Barboursville Vineyards

February 24, 2024.  Barboursville Vineyards, near the little crossroads of Barboursville in Orange County, is unquestionably, one of the most recognized and applauded wine operations in Virginia.  They have won the Virginia Governor’s Cup five times, the last in 2021.  When Queen Elizabeth visited Virginia to commemorate the founding of Jamestown, it was Barboursville wine that was served at the reception.  Barboursville, consistently appears on lists of Virginia’s best wineries.* 

We last visited Barboursville in 2021 and wrote somewhat disparagingly of the tiny antiseptic "Discovery" tasting room where visitors received tasting samples in automated amounts from dispensing machines.  Those machines are still in place, a remnant of COVID, but we understand are being phased out in favor of humans. 

Today, we drove to the winery almost by accident.  I misread the opening time of a winery we planned to visit, and with time on our hands decided to check-out Barboursville on a whim.  The winery sits on a hilltop in an L-shape with a white tower at the apex.  You may notice how small the parking lot is.  They do not allow buses at Barboursville which is a good thing so far as I'm concerned.  The first person we met on arrival was Patricia, who was moving people out of the rain into the tasting room.  Through our short wet conversation, we learned that Patricia’s husband is Luca Paschina, the winemaker at Barboursville.  She introduced us to Luca, and we had the pleasure of spending the next hour or so with him.

                                                                                                                     Luca Paschina

Besides the drab tasting room, Barboursville has a more refined gathering space called “Library 1821” and a posh restaurant called “Palladio.”  They also have overnight lodging in the Inn and Cottages (look at their website for more on those opportunities).  The ruins of Governor Barbour’s home (1822), designed by his friend Thomas Jefferson, stand within the borders of the vineyard and deserve the short walk from the winery on a summer evening.  It is not unusual to find concerts going on at the ruins in the summer.  The tasting room offers samples from the current winery offerings – up to six for $15.00.  Library 1821 offers some older vintages on a rotating menu in a more civilized setting for up to $40.00 per person.  Library 1821 is the better experience if you can swing it.  The west side of the Library is all glass and  faces some of the vineyards.

 

                                                      Library 1821

The low arches and tile give a Tuscan feel in keeping with the Italian heritage of the owner and manager.  You have servers in the Library instead of machines.  Lighter food and pastas seem to be the menu in Library 1821.  Dining in Palladio is another order higher in elegance (and price).  We had a wonderful lunch of fish and duck with desserts and wine.  A nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.

                                                                                                               Palladio

Personal picnics and leashed dogs are allowed outside.  Children are welcome.

Before we summarize our impressions of the wines, here’s some notes about our time with Luca.  Barboursville is the sole American presence of the large Italian beverage company, Zonin.  Zonin began the winery in 1976 at a time when there were only a couple of wineries in the state and very few raising vitis vinifera grapes.  Their original winemaker, Gabriele Rausse, established a reputation for quality winemaking techniques and vineyard management.  (See our interview with Gabriele, May 30, 2023).  Luca Paschina replaced Gabriele in 1990.  Born in Torino, Italy, educated at Alba, Luca grew up in the vineyards and wineries of Northern Italy. He is a tall wiry man with quiet refined Italian accent, but dressed so he can get to the vineyards on a moments notice.  He seems a man at peace. 

On the personal side, Luca married Patricia in 1992 and they have three children (28, 26, and 18), none of whom plan to go into winemaking..  Mi dispiace!  His idea of a perfect day off would be fly fishing; waiting on the banks of the lake or river would be a nice lunch of a young red wine with some Parmesan, Comté, or aged Cheddar cheese and charcuterie.  As you might gather, the pairing of wine and food is a big consideration.

When Luca took over operations in 1990, Barboursville had 38 acres under vine.  Today, they have 178 acres, making them one of the largest vineyards in the Commonwealth.  From this they produce around 35 – 38,000 cases of wine annually.  With the exception of Chardonnay, which is purchased from other growers, all the grapes are grown on site.  All wine is produced on site.

Luca lists six elements in “terroir,” that sense of place that fine wine can convey:  weather, soil, people, winemaking, yeast, and climate.  Over the years, they have refined what grows well here and what makes good wine.  They have narrowed the varietals they grow consistently from 30 down to only ten.  Luca does not see a lot of changes in their future.  They are replanting vines from the 1990’s, routine maintenance, and looking at some new varieties, like Vidal Blanc.  But he is a man largely satisfied with what they grow.  There will have to be a significant reason for them to plant differently. 

Here's what we sampled and our take-aways:

2021 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve.  This is a very light and dry wine – Stainless steel and a long citrusy finish.  We rate it an A- and bought a bottle.

2022 Vermentino Reserve.  This native Sardinian grape makes a dry floral, medium-bodied red.  I got a little oak even though it is 100% Stainless steel like the Sauvignon Blanc.  Pleasant astringency.  Great with Italian food.  Rated a B.

2021 Cabernet Franc Reserve.  Readers of this blog know that I like my Virginia Cab Franc.  The Barboursville Cab Franc Reserve comes from a long tradition, having been first planted at the winery in 1977.  The grape is very adaptable to weather and somewhat water-resistant.  But I found the Barboursville version quite tannic, perhaps from long aging in French oak.  This distracted from a good plum and dark fruit flavor.  I rated it a B.

2020 Nebbiolo Reserve.  The Nebbiolo Reserve is not as overpowering as Nebbiolo can be sometimes.  This native of the Italian Piedmont had well-managed tannins, a light fresh fruit, and soft flowers.  A great wine with pasta.  I gave it an A and bought a bottle.

2020 Octagon.  Barboursville is known internationally for its Bordeaux blend, called “Octagon,” which is only produced in fine vintage years.  It is named after the ruins.  The 2009 Octagon won the whole Virginia Governor’s Cup competition.  The 2020 vintage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  It is still very young and can be expected to open with age.  It is medium-bodied with cherry and plum and spices.  I gave it a B+, although it would be well-worth sampling again in a couple of years.

2019 Paxxito.  Made using the Passito process, in which Vidal and Moscato Ottonel grapes are dried or partially dried by laying out clusters on mats or by hanging them in special drying rooms.  This dehydration over four months raisinates the grapes and concentrates their sugar.  The result is a rich gold-colored wine which is not cloyingly sweet.  There is still an acidity that manages the sweetness.  The 2015 Paxxito won the whole Virginia Governor’s Cup.  The Paxxito is more versatile than a straight dessert wine.  I am not a big dessert wine fan.  But for our friends who like wines on the sweet side, you should try it.  I would rate it a B only because I prefer wines dry.

We amend our earlier review to say that you can approach Barboursville at several price points depending on what you are up for.  Any approach will be worthwhile.

 

* See, Hugh Johnson’s 2024 Pocket Wine Book (2023) p. 267; Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible, 3^rd Ed (2022) p. 563.