Burnley Vineyards

October 27, 2023.  We began the last day of our current trip by driving up Route 20 again and stopping at Burnley Vineyards in Barboursville.  This is one of the oldest Virginia vineyards.  Founded by C.J. Reeder in 1976 as a part-time operation with three acres of vinifera grapes, Burnley initially sold its grapes to other Virginia wineries.  In 1984, the Reeder Family – C.J. and his wife Pat, son Lee, the winemaker, and Lee’s wife, Dawn – shifted to making their own wines.  The vineyard has grown from the first three acres to 26 acres under vine today. 

The approach to Burnley is up a shady gravel drive.  Oak and field maple leaves blanketed the property with a light Autumn tan as wine production and tastings happen in a dark brown mansard-roofed building dug into a small wooded hillside. 

 

(Note: parking for handicapped is up that hillside between the trees.  The ramp is in the back of the facility.)  Reading the classic survey of Virginia wineries in the 1990’s by Hilda and Allan Lee,* we know that father and son built most of the production/tasting facility themselves.  Dawn and Pat manage the tasting room upstairs.  Lee makes the wine downstairs.  The tasting room has a timeless feel.  It is modest, worn, and a little dark. 

 

  

Make sure to say hello to the large teddy bear by the window.  We learned that the aforementioned Hilda Lee had a stuffed Snoopy that the couple would take with them on their winery trips dressed appropriately, of course.  (Snoopy had his own allowance.)  Adjoining the tasting room is a larger meeting space and a deck overlooking the vines.  There was some dry rot going on out there.  There is also a guest house on the property.  Burnley cannot accommodate large events in its building.  Any larger event is going to be outside, like anchoring a venue for the Garlic Festival in mid-October, band and all. 

We spoke with Lee and Dawn about the operations. We thank them for their time and hospitality.

 

From his 26 acres, Lee produces around 5,000 cases a year; this has remained pretty constant since the 1990’s.  The wines are 100% estate grown, all Monticello AVA, with the exception of their peach and raspberry wines and the spices for the spiced wine.  We didn’t try any of those.  The grapes are hand-picked.  All reds are in French oak.  Lee reported that 2023 was a great harvest for them.  He will be bottling in a couple of weeks. 

Here are our impressions of the wines we sampled:

Riesling.  Good aroma and pure gold color.  This Riesling is medium dry and cold-fermented.  Kim rated it a C+

Dog Gone Red.  This is a Norton-Chambourcin blend.  Semi-dry, fruity.  Good finish for a sweet wine.  Best to chill it.  Good summer wine.  B.

Chambourcin.  This is 100% Chambourcin. It is dry light-bodied.  Raspberry fruit.  Faint smokey finish.  Tasting notes suggest that dark chocolate is a good pairing.  Also a B.

2022 Barbera.  The Piedmont-Italian grape, Barbera, is a rare grape in Virginia, and hard to grow.  Lee said his good neighbor Luca Paschina at Barboursville suggested it.  (Luca is from Piedmont himself).  This is the best wine of the tasting. Dawn's favorite as well.  We bought a bottle.  Light color, medium-bodied.  Flora aroma and plummy fruit.  Not bone dry.  Great with Italian dishes.  B+

If you want to experience wine that is old-school pride, totally hands-on from seedling to finished product, Burnley is a great place for it.  

*Hilde Gabriel Lee and Allan E. Lee, Virginia Wine Country Revisited: The Wineries of the Old Dominion and A Sampling of Restaurants, Hildesigns Press 1995, p. 87

Location: 4500 Winery Ln, Barboursville, VA 22923, USA

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