Southwest Mountains Vineyards
April 13, 2025. When Southwest Mountains Vineyards opened in 2023, it completed a little triangle of newish wineries with Keswick Vineyards and Merrie Mill Farm, all near the junction of scenic routes 22 and 231 and the crossroads at Cismont in eastern Albermarle County. The famous Keswick Hall is a short drive south on Route 22. While Keswick and Merrie Mills are close to average sized Virginia wineries (see note below), Southwest Mountains is the newest and by far the largest of these three with 72 acres under vine and between 16,000 and 19,000 cases annually. We're told there is no gap in those vines.
The winery and vineyard sits inside the Castalia farm estate that once belonged to Meriwether Lewis. They renovated and expanded a 1903 pole barn into a cavernous two-storey lodge. I call it a lodge because on the inside, this barn more resembles a large hunting lodge. The owner, Paul Manning, appears to have spared no expense in either the lodge or production facility nearby.
While you can’t bring your own food to the
second floor, the full menu will make you forget this inconvenience. Several people we spoke to in advance advised us skip the
first floor and go to directly to the second floor dining room. They were not wrong. The menu features crab fondue, Cubano panini, and
mushroom flatbreads and many other items that will make any taste happy to be upstairs.
The ceiling soars on dark exposed beams
and light washes across a central hall from the balconies.
The view makes you feel like a world away. A number of nooks along both sides of the hall make for more secluded conversational settings.
In the cooler months, you can grab a cozy nook in front of one of the sides of the unique three-sided fireplace.
They have an elevator available for those who can’t manage the steps to go upstairs.
We were fortunate to spend time with their hospitality manager and wine club director, Tyler Wagner, an earnest young man with long locks and a happy smile that comes in handy when feting people like us.
Tyler Wagner at Southwest Mountains Vineyards
Tyler told us that Mr. Manning started his fortune pressing Vitamin C pills in New Jersey before vitamins were much regulated. He lived above a store in a cold-water flat, drying his clothes on the apartment pipes. Eventually, Paul came to own one of the largest producers of infant formula and baby food. His sizable annual donations to the University of Virginia Hospital have helped with research on Alzheimer’s Disease and visual illnesses and led to having an institute being named for him. His house is visible from the lip of the winery parking lot.
Tyler said Southwest hosts around six weddings a year, with a base price of $12,000 according to the website. However, management is reluctant to turn the winery into primarily a wedding venue, like Pippin Hill, where Tyler used to work. It is good they want to keep a focus on the wine. There are other rooms in the Lodge and at the production facility where they can host corporate events and exclusive wine tastings. (Tyler was getting ready to host a meeting with sommeliers from a famous Virginia restaurant auditioning wines for their own wine lists.)
Initially, Southwest had their wine made by Emily Hodson at Veritas, but with the investment in a full production plant, Southwest went all-in by hiring South African winemaker, Boela Gerber, directly from the winery, Groot Constantia. (It’s interesting that Lovingston Winery let their South African winemaker go and now outsources its production to Veritas.) Tyler said that Southwest plans to expand their vineyard to 100 acres in time. They grow Petit Manseng, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño, Chardonnay, and Viognier on the white side and Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot on the red side.
Kim and I had the white and red standard tasting flights. Tyler and our server, Kristie, looked after us wonderfully and we appreciate their time. The Southwest whites we tasted were mostly 14% ABV while the reds were close to 13% ABV.
2023 Grüner Veltliner. Kim rated the Gruner a B-. It has crisp acid but weak.
2023 Petit Manseng. Notes of mango and pineapple, medium-bodied. Kim rates as a B-
2023 Viognier. A deeper color indicates a fuller mouth-feel. Notes of peach flower. Kim rates it a B.
2023 Ascot White. This is a blend of mostly Viognier with about a third of Petit Manseng. The peach notes are there and the mango comes through as well. Aged in French oak for ten months. For the price, a good everyday sipper. Kim gives it a B+.
2020 Chardonnay Reserve. The Southwest Chardonnay has a stunning gold color and full mouthfeel reflecting fermentation on the lees and a secondary malolactic fermentation. Kim rated it a B-, however, due to the price.
2021 Cabernet Franc. I got some forest spice, plum, and blackberry. Controlled tannin. Full-bodied. I gave it a B+.
2019 Red Blend. The 2019 version of this blend is mostly Cabernet Franc, with a third Petit Verdot and a smidge of Merlot. I got tobacco and spices. Medium bodied with quick tannins. B.
2021 Red Blend. The 2021 version of the Red Blend is lighter than 2019. Still with some tobacco and leather. Medium-bodied. I gave it a B+.
2019 Petit Verdot. The standard red tasting had the 2019 Petit Verdot which has blackberry notes and spice. I found it somewhat generic and gave it a B for the price.
2020 Petit Verdot Reserve. Tyler also served an impromptu vertical tasting of their Petit Verdot reserve for 2020 and 2021. The 2020 Petit Verdot Reserve is lighter than the 2021, has some sweetness and a plum flavor. It was the best of the three PV’s. I gave it a B+ although it has the highest price tag.
2021 Petit Verdot Reserve. The 2021 PV is a nice supple wine with lots of spice. It has the structure to give it room to grow. I gave it a B, but, with a more reasonable price, you might choose this one over the rest. Both the 2020 and 2021 are accessible.
Southwest Mountains Vineyards is beautiful setting for whatever you have in mind: formal brunch, wine club event, wedding, or just a causal drop-by to wind down on a late afternoon. No reason to wait; Southwest is producing good wines now.
_______
Note Below. The average Virginia winery has around 13 acres of grapes under vine. This translates to between 2,400 and 4,000 cases of wine depending on yields. Readers of this blog realize that many of the wineries we have profiled are at or below this production figure. I think the smaller size tends to bring more of the owner’s personal involvement and attention to detail. By contrast, readers might recall that I didn’t think much of the assembly line atmosphere at Williamsburg Winery, a large winery at 60,000 cases of wine per year.
Comments
Post a Comment