King Family Vineyards
Just recently my fiance and I took advantage of a holiday weekend and decided to make our way down to Charlottesville, Virginia, best known as the home of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. If you've never been to Charlottesville wine country and you're looking for some recommendations, then I highly recommend King Family Vineyards. Out of the eight or so wineries we visited during our stay, King Family Vineyards was my favorite. It happened to be snowing lightly the morning we went, but looking past the grey day it was still easy to see how lovely and expansive the winery's grounds are.
The vineyard sits at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Originally a farm, the King family purchased the property in 1996 and in 1998 began leasing land for a vineyard. Initially the plan was to sell the grapes, but the family decided to make some wine from some of the grapes in order to learn more about the process. So in 2000 the King family introduced 480 cases of wine to the public and over 1000 cases in 2001, all of which sold. By 2002 they opened as a winery and have grown ever since!
We were greeted warmly and our Tasting Associate was not only friendly and patient, but also knowledgeable about the wines and the history of the vineyard. Our tasting included six wines: Viognier 2014; Chardonnay 2014; Cabernet France 2014; Meritage 2013 (49% Merlot, 24% Petit Verdot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec); Petit Verdot 2013; and Seven 2013, a port. The tasting also includes a wine glass, which seems fairly standard around Charlottesville (though not so much in Northern Virginia).
With the exception of the Seven 2013 all of the wines were dry, which I particularly appreciate, though I must say they have a delectable port. The Seven 2013 was made with 100% Petit Verdot aged for two years in Kentucky Bourbon barrels. I found their tasting notes of ripe bananas and dried figs to be spot on.
I enjoyed every single one of their wines on the tasting menu. It's rare that I, and others I'm sure, visit a winery and find that I like all of the wines, so we made sure to buy a couple of bottles. I happily would have loved to buy a bottle of each, but since we were visiting so many wineries and expecting to buy from those as well we didn't want to break the bank!
We ended up purchasing the Chardonnay 2014 and the Petit Verdot 2013. I love a Chardonnay with some oak aging and butter notes. This one doesn't have a lot of buttery-ness, but it has a well balanced oaky-ness and just the right amount of acidity, in my humble opinion. As for the Petit Verdot, it's probably one of my favorites that I've tried in Virginia. This is a wonderful full-bodied red that was aged in French oak for 22 months. I can't wait to pair it with some red meat!
Adjacent to the tasting room to the right is a room to enjoy your glass or bottle purchases (pictured in the third photo) as well as a room showcasing King Family's wines (above photo). I thought the room to be very tastefully decorated and my fiance loved how the construction incorporated so much wood. I think the floors are especially exquisite.
The winery grounds also have an outdoor polo field (not pictured), which is utilized during the spring and summer months for polo games. During these games they sell bottles and glasses of their wine and everyone has a casual, fun, and social time watching the matches.
That said, I wish King Family Vineyards was closer! I loved all of their wines and I encourage anyone making a trip down to Charlottesville to stop by the winery. Cheers!
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