Glen Manor Vineyards
August 16, 2025. For some reason, we have neglected visiting Glen Manor Vineyards all these years. It is not especially far away from our home – being just a little over ten miles south of the town of Front Royal in Warren County and just inside the Shenandoah AVA.
Glen Manor sits on land that owner and winemaker Jeff Raymond White’s family has farmed for four generations. The Commonwealth officially recognizes it as a “Century Farm.” Jeff learned his trade from Jim Law on the other side of the mountains at Linden Vineyards, and after five years, Jeff established his own Hodder Hill vineyard on the western flank of the Blue Ridge. The vineyards rise from 1,000 to 1,400 feet elevation with slopes up to 35 degrees. Lots of granite in the porous soil. From his original six acres of grapes, Jeff expanded the acreage to its present 19 acres with an annual production of around 2,500 cases.
The winery is a small place with a big view of the vineyards on the north-facing hill.
It opened in 2008 on land that used to be the family orchard. Inside the tasting room has table seating for 18 people and a stand-up bar. There are no fireplaces for the cooler months, no comfy sofas. The room can fill-up quickly and can get loud. (It’s the reason their group size limit is six people. Any group more than 4 needs to make a reservation.)
Most of the winery’s seating is outside on the deck or in chairs on the lawn with an unimpeded treat of that view. You can just make out Skyline Drive skirting the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, when we were there, Glen Manor, like a number of other wineries, was suffering an infestation of the Spotted Lantern Fly, making outdoor seating not as pleasurable as it should be.
Leashed dogs are allowed outside. Children are allowed. Note that Glen Manor does not serve food. Please bring your own.
We spent part of the afternoon with our server Denise Pearson and Jeff’s wife, Kelly. They were part of an extremely friendly family of staff whose lives entwined with Glen Manor over years. There are echoes of family and friends all over the vineyard. The staff knew their stuff far deeper than the tasting notes. We missed meeting Cassie Gonce, the winery manager, a sommelier who hosts wine education classes on Wednesdays.
Denise and Kelly are both retired chefs who bring their knowledge of food and wine to each tasting. Kelly is tall and thin with short cropped hair who oversaw the servers. Denise is shorter and plumper with big round glasses and hair done up in a bun. She is an open and caring lady. She and her late husband ran the Flint Hill Public House before retiring to work at Glen Manor, and it was from Denise that we heard some of the stories of the winery and Jeff White.
Glen Manor’s wines are 100% estate-grown and not manipulated. Vines are grown not only accounting for the excellent drainage on the hillside but for the long periods of sun and the high velocity winds that blow across the hills. Jeff generally assesses the ripeness of his vines during the day and picks at night. All grapes are picked by hand, which is understandable given the grade of the vineyard. Recognizing the effects of climate change 18 years ago, Jeff began planting Nebbiolo grapes. It’s longer growing season gives him some leeway to work with in Virginia’s finicky weather conditions. His first vintage of Nebbiolo was released in 2019. He plans a Nebbiolo rosé in the future.
Denise told us that Glen Manor has not participated in the Governor’s Cup since 2020 because of the number of cases that must be reserved. That’s unfortunate, especially considering the success the winery had in the pre-Pandemic era. Jeff’s wines have twice been in the Governor’s Case in the Virginia Governor’s Cup competition. He himself has been honored as “Grower of the Year” (2014) by the Virginia Vintner’s Association.
Let’s not forget that we drove the hour plus from our home to sample wine. We had a six-wine tasting for the standard fee with two flag-ship reds added. Here’s what we tried:
2024 Morales Rosé. The Glen Manor rosé is a blend of some heavy-hitting reds: 41% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Nebbiolo, and 7% Petit Verdot. Named to recognize the Morales family as a key part of the vineyard team. The Cab Franc was intentionally harvested for the rosé instead of a stand-alone release. Nice rosé. Kim gave it a B.
2024 Sauvignon Blanc. The winery’s tasting notes provide extensive detail on which slopes were harvested and when to make this 100% varietal wine. (This kind of detail looks like Jim Law’s influence on Jeff’s wine making.) Kim gave it a B- largely on the bottle price.
2023 Vin Blanc. This white is a blend of 77% Sauvignon Blanc and 23% Petit Manseng. Kim called it a great Vacation Wine. A touch of grip and a full mouth feel. I got some dried fruit and rose. 14.1% ABV seems high for a white. Kim gave it a B+ or A-, and we bought a bottle.
2023 Petit Rouge. Glen Manor’s entry red is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. A very good general table wine and very well-priced to be your house wine if you are taking candidates for that honor. Light, tickly tannins, even some grass and stone. 13.5% ABV. B+, and we bought a bottle.
2022 Vin Rouge. Vin rouge is another table wine with more Cab Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon toned down. Medium-bodied, balanced tannin. Bright red fruit. B.
2022 St. Ruth. Ruth Ardelia was the first child born to the Lawson family on the property in 1901. Ruth was Jeff White’s grandmother. St. Ruth is named after her. This is a sharp Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Petit Verdot. Medium-body, Round mouthfeel. The Cab Franc is really evident. It is still a young wine and can go another 15 years.
2022 Hodder Hill. Remember Ruth? Well, she married Raymond Hodder Rudacille, who lent his name to Hodder Hill.
Hodder Hill is Glen Manor’s signature red blend. The 2022 release is 58 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, and 17% Cabernet Franc. Balanced tannins. I even got some sweetness. 13.5% ABV. I would rate this blend higher than a B were it not for the $65.00 price. Will continue to mature to 2035.
2023 Hodder Hill. The 2023 release of Hodder Hill has Cabernet Sauvignon at 83% of the blend. Not as sweet. I prefer the 2022 vintage probably because it’s had some time to age.
Denise estimated that the best time to see the Fall Foliage at Glen Manor was toward the end of October. Best make a reservation for then, regardless of the size of your group. But go and experience that warm welcome and Glen Manor’s appreciation for a fine product.
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