Despite living so close to it, I had never visited Chrysalis. Part of the reason for that is their affinity for the Norton grape, but more than that it just hadn't been on my radar. Well, I finally corrected that a few weeks ago.

Their setup is a little unusual for a Virginia winery: The tastings are actually held in a large building that is separate from their "tasting room". The tasting room is very small, so this arrangement makes sense. They have three tables set up in the building where they do the tastings and they run group tastings at set times during the hour. So, you get your tasting ticket, go the table where the next tasting is going to start and wait until the appointed time.

Their wines make heavy use of Norton, so if you love that grape you need to visit this winery. In my case, I was impressed with their Petit Verdot and their Tannat, both grapes that are not seen often in Virginia and both excellently done.

I also enjoyed Sarah's Patio White and Red, excellent summer wines.

On Saturday Veramar had a library tasting. We got to compare different years of their Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Norton as well as highlights of some of their other wines.

Justin Bogaty, the winemaker, and Jim Boagarty, the owner, led the tasting and gave the attendees insight not only into the wine but also into their style of winemaking and how it has changed over time. They were great about answering questions and it make for a very intimate experience. It really helped that they limited attendance to 20 or so people.

They did spend a lot of time trying to convince me that Norton can make a good wine, and Jim even suggested a recipe that I should try with the '06 Norton. So, I am going to give it a try and see if I can be converted.

Brandywine Wine Trail

We were up in Brandywine the last weekend in September to Brandywine Valley Harvest festival. The Brandywine Valley Wine Trail includes six wineries, all relatively close together. We opted to hit three of them.

The first winery was Folly Hill. Folly Hill is half winery, half wine merchandise shop...I know it seems a lot of wineries are that way, but this one really stood out. Their wines were nice, they have both an oaked and a stainless steel Chardonnay. I always enjoy the contrast between the two. They had a Syrah that was surprisingly good, it is not a varietal that you see a lot of in Pennsylvania, but it was well-done in this case.

The next stop was Twin Brook Winery. Of all our stops this one had the nicest tasting room and the most friendly, though overwhelmed, staff. They had a wide selection of wines including an awful Norton (of course, I think all Nortons are awful -- so don't take my word for it). Their Pinot Grigio was good, a nice light wine. Their Chambourcin Reserve was excellent. They also had a Cabernet Franc which was very smooth and an interesting contrast to the pepperiness of Virginia Cabernet Francs, it was almost like tasting a different varietal.

Finally, we ended the day at Chaddsford. Chaddsford is probably the best-known Pennsylvania winery. They produce 30,000 cases a year and distribute it throughout the Mid-Atlantic and North East regions.

They produce 18 different wines, ranging from fruity wines to a Meritage blend. There were a few wines of note. The Spiced Apple wine is an apple wine fermented with various spices. They also had a good Pinot Grigio and the oaked/stainless steel Chardonnay pairing. In reds, the Due Rossi was an excellent blend of Sangiovese and Barbera. The Miller Estate Chambourcin was also very good. On the other hand, the two Pinot Noirs were disappointing.