Our
small
farm
winery
has
10
acres
of
vineyards.
Along
the
driveway
there
are
nearly
2
acres
of
Cabernet
Franc
planted
in
2002.
Further
up
the
hill
we
have
8
acres
of
vineyards,
planted
in
Merlot,
Petit
Verdot,
Viognier,
and
Elderberry
on
land
that
we
lease
from
the
Carr
estate.
Our
land
used
to
be
part
of
a
larger
farm
owned
by
the
Carr’s. All
of
our
wines
are
crafted
entirely
by
hand. No
mechanical
pumps
are
ever
used
to
handle
the
fermented
pulp
or
wine
during
aging
to
preserve
the
true
character
of
the
variety. Our
wines
are
all
aged
in
French
oak
barrels
to
further
enhance
them
during
the
aging
process.
Our
winemaking
philosophy
values
quality
over
volume,
so
we
reduce
the
grape
crop
by
hand
before
it
is
fully
ripe
to
intensify
the
flavors.
This
year
we
are
pleased to offer
3 of our own
red
wines plus the
2002 Barrel
Fermented
Chardonnay from
Naked Mountain
Vineyard and
Winery,
located in Markham,
Virginia.
The
farm structure
which houses
our tasting
and barrel
rooms adjoins
our large,
old bank
barn that
will be
restored.
A
word about
the barn -- the
barn was
built using
post and
beam construction
and mortise
and tenon
joinery. Some
of the
heart pine
floorboards are
18” wide.
From the
barn cellar
(in the
back), you
can see
hand-hewn oak
joists supporting
the floor
above, and
the stone
foundation and
cellar walls
which were
put together
using lime
and sand
mortar. The
barn’s
stone foundation
is smaller
than the
barn structure
you see
above it. We believe
that an
older, smaller
barn previously
existed on
this foundation,
possibly burning
down around
the time
of the
Civil War;
and that
a larger
barn was
rebuilt over
the original
stone foundation,
as you
see it
now. A
spring-fed
creek
runs
year-round
behind
the
barn
and
winery
down
towards
Catoctin
creek,
which
flows
past
the
Mill
in
Waterford. There
is
also
a
natural
spring
which
runs
underneath
the
barn
that
has
been
piped
down
to
feed
into
the
creek. |