A Taste of the Shenandoah Valley in Eastern Virginia.
Since the founding of Gauthier Vineyard in 2010, we have sourced our grapes from a specific vineyard site in the Shenandoah Valley. This is an ideal site specifically chosen for its limestone soil, excellent drainage, and modest rainfall at 900ft. elevation – optimal conditions for producing wines of exceptional elegance and balance. From these grapes, we endeavor to create wines honoring the Old-World styles with a New World address.
Speaking of new, we cannot wait to share our new look, coming soon in late 2024!
WHITE
2022 Chardonnay – Oak Aged
These Chardonnay grapes were destemmed, and the berries were pressed whole without crushing to achieve a softer texture with less tannins. Fifty percent of our 2022 Chardonnay was aged in French oak barrels. During that time, the oak imparts a toasty, buttery character to the natural fruity characteristics of this wine. The remaining 50% was aged in stainless steel. The two wines were then blended.
$28/bottle, $7/glass
2022 Viognier – Stainless Steel Aged
Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape. By 1965, the grape was almost extinct when there were only eight remaining acres in the Northern Rhone region of France. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley. Outside of the Rhône, Viognier can be found in regions of North and South America as well as Australia, New Zealand, the Cape Winelands of South Africa as well as in Israel and the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Over the years, the popularity and price of the wine have steadily risen. The most common comments we hear from our guests are” floral, peach, melon, tropical fruits.” Viognier is frequently referred to as the state wine of Virginia. It ages well but is best enjoyed now.
$26/bottle, $7/glass
2022 Gazebo Blanc
Our 2022 Gazebo Blanc is a new sweet wine addition made from the Moscato grape. Moscato’s high residual sugar and low acid contribute to Moscato’s signature sweet taste. Sip a glass and you will pick up on several key characteristics: a fragrant aroma of fruit such as peach, apricot and an orange citrus as well as delicate floral notes such as rose petal and elderflower.
$24/bottle, $7/glass
2021 Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally pure and are seldom oaked. Riesling grapes take on the character of the land in which they are grown. Virginia Rieslings have the wine’s typical floral and fruit characteristics. Riesling is a much under-appreciated variety, perhaps because professional tasters’ opinions range widely from bone dry to slightly sweet. So, if even the professionals don’t see eye-to-eye, why should you? In the end, it’s your palate that tells the tale. Our off-dry Riesling has flavors of tropical fruits – mango, papaya and pineapple, with a light off-dry citrus finish. Sample and decide for yourself!
$24/bottle, $7/glass
2022 Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that owes much of its popularity to winemakers in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. The taste of this wine is very different from other white wines, like Chardonnay, because of its green and herbaceous flavors. It is one of the most widely planted wine grapes in the world, and because of this it has a wide range of styles and flavors. Our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc comes from Washington and has distinctive notes of apple and pear with a light finish.
$26/Bottle, $7/glass
RED
2021 Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but we believe the Virginia “Cab Franc” has remarkable characteristics calling for it to stand alone. This is a black grape varietal, grown on our leased Shenandoah vines. It has notes of dark fruit and a long-lasting black pepper finish. Aged in Hungarian oak, this approachable light bodied wine with soft tannins can be enjoyed now, but also ages well in the bottle.
$32/bottle, $9/glass
2021 Petit Verdot
The exact origins of Petit Verdot are unclear. It is thought that the grape is one of the first varieties originally planted in Bordeaux by the ancient Romans. In Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is primarily a blending wine due to its natural acidity. This wine, as a stand-alone, is rich in color, firm in structure and abundant in flavor. It is a highly concentrated grape, exuding abundant color, structure and flavor. Its aromas circle around vanilla, smoke, spice, cedar and molasses. Petit Verdot is another Bordeaux red that is at home in Virginia. The Petit Verdot flavor profile often exudes dense, dark fruit such as blackberry, black cherry and black plum. It has balanced tannins with a soft finish. Our Petit Verdot expresses dark fruit like black cherries and olive characteristics. This wine ages well for 5 to 10 years, but is also enjoyable while it is young.
$32/bottle, $9/glass
2021 Estate-Grown Norton
Gauthier’s 2017 Estate Norton was our first estate grown and estate bottled wine. The Norton grape has uniquely Virginia origins worth sharing here. Norton’s origins go back to one of America’s founding fathers and his attempt to find a grape that could produce a wine similar to the libations produced in the Old World. Thomas Jefferson put a lot of effort behind cultivating a wine culture in the new land, but Jefferson was not alone in his pursuits. While Jefferson was never able to fully see the fruits of his efforts, another man had much better results. In Richmond, Dr. Daniel Norton discovered his experimental vine was well suited for growth in Virginia soil. What Dr. Norton had was a native grape that had the ability to create wines similar in flavor and aroma to its European cousins. The next step was getting that wine made.
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Dr. Norton made the grape commercially available for purchase, and in 1830, the vines found a home in Missouri, which at the time was the closest thing America had to a Napa Valley. Missouri would become the wine capital of the new country, and Norton became the signature grape. The German settlers who founded the Missouri wine region loved how the Norton grape could survive in the harsh and cold conditions of the region, unlike the French vines that died easily, and how it was virtually impervious to diseases.
Shortly after arriving in Missouri, Norton hit what would become its heyday. The wine made from the grape spread across the US, and even found fans in Europe.In 1873, Norton wine won the gold medal in the international exhibition in Vienna. Things were really looking up, and it seemed for a time that Norton would spread like wildfire, becoming the dominant grape in the entire country, and then Prohibition hit.
With the onset of Prohibition, Norton and other wine grapes such as Cabernet and Merlot were pulled up across the country, with the sweet Concord grape planted in their place. Grapes used for primarily making wine had no place in the booze-free US, and with no one else growing Norton around the world, it fell into obscurity. When Prohibition finally ended in 1933, the wine that had been drunk in secret during that time all came from other parts of the world — locations that had never used the Norton grape — so when America began to rebuild its wine regions, they looked to the wines they drank during Prohibition as their inspiration, and that did not include Norton.
For 56 years following the end of Prohibition, the Norton grape was rarely planted and few remembered the wine it used to create. Then in 1989, a University of Maryland graduate named Dennis Horton purchased a small plot of land in Virginia, and set up a vineyard, determined to return Norton to its rightful place as a noble American grape, capable of producing fantastic wines. Since then Norton has slowly begun to be cultivated again in its birthplace of Virginia as well as the state of Missouri which made it famous all those years ago. Who knows what the wine world has in store for Norton, as tastes and preferences continue to evolve, but the real lesson here is that like any good American, the Norton grape never gives up.
This wine as a stand-alone is rich in color, firm in structure and abundant in flavor. With structured tannins and notes of leather and dark plum. It can be aged 5 to 10 years but also enjoyed now.
2021 Woodmont
This is Gauthier Vineyard’s signature blend of our estate grown Norton with our grapes grown in the Shenandoah Valley. Named for our Inn, this is our five-varietal signature blend of our estate grown Norton with our grapes grown in the Shenandoah Valley: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Chambourcin. This blend cultivates an assortment of dark fruit flavors, subtle tannins, with a note of cinnamon on the finish.
$30/bottle, $9/glass
2020 Brick House Red
This wine is an exceptional blend of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. Aged separately and blended just before bottling, these four blending wines were aged in a combination of French and Hungarian oak. We find these wines, in just the right combination, come together to create a cultivated flavor with notes of spice, black olives and dark fruits with a long and lasting finish. The name for this wine was chosen to memorialize a now dismantled New Kent County historical site located just a few miles from the winery. The town of Brick House, once situated at Brick House Point (at the tip of Plum Point) on the York River, was established circa 1670, and is alleged to be the first town in New Kent County.
$32/bottle, $9/glass
2019 Sweet Beau
This wine is a blend of the first harvest of our estate grown Norton and Chambourcin grown on our Shenandoah Valley leased vines. This wine is sweet with a hint of effervescence. It captures the personality of Gauthier Vineyard’s winery dog, Rochambeau (aka Beau), a Vizsla born in Crozet, VA. His smiling portrait is prominently featured on the label.
$25/bottle, $8/glass
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the world’s most widely recognized red grape varietals. There are certain flavors and aromas that present in this wine, particularly black currant and green bell pepper with a very structured tannin finish.
$28/bottle, $9/glass
2021 Pinot Noir
A black grape varietal grown in the Carneros Wine region in Sonoma County, California, that traces its ancient roots back to Burgundy, France. Aged in oak for one year, this light bodied wine has silky tannins with notes of cherry and subtle spice.
$30/bottle, $9/glass
2019 Gazebo Rouge
This wine is made from Chambourcin grapes grown on our vines in the Shenandoah Valley. Chambourcin is a purple-skinned, French-American hybrid grape that is more readily available in the United States and Australia than in its homeland, France. It is one of the world’s most popular hybrid varieties and is noted for its distinctive dark coloring and herbaceous aroma. Chambourcin wines are often spicy, with black cherry and plum flavors, and a range of herbal characters. Chambourcin’s exact parentage is unknown, but it is thought to be a crossing of native North American vines with a French hybrid. Its hybrid status prevents it from qualifying as a Meritage blender. This version of Chambourcin wine is fermented in a slightly sweet style in response to requests from many of our regular guests. It is a spicy, easy drinking red wine with a sophisticated smooth finish.
$22/bottle, $8/glass
SPARKLING
Blanc de Blanc 2022
Made from 100% of our Shenandoah grown Chardonnay grapes transformed into a sparkling wine using the Charmat Method. A Brut Style sparkler with notes of green apple and pear.
$32 bottles only
SEASONAL FRUIT WINES
2022 Cranberry
This staff favorite has light sweetness and tartness with notes of cherry candy. A versatile wine that can accompany a variety of holiday dishes from poultry, pork, and lamb to dessert. Think of cranberry sauce in the bottle.
$22/bottle, $7/glass
2022 Blackberry
Produced from our Estate grown Arapaho Blackberries, trellised alongside our Norton grapevines, this unique style wine is fortified with Blackberry Brandy, resulting in a distinctive fruit wine experience. Pair with your favorite fruit-based dessert or blend with our Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine for a playful Blackberry Mimosa!
$15 bottles only
DESSERT WINE
2015 Lafayette Reserve
This white port-style wine is made from Viognier, fortified and aged in new French oak for ten months. Pear and peach aromas and flavors, unusual for Viognier, make this a special dessert wine.
Pairings: This white port-style wine pairs very well desserts such as cheesecake and crème brulee. One guest reports success in drizzling it over fruit filled crepes. Use your imagination.
$25/bottle, $9/glass
2016 Rochambeau “Starboard”
This fortified wine made from the Chambourcin grape is 17.5% alcohol (35 proof). After fermentation and aging in French oak for one year, it is fortified with grain alcohol to preserve its distinctive Chambourcin character before being transferred to retired bourbon barrels from a nearby distillery, where it rests for one year prior to bottling. The appellation “Starboard” is a play on words with starboard as the nautical term for the opposite side of the ship from the “Port” side.
Pairings: This red port-style wine pairs very well with chocolate, especially dark chocolate truffles. The soft rich texture, and earthy flavor of chocolate truffles goes well with the deep, fruity, slightly sweet flavor of this wine. In addition to chocolate, it goes well with blue cheeses and dried fruits.
$30/bottle, $11/glass