Chrysalis Vineyards

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, and it was certainly a great day to spend with Mom on Mother’s Day. We made certain to make our Moms feel special on Mother’s Day; however, we also made time spend with our friend, Duwayne. Duwayne enjoys Virginia wines, and the three of us had a wonderful afternoon enjoying nice wines, simple nibbles, and lovely springtime views at Chrysalis Vineyards.

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We were in the mood for a crisp white wine, and the 2012 Albarino was our wine of choice after our tasting. Initial notes of stone and mineral led to flavors of citrus and peach. Sur lees fermentation provided a nice mouth feel, and it announced that spring is here! I’m always a fan of the Viognier, Chrysalis’ flagship white wine. Lush floral aromas with peach and pear notes and a fuller mouth feel make for another classic from Chrysalis. Favorite red wines? We all preferred the 2012 Locksley Reserve Norton that is a blend of Norton, Tannat, Petit Verdot, and Nebbbiolo. Still young with lots of smoky aromas, tobacco notes and oaky nuances. Dark plum and berry flavors too—buy now and enjoy later!

With a bottle of the 2012 Albarino in hand, we feasted on sliced deli meats, cheese, baguette and crackers. Great wine, simple fare, and good friends—a perfect way to spend a lovely afternoon. We also saw lots of Moms at the winery, and we know that their day was made extra special with a bottle of Chrysalis wine. Visit Chrysalis soon—mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you. And check out the video below from our visit to Chrysalis. Press Play.

Wine Tourism Day at Chrysalis

Our second stop on Wine Tourism Day was Chrysalis Vineyards. Warren’s parents hadn’t been there yet and it was close to Boxwood so we decided to take them there. Tastings at Chrysalis are so popular that they now have timed tastings. Upon entering the tasting room we signed up for the 1:30 tasting. We had a few minutes to kill so we walked around and showed Warren’s parents the grounds.
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As usual, our tasting started with the white wines. The three of were split on our favorite white. I preferred the 2011 Chardonnay. I enjoyed the stainless steel crisp edge with notes of green apple, minerality. Warren favored the 2011 Albarino with it’s notes of apricot, peach, and tartness. Warren’s father enjoyed the 2011 Viognier with its floral notes, creamy mouth feel, and toasted nut finish. While we had our favorite whites, these would all make wonderful summer sippers.
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We moved on to the reds and again we were split but this time Warren and I selected the same favorite red. We both enjoyed the 2009 Petit Verdot. We noted blackberry, cherry, firm acids, and solid tannic finish. Warren’s father enjoyed the 2011 Barrel Select Norton. He enjoyed the jammy flavors of cherry, blueberry and blackberry. He was thinking of food items to pair with this wine.
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With our tasting complete and our favorites recorded, we selected a bottle of the 2011 Albarino to enjoy with lunch items while enjoying the view of the vineyards. After lunch we purchased a few of our favorites and said our goodbyes. We will return to Chrysalis soon and encourage you to do the same. And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
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Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival

Come visit Chrysalis Vineyards in the gorgeous MIDST of harvest Saturday, October 6th from 10am – 6:30pm and Sunday, October 7th from 10am – 6pm for the 12th Annual Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival! We have returning and new bands, exciting artisan crafts and new delicious food vendors to offer you for more of a compelling experience for this year’s hottest festival! Always included are tour-driven hay rides, case specials and a special 9-wine tasting that includes ALL of our Norton wines with a commemorative take home glass.

Enjoy our finger-picking bluegrass bands of Jackass Flats, King Street Bluegrass, Circa Blue, and A Good Natured Riot throughout the weekend while enjoying a choice of food selections for sale! Our delicious offerings include Uncle Fred’s BBQ, Paella to GO!, featuring tacos and tapas, Country Pride Cheese, Jubilee’s Confections, featuring cupcakes and cake pops, custom Norton grape chocolate, and more!!

Care for a little retail therapy? Our exquisite artisan crafts and top-notch designers include DEW Wood Products (made right here at Locksley Estate), Karen Holick handcrafted wine lamps, Carried Away Gifts wine gifts, Jacqueline Handley Designs handmade handbags, NovaGem Jewelry, Sparkle Event photobooth (Sunday only), and more!

Admissions at the door are $20 per person or $15 in advance. VIP Club members celebrate for FREE!

For more information and/or to buy your advance tickets please call Tammy Cavanaugh at (540) 687 8222, ext. 206 or email Tammy at TCavanaugh@ChrysalisWine.com. Advanced admissions close on Thursday, October 4th at 5pm.

Summertime Fun at Virginia Wineries

Summertime presents opportunities for wine lovers to spend vacation time at local wineries. In recent weeks, we’ve taken advantage of free time and longer daylight to do just that!

Chrysalis Vineyards: The VIP pickup party was held this past Saturday evening, and the event showcased new releases: the 2011 Chardonnay and the 2008 Red Reserve. However, club members were also able to enjoy a complete wine tasting of current releases. Pizzeria Moto provided the evening’s food to pair with a favorite Chrysalis wine. (These guys make great pizza!) Our wine partner for the evening was the crisp 2011 Albarino, and it proved to be the perfect match with my pizza topped with pancetta and goat cheese. Fans of Kluge Estate wines will be pleased to know former tasting room manager Tammy Cavanaugh is now tasting room and sales manager at Chrysalis Vineyards. (We had a wonderful time catching up with Tammy!)



Gadino Cellars: We’re big Wolftrap fans and attend many summer concerts there; of course, we sit on the lawn so that we can bring our own picnic foods and wine. Of course, that means stocking up on favorite summer wines from Virginia wineries, and that quest found us at Gadino Cellars. We enjoyed the 2011 Pinot Grigio that is blended with a small amount of Petit Manseng. Pineapple and citrus notes with a refreshing crispness suggest a perfect wine for summer. A sweeter option is the 2010 Sunset, a blend of Traminette and Chardonnay with 3% residual sugar; however, our favorite was the 2011 Moonrise, a blend of Nebbiolo, Cabernet Franc and Petit Manseng. Bright berry flavors and spicy finish make for a versatile wine that would be at ease with a host of picnic foods; a semi-dry finish makes for a refreshing pour on warm evenings. We ended up purchasing each of the above to bring along to our Wolftrap concerts!


Tarara Winery: Tarara Winery continues its summer concert series, and we’ve already attended one show that featured a Journey tribute band. (We were Journey fans in the 1980s.) Before the concert though, we were able to sneak in a tasting thanks to wine educator Kerry Ann. The 2011 white wines were all bright and fruity with an acidity that most 2010 Virginia white wines seemed to lack. Particular favorites were the 2011 Barnyard White, 2011 Petit Manseng (my favorite), and the 2011 Viognier (Paul’s favorite). We were also treated to a sneak sample of the 2011 Rose, a Provence-style rose with strawberry and faint herbal elements. In fact this one ended up being our wine to enjoy at the concert. And what foods partnered with the rose? Pizza from Pizzeria Moto! Did I mention that these guys make great pizza? They will be at many local winery events this year, so it’s worth checking out any event where Pizzeria Moto will be serving the food. Great wine, great pizza, and a trip down memory lane with songs we knew from high school made for a memorable evening.



Be sure your summer plans include visits to Virginia wineries; check out the events to see if you can plan a day of wine, food and music. At the very least, visit the wineries mentioned in this post to stock up on summer wines. Please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Friday Wines

A few weeks ago, on a Friday evening, we enjoyed a few wines as we usually do. We’ve been busy posting about events and winery visits that we had to put this off a few weeks.

We started the evening with the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from Glen Manor Vineyards. We are huge fans of Jeff White’s wines and this sauvignon blanc didn’t disappoint. We had it with manchego cheese and sour dough bread. While enjoying the wine we definitely noticed grassy and boxwood on the nose. On the tongue we noticed tropical fruit, minerality, and a nice crisp ending. It paired wonderfully with the cheese and bread.

For dinner we were having lasagna and selected the 2009 Private Reserve Red from Chrysalis Vineyards from the VIP Wine Club. We noted dried fruit, tobacco, anise, and a whiff of sandalwood. In the mouth we noted dried plum, dried herbs, tobacco, and a vanilla finish. We think this wine is still integrating and could benefit from more time on the rack. The acidity of the wine did a nice job of cutting the red sauce of the lasagna. Yes, it is a little young but paired well with our meal.

We’ll continue to enjoy our Friday wines and post about our impressions. If you haven’t been to Glen Manor Vineyards or Chrysalis Vineyards lately, plan a trip to visit them soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!