IN THIS NEWSLETTER...
VIP Pickup Party... at the ADC
Report from the Tasting Room
Report from the Cellar
Report from the Vineyard
Report from the Farm
Report from the Kitchen
Note from Jenni
VIP PICKUP PARTY…
at the AG DISTRICT CENTER
Saturday, November 18th
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
at The Ag District
(RSVP REQUIRED)
Wow! What a whirlwind month October was! They chose October for Virginia Wine Month for a good reason...it is typically the busiest month at tasting rooms across the state and Chrysalis Vineyards is no exception! Laurie and her staff did their usual superior job of providing the best customer service anywhere, regardless of how busy they were. As we move toward the winter months they will get a bit of a breather as things are a little calmer around here. They will definitely need the rest...spring is just around the corner! Over the next few months we will be perfecting our menu of goodies produced in our new kitchen, so come by, pick up some wine for the holidays, and don't forget to check out our new food offerings!
Our VIP Pickup Party this month will be held on November 18th from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. This event is FREE for our members (2 tickets per membership), but does REQUIRE advance RSVP no later than November 13th. To RSVP please send an email to VIP-Club@ChrysalisWine.com. Verbal RSVP’s and voice mail responses cannot be guaranteed confirmation.
Our fall and winter hours are now in effect and the Ag District Center will be open 10am – 5pm Monday through Sunday. We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Please remember… as always, our last tasting will start an hour before closing. Last call for purchases of open bottles or glasses will be 30 minutes before closing!
The red wine selection for our VIP Club members this month is Chrysalis Vineyards 2015 Norton Barrel Select. The initial impression is of raisins and dates, with underlying notes of blackberry jam and violets. Upon imbibing one experiences more date and black currant with some piney notes. Full tannic astringency suggests the need for pairing with a food higher in fat. Try our Barrel Select with an entree of Venison Medallions in Cumberland Sauce.
Our white wine selection for November is Chrysalis Vineyards 2015 Viognier. This wine created from our Virginia state grape greets you with a perfume with notes of pear, honeysuckle and lemon. The palate is ripe with citrus, tropical fruits, and a creamy finish. Pair our Viognier with many dishes, from omelets and quiches, to delicate lobster dishes rich with butter, and you have an elegant match of food and wine.
As a reminder to our members, all VIP wine is available for pickup at the Ag District Center tasting room anytime during regular business hours. If you can’t make it out to pick up your wines on a monthly basis, we will hold them for you. Due to storage limitations, however, we do ask that you pick them up once you accumulate a case (6 months). We can also arrange for wine to be shipped to most locations, at your request.
Also, please remember that you can always find your paired recipes and detailed tasting notes at www.ChrysalisWine.com in the Private VIP Club Area. Pairings and tasting notes are available for wines dating all the way back to 2007 (especially useful for any of those with older, aged vintages). Also check in with us or follow us on Facebook for updates and announcements.
NOTE: Please do not reply to this emailed Newsletter. Your email will not be handled in a timely manner or may even be lost.
REPORT FROM THE TASTING ROOM
Looking for that perfect pairing for Thanksgiving Dinner? The Tasting Room staff has you covered! My favorite additional bonus of working at a winery is being the designated “wine-bringer” to family holiday events. I never have to cook or host again! If your family tends to graze most of the morning and early afternoon like mine I suggest a lighter wine. Our 2015 Albariño would pair nicely with cheese and crackers or the 2015 Viognier with leftover fresh fruits from breakfast. For the red wine fans, I recommend the Schitz and Giggels with a charcuterie tray or vegetable platter.
For Thanksgiving Dinner itself, there are plenty of options depending on the style of meal you’re having. For a “traditional” dinner, I suggest the Norton Estate Bottled. My family prefers roast turkey with rosemary and sage alongside garlic whipped potatoes, both of which would complement the bright green herb notes in this wine. A very unscientific straw poll of Tasting Room staff agreed on our 2016 Mariposa as the white wine option, especially if you have fruit chutneys or cranberry sauce with your turkey.
A true Thanksgiving dessert course should have its own wine course – after a few hours’ break. With pumpkin or apple pie, I recommend our Petit Manseng. Since it is so sweet,
a small glass would do you well. For the chocoholics having chocolate-dipped fruit, the 2015 Norton Locksley Reserve provides a hint of cocoa and dark raspberries. If you’re too stuffed for dessert, which happens sometimes, our port-style Borboleta can end your night on a high note.
Of course, these are all subjective pairings! If you have a particular food or flavor in mind, stop by the Tasting Room over the next month and ask any of the staff members what they think. We all love wine and will be glad to help you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Laurie Stevens, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
Well, the harvest is winding down, but there’s still work to be done. Primary fermentations are still going on for all the Norton’s, as well as for the Nebbiolo, Tinta CâO, and Petit Verdot. The carbonically-fermented Norton, that makes up a considerable proportion of the Barrel Select Norton that you all know, and love, will soon be removed from the tank it sits in now, stems and all, and pressed to continue its primary ferment. Several wines are now going through malolactic fermentation to reduce malic acid to the softer sensations of lactic acid and more will be inoculated in the near future to help round out their flavor profiles. Soon, the cleaning that is an ongoing endeavor in the cellar this time of year, will pick up in earnest as we begin to ‘deep clean’ everything after the crush is over. And there are new wines to prepare for an early December bottling date, including everyone’s favorite Albariño Verde. Good times!
Mark Patterson, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
With all the picking completed there is a bit of time for our vineyard crew to sit back and breathe a bit after a hectic few weeks. Not that the harvest-time work is complete by anyone’s measure, but the pace can be a little less frenetic. Netting has to be rolled up and put away and the trellises may need some repair. This is also the time to begin to address any deficiencies that cropped up in the canopies during the growing season and make evaluations on how to ensure next year’s crop has everything it needs to fully develop to the best of its potential. Farm equipment also needs to be serviced and winterized. There is always much to do before winter makes its appearance. If it ever does, of course.
Mark Patterson, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE FARM
For the last month, a number of our cows and heifers have been giving birth to new baby calves. Always a busy and exciting time. Upon giving birth, also known as “freshening”, cows begin a new lactation and start another cycle of milk production. Except for a few minor glitches and details, the Milking Parlor is at long last in operation. We are currently in the process of training the new mother cows to accept the process of being milked by humans and machines. Our cows have spent their entire lives on pasture and it takes a little time and patience to acclimate them to the new sights, sounds, and smells of the milking parlor. However, so far, training of both cows and humans is progressing as expected and neither party has been harmed in the process. We even provided Jenni with her first gallon of rich, creamy, farm fresh milk!
Perry Griffin, Estate Manager
REPORT FROM THE KITCHEN
After a successful tenure as our talented Consulting Chef, we lovingly bid adieu to Chef Hump Astorga. Chef Hump was instrumental in equipping our commercial kitchen, getting our health department approval, and initiating our menu of fresh offerings for our tasting room guests. We thank Hump for his hard work and wish him safe travels as he departs for an extended hiking/chefing exploration of Japan.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Chef Aaron Lynch to the Ag District team. Aaron is the chef/owner of Hidden Julles Cafe in Haymarket and also The Rambler food truck. We are very happy that he will be able to spend some time in our kitchen continuing the development our menu, baking fresh breads, and creating charcuterie platters, fresh salads, and other goodies for our customers to enjoy! Aaron recently did a tasting for some of our staff and they can't stop talking about how much they loved his food! We can't wait for him to fill the air with the smell of his fresh baked bread!
Wow, I got one! A really good photo, that is. Teri Scott comes up with all the best pictures around the farm, which I love seeing each newsletter. But I got a good one myself this time.
The chickens are almost full-grown now, and the boys are struttin’ around, crowing up a storm, and the girls are beginning to lay. Don’t miss the opportunity to pick up a couple dozen eggs from the Tasting Room for Thanksgiving. I guarantee that they will be the best eggs you’ve ever tasted, and you’ll never want to buy a store-bought egg again! I’m not kidding… they’re that good.
That jug of milk I’m holding (Report from the Farm) is fresh, raw milk from our American Milking Devon cows… finally, we’re beginning to milk. Boy, is it delicious… and long overdue. Stay tuned. We’re getting there with the cheese, as our Class-A dairy creamery is getting its finishing touches.
We’re progressing on the bakery part of our original plan, as well, and I’m now investigating and sourcing a retained-heat, wood-fired brick oven. They make these really cool ovens now that have rotating hearths, which produce perfect, evenly baked breads and flatbreads (since they move around the oven and get evenly cooked).
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and take a minute to express your love and affection to your friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jennifer McCloud
Chrysalis Vineyards at The Ag District
39025 John Mosby Highway (Tasting Room)
23876 Champe Ford Road (Winery/Offices)
Middleburg, VA 20117
McCloud@ChrysalisWine.com
Office: 540-687-8222
www.ChrysalisWine.com
Facebook.com/ChrysalisVineyards