James River Cellars is another winery that is very easy to find.  It sits just off Route 1 in Ashland, VA, a few miles north of Richmond. This is not one of my favorite area vineyards– not because of the wines but because of the atmosphere. The tasting room is very popular with a very young crowd and gives it a feeling that you are on a college campus instead of at a serious winery.  Because of the age of the typical consumer here, the wines tend to be less developed and on the sweeter side.

The chardonnays from James River are very traditional. They also have a gewurztraminer, which used to be much more common at Virginia wineries. There’s is a bit on the sour side for a traditional German-style gewurztraminer.  The vidal blanc is slightly sweet with a residual sugar at 1.5%.  The 2011 chardonel is supposedly a gold medal winner but not much to my taste.  The 2011 Rad Red was the best of the wines here.  A blend of several reds like merlot, petite verdot, and cab franc, this wine was very good with an off dry taste.  The 2010 merlot, also touted as a medal winner, had a very musty nose, reminiscent of many French wines.  The meritage was also very good and full bodied.  The remaining reds, the 2011 Hanover, the 2011 chambourcin, and the 2011 Real Santa Red,  were all too sweet for my taste.

I would only recommend this winery if you want to make a quick stop near Richmond and are looking for something different to do. Otherwise, keep heading either north to the Stafford area where several great new wineries have opened, east toward New Kent County, or west toward Charlottesville, where some of Virginia’s best known wineries reside.

James River Cellars