Blue Valley Vineyard and Winery. September 2021

Blue Valley Vineyard and Winery.   September 5, 2021

We visited Blue Valley Vineyard and Winery in Delaplane on a rainy Sunday of Labor Day weekend.  On this day, the fog rose like rivulets of smoke among the foothills.  We have visited Blue Valley several time before, just the two of us and with friends.  We have always enjoyed it.  The facility sits on top of a steep hill looking over vineyards and farmland with Interstate 66 visible in the distance.  It is a large venue and often has weddings and special events.  (Reportedly, between September and November they have over 30 weddings at the site.  So, best to call ahead to make sure they are open.)  On this visit, and at the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, the winery was hosting two tour buses of young adults who elevated the noise level in the tasting room considerably.  We usually say hello to Ken at the tasting counter, but he was inundated with young adults that day.  The tasting room has a fireplace, allows outside food, and has a limited menu on site.  There are also two large outdoor decks. 

Blue Valley was incorporated by the Zissios family in 2012 and opened in 2015 on part of the property formerly in Chief Justice John Marshall’s estate.  The vineyard is within the Middleburg AVA although only one wine on their serving list is labeled as Middleburg.  The vineyard is around 63 acres consisting of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc.  Even though Blue Valley has won awards for its Merlot in the past, there was no Merlot on the serving list or mention of it anywhere as a blending grape.  Our server said that merlot is coming soon.  Blue Valley is one of the larger wine producers in Fauquier County.  News reports are that John and Stergio Zissios aim for dry wines with little residual sugar, and I can vouch for that – not much sweet wine here except for "Memories," and “Remembrance.”  We prefer the atmosphere  at Blue Valley rather than their next door neighbor, Barrel Oak Winery.  Barrel Oak is often overloaded and frustratingly crowded.  Blue Valley has room to spread out (and excellent wines overall) even with two tour buses.  More on Barrel Oak in another post.

Kim and I tried three wines from Blue Valley:

Sauvignon Blanc (Estate) 2019.  Virginia wine.  Kim found the Sauvignon Banc very light.  Probably good on a hot day, refreshing.  (Unfortunately, she was trying it on a rainy cool day.)  Kim gave it a “C.”  She elected not to try the Reserve Chardonnay which had some butter to it from a “light ‘malo’ fermentation.”  

Cabernet Franc (Estate) 2016.  I had a tasting of the Cab Franc.  I found it a little rough and unfinished but a pretty good Cab Franc, even so.

Tradition Red Blend 2017.  Tasting notes say that this is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Estate Cabernet Franc.  The server however said that the Tradition also included some Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.  Juice from Syrah is from California,, and I believe the Cabernet Sauvignon is from elsewhere too, therefore, the Tradition is not a Virginia wine.  Tradition has an ABV of 13.9%, which is a tad high, and you can feel it on the finish.  The wine has some tannin that is later appearing.   Good raspberry and pepper notes.

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