Valley Road Vineyards
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Valley Road Vineyards, in the Monticello AVA, is located in Afton, Virginia. This is a relatively new winery in Virginia. A selection of foods, including a wide variety of cheeses, is available to purchase and enjoy with a glass or bottle of Valley Road Vineyards’ wine.
Valley Road Vineyards was opened in the spring of 2016. The owners are ten friends and acquaintances with a wide range of careers. They brought together their passion and love of wine with the establishment of Valley Road Vineyards. Stan Joynes is one of the founders. The property has several buildings and close to the large tasting room, a second building has been completed, offering events, a second tasting room and a library.
The primary tasting room is located in a renovated old building. Wine tastings take place in a long, red barn-style building with a gray metal roof. Visitors enter at the end of the facility which has large windows. The finished tasting room opened in July of 2016. Several tables and tables are available where visitors can enjoy camaraderie and a bottle of wine.
Outdoors, along the outside back wall, a large outside area is filled with numerous tables and chairs with bright red umbrellas.
As we tasted wines in the main tasting room, we asked about the tasting counter and discovered that it is made of soapstone. At the end of the room, a counter is available where visitors can order food to enjoy with a glass or bottle of Valley Road wine. Food options include a wide variety of cheeses, salami, baguettes, hot soup and seasonal pot pie. In addition to wine tastings, the Valley Road tasting room offers cheese tastings.
The four-acre vineyard includes: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Valley Road Vineyards also has 12 acres of vineyards about 20 miles away.
Valley Road Wines
The Valley Road wines are produced at King Family Winery.
Viognier 2015 Monticello AVA was produced with stainless and neutral oak aging. The wine was a yellow color. The aroma offered floral and tropical fruit notes. The taste had notes of peach and tropical fruit. The finish was crisp and very fruity yielding to mineral on the aftertaste.
Destana 2015 Monticello AVA was named for joy, a Eritrea word. Eritrea is a country located in Eastern Africa. This wine had 6 g/L of residual sugar. The wine was a blend of Viognier, Petit Manseng and a splash of Chardonnay. The wine, with a yellow color, offered aroma notes of flowers (orange blossom) and yellow stone fruit. The taste included notes of honeysuckle and yellow stone fruit. The finish was crisp with fruit yielding to mineral. The wine was slightly sweet on the finish.
Chardonnay 2015 Monticello AVA was barrel fermented and aged in 20% new French oak. The wine had a yellow color. There was an aroma of apple and some freshly baked bread. The taste included notes of apple, citrus and biscuit. This was a full-bodied wine. The finish was fruity with some oak and baked bread.
Rosé 2016 Monticello AVA was a blend of Petit Verdot and Merlot. The wine had an orange color with a red hue. The aroma offered red berry fruit. The taste had notes of strawberry, cherry and raspberry. The finish was very crisp and fruity with a touch of mineral.
Torn Curtain 2015 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. Torn Curtain refers to what the image on the wine bottle may look like. The wine was aged in new French oak for six months. The aroma was of dark fruits. Specific taste notes included blackberries and black raspberries. This was a full-bodied wine with mild tannins. The finish was crisp with fruit lingering.
Meritage 2015 was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The wine was a translucent ruby color. The aroma was of dark fruits, leather and spice. The taste included notes of sous bois (earthy, forest floor), blackberries and baking spices. The wine was full-bodied with medium tannins. The finish was crisp and fruity with some spice.
The next time you are in Afton, Virginia, stop by Valley Road Vineyards tasting room and enjoy a glass of wine with an array of available foods including many types of cheeses.
Valley Road Vineyards
9264 Critzers Shop Road
Afton, Virginia 22920
GPS: N38º 01.2722’ W78º 49.2800
Article written September 2017.
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