Vintage Factors

This season will be remembered by all Virginia growers as one of the most challenging, characterized by a mild spring with early and very fruitful bud break, followed by well above average rainfall in June and July which required extensive leaf pulling and mowing. In our district we experienced a warm and fairly dry August which allowed some good to very good ripening in whites and some red varietals, but heavily penalizing Cabernet Sauvignon. In early September, under the pressure of Hurricane Florence we picked in between rains all of our reds. Despite all, we are very pleased with the fragrant whites and for individual parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Nebbiolo. There will be a short vintage of Octagon 2018.