Glen Manor Vineyards

Sunday morning was just beautiful with an inch of new snow covering all the tree branches, a gorgeous start to a wonderful day of going to see friends south of Front Royal. Time away from Winchester and time out of the house is always special and Sunday more so than ever because Ann has been housebound for weeks. She was as radiant as I have ever seen her.

For this weekend, we planned an outing to see friends Jeff and Kelly White at Glen Manor Vineyards. They were supposed to come up last weekend, but things got too busy at the tasting room, so we went to see them. I was looking forward to seeing the farm around the winery all blanketed in snow, but the snow was all gone by 10 minutes south of Winchester, save for a small band on the ridgetops up above the Skyline Drive.


We stopped first in Bentonville to see Jen and Dewi and meet their new Dobie Austin, a huge puppy at 80+ pounds. And they surprised us by pouring Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay Brut. With its nose of pear and apple and an overlay of toasted nuts, caramel, and toffee on a lemon backbone, it was a great way to start the day. And it was a fine example of the great wine that can be made here in Virginia.

At the winery, we tasted the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, just bottled three weeks ago and a touch unsettled, more herbaceous than the highly tropical 2010; the 2008 Vin Rouge, drinking just fine now; and the 2009 Petit Verdot, tasting of black fruit and dried blackberry leaves. While we were enjoying a bottle of the Petit Verdot, friends Jorge and Randall showed up. We caught up with them while playing with Kelly's dog Huck.

We are looking forward to the Glen Manor barrel tasting in just a few weeks as well as the release of some of the newer wines.