Blenheim Vineyards is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

located in the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region of the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in the county of Albemarle. It is located within both the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

viticultural areas and is among the 23 wineries located on the "Monticello Wine Trail".

History

Blenheim Vineyards is located on the historic Virginia farm claimed in 1730 by Secretary of the Virginia Colony John Carter who had a grant for 9,350 acres of land in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...

just south of

near what is now known as Carter's Mountain. Carter maintained a mill there and his son Colonel Edward Carter built the first house there at Blenheim. The British Commander Major General William Philips resided at Blenheim while a prisoner during the Revolutionary War. Both

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

and

Martha Jefferson Martha Skelton Jefferson ( ''née'' Wayles; October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781. She died ...

were frequent guests at Blenheim during Phillips' captivity there. The Blenheim house was offered for sale at a public auction in 1840 after the original house had been destroyed by fire. Blenheim farm was purchased in 1999 by musician

Dave Matthews David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...

of the

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

. The Matthews family purchased the land to preserve Blenheim's historical significance and to eventually farm the land in some way. The Matthews family made the decision to plant new grape vines on the remnants of an old vineyard that was on the property. Brad McCarthy was one of the original winemakers at Blenheim Vineyards along with Peter Matthews. Dave Matthews is on the growing

list of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards The trend of celebrities owning wineries and vineyards is not a recent phenomenon, though it has certainly garnered more attention in today's Information Age. In ancient Greek (wine), ancient Greek and Roman (wine), Roman times, the leading phi ...

. In 2008 the current Blenheim winemaker Kirsty Harmon joined Blenheim vineyards. Harmon, one of several female winemakers in Virginia, is a graduate of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and studied under Virginia winemaker Gabriele Rausse at the Kluge Estate owned by the deceased billionaire

John Kluge John Werner Kluge (; September 21, 1914September 7, 2010) was a German-American entrepreneur who became a television industry mogul in the United States. At one time he was the richest person in the U.S. Early life and education Kluge was b ...

's ex-wife Patricia Kluge.

Production

Blenheim Vineyards has under

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

. The first planting was in 2000 and the second planting was in 2007. The grapes growing on the Blenheim property include

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu AOC, Condrieu in the Rhone Valley (wine), Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 754, Oxford Univers ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

, and

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

. Some grapes used in Blenheim wines are also sourced from other Virginia growers. Currently the winery produces . Blenheim makes their Viogniers by using a mix of both barrel and tank fermented wine. Blenheim also relies on neutral, straightforward yeast strains, and use exclusively screw-cap closures on all of their wines.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Blenheim Vineyards official site

Monticello Wine Trail
Wineries in Virginia Tourist attractions in Charlottesville, Virginia 2000 establishments in Virginia

History

Production

See also

References

External links