NOVEMBER 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
Norton November is Here! Here at Chrysalis, every day is the perfect day to enjoy a glass—or a bottle—of our signature Norton. And as we step into the holiday season, Norton truly shines! From family gatherings to festive dinners, this bold and versatile wine pairs beautifully with all your favorite holiday dishes. Plus, we’re here to help make you the hero of every party, with the best wines and the finest cheeses from Locksley Farmstead Cheese to elevate every occasion.
November Events:
November 14th @ 5PM - Book Club (For Adults 21+ ONLY)
Join us at Chrysalis Vineyards on Thursday, November 14th, from 5 - 6 PM for Book Club! This gathering will occur 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.
November 21st @ 6PM - Release Party for Norton Nouveau (For Adults 21+ ONLY)
We’re thrilled to announce the official release of our 2024 Norton Nouveau on November 21st—the first wine of the 2024 vintage (Limited Quantity Available)! This special wine brings a fresh twist on the beloved Beaujolais Nouveau style, traditionally tied to France's Gamay grape. With the world’s largest commercial planting of Norton, Chrysalis Vineyards is proud to showcase this grape’s versatility in our exciting new release. Join us on November 21st at 6 PM for an unforgettable release party! Savor three expertly crafted appetizers, each designed to pair beautifully with the Norton Nouveau and highlight its unique character. Meet our winemaker, dive into the story behind this wine, and gear up for some fantastic prizes!
Tickets will go live the first weekend of November! Want to be notified when the ticket sales go live? Email Jill.Smedley@TheAgDistrict.com.
NOTE TO OUR VIP CLUB MEMBERS
This month, we’re excited to invite our VIP club members to the Norton Nouveau Release Party on Thursday, November 21st at 6 PM, which will double as your exclusive VIP pick-up event—it's on us! Join us for a night of celebration dedicated to our latest release and enjoy a memorable evening with fellow wine lovers. Members must RSVP no later than November 13th by emailing TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com. Please include your name, number attending (up to 2 per membership).
Not a VIP Club member yet?
Learn more about the benefits below and join the club today!
It's November, so its time for a big bold red and a lovely dessert wine for your VIP Package this month! Enjoy our 2021 Petit Manseng as the white wine selection. This delightful dessert wine is filled with inviting honey and refined citrus notes with a floral undertone hinting at mimosa flowers. On the palate enjoy notes of honey and dried peaches. This wine is best enjoyed after dinner with good company and light sipping.
The red wine selection for our VIP Club members this month is the 2019 Hollin Reserve Tannat. This wine is dark, mysterious, and full-bodied with aromatics of smoke, tobacco, and spiced plums. The palate lends itself to being complex, tannic, and possesses notes of licorice, black currant, and spices.
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 embrace this season of gratitude, we celebrate the fruits of our labor from another exceptional harvest and look forward to vintages that showcase the unique characteristics of our land and the artistry of our winemaker. With the changing season and shorter days, we’re excited to share some fantastic updates and events with you!
As mentioned in our VIP Club announcement, we’re thrilled to introduce our upcoming release of the Norton Nouveau! While we eagerly anticipate its official launch on November 21st during the Norton Nouveau Release Party, we’re equally excited to feature it on our Norton flight and guided tastings following the release event.
In addition to this delightful new wine, we have a phenomenal selection of sensational wines that are perfect for your holiday gift-giving and party-planning needs! Please note that Chrysalis will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, so be sure to stop by and pick up your favorite Norton to elevate your holiday table.
If you’re interested in hosting an event at the Tasting Room, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at TR-Manager@Chrysaliswine.com.
Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!
- Lori Tate, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD
On October 19th, we hosted our first Norton U-Pick Day, and it was a fantastic experience! Thank you to everyone who attended; we truly enjoyed sharing our passion for winemaking with you. The day kicked off with hayride tours of our 50 acres, where guests explored some of our first plantings of Albariño, Petit Manseng, and Norton. After the tour, everyone was dropped off in Block 1 Norton to pick a lug of Norton fruit (25 lbs) and learn the art of hand-harvesting grapes.
From the vineyard, I had the pleasure of leading cellar tours, where we discussed the various practices we employ to craft our wines. We tasted several Norton wines at different stages of the winemaking process, along with some exciting secret projects. There were plenty of great questions about farming practices, trellising, and grape-growing processes—all of which I love discussing! Many of you even got to meet Freddy Villalobos, the man who helped Jenni McCloud plant the first vines. He’s a hard guy to track down!
While I know those who attended had a wonderful time, I think I speak for all of us here when I say we loved sharing our workplace with you. It was an incredible day, and we’re already planning for next year. We can’t wait to do it again! For now, the vines are going dormant, and it’s time to wind down.
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM THE CELLAR
Harvest is a wrap. Perry and Mark are barreling down the wines, cleaning the cellar, and putting things back. Me on the other hand? Well, I’ve mentioned working on something special this year and I finally get to talk about it.
Carbonic maceration involves putting fresh picked fruit into a tank free of oxygen for around two weeks. This causes an enzymatic reaction to take place which converts malic acid (think granny smith apples) to alcohol. This was started in 2006 as a method to corral the acids of Norton, which as you know, is very high when compared to other varietals.
Many of you should know by now that this is my favorite winemaking technique in the cellar which is exclusively featured in our Barrel Select Norton. I love this wine for a number of reasons, its fruity with floral aromatics, and smooth. It’s the most Virginia wine in Virginia because it’s made with Virginia’s grape in Virginia and aged in Virginia oak. Virginia!
This style is commonly showcased in Beaujolais nouveau wines with a grape called Gamay. This wine is released annually on the third week of November, making it the “fastest wine in the world”. From grape to bottle, it takes 40-60 days to produce. It’s known to have almost “grape-y flavors and bubble gum aromatics” These characters dissipate after months in barrel becoming very floral and fruit-forward forward which is why we treat our Barrel Select with around 8-9 months of aging.
Only a select few folks at Chrysalis Vineyards have ever had the chance to taste this young wine before it’s barreled down. This year though, in celebration of Norton, and a nod to the world-acclaimed wine style, we will produce the first wine of 2024 here in Virginia with the release of (drum roll!)...the Norton Nouveau! You will have the first opportunity to taste this wine on November 21st during our Norton Nouveau Release Party. There will be an extremely limited quantity available for a short time, so be there or miss the first wine of the 2024 vintage!
- Jake Blodinger, Winemaker
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANY
November? Already? I guess those holidays are sneaking up on us again so it’s time to start thinking about family, friends, parties and FOOD! Holiday meals call for pulling out all of grandma’s recipes and trying a few new things, too. What Thanksgiving feast is complete without a casserole dish full of hot, melty macaroni and cheese? If you’re really looking to impress your dinner guests use our Nottingham Gouda and a bit of Little John Cheddar in your favorite recipe. For a little added kick don’t forget to add some Chrysalis Vineyards Hot Sauce! For a pre-dinner treat how about a cheese ball using our Friar Tuck fromage blanc or go all out with a charcuterie board featuring a variety of Locksley Farmstead cheeses. Any way you slice it delicious artisan cheeses from Locksley Farmstead Cheese are a sure way to elevate your holiday meals, so don’t forget to stop by The Ag District and stock up!
Bacon Cheddar Fromage Blanc Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
- 1/2 block of cream cheese (4oz)
- 1/4 cup of Friar Tuck Fromage Blanc or Garlic Herb
- 1/4 cup of Little John Cheddar 4-6 slices of cooked bacon (crumbled)
- 1 Tbsp of poppy seeds
- 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds
Directions: In a large mixing bowl, using a spoon, beat the cream cheese until it's just soft enough that you can spread it with a spoon or knife. Add in your fromage blanc and cheddar and stir until combined fully. Form into a ball and set aside. Combine your crumbled bacon, poppy seed, and sesame seed on a plate and roll your cheese ball on the mixture until fully coated. Serve with crackers or bread and ENJOY!
- Teri Scott, General Manager
Sometimes I get a bit stuck when thinking about what to write to y’all in my Note from Jenni. Not so when it comes to Novembers. It’s Thanksgiving month, and that’s easy, because I have the perfect list of our wines to pair with a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
First a little “theory”. There’s so much going on with this meal (traditionally prepared with Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry, etc.) that picking only one wine doesn’t cut it! You need three wines, the full gamut of white, rosé and red. And, if you’re having pumpkin pie, or a similar dessert, you should offer a wine to work with that.
So, let's set the table. Here’s your wines:
White: This is a no-brainer… Viognier fits the bill perfectly, especially if you’re a white meat fan. It stands up to the full-flavored foul, and complements the veggies and accompanying fare. You can’t go wrong. But what if you’re a dark meat fan. Well, you can still fill your glass with Viognier… or, pick a…
Rosé: Ditto on an easy pick. Mariposa. Its fruit-forward character works wonderfully with dark meat turkey, along with all the other items on your plate, like cranberry and sweet potato. Done! But what if you’re a purist, and just love red wines? (Especially if you’re like me… a true Norton lover!) Well…
Red: Barrel Select Norton is your wine here! Perfect. Its somewhat lighter, less tannic style will not overpower the bird, but it will stand up to it, along with the stuffing and gravy, veggies, etc… especially for those who enjoy giblet gravy. You NEED a red for that, don’t you?
And don’t forget the dessert wine!
Sticky: Petit Manseng from Chrysalis Vineyards, the first varietally-labeled P-Man in America! We have always made our Petit Manseng in the traditional style found in the outstanding Jurançon wine region of Southwest France. If there’s any time to enjoy this expressive grape in this dessert style, now’s the time. Get a case, and you can enjoy it with the holiday treats going all the way to the end of the year.
There you have it… the perfect wines for your Thanksgiving table that will certainly foster your thoughts and prayers of giving thanks for your good fortunes, and those of your friends and families.
Take Care… and Happy 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