The Winery at Droumavalla Farm

August 26, 2022.  Kim and I stopped by the new Winery at Droumavalla in Lucketts as the oppressively hot days of summer continued.  The winery (I believe named after a town in County Kerry) is part of a large multi-purpose venue that seems to be focused on weddings and large events.   Coming up the driveway, the left fork will take you to a “ginormous” wedding and dance venue.  Take the right fork to the winery.  Droumavalla Winery opened in April 2022 after owners Edward and Lisa Vaughn purchased the old Winery 32 and remade the tasting room.  The tasting room is nicely appointed with plush sofas and a gas fireplace inside.  The outdoor porch and patio overlook a pond and the vineyards.

This may be a winery to come back to later as most of the wines now available appear to be left-over Winery 32 inventory and are so-labeled.  Of the 27 wines listed on the winery webpage, only four are Droumavalla-labeled.  The rest are from Winery 32. 

It appears from local press stories, that the Vaughns are embroiled in a couple of legal actions that may impact future operations.  On the one hand, some of Droumavalla’s neighbors have formally complained about a proposed operation to pump significant amounts of water from the limestone aquifers, which may create sinkholds as the limestone collapses.  See, Nathan Baca (WUSA9) and Becca Knier (WUSA 9), “Owner of Loudoun water drilling project faces federal charges,” August 12, 2022, at https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/investigations/droumavalla-ed-vaughn-loudoun-earths-brew-federal-charges/65-139fd0ee-444b-43b1-a0af-3a027198d9d3, accessed August 29, 2022.  Pumping relates to a future product called “Earth’s Brew.”

Mr. Vaughn faces another more serious problem in that federal prosecutors in Texas have indicted him on charges of engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering through ETS Federal, a credit transaction company,  The prosecutors say Mr. Vaughn and other defendants “defrauded merchant clients by disguising a portion of processing fees.”  Court documents go on to say they allegedly “enriched themselves through multi-million dollar bonuses, luxury vehicles, private aircraft and high-end real estate purchases.”  More than $100 Million was allegedly involved in the scheme.  They also allege that by concealing the fraud, Mr. Vaughn pocketed over $100 Million on the sale of ETS.  I understand that prosecutors indicated that want to seize Droumavalla and other property.  See, Press Release “Executives of Card Payment Processing Company Indicted in East Texas for Nationwide Multimillion Dollar Fraud Scheme,” June 27, 2022, accessed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/executives-card-payment-processing-company-indicted-east-texas-nationwide-multimillion

All of this is offered because maybe the winery won’t be around that long for a return visit.

Meanwhile, back in the present day, Droumavalla was experiencing an outage of their credit card processing when we visited and was operating on a cash-only basis.  Tough luck with the weekend fast approaching.  Nevertheless, Elizabeth on the tasting bar gave us a complimentary tasting.  Thanks to her for her hospitality.  Here's what we tried:

“Lauren” White Blend 2021.  This is a Droumavalla labeled wine.  Kim found that it had a good fruit-forward aroma but at $30 per bottle, rated it a C+ on price.  It is a blend of 80% Chardonel, 18% Viognier, and 2% Petit Manseng.

“Being Koi” White Blend 2017.  This is Winery 32 legacy inventory.  The aromatics are strong.  It is a powerful white  not for sipping unless seduction is your object.  Kim says it is well-priced for a cheap date.

Chambourcin Rose 2020.  This is a Droumavalla wine with 95% Chambourcin and 5% Petit Manseng.  Good color.  Strong strawberry and raspberry notes but C+ based on bottle cost.

Cabernet Franc 2017.  Another Winery 32 legacy product.  This is 100% Cabernet Franc.  Strong tannins, medium body.  Oak aging.  Some sediment.

“Lisa Michelle” Red Blend 2019.  The boldest wine on the tasting menu, this Droumavalla product is full-bodied, strong tannins and noticeable alcohol.  Winery tasting notes indicate that this was produced from “14 barrels of reds leftover from Winery 32.”  Needs more balance.  Also threw some sediment.

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