I continue to celebrate Virginia Wine Month, and on October 18, I had the opportunity to taste the 12 wines that comprised this year’s Virginia Governor’s Cup Case at the Capital Wine School.  The tasting was conducted by CWS director Jay Youmans, MW.  Jay Youmans has been involved in the wine industry, including the local...

I continue to celebrate Virginia Wine Month, and on October 18, I had the opportunity to taste the 12 wines that comprised this year’s Virginia Governor’s Cup Case at the Capital Wine School.  The tasting was conducted by CWS director Jay Youmans, MW.  Jay Youmans has been involved in the wine industry, including the local Virginia industry, for over 40 years.  He had been the judging director for the Virginia Governor’s Cup competition for many years before Frank Morgan of drinkwhatyoulike.com took on that role for the 2024 competition.

The tasting session began with an overview of how the competition is conducted.  Over 620 wines from 86 of Virginia’s entered the competition, which occurred in January 2025.  Judging occurs in two rounds,  first with the preliminary round, and then the final round.  Each round has its own set of 12 judges.  (Jay Youmans was one of the final round judges.) From the final round, wines are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals.  The Governor’s Cup Case is culled from the gold medal winners, one of which earns the top award, the Governor’s Cup. In other words, the Governor’s Cup Case is the best of the highest rated wines.  Needless to say, I was excited to be able to taste these solid gold champions. (Click here to learn more about the Virginia Governor’s Cup competition.)

So which wines made the Governor’s Cup Case, and what were my impressions?  Without further ado, here they are:

1. 2018 Trump Sparkling Rose (winemaker: Jeremy Wheeler)—Crafted from 88% Chardonnay  and 12% Pinot Noir; fresh, bright strawberry and cherry notes, yeasty
2. 2023 Potomac Point Winery Albarino (winemakers: Skip Causey and Jordan Cleary)— ripe pear, citrus, and mineral notes; 4 months on lees in stainless steel tanks; rounder feel
3. 2023 The Winery at La Grange “Catherine’s Vineyard” Petit Manseng (winemaker: Seth Chambers)— golden hue; lush tropical aromas and flavors, particularly pineapple; aged in neutral French oak barrels provided a honeyed feel on the palate, a bit of coconut at the end
4. 2023 Veritas Monticello White (winemaker: Emily Hodson)— white blend includes 50% Chardonnay, 22% Viognier, 17% Sauvignon Blanc, and 11% Petit Manseng; whiff of white blossoms; apple; a combination of aging in stainless steel aging (33%) and neutral oak barrels (70%) imparted a nice weight on the palate along with a kiss of vanilla
5. 2022 Michael Shaps “Wild Meadow Vineyard” Chardonnay (winemaker: Michael Shaps)— elegant and Old World, apple, baking spices, vanilla; lengthy finish; whole cluster pressed and fermented in oak barrels, 50% new, for 15 months. Yay for this Chardonnay!
6. 2023 Valley Road Vineyards Petit Manseng (winemaker: Corry Craighill)—2.2% residual sugar amplifies the tropical fruit profile; neutral oak aging provides texture and a fuller mouth feel.
7. 2023 Paradise Springs Cabernet Franc “Brown Bear Vineyard” (winemaker: Rob Cox)—an initial smoky nose gave way to a violet note; blackberry, raspberry and cherry; anise; black pepper; medium-bodied; aged in new and neutral French oak barrels for 8 months
8. 2023 DuCard Vintners Reserve Cabernet Franc (winemaker: Julien Durantie)—juicy black raspberry and cherry notes; dried herbs; well framed; versatile; aged 9 months in oak barrels
9. 2021 50 West Vineyards Aldie Heights Cuvee (winemaker: Jason Burrus)—Plum and currant; dense; sweet tobacco, “chewy”; I’ve already written about this one, and I enjoyed sampling it again; aged 26 months in French oak barrels
10. 2017 Barboursville Vineyards Octagon (winemaker: Luca Paschina)—Octogan is a perennial gold medal winner, and this red blend includes 62% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot; savory nose with black berry and cherry notes; faint cedar; aged 12 months in French oak barrels. I have a bottle of this one on the wine rack; drink now or hold on for a couple of years.  It’s showing very well right now (obviously).
11. 2021 King Family Mountain Plains Red (winemaker: Matthieu Finot)—a red blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 37% Merlot, and 18% Petit Verdot; dense dark currants and black plum; earthy with oak nuances; complex; aged 22 months in French oak barrels
12. 2023 Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve (winemaker: Luca Paschina)—The Winner! I’ve written about this already, but worth revisiting. Nice stone fruit and citrusy notes; minerality; aged on the lees in stainless steel tanks; refreshing and delightful.

In previous posts, I admitted my excitement for Petit Manseng in Virginia and the direction in which winemakers were taking it.  In the past, I found Petit Manseng too cloying; however, local winemakers have mastered the balancing act between high acidity and residual sugar as witnessed by the two Governor’s Cup Case winners.  Jay Youmans stated that Petit Manseng had the potential to be Virginia’s Chenin Blanc, the fruity, acidic grape variety championed by France’s Loire region.  Youmans may be on to something based on what I sampled here and from other Virginia wineries too.

So  if I had to any grab two bottles of my personal favorites from the case, one white and the other red, which would they be?  Yay for Chardonnay, so I’d take the Michael Shaps 2022 Wild Meadow Chardonnay.  It was simply beautiful in the glass and refreshing yet elegant on the palate.  (Besides, I do have bottle of the Grand Champion from Barboursville Vineyards.) Red wine? I already have the 2017 Octagon, the 2022 50 West Aldie Heights Cuvee, and the 2023 Paradise Springs Cabernet Franc on my wine rack. My grab, then, would be the 2021 King Family Mountain Plains Red.  Complex, powerful, and well structured, this red blend showcases what can be produced from a  banner growing season with both expert vineyard management and winemaking techniques.

I enjoyed Jay Youmans’ presentation of this award-winning wines, and it was exciting to share in discussions about these wines with other tasters who attended the session.  Tasting these exceptional wines at the Capital Wine School  was also another way to celebrate Virginia Wine Month. Consider participating in one of the many classes and tasting sessions offered by the Capital Wine School.  I also suggest visiting the wineries mentioned in this post to taste these wines for yourselves.  Of course, please mention Virginia Wine Time sent you.

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