William's Article: The Wine List Test

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.