JUNE NEWSLETTER 2025
IN THIS NEWSLETTER...
VIP Wines of the Month
Report from the Tasting Room
Report from the Cellar
Report from the Vineyard
Report from Locksley Farmstead Cheese
Note from Jenni
Spring fuels our energy and enthusiasm for the busy season ahead, awakening the vineyard and inspiring our team to prepare for the months to come. As summer approaches, the buzz in the tasting room grows steadily louder, with more guests arriving to share in the joy of great wine and good company. When summer hits full stride, we’re all moving at warp speed—to deliver the signature Chrysalis hospitality and atmosphere you’ve come to know and love. It’s a season of connection and celebration and we are eager to share it with you!
JUNE EVENTS:
MUSIC IS BACK! Saturdays from 2 - 5PM
June 7th - Joe Martin
June 14th - Melanie Pearl
June 21st - Andrew Renner
June 28th - Anthony Semiao
June 14th @ 12- 5PM - AG Day
Join us on Saturday, June 14th from 12–5 PM at The Ag District Center—home to Chrysalis Vineyards and Locksley Farmstead Cheese—for a family-friendly, open-house style event celebrating Virginia agriculture. Stroll through four interactive stations at your own pace: learn about pasture management and meet a baby calf with Steven, peek into the creamery and discover how cheese is made with Teri, personalize a complimentary wine charm with Shawn, and—during a special ticketed session (tickets available day-of)—enjoy a guided pairing of five Locksley cheeses with five Chrysalis wines led by Jake. CLICK HERE to learn more about the event.
June 14th @ 2-3PM - Flutters & Flights
Back by popular demand! Join us at Chrysalis Vineyards on June 14th from 2–3 PM for Flutters & Flights—a magical butterfly release and wine experience for all ages. Glasshouse Butterfly Farm & Garden will share the fascinating life cycle of butterflies, with a focus on Monarchs, and guests will take part in a live “feed and release” of a Painted Lady Butterfly.
Ticket Options:
Flutters & Flights (21+): Includes a wine flight, butterfly release, and access to the event.
Just Wings: For kids, non-drinkers, or anyone under 21—includes butterfly release and all activities (no wine).
Come sip, learn, and celebrate the beauty of butterflies with us!
June 26th @ 5PM - Book Club
Join us for our next Book Club gathering on Thursday, June 26th, from 5–6 PM! Sip on one of your favorite wines from Chrysalis Vineyards and enjoy a lively discussion with fellow book lovers. This book club is led by our wonderful friends at the Middleburg Library, making each gathering a fun and thoughtful evening of stories, sips, and great company. Whether you're a devoted reader or just here for the wine and conversation, everyone is welcome!
Interested in attending? Reach out to Jill Smedley at
Jill.Smedley@TheAgDistrict.com.
NOTE TO OUR VIP CLUB MEMBERS
VIP Club Members, it is time to celebrate summer! Join us on Friday, June 13th at 6 PM for our annual VIP Summer Bash! Lawn games, cookout favorites, and Chrysalis Wine 'Oh My!'. Members must RSVP no later than Sunday, June 8th by emailing TR-Manager@Chrysaliswine.com. RSVPs received after June 8th will be placed on a waiting list, and while we will do our best to accommodate everyone, entry to the event cannot be guaranteed. Please include your name and the number of people attending (up to 2 per membership). Lastly, when planning your visit, please remember that we close at 8:00 PM.
Not a VIP Club member yet?
Learn more about the benefits below and join the club today!
For June, our VIP members will receive the 2024 Tximeleta and 2021 Locksley Reserve Norton.
The 2024 Tximeleta is fresh and vibrant, this rosé opens with aromas of strawberries and lemonade. The palate is crisp and refreshing, showing notes of pink strawberry, lemon and lime zest, and a hint of papaya. A lively wine that perfectly captures the spirit of spring and summer.
The 2021 Locksley Reserve Norton, Gold medalist in the 2024 Virginia Governor's Cup, is structured and expressive, this flagship Norton offers aromas of sage, tobacco, and dark red fruit. On the palate, this wine has bold notes of black pepper, spice, and black currant.
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 haven't been able to visit for a while and need to pick up more than 3 months of wine selections please call at least a day in advance of your visit so we can have them ready for you.
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
As summer hits its stride, we’re thrilled to share what’s happening this June at Chrysalis Vineyards!
Our hillsides are bursting with vibrant green, and the vineyard is lush and alive — the perfect setting to slow down, soak in the view, and enjoy our June Wine of the Month: 2024 Tximeleta.
This refreshing rosé opens with bright aromas of strawberry and lemonade, followed by notes of pink strawberries, lemon-lime zest, and a hint of tropical papaya on the palate.
Summer is the season for connection — whether you're gathering with family, reuniting with old friends, or celebrating a birthday or milestone. Make those moments even more special by hosting your event here at Chrysalis. Planning a group visit for 8 or more? Email us at TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com, and we’ll help you reserve the perfect spot.
Club Member Reminder — Wine Club members enjoy up to four complimentary curated tastings each time they visit, plus 15% off all wine and food purchases.
We can’t wait to sip, savor, and celebrate with you. See you soon in the Tasting Room!
- Lori Tate, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
Every morning before going to the winery, I spend about an hour walking various blocks, it’s great exercise! Aside from the exercise and just enjoying the mornings, I’m looking for disease pressure, checking for predation damage, and monitoring the overall health of the vineyard.
Currently, things are looking great in the vineyard despite the few weeks of rain we’ve experienced. The crew has been working diligently to remove excess shoots, laterals, and non-fruit-bearing growth. This will reduce disease pressure, allow for air movement in the canopy while also balancing the source to sync ratio. “Source to sync” refers to the ratio of leaves to clusters and must be balanced to ensure healthy vines and correct ripeness levels of the fruit.
Presently, the white varieties are flowering three weeks early, which matches the early bud break this year. This is a tiny concern with the amount of rain we’ve been receiving as this can result in washing the pollen away. Thus far, we’ve seen no abscised flowers though. The red varieties appear to be running only a week ahead which will most likely miss the rains. As always, Norton will do as it pleases and will most likely flower during the first week of June.
Once we get through bloom, it’ll be time for fruit set. This is the point in the growing season where the tiny flowers turn into small green orbs that eventually will make delicious wines you know and love.
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
Much of my time this time of year is spent racking, blending, and bottling wine. But since you all know I love finding new ways to show off Chrysalis Vineyards, I’ve been up to a little something extra. Together with Jill Smedley, our Marketing & PR Manager, we’ve put together something special — a brand-new wine festival called The Norton Showcase.
This event, held at the new and upcoming winery, Piedmont Meadows, will be the first-ever wine festival in Virginia dedicated entirely to Norton. The goal? To give guests a real taste of what Norton can do — from bold reds to unexpected styles — showcasing how winemakers across the state are putting their unique spin on Virginia’s native grape. You’ll have the opportunity to taste Norton wines from 12 different producers, all in one place.
This isn’t your standard tasting event though. We will have live music and local artisans, of course, and I will be leading two panels with winery owners and winemakers. Our first panel will go deep into the history of Norton and how it barely survived prohibition and the great folks who brought it back to prominence in Virginia. It’s quite a complicated story but I think we’ve put together the perfect panel of speakers on this topic. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it by giving away too many details.
Once we’ve dived into the history of Norton, I will lead another panel of new and upcoming, but very talented, producers here in Virginia. These folks are some of my favorite winemakers that are just as passionate about Norton as we are. They’ve produced quality wines and have such valuable insights, it’s certainly a discussion you’ll want to hear.
The Norton Showcase will kick off the 2025 Norton Wine Tour, a tour which will have a very special event (To Be Announced Soon) as the finale, but more on that later! We hope that you will come out to support Chrysalis Vineyards at the event!
Event Details
Date & Time: June 7th (Rain Date June 8th) at 11am – 6pm
Location:
Piedmont Meadows
17937 Joplin Road
Triangle, VA 22172
Grand Norton Tasting Tickets: CLICK HERE
I hope to see you all there!
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANY
June is National Dairy Month and gets it’s start with World Milk Day on June 1st! This month was designated as a time to celebrate the hard-working people in the dairy industry and recognize all the valuable nutritional benefits of dairy products. Milk contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, all necessary components of a healthy diet.
In recent years dairy consumption has received its share of press as a variety of milk substitutes have become popular. Human milk, and all mammal milk, contains a complex sugar called “lactose”. Infants can get all their nutritional needs from mother’s milk and naturally produce an enzyme called “lactase” that breaks down the lactose in the milk into other sugars that are easier to digest. The production of lactase gradually decreases after the age of two (hmmm…. just about the time babies have a full set of teeth and can get their nutrition elsewhere…. isn’t Mother Nature cool!). By the time humans reach adulthood, their ability to digest milk has decreased substantially and many people become lactose intolerant. Fortunately, they can still enjoy many dairy products including cheese, yogurt, and kefir. The fermentation process used to create these products breaks the lactose down into simple sugars that can be digested and it still maintains all those valuable proteins, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals.
So, celebrate National Dairy Month by including Locksley Farmstead Cheese in your daily diet. It’s natural, nutritious, and delicious!
- Teri Scott, General Manager
Hello from The Ag District, our beautiful home here in the Bull Run Mountains.
Summer is right around the corner, and we're taking advantage of our summer sun and great weather to supplement our natural foods that we prepare here at the Little River Bakehouse (our restaurant). Our Estate Manager, Shawn, has cut up a couple of our old barrels and crafted planters to grow fresh herbs for our kitchen.
At our entrance near the front trellising, we've got basil, oregano, sage, fennel and dill started up. And... by the Little River Bakehouse, we've got tomatoes! It's always advantageous to have fresh herbs and spices in your dishes, and we want them to complement our own beef, the local veggies, and foods we acquire for the kitchen. We're excited for you to enjoy one more special touch when you order food during your visit—flavors grown and harvested right here at The Ag District.
In addition, we've “poshed” up the grounds around the ADC (Ag District Center) for your aesthetic pleasure. So plan a visit in June, a beautiful and not-too-hot time of year to take in our beautiful countryside, and enjoy some wholesome foods from our farm and our fellow local growers.
See you here... and,
Take Care,
Jennifer McCloud
Chrysalis Vineyards at The Ag District
39025 Little River Turnpike (Tasting Room/Creamery/Kitchen)
23876 Champe Ford Road (Winery/Milking Center/Offices)
Middleburg, VA 20117
McCloud@ChrysalisWine.com
Office: 540-687-8222
www.ChrysalisWine.com
Facebook.com/ChrysalisVineyards