Kelley Raymond

9.2

Really enjoyed the balance of fruit and oak - good for a cooler day when you still want a white. Not ideal summer drinking wine — 4 years ago

Natalie Corrado Fitz

9.1

One of best Chard ever had - buttery and refreshing. Very floral and great with hard white cheeses — 5 years ago

Ashwin Muthiah

9.3

Linalool, chalk, stony minerality, synthetic leather, hints of balsamic - what an oddball nose. On the palate, it’s silky smooth and beautifully balanced. Anise and more leather in the finish. What a surprise! — 6 years ago

KDouglas

9.6

Crazy love... amazing flavors and finish. — 7 years ago

Ron from VA

9.1

Nate Walsh and his Terroir Testimony. Year after year, he crafts liquid, articulate, honeydew wine...this one aged to perfection! 2014 allowed for plenty of acidity - and this the ideal match to a honey-baked ham with Roo Scalloped Potatoes!! — 7 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.3

Melon, apple. Pear. Classic Butter popcorn. Some very slight grassiness or herb. Vanilla ramps up on the finish. Complex, strong, and perfectly oaked. Lots of soul here. — 8 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Nice color of saturated gold. Nose of ample nutty flavor, green apple, fermented plum, and oaky almond. Taste of buttery smoothness, green apple, a bit pine apple, citrusy, oaky, roasted almonds, and grapefruit zest. Aftertaste of zesty bitterness, nutty almond, medium long. As a Virginian , I am proud of this bottle. Virginia wine, way to go! — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

A stunner of a sweet wine, high acids offset 110g RS in this honeyed, orange marmalade and tropical fruited beauty. A touch of an oxidized note adds further complexity. Like a hypothetical Tokaji Aszu meets a Trockenberenauslese Riesling. — 9 years ago

Brian Hearty

8.9

2014. A sense of sweetness made this a great pairing for steamed pork buns. — 10 years ago

Jose Lopez

9.0

The splashy label gave me pause and I approached with caution, but once I tasted, I was hooked. Fruity and warm without being a fruit bomb. Strong finish with stewed fruit and a hint of star anise. I would enjoy this all night solo hit it begs for food. — 10 years ago

Lauren Shively

9.7

Rich aromas of plum and cherries with a long spicy finish. — 12 years ago

Ron from VA

8.9

Really solid - clean representation of PV, but almost to simple. Perhaps indicative of the standard vintage. Balance is key to its score - flavor notes are a little dusty/dry due to lower brix at picking. Don’t get me wrong, a real steady varietal winner from this region :) — 4 years ago

Kristin Cancellieri

9.0

Another consistently delicious year. Crisp and clean with hint of mineral. Perfect wine to compliment fish and the salinity of the local oysters. — 5 years ago

Ryan Gunter

9.2

2012 tasted in 12/2018. Deep garnet, medium to full bodied. Wonderful perfume of black cherries, floral notes, and wet stone. Opens up substantially in the glass. Decanting will coax out an enchanting bouquet. Palate characterized by not overly ripe red to black fruit character with great acid structure, tannins still young at this time. A well crafted wine such as this can handle some time in the cellar. An ABV of 14.5% would suggest a bolder, riper red but the depth, complexity, and balance of this wine is unrivaled among East Coast reds with the notable exception of similar blends from Linden. Very lovely with an old world style. — 7 years ago

April Murphy

9.4

Second place, better than barboursville — 8 years ago

Ryan Sims

9.4

Dynamite stuff. Big, big acidity backing up grapefruit and soft herbal greenness. Talcy minerality closes things out. Seek it out. Wonderful expression of new world Sauvignon Blanc without getting into overripe and overly alcoholic territory. — 8 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

An influence in style to old school Bordeaux for sure, elegance and power in a very persistent medium+ body. The nose is very true to the Cabernet varietals, cassis, cherry, currants with a tweak of pepper and spice. Long and pure.on the finish, very well made. Tasted side by side with the 2006 and on two other occasions. — 9 years ago

Dylan Crapps

9.4

Favorite of the bunch. Lots of dark fruits and especially blueberries, finished with a hint of sweet vanilla — 10 years ago

David Floyd

9.5

This is a fantastic sparkler made by 2 Champenois in Virginia of all places. Plush and ripe but still dry, an incredible value if you can find it. — 10 years ago

Joseph LaPanna

9.0

Bright ruby color with dark brambley fruit, toasted oak and graphite on the nose. Ripe dark fruit, black currant, blackberry, cedar and an undercurrent of black truffles. The finish is long and soft with hints of toffee, vanilla and white pepper. Balanced acidity and great tannin structure. — 11 years ago

Anne Carman

9.2

Red raspberry, dark chocolate, cognac, black plum. Elegant texture, tannins smoothed, hint of spice on the finish. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a tasty one from Virginia.

Dark ruby in color with a nice reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, currants, bing cherries, honeysuckle, light oak, red candy, spices, dark coffee, vanilla, dark chocolates, light vegetables and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and pretty legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet strawberries, black currants, light wood, spices, black pepper, earth, bitter herbs and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very interesting wine from Virginia. A nice Bordeaux blend that warrants food, although pretty nice by itself too. Tangy and soft, with a nice mouthfeel and mild complexity.

Needs 30 minutes to open up properly, but so much nicer after 90 minutes in a decanter, when it really comes together.

Could be mistaken for a California Bordeaux blend, except for the honeysuckle nose, that i usually find in wines from the Southeast of the US.

Nice and engaging with lively acidity and a tangy finish.

Would be nice to see how it ages in the next 5 years.

I enjoyed it with Brie cheese.

A blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 23% petit verdot, and 4% Malbec.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$38. — 5 years ago

Ron from VA

9.0

So, This is a really difficult great to harness in the seller… The sugar can skyrocket and cause the alcohol to get out of control through fermentation… I think Jim did a decent job here harnessing the energy without making it a sugar bomb. Rich apricot and mango are framed by a sturdy acidic border. A really pretty wine although I mis-paired it w/ chicken tikka masala. The acid was a little too strong for the sauce without the presence of RS. All in all, it is a wonderfully Rich wine that needs the right dance partner — 7 years ago

Scott Arnold

9.0

Very smooth and satisfying can franc, light-medium body, trace of soft tannin, elegant berry nose, nice finish. Versatile food wine. 2015 — 8 years ago

Grant Gillary

9.0

Nice dessert wine with a good side of acidity to balance the residual sugar. Lots of stone fruit and some citrus on the palate. — 8 years ago

Ron from VA

9.5

As always - my rating is a balance between Virginia has a subset and total global wine as a standard scale. The finished product here is stunning as a Virginia grown product and in comparison to Oregon or Burgundy-styled Pinot. Balance is the hallmark here in this classic vintage. Layers of red and citrus fruit mingle with herbs & floral notes to glorious effect. One of the best Pinot I have ever had! — 8 years ago

Jeremy Bowen

9.0

Bouquet of peaches, honey, and white flowers. Soft on the palate, with a mild lingering acidity. — 9 years ago

Ron from VA

9.1

What a great vintage this turning out to be...the hot, dry(er) summer brought a nice balance of sugar and acid. This was wisely Merlot heavy (60%), lending to cherry notes. However, the Merlot is sturdy alto that allows the PV and CF to harmonize their tenor cords. This was from some delightful place between Rhone and the Right Bank :) Well done and a Superb Value at 22$ — 10 years ago

Heath Little

9.2

Perineal favourite year in year out come summertime always delivers — 10 years ago

Lauren Cartwright

9.5

Smooth with notes of green bell pepper and gentle acidity. Great wine for a challenging vintage. — 11 years ago