Barboursville Vineyards

This year’s harvest of Reds followed an orderly timetable of ideal ripening throughout, which reached its natural conclusion on the eve of the arrival of tropical storm Ophelia, with her 3 inches of rain. That coincidence may forever associate the 2023 vintage with her name, but its fame will belong to bold highlights of one of our finest growing seasons, with the Reds fully matching the gorgeous results previously reported for the Whites.

The grapes we turn to for Octagon vaulted easily high enough to clear a memorable vintage of this benchmark wine, atop a richly age-worthy roster of Reserve Reds. And this 34th harvest for Winemaker Luca Paschina also marks the first of Cabernet Franc from our new, ideally sited “Brethren” vineyard, named for the historic church beside it on Goodlow Mountain. In their own voice, this year’s Reds will carry the deepest resonance by recalling the wine which first drew national attention here — his Governor’s Cup-winning Cabernet Franc, from 1997.

A fuller report will appear in October's Note from the Winemaker.