Ecco Adesso Vineyards

June 19, 2026.  Ecco Adesso Vineyards near the towns of Fairfield and Lexington in Rockbridge County is a pretty boutique winery housed inside a stone cottage on the bluff of a hill.  You park at some distance from the cottage and must navigate up a loose rocky drive to the tasting room.  More could be done here for people with disabilities.  

Once in the tasting room, you can relax in the comfortable living room or the cozy library to sample the wine they have.  The living room has the better view of the twenty acres under vine, but I would love to have the library for myself.  That 20 acres should equate to roughly 5,000 cases of wine per year.  The gas fireplace would be a good place to station yourself in the winter months.  In the summer, Adirondack chairs fan across the slope of the hill facing the vines.  Ecco is dog and family friendly.  I believe that outside food is allowed as their on-site menu is quite short.  Some media describe the main house as "castle-like" but it's way too small for that.  I think "stone cottage" is more accurate.

 

Speaking with tasting room manager, Mary Clare Baquet, and assistant manager, Wendy Weston, we learned that this Autumn will be Ecco Adesso’s first real season for weddings and special events.  But my impression is that this will stay primarily a winery instead of a wedding venue.  Their website advertises wedding packages for up to 150 people with locations inside, both upstairs and down, and outside among the vines and in a covered pavilion.  Ecco has four Bed and Breakfast cabins around the property.

 

Dr. Michael Weatherly and wife Cierra opened Ecco Adesso five years ago by after buying the land and fixtures in 2020.  Ecco Adesso has two notable partnerships.  The first is with Sassaia Vineyards in the Piedmont region of Italy.  Ecco Adesso, which means “Hear and Now” in Italian, sells Sassaia wines along with their own including Sassaia’s sparkling wines.  The second partnership is with Williamsburg Winery where there are a number of connections.  Williamsburg Winery has always made Ecco Adesso’s wine in a custom crush arrangement; Stacey Lightfoot at Williamsburg is their winemaker.  (The winery’s website says that they produce their wine, but staff says not.)  You can find Williamsburg Winery wines for sale at Ecco next to their own label. 

Since 2023, Dr. Weatherly has been listed as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Williamsburg Winery.  And this year he bought Williamsburg Winery from the retiring Patrick Duffeler, a 40-year fixture on the Virginia wine scene.  Dr. Weatherly, a man who first planted the vineyard at Ecco Adesso in 2021, is now also in charge of the largest wine producer in Virginia. 

So, a vineyard that is probably producing around 5,000 cases of wine a year, whose wine is produced by another winery, now owns an operation that makes north of 60,000 cases per year.  It’s unusual for a custom crush client to end-up owning the producer. 

It feels like a tail-wagging-dog situation! 

How will this be managed?  What changes can be expected at Ecco Adesso?  Will the bucolic atmosphere be disrupted?  The staff we met at Ecco were reluctant to speak about any operational changes resulting from this purchase, so, we’ve posed that question to Dr. Weatherly and may update this post if and when we receive his response. 

We thank Mary Clare and Wendy for their help with the wines.  Ecco has flights featuring Williamsburg wines and Sassaia wines, but we elected to stick with the Old World/New World tasting flight that features many of Ecco’s award winners.   

2022 Old World Chardonnay.  Round mouthfeel.  A Little lingering finish.  B+ and bought a bottle.  2025 Silver medal winner at the Governor’s Cup.

2022 New World Chardonnay.  Honeysuckle and floral.  Not as round as the Old World and more acidic. This was a Gold medal winner at the 2024 Governor’s Cup.  But Kim rated it a C.

2022 Old World Cabernet Franc.  Some heat in the back palate. Light red fruit, black pepper.  Light tannins.  This was a Gold medal winner at the 2026 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  B to B+.

2022 New World Cabernet Franc.  Some jammy notes which were off-putting and off-brand for Cabernet Franc.  This wine won a Gold medal at the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  B.

Ecco Adesso’s library with its large windows and quiet appointments is the perfect place to spend some time with good wine.  Come and try it for yourself.