Lovely and bright! Well balanced. — 2 years ago
Lean, sassy…yes — 3 years ago
Yummmm, the poetic potential of PV is on display here. Solid build by Shaps team of a really special estate program near Fieldale-Collinsville. Classic and varietally correct! Not heavy-handed, rather more feminine in the same way CF can have a softer side. — 4 years ago
Spectacular at 15.5 years from harvest. Acid and tannin structure are in fabulous balance. Black cherry and dark raspberry dance with thyme and sweet anise. easily one of the finest Virginia single varietals I’ve ever had! — a year ago
Class…Shaps understands Chardonnay as well as anyone on the east coast. Barrel Fermented and aged. Wow….again :) — 3 years ago
Linear yet elegant…dense, darker red fruit carries balance thru the attack into a medium+ weighted finish (think artisan cola) - highlighting fine grain tannins. Fall Herbs lend subtle accent to polished build. Oak is not intrusive The 2016 Meritage is a blend of 45% Merlot, 28% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. The majority of the fruit came from Rougemont vineyard in Keswick, VA, with the remainder coming from Adventure Farm, Wild Meadow, Carter's Mountain, and Honah Lee. The grapes are fermented with natural yeast in stainless steel tanks and then barrel aged in 54% new French oak individually and blended for a total of 21 months. We believe that the Bordeaux blends produce some of Virginia's best and most expressive wines. The 2016 Meritage blend is a reflection of what we strive for in both the grape growing and winemaking. — 4 years ago
Among the Top 5 annually BEST CF’s in the old dominion. Rich but not over bearing or over-extracted. Fresh and energetic acid carry thru to the mid-palate, while enough wood tannin cleans up for the long red fruited jet stream. Ready for any culinary challenge, yet so sophisticated it can be sipped with marvel! — 3 years ago
Ahh, varietally correct tannat :) While a little thin in the late-palate finish, there is a richness on the attack that make for a raised eyebrow. One could see a 93-4pt gem if this was blended with 30% PV. Nevertheless, a fab expression of varietal that make Virginia shine. — 4 years ago
Ron from VA
This bottle was significantly better than the previous bottle I had… Fabulous mouthfeel, and fruit — 3 months ago