Early Mountain Vineyards
February 26, 2022. To conclude our short trip to the Culpeper area, we drove down to Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, just a short detour from Route 29. Originally the property of Sweely Estate Winery, Jean and Steve Case of America On-line (AOL) fame purchased the property in 2010 and reopened it as Early Mountain in 2012. Jean Case is the owner. Early Mountain is a fictitious name of Madison County Wines, LLC, a Delaware corporation. Between the Early Mountain site and the acquisition Quaker Run Vineyard in 2015, there are more than 55 acres of vineyard, featuring Cabernet Franc and Merlot and new varietals including Malvasia Bianca, Sauvignon Blanc, Tannat, and other varietals. The tasting room is palatial, sophisticated, and high-end, especially compared with many Virginia wineries in the area. If you want the intimate and casual hospitality of a small tasting room, Early Mountain may not be the place for you. The winery website states that it was voted as