RdV Vineyards

RdV Vineyards located in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia offers an American Grand Cru that compares to classic Napa Valley and Bordeaux big hitters.  The owner, Rutger De Vink, is a former Marine so it was fitting that we visited on this Veteran's Day. His passion for great wine is evident: “From the minute I began my search for a place to build our vineyard, my driving force was to find a spot that would produce a world class wine. After traveling for more than three years visiting sites on the West and East Coasts, I settled on this little hillside near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia—an unlikely spot on its face—but the more I thought about the history of the region and the more we tested the terroir, the more we believed in this Lost Mountain.” 

We had made reservations to take advantage of the holiday weekend, and enjoyed the RdV Tasting Experience that started with a glass of Champagne and guided visit of the state-of-the-art winery and caves, followed by a vertical flight of three wines. 

The wine caves were built below and stop just short of the thick granite where the vines were planted. We got to see the tanks and the lab where they explore various blend ratios.  

The vertical flight showcases vintage expressions of their flagship Cabernet-blend, Lost Mountain:

2012 - Cabernet Sauvignon 46%, Cabernet Franc 40%, Merlot 14%. Long growing seasons are often credited with producing wines of elevated aromatic and flavor complexity, and this is exactly what happened in 2012. The growing season began ten days early but mild temperatures and consistent rains resulted in a harvest that was a week later than usual. Several weeks of a stunning Indian summer in September provided the ideal amount of stress to beautifully ripen the Merlot and give the Cabernet Sauvignon the gentle push it needed. The resulting wines are characterized by rich flavors, charming aromatics, and a seamless structure.  Having aged for 10 years in the bottle now, this wine has matured and was Keith's favorite.

2015 - Cabernet Sauvignon 66%, Cabernet Franc 31%, Merlot 3%. With a drier start than typical, the vines progressed through flowering beautifully just prior to consistent June rains. Late summer and early autumn were stunning for ripening and in the last week of September they began and continued straight through harvest, finishing a mere eight days later due to the very even fruit set. Thanks to those dry periods, the resulting wines are both powerful and balanced and produce extraordinary quality.  This vintage was my favorite and had a wonderful perfume that reminded me of France.

2019 - Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Cabernet Franc 38%, Merlot 2%. The wines of 2019 are the beautiful culmination of years of relentless and incremental improvements in the vineyard and winery, married with the attributes of a stunning growing season. What began as a relatively cool and damp spring, steadily transitioned into a dry, warm summer, producing an impressively concentrated crop by the end of September. Attentive, diligent farming and respectful winemaking captured the fresh yet rich essence of the year, and the resulting wines are graced with the winegrower’s holy grail of power and elegance.  This vintage is also delicious and still very fruit-forward and was available for purchase for $225 a bottle.

 

We enjoyed a seasonal charcuterie and cheese board with the flights and overall had a lovely visit on this rainy day. We learned this wine was named for a nearby hilltop on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains once surveyed by George Washington.  Lost Mountain is formed from RdV’s granite soil with a foundation of their finest cabernet sauvignon. Bold yet restrained, with a depth of complexity that evolves with age, Lost Mountain is RdV’s enduring legacy and the culmination of the art and science of winemaking.  It is probably the best wine coming out of Virginia today.