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Willowcroft, Notaviva bring home the gold
Loudoun's oldest winery and one of its newest won gold medals at the 17th annual State Fair Wine Competition in Richmond.
Loudoun wineries brought home two gold and two silvers from the statewide competition. Willowcroft Farm Vineyard's Petit Verdot NV and Notaviva Vineyard's Vivace Viognier 2007 won gold. Fabbioli Cellars' Tre Sorelle 2006 and Cabernet Franc 2006 won silvers. Fabbioli Cellars, on Lime Kiln Road not far from Lucketts, won first place for "Overall Winery Presentation."
Veramar Vineyard in eastern Clarke County won a silver ribbon for its Red Rooster NV.
A panel of 19 judges from across the state sipped 196 wines to come up with 40 gold ribbons. A best-in-show wine will be named at the Black Tie and Boots party Sept. 24.
Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, on Mount Gilead south of Leesburg, has been making wine since 1984, but its Gold Medal Petit Verdot is a newcomer to its wine list.
"This grape is one of the Bordeaux varieties," said Willowcroft founder and wine maker Lew Parker. "But it seems to suit our climate better."
The grape thrives in the intense Northern Virginia sunlight, Parker said.
Parker has used the full-bodied, very dark red grape in the past to blend. The award winner, a blend of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, is the first he has bottled as a varietal.
Willowcroft will be adding the Petit Verdot to its red wine list – Fitzrada's Reward (Merlot and Cabernet Franc), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Old Vine Zinfandel NV.
The Willowcroft tasting room is open Friday through Sunday. The white wine list includes two Chardonnays (one has been in oak, one is cold steel fermented), Seyval, Cabernet Blanc, Riesling Muscat-Ottonel and Traminette.
Shannon and Stephen Mackey planted their first grapes on Sagle Road west of Hillsboro in 2005. The gold medal-winning Vivace Viognier 2007 is the first vintage from Notaviva, and the first wine they have entered in a competition.
An honorable mention would have been astounding, Shannon Mackey said. The gold medal, she said, is "absolutely unreal."
"Vivace" means lively, and the Viognier is just that, say the critics. It was brought from vine to bottle under the combined tutelage of Ben Renshaw, vineyard manager at the new Sunset Hills Vineyard near Purcellville, and wine maker Doug Fabbioli.
The fledgling winery has two acres of Viognier grapes, one acre of Cabernet Franc and a few rows of Petit Verdot, Shannon Mackey said. The Mackeys will be adding more grapes next spring. The tasting room, open Thursday through Monday, offers a Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin as well as the award winning Viognier.
The Mackeys' home and tasting room will star in an eight-episode series on HGTV starting Oct. 4.
For locations, hours and special features of Loudoun's 21 wineries, go to www.loudounfarms.org and click on "wine trail."
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