JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2019 |
IN THIS NEWSLETTER... VIP Pickup Party... at the ADC Report from the Tasting Room Note from Jenni |
VIP PICKUP PARTY…
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Chrysalis Vineyards New Website
Please Visit Our New Web Site at www.ChrysalisWine.com ! The Chrysalis Vineyards web site is new and improved! We've added pictures, more information about our wines, and detailed info on how to become a VIP Club member. VIP members can create a website account that allows them to acess the VIP area, puchase exclusive VIP club wines, view their purchase history, and edit their account information. For instructions about creating an account Click Here . Should you be unable to visit us at the winery, we've also added an easy ordering option. Please visit http://www.ChrysalisWine.com/Our-Wines to place your order today. We're adding new pictures and content all the time - so be sure to become a frequent visitor! If you have suggestions about content or questions about the site, please contact us at Info@ChrysalisWines.com. |
REPORT FROM THE TASTING ROOMHappy New Year’s, Friends! It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming in the first days of 2018. As we look forward to the start of a new year and all that it brings we would like to encourage everyone to make a New Year’s Resolution… but, not your typical one. We ask that this year all of you make a promise to yourselves to stop, relax and enjoy yourself a little more often. Take the time to indulge in an afternoon with us here at The Ag District more often. Bring your friends, grab a bottle of your favorite wine, something delicious that our Chef has prepared from scratch in our kitchen, and enjoy yourselves. We have some beautiful new releases headed your way this year that you will want to enjoy over and over again. So take the time to make yourself the promise to stop and enjoy life a little more with us. Happy New Year fron your Tasting Room Staff! Laurie Stevens, Tasting Room Manager |
REPORT FROM THE CELLARWith the harvest behind us, January means buttoning up the new wines and preparing them for aging or bottling. Last month Mark already bottled the 2018 Albariño Verde and the 2018 Sarah’s Patio Red. There’s still a remnant of harvest activity, we’ve got some Viognier and Albariño going through malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is the bacterial fermentation that converts malic acid to less-tart lactic acid. The 2018 growing season gave us conditions for high acid fruit, and malolactic fermentation is a natural way to soften acidic wine. In the near future we’ll be gearing up to bottle the 2017 Estate Bottled Norton, 2018 Sarah’s Patio White, and the 2018 Mariposa. Meanwhile, January gives us an opportunity to evaluate stylistic decisions made before harvest. Mark’s selection of Hungarian oak will now be expressing itself in the wine. He also experimented with non-Saccharomyces yeast for some of the 2018 Viognier in barrel now. One of the last harvest activities to be performed at Chrysalis is the pressing and barreling down of the Norton made with the carbonic maceration technique. This is a natural way to metabolize much of the tart malic acid present in large amounts in Norton fruit. It also produces a wonderful, aromatic, fruity bubblegum character that is natural fit for Norton wine. Mark barreled down this wine in November and January is the perfect time to evaluate the wine and observe how the carbonic character is integrating. The winemaking community in Virginia is relatively small, and as winemakers we share the bonds of a unique passion for our career. We lost one of our own with the tragic passing of Mark Patterson. I didn’t know him well. We did reach out to each other from time to time, especially when Mark first arrived in Virginia. Over the years I’ve kept up with Jenni and the Chrysalis family and have always enjoyed Mark’s wines. While I am happy to reconnect with my old colleagues at Chrysalis, I join them in mourning the loss of such an integral part of their family. Jason Burrus, Consulting Winemaker |
REPORT FROM THE FARMDear Readers, -- This month the crew and I will have spent a significant amount of time with the majority of our bodies uncomfortably cold and damp, but with our left arms at an invigorating 101.5 degrees. It’s breeding season! All bull aside, we take our breeding decisions very seriously. Whether at the dairy or out with the beef cattle, the right genetics can often mean the difference between success and failure of animal agriculture. We use a process called Artificial Insemination to keep the cycle of life running on the farm. Coming back to my seemingly horrible pun, “all bull aside” in this instance serves several punny purposes- On one hand, it implies the missing bad word for doo-doo which is funny because doo-doo is in abundant supply when standing behind a cow at work. One must mentally put it “aside” to focus on the task at hand. Seen another way, “all bull aside” encompasses the true purpose of artificial insemination as a tool for animal husbandry. Literally, we are replacing the bull on the farm with our own two hands. OK. Now you can chuckle a wise, knowing chuckle. Honestly, all of us involved love the work and have to take turns to keep our skills sharp. Wish us luck when we ultrasound and do gender reveal in a few days! Warm Wishes! |
REPORT FROM THE LITTLE RIVER BAKEHOUSEHappy New Year! -- After a few weeks of getting settled in here in the kitchen, we can now focus our attention on the production of fresh, local products. With each new day, there is immense opportunity to strive for something great at the Ag District. As a Chef, I am also very lucky to have so many passionate people around me working day in and day out to bring hand crafted, artisan foods, cheeses, and wine to you. In the coming weeks, the outside stone oven will be burning hot with fresh pizzas and breads. You can already find various items in the tasting room that were not here a few weeks ago including wine gummy bears, truffle popcorn, and fresh from scratch sandwiches. There are big things happening here and even though we'd like to see results over night, we know that patience is the key to success. Chris Vincenzi, Chef |
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANYHappy New Year! The merry men and women of Locksley Farmstead Cheese are particularly excited to kick-off the year celebrating our variety of soft and hard cheeses crafted in 2018. Mark your calendars, Sunday, January 20th is a "Gouda" day to come out to the Ag District and enjoy our artisan farmstead cheeses as its National Cheese Lovers Day! To those that may just be joining us, here is a quick recap and description of our cheese selection:
We are thrilled to have brought local, artisan cow’s milk cheese back to Loudoun County and look forward to introducing several new varieties to you all this year! Erin Saacke, Assistant Cheesemaker |
Note from Jenni |
IN REMEMBRANCE Some of you may have heard the tragic news that Mark Patterson passed away on December 17, 2018. Many friends and members of the Virginia winery community from across the Commonwealth have poured forth their heartfelt condolences to the Patterson family and to the Chrysalis Vineyards’ family, as well. Here is my post from Facebook from Wednesday, December 19th:
Thanks again to all who spoke so kindly of Mark in their sympathies and condolences. Jason is a highly-skilled winemaker with many years of experience not only here at Chrysalis Vineyards, but in other U.S. and international wineries, as well. He left Chrysalis Vineyards in 2015 to pursue a consulting winemaking career. He brings these many years of experience to help us in this trying time. I’m sure Mark would have been pleased to see his own hard work, those wines remaining in the cellar from the 2017 and 2018 harvests, in very good hands. Thank you, Jason, for your support. And Mark, may you rest in peace. Jennifer McCloud
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