SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER 2024
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
September is here and there’s a whirlwind of exciting happenings around the Ag District this month! From the releases of new wine vintages in the tasting room and new Guided Wine Tastings to exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses into our winemaking and cheesemaking processes, we have so much to share with you.
SEPTEMBER MUSIC LINEUP:
September 7th - Luke Andrews
September 15th - Robbie Límon
September 21st - Ryan Jewel
September 22nd - Anthony Semiao
September 28th - Joe Martin
*Reminder: During our Summer Music Series enjoy music at Chrysalis Vineyards every Saturday (and the occasional Sunday) from 2-5 PM.*
September Events:
September 26th - Book Club (For Adults 21+ ONLY)
Join us at Chrysalis Vineyards on Thursday, September 26th, from 5 - 6 PM for Book Club! This gathering will occur on the last Thursday of every month and is completely free to attend. No need to worry if you haven’t read the book yet! Join us for the discussion and stay tuned for the announcement of our next book selection so you can dive in and be part of the fun.
Interested in attending? Email Jill.Smedley@TheAgDistrict.com.
NOTE TO OUR VIP CLUB MEMBERS
We’re thrilled to unveil an exciting new collaboration between The Polished Foxx and The Ag District, home to Chrysalis Vineyards, Locksley Farmstead Cheese Company, and the Little River Bakehouse. When you visit The Ag District, you’ll embark on a culinary journey featuring our farm-grown products and artisanal cheeses, alongside selections from our esteemed local farm partners. This month, we’re inviting our club members to an exclusive first taste of some of our new menu items during the VIP Club pick-up party on Wednesday, September 18th. Members must RSVP no later than September 10th by emailing TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com. Please include your name, number attending (up to 2 per membership), and preferred time (5:00 PM or 6:30 PM). 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!
This September, our VIP Club members will be treated to the 2022 Albariño Verde as their white wine selection, a special tribute to the Vinho Verde wines of Portugal. Known as Vinho Alvarinho when made with Albariño, this style is celebrated as the "premium" variety for its light, crisp texture, intense fruit, and slight effervescence. This vintage showcases inviting aromas of banana, pineapple, and citrus, with vibrant notes of lemon rind, lime zest, and grapefruit on the palate. Perfectly chilled, this refreshing wine is ideal for quenching your thirst in the balmy September heat.
The red wine selection for our VIP Club members this month is the 2020 Petit Verdot. This exceptional vintage greets you with aromas of blackberries, sage, and violets, while the palate delights in rich notes of chocolate-covered cherries, plums, and mocha. It’s an ideal companion for the crisp, cozy days of fall.
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.
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 we transition into fall, we’re excited to share some new wine releases with you. Our 2023 Albariño is now officially available, and VIP Club Members can look forward to the release of our 2020 Petit Verdot on September 1st—perfect wines to kick off September in style.
Starting Friday, September 6th, we’ll also be offering a new Guided Tasting in our Tasting Room, featuring this latest vintage of Petit Verdot. Club Members, don’t miss out on your complimentary tastings with this fresh new experience!
Guided Tasting: 2023 Albariño Reserve, 2022 Viognier, 2021 Barrel Select Norton, 2020 Petit Verdot, and the 2020 Locksley Reserve Norton.
And remember, your membership includes up to four complimentary Guided Tastings per visit, so don't forget to bring your friends along. Be sure to ask for a taste of the exclusive Private Reserve White and Private Reserve Red, available only to our club members.
The end of summer means that we are also saying goodbye to some of our wonderful summer staff members as they return to school. We wish them the best and extend a BIG 'thank you' for all their hard work. With that in mind, we’re hiring! If you know someone interested in a part-time job during the week or on weekends, please have them reach out to me at TR-Manager@Chrysaliswine.com.
- Lori Tate, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
Harvest started three weeks ago, and to be honest, I wasn’t surprised. If you’ve been following our previous newsletters, you’ll notice that I hinted at this possibility multiple times. Now, before you start thinking I can predict the future—or the weather, unlike the meteorologists—just know that if I could, I’d be in Vegas! All joking aside, let’s recap this strange but somewhat predictable growing season.
The season began with several days of temperatures dipping below 10 degrees, followed by mild snowy days that left many of us stranded at home. While inconvenient, this cold snap helped reduce disease pressure in the vineyard—even powdery mildew, downy mildew, and black rot can’t survive 4-degree nights. This allowed us to focus less on harsh chemicals and more on canopy management.
After a very cold winter, spring brought extra rain and cooler temperatures, which left our vines a bit confused. Bud break occurred two weeks early, marking the first sign of an early harvest. Flowering followed at an ideal time, and just after fruit set, we experienced the last of the rains for the year.
Then came the elephant in the vineyard: we went eight weeks without rain. Fortunately, Jenni had the foresight to install irrigation. However, we quickly learned that “water all you want, 98-degree days will evaporate it.” It took us about two weeks to realize that despite Freddy's hard work on the irrigation system, the vines just weren’t absorbing the water. The extreme heat meant the water barely made it past the topsoil before evaporating into the ether.
Freddy and I decided to adjust our irrigation schedule, watering even earlier and later in the day. This mostly solved the problem, but on the hottest days, there’s only so much that can be done. Don’t worry—the vines are beautiful and healthy, which is more than can be said for some others in the state. When you piece all of this together, it becomes clear why an early harvest was inevitable.
All of this is to say that no one at Chrysalis Vineyards was surprised. The result is going to be concentrated sugars, high acids, and lower juice yields. The recent hurricane offered a bit of time for additional physiological ripeness, but we won’t fully understand the impact of this growing season until we’re on the other side. Nonetheless, I’m still very excited—the fruit looks fabulous.
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
Harvest has officially begun, and three weeks early at that! I couldn’t be more excited—the energy in both the vineyard and the cellar is contagious as we dive back into winemaking. We’ve got some new projects in the works, and with the thrill of harvest in the air, it’s hard to decide what to share with you first!
As I’ve often mentioned, my focus in the cellar is on refining the time-tested techniques that winemakers before me have used to produce fantastic wines. For example, instead of relying solely on sensory analysis to determine when carbonic maceration is complete—since everyone has their own interpretation of what “bubble gum” tastes like—we now track alcohol production to decide when the process is finished.
Last year, we fine-tuned our delestage program to focus more on the removal of Norton seeds during fermentation, which helps reduce that “toothier tannin edge.” If you tasted that wine, you’d notice it has more fruit characteristics on the palate but lacks some body. This vintage, we’ll continue with the same regimen but explore pressing off the fruit sooner. This method, known as “short vatting,” is typically used to end extraction earlier.
So, what about this year? This year, we’re diving deeper into understanding the differences in the 8 blocks of Norton in our vineyard. We’ll be matching winemaking techniques to the specific characteristics of each block. Higher-acid blocks will be picked and whole-cluster pressed, while lower-acid, higher-pH blocks will undergo traditional crushing and de-stemming. Meanwhile, more physiologically ripe blocks will see whole-berry fermentation, leading to a “pseudo-carbonic maceration.”
I’ll keep you all updated as we progress, and I’m excited to share the results with you…once we get through harvest.
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANY
Have you ever wondered if you’re supposed to eat the rind that is sometimes present on the outer edge of a piece of cheese? Well, you’re not alone – that’s a fairly common question that has a fairly simple answer…. If it’s not wax then give it a try!
The “rind” is the outer coating on cheese and there are four different types of rind. The first is a “wax rind” which is the one type that you really don’t want to eat. It won’t hurt you but it’s not very tasty and isn’t meant to be eaten with the cheese it coats. Wax rinds are the result of applying multiple thin coats of food-grade cheese wax to the outer surface of the cheese. This can be done by dipping the cheese in wax or applying it by hand (that’s how we do it here at Locksley Farmstead Cheese and it always makes me appreciate my kindergarten finger-painting education). The wax seals in moisture and seals out air. This prevents unwanted mold and bacteria from developing on or in the cheese while it's aging. Our Nottingham Gouda, for example, has several layers of clear wax on the exterior of the wheel and our Little John Cheddar has layers of black wax.
The second type of rind is known as “bloomy” rind. Our Maid Marian Camembert is an example of a bloomy rind cheese. The cultures that are added to the milk when we make this cheese encourage the growth of specific molds and bacteria on the surface of the cheese as it ages for a couple of weeks. This growth is pure white and fluffy before it is packaged. When we wrap the cheese for packaging the fluffy mold is pressed down and creates the white rind on the outside of each wheel. While some people like to cut the rind off, it’s perfectly edible and does add delicious earthy, mushroom notes to the cheese when it is consumed.
The third type of rind is “washed” rind. Washed rind cheeses are actually dipped or wiped with a solution that contains a combination of salt, bacteria, and yeast as they are aging. The exact solution that is used determines the type of bacteria that will grow on the exterior of the cheese. These bacteria create a red or orange rind that is soft and edible. The pungent odor that’s created by this bacteria leads to the other name that you’ve probably heard… “stinky cheese”. While this type of cheese may be a bit offensive to the nose, it’s actually delicious and savory. Our Prince John is an example of a “stinky” washed-rind cheese.
The final type of rind is the natural rind that is found on our Merry Men Manchego-style cheese. This rind develops over months as the cheese ages in our moisture and temperature-controlled aging rooms. Natural rinds are harder than the “bloomy” and “washed” rinds, but are also edible and add different notes to the cheese when it is eaten. It can also be removed from the cheese and used to flavor soups and sauces.
Next time you’re enjoying a slice of Locksley Farmstead Cheese experiment a bit. Try the rind by itself, then the interior cheese, and then a combination. Much like pairing food and wine, it’s interesting to explore the flavors that emerge with different combinations!
- Teri Scott, General Manager
Soon the weather will cool off, and we’ll begin thinking about big red wines for dinner and entertaining… or just for sipping and pondering.
I got a little bit of a head start this past weekend when I invited one of my twins, Derek, to bring over Alison, his new girlfriend, for dinner. I had made an old family recipe for spaghetti and meatballs that my dad had retrieved from an Italian fellow sometime during WWII. (Frankly, that’s always been confusing since my dad was a B-24 bomber pilot, and I don’t think he ever set foot in Italy. Whatever!)
Anyway, his recipe is really good, and I thought pulling out our Gold-Medal 2021 Locksley Reserve was a good call because Norton’s firm acidity can stand up to an Italian tomato sauce. But I misspoke and said 2001 (or so Derek claimed, having “misheard”). But I said, “Why not!” and went into my cellar to find one of my favorite old Nortons.
Wow! This wine is special. Several years ago, it came in 2nd in a broad tasting of over 200 Virginia wines by a James Suckling review. And yes, of course, I don’t mind bragging, but that’s really not why I’m bringing this up.
I want to, once again, implore all our red wine aficionados to at least invest in a wine cabinet to lay down your valuable wines at a constant cool temperature. You will be SO rewarded in just a few years (and it doesn’t take 23 years!). Fine Bordeaux, Burgundies, Piedmonts, and top-flight reds from all regions have become so expensive that today’s wine lovers have scant chance of getting the best wines at a reasonable price. Well-made Norton wines LAST and are worthy of laying down.
And, BTW, I know where to get some of the best! Come and get some!
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