NOVEMBER 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
The final bins are emptied, fermentations are complete, and the wines are now aging in preparation for the next vintage. The trees are at their peak color, the air has turned crisp, and fall has fully arrived across The Ag District. With the harvest season officially behind us, we turn our attention to the cooler months and the holidays ahead. Norton pairs beautifully with the flavors of the season—from Thanksgiving feasts to Christmas dinners and all your favorite hearty, cool-weather meals.
To celebrate the close of harvest and the beginning of November, we invite you to join us for Norton Wine Weekend, taking place from October 31st through November 2nd. Guests who purchase a Norton Wine Weekend Curated Tasting will enjoy five distinct Norton wines from our lineup.
As if visiting The Ag District Center—home to Chrysalis Vineyards (featuring wines crafted from Virginia’s native Norton grape), Locksley Farmstead Cheese Company (handcrafted cheeses made from the milk of our own herd), and The Little River Bakehouse (serving pizzas and seasonal fare featuring Chrysalis wines and Locksley cheeses)—weren’t reason enough to stop by, we’re excited to announce that new farm products are coming soon!
First up: Locksley Farmstead Beef and farm-fresh eggs. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as these new offerings are available for you to enjoy!
NOVEMBER EVENTS:
Live Music at the Ag District Center will return in May 2026.
OCTOBER 31st - NOVEMBER 2nd - Norton Wine Weekend
Join us for Norton Wine Weekend! Celebrate Virginia’s native grape at Chrysalis Vineyards from October 31st – November 2nd with a guided Norton Wine Tasting featuring this year’s featured Norton wines. When you purchase a Norton Wine Tasting, you’ll receive a one-time coupon for 10% off same-day bottle purchases of the wines presented in your tasting. Whether you’re a long-time Norton enthusiast or just discovering it, this is your perfect chance to sip, savor, and stock up for the season.
NOVEMBER 20th 5 - 6pm - Book Club
Join us at The Ag District Center, home to Chrysalis Vineyards, on Thursday, November 20th, from 5 - 6 PM for Book Club! This monthly gathering is free to attend. We are delighted to have the wonderful team from Loudoun County Public Library leading the discussions.
We will be reviewing: The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - which will be paired with Chrysalis Vineyards' 2023 Albariño Verde.
Haven't read the book yet for this month? Not a problem! Come and listen to the discussion and gear up with the rest of the club for next month's read!
*This event is for adults 21+ year or older*
Interested in attending? Reach out to Jill Smedley at
Jill.Smedley@TheAgDistrict.com.
NOTE TO OUR VIP CLUB MEMBERS
Get ready for a night of creativity and fun! Join us on Friday, November 14th, at 6 PM for this month’s VIP Pick-Up Party, where Jill, our Marketing Gal, will guide guests in painting festive pumpkins on reclaimed wine staves. Enjoy delicious pizzas from Little River Bakehouse while sipping your favorite wine and crafting a unique holiday décor piece to take home.
Members must RSVP to TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com no later than Sunday, November 9th to reserve your spot. RSVPs received after November 9th 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 (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 November, our VIP members will receive the 2021 Petit Manseng and 2021 Locksley Reserve Norton.
Our 2021 Petit Manseng is filled with inviting honey and refined citrus notes with a floral undertone hinting at mimosa flowers. This wine weighs the palate down with rich honey and reinforces the palate with dried peaches. A subtle gala apple finish lingers on the tongue begging for another sip. Delcious on it's own or paired with the King Richard Blue cheese from Locksley Farmstead Cheese Company.
The 2021 Locksley Reserve Norton, the flagship red wine of Chrysalis Vineyards and a Gold Medal recipient in the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup, is a masterful blend of Norton, Petit Verdot, and Tannat. It offers inviting aromas of sage, tobacco, and dark red fruit, with rich notes of black pepper, warm spices, and black currant on the palate. This Norton is a true show-stopper—perfect to bring to a party to impress your friends and family. When you travel for the holidays with a bottle of Locksley Reserve Norton to share, you’re taking a piece of Virginia with you, proudly representing Norton, the state’s native grape.
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
We invite you to join us in Middleburg, VA during this beautiful season! The perfect time to visit is October 31st – November 2nd to enjoy our special Norton Wine Weekend celebration.
During Norton Wine Weekend we will be offering a special tasting that will feature five distinct Norton wines. And when you fall in love with one of these Nortons, don't be afraid to treat yourself to a few bottles to take home. Those who purchase the Norton Wine Weekend tasting will receive a one-time, same-day use coupon for 10% off bottles of the wines featured (30% for our VIP Club Members). So, splurge without the guilt!
One of the wines presented on this tasting is our Wine of the Month, the 2022 Barrel Select Norton. The Barrel Select has aromas of purple flowers, cigar box and blackberries, with notes of baking spice, wild berries and fig on the palate. This is a great wine to enjoy yourself or to share with friends as we enter into the holiday season.
Plan Your Fall Gathering
Autumn offers a beautiful setting to bring family and friends together at Chrysalis Vineyards. To reserve a space for your special gathering, reach out to us at TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com.
Join Our Team
We’ve been fortunate to have some of our VIP members’ young people and local teens join our weekend staff over the years. If you know someone 18+ looking for part-time work and extra spending money, we’d love to hear from them!
TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com
Happy Thanksgiving— we willl see you in the Tasting Room!
- Lori Tate, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
I’ve said it every month since the growing season started, but 2025 has truly been an interesting year. This season, in particular, has tested both Freddy's and my viticulture knowledge.
If you’ve been following along, we kicked off the year with multiple single-digit degree days, which definitely impacted the growth of our vines. The colder temperatures resulted in stunted shoots, lower yields, and sporadic lateral shoot development. After a cold winter, we were met with unrelenting rain during bloom, causing a slight reduction in yield and elevated disease pressure.
Once the rains subsided and disease pressure eased, we experienced a semblance of a normal growing season. Temperatures rose into the high 90s for a brief period, but constant vine coverage helped control disease and allowed for steady ripening—typical Virginia climate for just a few months.
As harvest approached, temperatures dipped drastically, stalling ripening, and reducing sugar levels. While that might sound discouraging, the fruit quality was surprisingly excellent. In fact, it was a wonderful year for Viognier and Norton, giving us the opportunity to make some truly beautiful wines.
A huge thank you to our vineyard crew, Filiberto and Freddy, for their tireless work and dedication in turning a challenging season into a successful one!
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
That’s a wrap! The 2025 vintage is finally picked, processed, and barreled down. It’s been an interesting year that came with a few surprises and I definitely would say it’s a “winemaker’s year.” This is a term referring to winemaker’s having to make more decisions in the cellar than normal and when we tak a look at the chemical ripeness versus the physiological ripeness of this year’s fruit, as an example, you'll see why.
We noticed that the fruit in our vineyards was hitting the chemistry numbers for harvest long before they even hit their physiological ripeness. For instance, the Albariño arrived to the cellar a softer yellow but with brix levels that were sitting around 24.
Then when it came to the Viognier the inverse was true, with numbers a bit lower but the juice color similar to a cantaloupe, just the way we like it. With this vintage you can expect the same flavorful wine with a reduced alcohol percentage. It’s our belief that this grape showcases its best qualities when there are as few manipulations as possible; meaning we avoid practices like chaptalization (i.e. adding sugar to the juice).
As always, Norton was untouched by the growing season but also arrived to the cellar about 2 weeks earlier than normal but still boasting the ideal chemistry. I did pull about 25 lbs. off the vine and created a native starter on the crush pad which I then used to innoculate a few bins worth of Norton. This native fermented Norton is currently exhibiting notes of fruit punch, blueberries, and a nice purple floral aromatic. The color is bright and loud which is typical of a young wine, especially Norton. The finish has a medium length and leaves a bit of mouthwatering quality from some of the acids that weren’t rooted out using our tool box of techniques. It’s an exciting wine and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share it with everyone!
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANY
One of our VIP club wines for the month of November is our 2021 Petit Manseng. So, this is the perfect time to mention one of our favorite pairings here at The Ag District.... Chrysalis Vineyards' Petit Manseng and King Richard Blue Cheese.
Petit Manseng is our version of an ice-wine, a sweet dessert wine enjoyed as an after dinner treat. Sweet desserts are sometimes paired with this type of dessert wine, but we've found that the pungent notes of our creamy blue cheese pair perfectly. The sweet honey notes in the Petit Manseng compliment the sharp, piquant, salty flavors in the cheese and vice versa.
This could be the perfect ending for your Thanksgiving gathering or a gift for your host that might just make you their favorite dinner guest!
- Teri Scott, General Manager
It’s that time of year again when we begin planning vists with our family and friends for the holidays and preparing what, for many of us, will be the biggest and most extravagant meal of the year. Our Thanksgiving Day is about celebrating our gratitude for the past year’s blessings, and acknowledging our forebears trials and perseverance that lead to the creation of a new society in the new world.
But what do you serve in the way of wine for this meal that is this complex collection of aromas, flavors and textures? Frankly, it’s pretty simple!
Some people just prefer red wines. Some like whites. Some are particular to rosés. Simple solution… you serve something for everybody… all three of the basic wine styles: White, Rosé and Red. Here’s your lineup to make it easy:
Mariposa – A full-flavored, bold, fruit-forward rosé that stands up to the relishes and cranberries that accent the meal.
Bull Run Mountain Cuvée Norton – A medium-bodied, perfect expression of Virginia’s own native grape that is delightfully fruit-forward, and won’t overpower the bold flavors of this special meal.
Speaking of our Bull Run Mountain Cuvée, it’s worth reminding folks that this lovely wine received a coveted Gold Medal in this year’s Governor’s Cup, Virginia’s premiere wine competition.
Next week, I’ll be attending the 2025 AWS (American Wine Society) National Wine Conference. This year’s conference will be held at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles in Chantilly and our 2022 Bull Run Mountain Cuvée will be one of the featured wines. During this event, I'll get the opportunity to briefly discuss its preparation, and Norton wines in general, at Friday’s Session B4, titled Red Revolution in Virginia Wine. You know that I love talking about Norton, and I look forward to meeting those exploring this great Virginia gem.
Take care and have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
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