Ingleside Vineyards

June 21, 2024.  Our first stop in the Northern Neck on a blistering hot Friday was to Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove.  When you pass through the gates to the winery from the parking lot, you come into a tree-shaded courtyard with umbrella tables and a bubbling fountain.  The heat suddenly becomes more tolerable somehow.  The dark woods of the tasting room make it cool as well.  Air conditioning helps.

We were able to visit with Doug Flemer, the founder of the winery who remains active in vineyard operations and wine production.  We also met Doug’s younger brother, Chris who is the marketing manager.  We thank the Flemer’s and their staff for spending time with us.

The Flemer family has owned this property since 1890.  It has a history as a boy’s school, a Union garrison during the Civil War, and a courthouse.  In 1940’s, Carl Flemer, Jr., started a plant nursery and vineyard.  The property also served as a dairy farm.  (The gift shop was a milking station at one time.)  Ingleside still runs a thriving nursery operation on some 1,500 acres.  On the winery side, Carl planted his first grapes in 1960.  When Doug came along with his horticulture degree, the father made a deal with neighbor Lucie Morton – take my son with you to France to learn about winemaking, and we’ll pay for your ticket.  So, off went Doug with Lucie to Bordeaux and the south of France.

Meanwhile, Carl met Jacques Recht and his wife Liliane, a French couple who were sailing the world and happened into the Chesapeake Bay.  Interesting thing, fate.  Jacques accepted the job to be winemaker at the fledgling Ingleside and established high-quality production values in a region not then known for its quality.  This was at a time when there was not much of a market for wine and Virginia wine was an oddity.  Ingleside won the Virginia Governor’s Cup outright three times in the 1980’s. 

Over their history, Jacques, and Doug experimented with many grapes to find what worked best.  In the 1990’s Doug pulled out all of their Riesling and Gewurztraminer and much of the hybrids in favor of Rhȏne and Italian varietals.  More recently, some Cabernet Sauvignon vines have had to be pulled out.  Further, Ingleside has had to contend with leafroll virus – one of the most damaging plant diseases for grape vines.  There is no cure for the leafroll virus; the recommended solution is to replace the entire vineyard(!)  Doug reports that Ingleside’s acreage under vine has dropped from 55 acres to 22 acres today.  Consequently, their volume is down from around 12,000 cases of wine in the 1990’s to around 5,000 cases today.  Still, all Ingleside wines are estate grown.  Ingleside also offers contract winemaking/custom crush, although Doug noted their location in the Northern Neck somewhat limits the demand for this service.

After Jacques passed away in 2009, Ingleside had several winemakers before promoting Zach Pierce from his apprenticeship to winemaker.  While Jacques took a traditionalist European approach, Zach says that he has more of a Californian’s perspective.  He takes what the vineyard gives him but is not above using his chemistry background to the fullest extent.  For example, Zach counts on Albariño and Petit Verdot grapes to ripen enough in the Ingleside vineyards, but juice from other grapes may need to be chaptalized to bring it to an acceptable level. 

                                                                         Doug Flemer (l) and Zach Pierce (r)

The facilities at Ingleside feature a small club room next to the tasting room and a larger reception space next to that. 

 

They have an extensive gift shop and other meeting spaces that enclose the courtyard.  One large space is currently the Sunday worship home of the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church congregation after their historic building in colonial Beach burned to the ground in December 2023.  This year is the Church’s 175^th Anniversary.

Ingleside offers a White, a Red, and a Mixed tasting flight for the Summer.  Kim elected to take the White flight and I took the Red.  Here are our impressions:

Coastal White (Lot 20).  This is a nonvintage Chardonnay, fermented in stainless steel.  Crisp.  B-.

2021 Chardonnay Reserve.  This won a Silver medal in the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  Zach says it is aged in oak aiming for a bigger buttery mouthfeel which is what Doug likes.  Kim commented that it had no smell or taste.  B.

2023 Albariño.  The Albariño grape ripens well at Ingleside.  But Kim rates this a C+.  Aged in stainless and oak barrels.  Fruit forward.  Try with oysters.

Blue Crab Blanc (Lot 21).   Kim rated this Chardonnay-Albariño blend as a B+ and bought a bottle.  Light and crisp with a green apple palate and low alcohol (12.5% ABV).  Some sweetness on the finish.  Designed to be paired with seafood.

2022 Petit Verdot Rosé.  This is a Silver medal winner at the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  More complex than most rosé’s   Medium bodied and dry.  Kim rates it a B-.

2021 Sangiovese.  This is a Silver medal winner at the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  Mild tannin, Light, more color than the barrel-select Sangiovese.  Good fruit flavors.  I rate it a B.

Coastal Red (Lot 20).  Blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  With all of that, it has no tannin to speak of.  Light fruit and citrus finish.  I rate it a B+ and bought a bottle.

2019 Right Bank.  When we first visited Ingleside in 2021, I was impressed that a winery would so clearly associate with the traditional Left Bank/Right Bank Bordeaux descriptors.  Thus, this wine is primarily Merlot with balanced tannin, some minerality and earth.  It won a Silver medal in the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  I rate it a B.

2021 Petit Verdot.  Ingleside was one of the first Virginia wineries to bottle Petit Verdot.  This release has a stronger bite which is expected, but also some sweetness, which is not expected since Petit Verdot ripens fully here.  The 2021 is another Silver medal winner in the Governor’s Cup.  I rate it a B+.  Probably should age a bit.

Red Drum (Lot 21).  Off-dry wine, nearly over the line into a dessert wine.  Named for the fish that you can snag for yourself off the Virginia coast.  The wine is probably better chilled.  Designed for seafood.  I rate it a B. 

Ingleside Vineyards is both a venerable enterprise in the Northern Neck – one of the top 25 largest employers in the area – and a vineyard that continues to experiment and adapt to changes in climate and the sophisticated tastes of a changing clientele.