I thought today I would write about one of my long-time favorite Virginia wineries, Chrysalis Vineyards.  Chrysalis Vineyards has been around for a while and has always, in my opinions, produced some of the better wines in Virginia.  This time, the wines did not disappoint and I actually ordered a case that I had shipped back home to me.  In addition to the wine, the staff is always pleasant. Even though we arrived at close to closing time, the staff did not seem impatient and allow us to finish our tasting.

The whites were all good to very good, keeping in mind that I don’t even like most whites and especially not chardonnays.  The Albarino was really good with a floral nose and dry taste.  The Barrel Reserve Viognier was a bit oak for my taste; however, the nonoaked Viognier was very good and had a classic taste.  The Mariposa, a rose, was a blend of norton and nebbiolo and was only slightly sweet.  The Sarah’s Patio White, named from a former resident of the area, is a vidal blanc and traminette blend. It would make a great patio wine as it is semi sweet with about 2-3% residual sugar.  The Sarah’s Patio Red is a sweet norton which was way too grapey on the finish.  The Traminette was also very good and not too sweet with a lovely floral nose, which I always expect from a good traminette.

Although the whites were all good, I love the reds from Chrysalis.  The 2011 Estate Bottle Norton is 85% norton and 15% nebiolo and was one of the classic nortons that I expect from Virginia wineries. The 2010 Locksley Reserve Norton was excellent and by far my favorite wine offered. This was a bit more aged that the Estate Bottle Norton so it had a more developed flavor.  The 2009 Rubiana, a blend of Portuguese and French red varietals, was dry and very good.  The 2009 Petit Verdot was a very classic petit verdot.  The 2009 Tannat also had a classic flavor and, after this Tannat, I have developed a taste for the grape.  The 1009 Papillon is a blending of petit verdot and tanant with a touch of viognier, which makes a unique but tasty combination.

I always recommend Chrysalis to those who want to try some of the better Virginia wines. I, personally, am looking forward to breaking into that case!  The winemaker from Chrysalis is also working with a new vineyard located almost across the street from Chrysalis (I am afraid I have forgotten the name) but make a stop there too!