Boxwood Reviewed in Wine Spectator

It is not often that a Virginia wine gets reviewed by a national publication, so the the write-ups that Boxwood Winery got in this month's Wine Spectator are good news!

The 2007 Boxwood and Topiary were both reviewed by James Molesworth (on Twitter).



Here is some of what he had to say about the 2007 Boxwood (Boxwood's right bank style Bordeaux blend), which he rated a 88:

This offers a solid beam of black currant, graphite and spice notes that push through the tobacco- and cedar-tinged finish.

He rated the Topiary (Boxwood's left bank style Bordeaux blend) an 87, this is part of his review:

This has a slightly burly core of mulled fig and black currant fruit, along with cocoa, black tea and licorice root notes.

New Years Eve at Boxwood Tasting Room

The Boxwood Tasting Room hosted a big New Years Gala. For $50 you got a cheese tray, two glasses of Champagne and a $40 Eno Card. A good deal and a lot of fun!




I was surprised at the selections on the Eno machines. In the past there has been a focus on French wines, with emphasis on wines made by Stephane Derenoncourt. This time, there was a greater variety, with wines from around the world, including a Syrah from Idaho.

Boxwood on Facebook

Most Loudoun County wineries have a presence on Facebook, Twiiter or both. Some are managed/updated better than others, but it is good to see that most of them at least make an effort. Two wineries that are noticeably absent are Swedenburg and Boxwood.

Well, it looks like that has changed. The Boxwood Tasting Room has started their own page on Facebook.

The Tasting Room at Reston Town Center

I've written about the Boxwood Tasting Room in Middleburg. Now Boxwood has opened Tasting Rooms in Reston Town Center and in Chevy Chase.

I recently visited the one in Reston Town Center and had a great experience. The Tasting Room has a modern feel; it is sparsely decorated with lots of gray and black. I think this style works much better in Reston Town Center then it does in Middleburg. Middleburg tends to focus on the old and the cozy, so the Tasting Room there is slightly jarring in its contrast to the rest of the town.





The wine selection was great and they seem to have expanded from offering just the wines of Stephane Derenoncourt to offer a wide variety of Bordeaux wines. In fact, I was very excited to see that they are offering a Henri Lurton (owner of Brane Cantenac) wine!

They also offer light faire, such as olives and almonds and, of course, and excellent selection of cheeses.

I've mentioned Stephane Derencourt and the great work he's done at Boxwood Winery previously. Well, now he is going to be consulting for a second American winery, Francis Ford Coppola. If he does the same things for the Coppolla brand that he has done for Boxwood it should be interesting:

"California wines are often easy to taste but difficult to drink. I intend to do something different," the Frenchman said. In addition to the two US consultancies he is about to release the 'Derenoncourt' label made at Cuvaison and John Caldwell wineries.

I'd like to introduce you to Stephane Derenoncourt a Bordeaux "rebel" and creator of right bank garage wines (much like one of my favorite left bank wine makers).

What are the results of Derenoncourt's style? Check it out for yourself.

Why the interest in Derenoncourt? He is the winemaker at a new winery in Middleburg. One that has set out to make wines similar to those in Bordeaux.

We visited the Boxwood Tasting Room on Saturday, and it is impressive. The centerpiece of the Tasting Room is an Italian-imported tasting station that features a variety of left bank and right bank Bordeauxs as well as Boxwood's Topiary. Being able to sample their Topiary against a sampling of other Bordeaux wines really helped put it into perspective.

How does it stack up? Well, it is a medium-bodied Bordeaux that is a blend of 49% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. It has a deep color with hints of cherry and a subtle tobacco aroma. Considering that it is a 2005 it has soft tannins and a smooth finish. The Merlot does a nice job of offsetting the pepperiness of the Cabernet Franc, but making Cabernet Franc the primary grape gives it a unique taste and a strong flavor.

The tasting room is a very pleasant experience, and a great opportunity to sample a wide variety of Bordeaux wines in one place.