Located just south of Charlottesville in the heart of the Monticello wine appellation, Blenheim Vineyards is now in a state of metamorphosis. Many Virginia wine lovers know the winery is owned by the Matthews (as in Dave Matthews Band fame) family. What most folks don’t know are the many exciting changes taking place at the winery that Dave built.
First and foremost is the arrival of young winemaking sensation Kirsty Harmon. A Charlottesville native, Harmon has an undergraduate degree from UVA. After working with the godfather of the Modern Virginia Wine Industry Gabriele Rausse, she fell in love with the science and art of winemaking. She received formal training at UC Davis where she graduated with an M.S. in Viticulture and Enology. Never one to sit still, Harmon then spent six months at Domaine Faiveley in the Burgundy region of France followed by a harvest internship at Craggy Range Winery in New Zealand.
Harmon officially joined Blenheim Vineyards as winemaker in 2008 and was promoted to General Manager in April of this year. Her infectious good humor and steady hand can be seen in the many changes at Blenheim Vineyards.
Previously only open by appointment, the winery is now open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. The winery building, which was designed by Dave Matthews himself, has a new, more visitor friendly, feel. Visitors are no longer stepping over hoses to get to the tasting room. The glass-paneled floor of the tasting room also serves as production area skylights so visitors can see the wines in process.
After adding a new building with a laboratory along with temperature/humidity controlled storage building, the production area was sand blasted and sealed to ensure the wines the best possible environment for fermentation and aging.
The style of Blenheim Vineyards wine is also going through a significant change. Harmon’s first vintage is just now being released and the differences start at the top. All of these wines have screwcap closures. Perhaps based on her positive experience in New Zealand with screwcaps, Harmon is strongly opposed to using cork that unnecessarily introduces potential dangers (cork taint, TCA) to the wine.
Harmon’s winemaking philosophy is to build wines “you can drink now”. She also prefers the grapes to have room for expression. While she is using new oak, she chooses to blend in a portion of stainless steel fermentation and none of her white wines go through malolactic fermentation.
With 10 acres of estate fruit, Blenheim also contracts with independent Virginia vineyards to provide grapes for their annual production of up to 5,000 cases. Entering into long-term agreement with growers provides Blenheim Vineyards the opportunity to help guide the vineyard practices and maximize the diversity of microclimates between vineyards.
Made from all sourced fruit, Blenheim Vineyards’ 2008 Viognier is a different take on this very popular grape. In this my second tasting of this wine, I still find it to be significantly more interesting than any other in this vintage. Without being overly floral, this wine has a strong structure and midpalate. 40% of the wine was aged in new oak providing a nice dry toasty tone not usually found in Viognier. This drier style Viognier would be a perfect accompaniment to a well-spiced grilled tuna, salmon or swordfish.
The Seven Oaks Vineyard is owned by DMB manager Coran Capshaw. The Blenheim Vineyards 2008 Seven Oaks Merlot ($18) is aged in 50% new French oak and 50% stainless steel. The blended aging generates a plum filled attack with a full midpalate and gentle round tannins on the finish. While the finish may be lighter than anticipated, the Seven Oaks Merlot has excellent balance.
Cabernet Franc is fast becoming the red wine grape for Virginia. The 2008 Blenheim Farm Cabernet Franc stand well in a crowded field. By reducing the yield in the vineyard, Harmon generated more complexity in the fruit. The reduced yield meant there were only four barrels produced. Aged in a blend of French and Eastern European oak, this wine has a deep rich body, a full aromatic nose, a fruit filled attack and a lingering finish with a hint of ginger. Just released this week, I would not be surprised to see this wine sold out before the end of October (it is that good).
As a small family operation it is not unusual to find Harmon or one of her two assistant winemakers Tim or Peter Rausse (Yes, Gabriele’s sons) behind the tasting bar. Keeping it all in the family, Kathleen Matthews (Dave’s wife) has a small office in the building where she serves as the CFO.
And Dave? According to Harmon, Dave is as involved as he can be considering his schedule. He is currently working on label artwork for a new proprietary red blend. Last harvest he spent time in the vineyard picking grapes. When he is in town, he often stops by the winery, to the delight of the lucky few who happen to be in the tasting room.
Blenheim Vineyards is much more than just the winery that Dave built. The original winery vision coupled with Harmon’s uncompromising wine quality commitment results in a rich harmonious blend with a long memorable finish!
Neil Williamson is the President of The Trellis Group, a marketing consultancy focused on Virginia wineries. He can be reached at
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Vintner Profile Kirsty Harmon, Winemaker Blenheim Vineyards
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Item that is always in your fridge: Seltzer Water
Most challenging wine pairing: Salad
Best thing about the Virginia Wine Industry: Its diversity
Worst thing about the Virginia Wine Industry: Lack of a united community
Favorite Bumper Sticker or saying: “It is what it is”
Comfort Food: Chocolate
Most embarrassing moment: While too numerous to count all of them, meeting Bill Clinton and telling him my name was "Harmon, Harmon, Kirsty Harmon" has to rank pretty high up
Most over rated virtue: Obedience
Favorite Wine: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or French Burgundy
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