The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards

I haven't been able to keep up with all of the new wineries opening in the area, so when fellow blogger Kurt, from Wine About Virginia suggested that the "Virginia Wine Mafia" gather for the opening weekend of a new winery, I jumped at the chance to cross at least one of the new wineries off my list.  We gathered at The Barns at Hamilton Station, and entered the 102 year old barn for our tasting.

The main tasting room area was spacious and inviting, and had plenty of space for people to sit an enjoy wine. This old Dairy Farm has been refinished to create a very inviting space.

If you go out on the upper deck, you get an amazing view of the 10 acres of land, and we were assured that there is ALWAYS a nice breeze, which makes it a great place to hang out, even when its warm out. 

Since our group was so large, we were invited to the tasting area in the basement, where it was, thankfully, much cooler!

A rundown of the wines offered by winemaker Michael Shaps: 
All of the grapes are from Virginia, most being from the Charlottesville area.
2011 Chardonnay - 6 months in oak barrels, but did not have the buttery taste typical of a Chardonnay.  It had hints of apple and pineapple and tasted more like a Chardonnay that had been done in a steel barrel.  The grapes for this wine all came from Purcellville. A great summer wine.
2011 Viognier - spent 9 months in oak and had notes of peach and apricot, with a smooth finish.  Another good white to enjoy in the hot summer months.
2011 Rose - made from 100% Cabernet Franc, it was a dry rose that still had some effervescence in the bottle. There was a tartness strawberry flavor, which was not my preference, but could be for some.
2011 Cabernet Franc - a lighter Cabernet Franc, that had aromas of strawberry and would make for a good summer red. It had 10% Chambourcin, and actually would have been good chilled as well as at room temp.
2011 Merlot -100% Merlot with fruity notes on the nose and spent 10 months in French and American oak.
2011 Petit Verdot - was an earthy wine with notes of spices, but not too overpowering.
(Coming Soon: 2011 Meritage)
Although all the wines are fairly young, the consensus among the group is that they are off to a good start, and will be improving over time. 

Of the 10 acres of property, 2 are currently under vine...growing Petit Verdot and Viognier. There will soon be a 'cigar room' in the old milk processing building, and other additional space in the future.  Thanks to Kurt for organizing a great group of wine lovers, all the bloggers that came out, and Craig and Andrew for their wonderful hospitality!