Over the last few years, Virginia wines have had an increasing presence on the wine lists of good restaurants in Virginia and Washington, DC. And DC has been a tough market to crack.
But better still, the best of the wines can be a great value for consumers, because the markups for Virginia wines are often much lower than the restaurant norm. They seem to range from as low as 30 percent to a little over 100 percent above retail.
At one of my favorite DC restaurants, Blue Duck Tavern, the single best value on their sort of pricey list is probably the Boxwood Estate “Topiary” 2010 (800 cases). It is grown about 40 miles from Washington, on the estate of John Kent Cooke, son of the late Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, and crafted by winemaker Adam McTaggart. I love this wine, a gracious, almost full-bodied Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend, with a long and fresh finish. Boxwood is one of a handful of Virginia wines that has already made it into international distribution. John Cooke’s Bordeaux-trained daughter Rachel Martin — the estate’s Executive VP — is one of most effective and savvy promoters of Virginia wines. They also make a Merlot-led blend, labeled as “Boxwood.” The 2010 vintage is awesome and a steal for $25 a bottle retail. I just bought another case.
Another great Virginia wine with a growing visibility on wine lists is the Thibaut-Janisson traditional method sparkler, from the Monticello AVA near Charlottesville. A Blanc de Blanc, in NV and occasional vintage versions, it is the fruit of a collaboration between veteran winemaker (France, Australia, California, Virginia) Claude Thibaut and Champagne producer Manuel Janisson. Thibaut-Janisson got a lot of publicity when it was served at the first state dinner of the Obama administration, and has helped spearhead the advance of local wines into Washington restaurants. (The Thibaut-Janissons are usually priced below the big NV Champagnes but a little more than the high-production California sparkling wines.)
The NV is a refined 90+ point wine, with a bright light yellow color, the yeasty nose you’d expect, fine bubbles and a great palate. I would pick it over some Champagnes any day. (Marie, take note!) Last week I tried the vintage 2008 “Cuvée d’Etat” for the first time, and liked it even more: rich in minerality, with a smaller dosage than the NV. It is a really elegant wine. It is also hard to get. Only about 250 cases were made, but I found some at the Charlottesville wine store/restaurant “Tastings.”
Hopefully the value quotient, and the increasing availability of Virginia wines by the glass here too, is going to grow the community of wine drinkers who know and appreciate the good wines that the state is making.
William McIlhenny is associate publisher of JamesSuckling.com. A former American diplomat and member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, William held a number of assignments in Europe and Latin America. He works in Washington, D.C.
In regards to the Virginia wine industry, I am surprised that more people who live in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area do not drink more local wines. I know it takes time to penetrate a market, but I know a number of people who live in the area, and sure they drink VA wines, but they drink a lot more CA wines.
IMHO, the reason for this is that the Virginia wine producers have not come out with wines that are mass-produced, taste good and retail for less than $15. That is a key price point.
I completely agree that more people will buy VA wines if they can order them by the glass in a restaurant. Wine producers typically don’t make as much money when their wines are sold by the glass in a restaurant, but it is a great marketing tool.
BTW - I lived in Charlottesville from the age of 5 to 12, and have traveled back a number of times. It is an amazing place.
Josh Moser
Thanks. I know what you're saying on the price point. I don't know whether Virginia wineries will seek or reach the mass volume of larger wineries elsewhere, and have the production scale to compete (and market) like that. Weather, geography, distribution vagaries, and other factors might make that a challenge.
It may be more likely that the trend accelerates toward more very individualistic, small production, good quality wines that really reflect both where they are made and the philosophy of the winemaker. As a consumer who loves wine but not uniformity, I think that is an exciting direction. There are a bunch of them out there now. Besides estates I mentioned before, I am also thinking of craggy and low-interventionist places like Glen Manor and Chester Gap in the Shenandoahs. Wines from places like that, priced mostly in the 20s, include some really distinctive gems, that, in my opinion are bargains.
And, I couldn't agree more about Charlottesville! Cheers, WWM
BTW - I know a little bit about the VA Wine Industry b/c I did some research for the investor group that finished 2nd in the bidding to Trump for the Kluge assets. I believe Trump will make a lot of money on that investment. In my opinion, Kluge's tasting room is comparable to the tasting rooms in Napa. First class.
Best,
Josh