Veramar Vineyard

October 20, 2022.  Kim and I began our first real foray into the Shenandoah Valley AVA by stopping at Veramar Vineyard near Berryville in Clarke County.  The winery is convenient to west bound Route 7.  The interior of the tasting room is basic, but we did notice a nice woodburning fireplace.  If weather permits sitting outside, however, that is where you want to be.  The tasting room faces the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains with gentle fields of vines sloping down from an Italianate veranda.  Veramar opened in 2001 after a first harvest in 2019.  The focus is on wine making.  The facilities are not set-up for large events.


Veramar is the so-called “Mother Ship” of the three vineyards and wineries owned by James “Jim” Charles and Della Bogaty, which are formally called the Bogaty Family Wine Group. (We will review one of the other locations, James Charles Winery and Vineyard, in the next post.)  The main vineyard is at Veramar, and all wine production takes place there.  Justin Bogaty, the son, is the winemaker.  According to Debbie Blair, Director of Operations, who visited with us, the combined 28 acres of vines produces around 9,000 cases per year depending on the harvest.  Most of the wines are made from estate grapes.  In any case, all fruit is Virginia grown and mostly from the Valley.  Debbie told us that the Bogati Bodega and Vineyard aims to produce wines in an Argentinian fashion; James Charles Winery and Vineyard aims to produce in the French fashion; and Veramar is an Italian themed production.  There are differences between what each location sells, although 1 did not see much Italian influence on the wines offered at Veramar. 

With Debbie’s help, we sampled quite a lot of Veramar’s offerings.

Chardonnay.  Kim rated the Chardonnay a “B.”  She found it a bit light and not as complex as indicated in the tasting notes.  Beautiful straw color.

2020 Seyval Blanc.  Kim found the Seyval light, again, fruity and a bit sweet.  She gave it a “B-.”  A good general choice for white.

The Founder White.  Kim rated this white Bordeaux-inspired wine a “B.”  This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Seyval Blanc.  Kim found this wine still a bit light in body.

Riesling-Vidal Blanc.  Kim found this a bit sweet, which you would expect perhaps by including Riesling in the blend.  Somewhat unusual to find.  No rating.

“Pink Chicken” Rose.  Kim also found the Rose a bit sweet, aromas of strawberries.  No rating.

For a couple of Veramar's reds, consider Harryette Mullin's Kamasutra Sutra for how something feels that is unfinished or released too early.

2020 Cabernet Franc.  The Cabernet Franc is very young and light, almost unfinished.  It has tart cherry which detracts some from fullness you expect from a Cab Franc.

The Founder Red NV.  This blend of five Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc has tart cherry again, light tannins and some sweetness.  It seemed heavy on the Cabernet Franc.  The tannin from the Cabernet Sauvignon gives additional aging structure.

“Rooster Red.” NV.  Compared to the Founder Red, with five Bordeaux varietals, Rooster Red has four Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec).  Like the Cab Franc, Rooster Red feels very new and not too complex, but the light tannin helps to produce a good mouthfeel. 

JB Ameritage.  Petit Verdot that was dropped from Rooster Red is added back for JB Ameritage.  But Merlot is dropped from the blend.  Tasting notes describe JB Ameritage as a tribute to Right Bank Bordeaux.  Strange to claim a Right Bank Bordeaux with no Merlot in the mix.  JB Ameritage has just been bottled and needs to lay down for a while.  Not much tannin.

"Liquid Gold."  Finally, we sampled Veramar’s Vidal Blanc dessert wine, “Liquid Gold.”  I’m not a big fan of dessert wines, but Liquid gold was not cloying in its sweetness and had little aftertaste, which is a positive in my book.

 

Location: 439H+7V Arcadia Farm, VA, USA

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