Cave Ridge Vineyard

June 19, 2026.  With our trip overseas in May, it’s been nearly two months since we’ve been out to write about a Virginia winery.  We decided to get back in the saddle with a 480-mile trip around the Commonwealth where we visited seven wineries in four days.  Our first stop was Cave Ridge Vineyard in Mt. Jackson, Shenandoah County.  It’s a nice little winery that seems far from the beaten path because of the winding mountain road you drive to get up to the 1,300- foot elevation.  Most seating is outside on a patio or beneath a large rectangular roofed pavilion off to the side. 

 

 

Most of the patio seating has bright red umbrellas and tables.  There are some sofas and easy chairs in the shade under the eaves of the winery.  If you want one of the very few indoor tables, it’s best to reserve in advance of your visit.  Upstairs from the patio there is a wide deck that has marginally better views above the forest.

 

Owners Randy and Karen Phillips are proud of their thirty acres under vine which they first planted in 2001.  They produce around 7,000 cases annually and sell in some ABC stores in the area in addition to the tasting room.  Cave Ridge opened its tasting room on the hillside in 2005. 

The limestone soil is a faint whisper that this area used to be an ocean.  A cave runs under the property which, with the soil above, promotes good drainage.  The elevation largely saved his vineyard from the killer frost in April. 

Randy won a lifetime achievement award in 2020 from the Virginia Winery Association for his work at Cave Ridge.  He has honest eyes and a shy smile below a dome of thinning white tufts of hair.  

 

The narrow roads and the limited indoor space make Cave Ridge less than ideal for large events although they have hosted weddings and are exploring expanding that business.  Another initiative that Randy touts is expanding his sparkling wine offerings.  Using the Charmat method, where the bubbles come from a second fermentation in tanks rather than bottles, Randy has found he can make his “Shenandoah Secco” faster and cheaper than with the Traditional method.  This is borne out in the awards Cave Ridge has won for sparkling Riesling and a sparkling Cabernet Franc.  They also have a sparkling Chardonnay and a sparkling Rosé made from Cabernet Franc called “Fille Des Etoiles – Daughter of the Stars” that you should try.   

Thanks to Randy for spending some time with us and thanks to Becky, our server, for her hospitality.  Here’s what we sampled on our stop:

2024 Chardonnay.  The winery’s tasting notes say this Chardonnay has some buttery notes after Randy stopped malolactic fermentation to avoid over-oaking it.  Kim rated it a B-, however, with no other comment.

2023 Chambourcin.  Light.  No tannin.  Nose and palate of dried fruit.  A little brambly.  B.

2021 Petit Verdot.  Light fruit and lightness overall belie a dark mysterious color.  B+.

2021 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Brambles again.  Not layered or powerful.  13% ABV.  No tannin.  B-.

2022 Fossil Hill Reserve.  A pleasant table wine.  Not much depth.  Little tannins.  This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petite Verdot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, each fermented and aged separately before blending.  B.

2022 Fossil Hill Reserve (Wild).  Randy let me try the Reserve made with wild yeasts.  Noticeable difference and impact.  More fruit forward.  The wine was made by fermenting Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes together in equal portions (co-fermentation) rather than making a blend of already finished wines.  More risky to do it this way, but the results are tops.  B+ and we bought a bottle.

Even on a hot day, a nice breeze can be found at the top of the mountain and nice wine to welcome you, too.