Endhardt Vineyards

January 26, 2024.  Days like this day don’t normally come around until June: high clouds, blue sky and warm breezes.  We came to Endhardt Vineyards along the North Fork and Lincoln Roads, Loudoun County, still wet and puddled from the left-over from early morning rains.  Johannes (Hannes) and Sarah Endhardt have built their winery among the steep hills south of the town of Lincoln (address is Purcellville).  Hannes, a German dual citizen, learned to appreciate wine from his father a wine aficionado in Bavaria who favored Italian and Austrian wines.  The tasting room is by the shores of a pond with a great vine-covered hill rising behind it. 

 

We spent a pleasant afternoon with General Manager, Jason Deaver, an accomplished chef in his own right.  We appreciate his hospitality.

All 46 acres of the property are under a conservation easement.  In 2019 they planted 11 acres of vines growing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  They recently added another block for Grüner Veltliner, the great Austrian grape.  While the vines are not fully producing yet, all juice in Endhardt wines is from Loudoun County.  They plan to transition to more estate production by 2026.  At this point, their winemaker is Ben Renshaw, winemaker and vineyard manager at 8 Chains North Winery in Waterford.  That is where the crush and pressing takes place.  But fermentation and further processing happens at Endhardt’s own facilities.  Jason says they are now producing around 1,000 cases a year.  (Harvest in 2023 was 25-30 tons.)  The juice now and for the future will be all Loudoun County juice – either estate or from elsewhere in the county.

From their start in 2018 with an undeveloped plot of land with no power or water, the Endhardt’s completed the facilities in the summer of 2020, and they opened for business in September (Labor Day) 2021.  Quite an accomplishment considering both Hannes and Sarah work full-time. 

The tasting room upstairs from production is small and somewhat dark, with small windows.  I can imagine it would get cramped quickly.  Fortunately, we were alone with Jason for our whole visit.

 

The patio outside peeks around the building to afford a view of the pond and the steep hillside of vines.  Tending these vines must be like farming the 60-degree slopes of the Mosel or the Rhȏne Valley.  Outside food is okay here.  Children are welcome as well.  But leave your pets at home.

You will have to wait for most of Endhardt’s red wines to mature.  They are being held for release later this year and into 2025.  Endhardt will also feature “guest wines” for special tastings, such as a Bordeaux tasting coming up soon.  Here's what we sampled on our visit:

2021 Chardonnay.  Kim rated the Chardonnay a B-

2022 Blanc de Cab Franc.  This is a 100% Cab Franc White wine.  Very unusual. Pale straw in color.  Has a little tannin.  More mineral taste than fruit.  This is a good white wine for red wine drinkers.  B+

2020 Endhardt Prologue Rosé.  Unusually tart and lemony for a rose especially for a 50% Merlot and 50% Chambourcin mix.  Not sweet or floral.  Light body.  B.

2021 Endhardt Rosé.  This wine is a mix of Cabernet Franc (67%) and Chambourcin (33%).  Medium body.  More towards fruit and floral than the Prologue Rosé.  B+

2019 Endhardt Prologue Merlot.  Sophisticated and smooth.  Managed tannins.  Some cherry on the palate.  Deep ruby color.  B

The Endhardt already has a Gold Medal in the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition (2019 Fervor Red), indicating good wine making practices leading to a good product.  Be on the lookout for a Bordeaux blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc and a blend called “Gold Turkey.”  You might want to call ahead to see what is being released.