Moss Vineyards July 5, 2021

 

Moss Vineyards July 5, 2021

The small winery of Moss Vineyards is in Nortonsville, Greene County.  We found out about Moss through a virtual tour Barry conducted for The Hospitality Information Service (THIS) which highlighted the architecture of the place.  The vineyards sit on a hill overlooking a gap near Conner’s Ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The winery facilities were designed and built by Barry Moss, architect, artist, and co-owner of the vineyards with wife Ellen.  The buildings are bright white and stark against the green of the surrounding hills.  There must be an incredible view from here when the fall foliage comes.  We are very thankful to Ellen for spending some time with us.

Moss produces up to 1,000 cases a year from 9 acres on site and from sourcing from within the Monticello AVA.  The winery began in 2008 according to Virginia State records.  The vineyards are planted on a hillside that ranges from 800 to 1,000 feet in elevation.  This was important during a weather event in April 2016, I think Ellen said.  They discovered that the frost line ran through the lower level of the vineyard.  During that night many vineyards in the area had to put heaters in the fields; some owners even hired helicopters to circulate air and keep frost at bay.  Moss Vineyards had heaters at the foot of the hill to combat frost.  According to the 2016 Commercial Grape Report, many small growers lost their entire crops.  I assume those were the ones who couldn’t hire helicopters.

Moss has an outdoor patio with a fireplace, an indoor tasting room, and a separate wine production building.    All Moss wines are estate grown.  We did not bring our food into the facility but had a nice serving of sausages, crackers, cheese and nuts.  Outside food is allowed. 

We tried three wines.   

The 2017 Vino Russo is a light Cabernet Sauvignon.  Very fruity, not intense or with much tannin.   

The Architettura Riserva was a good and complex red wine but a tad overpriced at $38.00 a bottle.   

Kim tried the 2019 Viognier and liked it.  I did not capture other comments from her about it.  Moss does not feature a Chardonnay, which is fine by me as Viognier is the State grape,
and I prefer it to Chardonnay, which is often overplayed.

 

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