OUR VINEYARDS
Currently, we have more than 55 acres of vineyard, which includes estate plantings at Early Mountain and plantings at Quaker Run, a new site 14 miles north of the winery that holds great potential for high-quality fruit production.
As part of our 2015 vineyard expansion, Early Mountain increased its acreage of classic Bordeaux-type varietals such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot and added new varietals including Malvasia Bianca, Sauvignon Blanc, and Tannat.
Please explore our two vineyard sites below to see what grape varietals we're growing and how we're using them in our wine portfolio.
GRAPE VARIETIES
MERLOT
Merlot thrives in Virginia in part because it ripens early, producing sensuous wines characterized by ripe berry flavors. We grow Merlot in both of our vineyard sites. Our Merlot in Block 2 is specifically grown and harvested for our Rosé bringing a savory, herbal quality that is a hallmark of this wine. The Merlot from our front Block 10 goes into our Foothills red blend because it retains a freshness and fruit character without being overly structured and tannic - perfect for this charming wine.
The Merlot in our Quaker Run Blocks 5 and 6 is used as an anchor for our Bordeaux-style wines, especially our Eluvium. It brings concentration and roundness to our wines, and we've found these Merlot grapes are very well suited to blending and are a nice counterpoint to Petit Verdot.
Locate This Grape Variety On The Map:
