ‘Passito’ represents the first winner made entirely from Loudoun County fruit. Produced by the Italian ‘appassimento’ technique of partially drying grapes to concentrate flavor, the winemaker halts the fermentation early to retain the natural grape sugar in the final product.

“I am thrilled to award the Governor’s Cup to Carl DiManno and congratulate the whole team at 868 Estate Vineyards on their sweet finish,” said Governor Northam. “The Vidal Blanc Passito embodies both the experimentation and artistry that has made Virginia the leading East Coast destination for wine. This year’s Governor’s Cup case is a strong reflection of our world-class wine industry and the distinctive wines being produced in our Commonwealth.”

Alongside 868 Estate Vineyards 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito, the 11 wines included in the 2020 Governor’s Cup Case are:

Afton Mountain Vineyards Tradition (2017)
Barboursville Vineyards Octagon (2014)
Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve (2018)
Delaplane Cellars Williams Gap (2017)
Lake Anna Winery Tannat (2017)
Michael Shaps Wineworks Meritage (2016)
Pippin Hill Vineyards Petit Verdot (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Smuggler (2017)
Rockbridge Vineyard Vd’Or (2017)
Shenandoah Vineyards Shenandoah Reserve Red (2017)

“I am pleased to see a team like that of 868 Estate Vineyards win with a hybrid grape—a rarity for the competition,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “With two dessert wines in the Governor’s Cup case alongside creative blends with grapes such as Tannat, it is clear that 2020 is another unique year for Virginia wine.”

More than 530 Virginia wines were submitted into this year’s Governor’s Cup competition. A panel of 19 judges, directed by Jay Youmans one of only 51 Masters of Wine (MW) in the United States, sampled the wines over a four-week period and awarded gold medals to those scoring 90 points or higher.

Within the case, there is wide representation from most regions of Virginia, most notably Central Virginia, with eight wines included. Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley are also represented with two wines each. The broad geographical diversity highlights Virginia winemakers’ ability to listen to their land and navigate the Commonwealth’s varied landscape and conditions.

At Tuesday’s celebration, the Virginia Wineries Association also announced its Industry Awards, which are presented to industry members who show excellence in their craft and act as advocates for Virginia Wine. This year’s winners are:

Virginia Wine Person of the Year: Justin Rose of Rosemont Winery, who helped establish and currently runs the 27-acre vineyard and its 6,000 annual case production

David King Advocate of the Year: George Hodson, CEO of Veritas Vineyards and Winery, president and principal of Flying Fox Vineyards, and president of the Monticello Wine Trail

Gordon Murchie Lifetime Achievement Award: Randy Phillips, general manager of Cave Ridge Vineyard and Winery in the Shenandoah Valley

Now in its 38th year, the Governor’s Cup competition is a result of a partnership among the Virginia Wine Board, the Virginia Vineyards Association, and the Virginia Wineries Association, which owns and manages the competition. Ciders and fruit wines have their own category and medalists.

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, more than 2.2 million tourists visited Virginia wineries in 2015. Today, the Virginia wine industry generates $1.37 billion in economic impact and 8,218 jobs for the Commonwealth. Nationwide, Virginia is in the top six states in number of wineries and wine grape production.

A complete list of previous Governor’s Cup winners and information about the Virginia wine industry is available here.

All the information in this post is provided by a press release from the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office.

Gold Medal Winners

The Gold Medal winners in the Virginia Wineries Association Governor’s Cup Wine Competition have been announced. 64 different wines from 40 different wineries were awarded gold medals. 19 world-class judges tasted over 530 wines to select the best. Next week the Governor’s Cup winner will be announced at a special event held in Richmond. Congratulations to all the gold medal winners!

 

 

868 Estate Vineyards – Vidal Blanc 2017
Afton Mountain Vineyards – Tradition 2017
Barboursville Vineyards – Octagon 2014
Barboursville Vineyards – Vermentino Reserve 2018
Barboursville Vineyards – Octagon 2017
Bluestone Vineyard – Blue Ice 2015
Breaux Vineyards – Nebbiolo 2015
Breaux Vineyards – Merlot 2016
Cardinal Point Winery – Clay Hill Cabernet Franc 2017
Chester Gap Cellars – Cabernet Franc 2017
Chisholm Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Chestnut Oak Vineyard – Chestnut One 2017
CrossKeys Vineyards – Ali d’Oro 2016
Cunningham Creek Winery – Herd Dog Red 2017
Delaplane Cellars – Williams Gap 2017
Delaplane Cellars – Rusticity 2017
DuCard Vineyards – Petit Verdot 2017
DuCard Vineyards – C’est Trop 2017
Early Mountain – Petit Manseng 2018
Early Mountain – Shenandoah Springs Cabernet Franc 2017
Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard – Viognier, Monticello AVA 2018
Glen Manor Vineyards – Hodder Hill 2015
Greenhill Vineyards – Mythology 2016
Hamlet Vineyards – Eltham 2017
Hark Vineyards – Merlot 2017
Honah Lee Vineyard – Petit Manseng 2017
Jefferson Vineyards – Meritage 2017
Jefferson Vineyards – Jefferson’s Own Estate Reserve Red Wine 2017
Keswick Vineyards – Les Vents d’Anges 2018
Keswick Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2016
King Family Vineyards – Loreley 2017
King Family Vineyards – Mountain Plains Red 2017
Lake Anna Winery – Tannat 2017
Lake Anna Winery – Chardonnay 2018
Lake Anna Winery – Petit Verdot 2017
Lost Creek Winery – Cabernet Franc 2017
Michael Shaps – Meritage 2016
Michael Shaps – L. Scott 2017
Michael Shaps – Petit Verdot 2017
Michael Shaps – Cabernet Franc 2017
Michael Shaps – Raisin d’Etre Blanc 2016
Michael Shaps – Meritage 2017
Michael Shaps – Petit Manseng 2018
Muse Vineyards – Cabernet Franc 2015
Narmada Winery – Chardonel Reserve 2017
Paradise Springs Winery – The Moment 2016
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards – Petit Verdot 2017
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards – Wild Common Reserve 2017
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards – Easton Blue 2016
Pollak Vineyards – Cabernet Franc Reserve 2017
Pollak Vineyards – Smuggler 2017
Pollak Vineyards – Cabernet Franc 2017
Pollak Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Pollak Vineyards – Meritage 2017
Potomac Point winery – Petit Verdot 2017
Rockbridge Vineyard – V d’Or 2017
Rosemont Vineyards – Cabernet Franc 2017
Shenandoah Vineyards – Shenandoah Reserve Red 2017
Sunset Hills Vineyard – Mosaic 2017
The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards – Meritage 2017
Trump Winery – Blanc de Blanc 2014
Trump Winery – Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Winery 32 – Thoroughbred Blend 2016
Zephaniah Farm Vineyard – Friendship 2017

This information was provided to us by the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office.

The Law of Evolution

We are all familiar with Darwin’s scientific theory of evolution; however, winemakers have their own viticultural theory of evolution. We recently became familiar with Jim Law’s theory of evolution at a recent tasting event at Linden fitfully called, “Evolution.”

Jim Law’s reputation as the pioneer of excellent winemaking in Virginia is well known. Law bottled his first vintage in 1987, and this included a Cabernet Sauvignon that was tasted at the event. He described this vintage and those of the 1990s as years of understanding vineyard management with a struggle to achieve high expectations. The primary expectation was that wines expressed the terroir, or sense of place, while presenting a balance of acidity and alcohol. Jim’s trip to Bordeaux vineyards in the early 2000s was described by him as the time when the “light bulb went off”, and it was then that Law, already considered an accomplished winemaker, took his own evolution as a winemaker to a different direction. Under the direction of vineyard managers in Bordeaux, a re-evaluation of vineyard management at Linden Vineyards Hardscrabble site took place. This included both red and white wine varietals especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Vines that were not appropriately placed and thus presented ripening challenges were ripped up, and new vines were planted to take advantage of the site’s unique terroir and micro-climate. The transition year was the 2007 vintage, and it was the 2007 Hardscrabble Red that was included in the session’s tasting.

It was by tasting through the vintages of Hardscrabble Reds and Hardscrabble Chardonnays that we could witness the results of this evolutionary process. Law described the 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon as the result of his “wild cowboy days” when he was still learning best vineyard and winemaking practices. It was indeed a treat to taste this one with its sweet fruit, cedar, and savory characteristics. Gone too since the wild west days is the use of American oak barrels that Jim favored in 1987. The 2009 Hardscrabble Red, two vintages past the transition phase, was stunning. Dark fruit and plum notes with nice acidity and fruit through the palate was framed by velvety tannins, and better-placed vines took advantage of a dry yet cool summer that resulted in slow, even ripening. The 2016 vintage was fourth in the line up of red wines, and it presented fresh cherry and cola on the palate; young with good length, Jim believed that this vintage of Hardscrabble Red will hit its stride in eight years.

Evolution perhaps would be meaningless without passion, and vineyard work is truly Jim Law’s passion. However, Law seemed even more committed to his Chardonnay site that created the Hardscrabble Chardonnay. Chardonnay from Burgundy had been his father’s love, and Jim was allowed to sample the pleasures of white Burgundy wines at a very young age. This in turn led to Jim’s own desire to know more about wine, wine regions, winemaking, etc.; of course, the rest of history. A sampling of Chardonnay from Virginia’s Naked Mountain Vineyard in the 1980s convinced him that Virginia could produce stunning results from Chardonnay at a time when big, buttery Napa styles were the rage. The 2012 Hardscrabble Chardonnay was the earliest vintage offered for tasting, and here we tasted the product of older vines on the Hardscrabble site. Rich orchard fruit and lovely texture on the palate made for an elegant wine that Law declared had hit its “sweet spot.” His own favorite was the 2013 vintage with a fruit profile similar to the 2012 but leaner on the palate with a distinct mineral note. I favored the 2015 vintage with its juicy apple and pear presentation and generous feel on the palate. The white flight ended with the exquisite (and still evolving) 2017 Hardscrabble Chardonnay that seemed a bit riper on the nose and more acidic on the palate than the other vintages.

The witness to evolution continued with a trip to the cellar, and here we tasted barrel samples of the 2019 Chardonnay that will eventually make up the Village Chardonnay; picked from young, four year old vines, this one was all fresh apple in the mouth. It was resting in older, neutral oak barrels. (The 2019 growing season, already being heralded by local winemakers as one of the best in at least 10 years, was hot and dry.) A contrast to this vivacious youngster was a sample of the 2019 Chardonnay from the hardscrabble site. Produced from older vines planted in the 1980s, it was softer on the nose with better acidity and yet a rounder palate. The session concluded with two barrel samples of 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hardscrabble site; the first sample seemed soft with fresh cherry notes. However, the second sample seemed more tannic with blackberry and plum flavors. Jim confided that a blending trial for the 2019 Hardscrabble Red would be taking place on the Monday after our session that weekend, and these Cabernet samples will be part of the decision making process.

Evolving to achieve an expected standard of excellence best describes Jim Law as a vineyard manager and winemaker. We learned so much about this evolutionary process both by Jim’s testimony to his own process as well as by tasting the results. At the end of the session, we also appreciated his hard work and dedication. We will continue to appreciate wines at Linden, both those that have evolved and those that are evolving. Be sure to attend one of Jim Law’s educational sessions or plan a trip to the tasting room to experience the excellent wines there. Of course, mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Free Form Tasting

During the month of December, Linden Vineyards veered away from their normal tasting routine to do Free Form Tasting. For the Free Form Tasting, Jim Law selects wines from the wine cellar as well as current and new releases to taste during this time. This year Free Form Tasting took place on the two weekends before the holidays. We attended both weekends.

Yesterday we went to the Free Form Tasting at Linden. Of course we started with white wines. Jim introduced us to a new release. It’s called Wabi Sabi. It’s a blend of Vidal, Semillion, and the 2017 Boisseau Viognier. Warren wrote down dry, exotic, generous weight on the palate due in large part to the Viognier. We think this one would pair well with spicy dishes. We went on to taste the 2017 Boisseau Viognier on it’s own (which we had last weekend as well) and the 2018 Riesling. Both are wonderful wines anyone would enjoy.

We changed tasting bars to taste the red selections. We tasted the 2014 and 2016 Clarets. Last weekend when we tasted these we preferred the 2014 which has a bit more acidity but this weekend we both enjoyed the 2016. Before leaving this tasting bar we were treated to a tasting of the 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon. What a treat! We noted leather, cedar, sage and dark currants. Amazing how well it is holding up!

We then went into the side room for more reds. We tasted the 2016 Avenius Red along side the 2007 Avenius Red (which is not for sale). The 2016 is merlot based whereas the 2007 is petite verdot dominant. The 2016 presents plum, currants, dark cherry, tannic. We noted wet stone, ripe berry and tannins with the 2007. We enjoyed them both!

The Free Form Tasting at Linden is done for this year. And they are now closed until the new year. But be sure to visit Linden in the new year because they have some changes coming to the Cellar Tasting and we’re sure the Free Form Tasting will return next December. And when you visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!