Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery is an enjoyable winery to visit in Danville, Kentucky. This is a true family winery where members of the family have been involved at various stages. While enjoying wines, ask about the history of the property and the pottery created there.
Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery’s unusual name means “House of the Old Crow.” Crow refers to John Crow who settled on the property in 1776.
Andre and Linda Brousseau purchased the farm property at an “absolute” auction. The property consists of 27 acres of land with a large mansion built in the late 1700s while this area was still a part of Virginia. They purchased the property for a better place to make candles and pottery. Linda is a renowned creator of pottery and needed an easier location to unload the five tons of clay she orders each year.
The owners and their adult children are a tight knit family. Everyone has had a part in the winery whether it was helping in the vineyard, winery or tasting room. Today there is good-natured bantering between Andre, Linda and their daughter, Dominique who is the winemaker. They recalled the years the family made candles to sell and how as soon as the children turned five years old, they were required to help with the candle making. Dominique recalled how one year when she was very young, one of her older brothers called for a “strike” for better working conditions two weeks before Christmas. Linda mediated a compromise between Andre and the children.
After purchasing the farm property, Andre believed that a portion of the property would do well for a vineyard. He commented, “I can make wine, I’m French – not realizing it took effort.” The two acres of vineyards were planted in 2001 and 2002 with Vidal Blanc and Norton. The winery was built in 2002 and one of their sons, also named Andre, became the winemaker. After Dominique finished college, she worked alongside her brother creating wine. Eventually Dominique became the fulltime winemaker.
In addition to all that is involved in the winery, Dominique is the vineyard manager and helps her mother with painting the handcrafted pottery.
The tasting room is located on the first floor of the winery. The room is large and the U-shaped oak tasting counter is located in the middle. Ceiling lights and chandeliers provide plenty of light. Browse the shelves of wine accessories and the delightful handmade pottery created on the property. In addition, local artisans showcase some of their work in the tasting room on a rotating basis. Adjacent to the tasting room is the Vineyard Room. This room is available for a number of private events including luncheons, business meetings, dinners, retreats and workshops. Chateau du Vieux Corbeau’s culinary staff provides the catering.
During our visit we tasted several wines including vinifera, French hybrid, Native American and fruit wines.
White Wines
The Chardonnay offered an aroma of pear, apple and tropical nuances. The taste had a velvety mouth feel. The finish was fruit forward with a hint of sweetness. Vidal Blanc was yellow with an apple aroma and taste. The crisp finish had a long apple aftertaste. Riesling was yellow with mineral and peach nuances. The mouth feel was smooth. The peach finish offered a good balance of acid and sweetness.
Red Wines
Chateau Rouge was a wine produced with Concord grapes. The color was a translucent red. The aroma was earthy. The taste and finish was of Concord grapes and the wine finished with earthiness.
Fruit Wines
Dominique produces five fruit wines using the fruit with no added flavorings or grapes. These wines include Blueberry, Blackberry, Cranberry, Raspberry and Strawberry. Blueberry was a deep red color with a very blueberry aroma. The taste was dry with notes of blueberry. Blackberry was aged for one and a half years. The aroma had fresh fruit notes. There was some sweetness with blueberry notes on the taste. Raspberry had a long raspberry aftertaste with lots of lingering raspberry notes. Cranberry wine offered cranberry nuances throughout. The cranberry lingered on the dry finish. Consider this cranberry wine for your Thanksgiving dinner. The notes at the winery refer to it as ‘Adult’ Cranberry Sauce.
When you visit Chateau du Vieux Corbeau, enjoy the experience and if you have a chance to meet the family ask about the history of the property.
Chateau du Vieux Corbeau
471 Stanford Road
Danville, KY 40422
GPS: N37º 38.468’ W84º 45.644’
