I don't want to start the newsletter bumming anyone out so I'll just repeat what I told a TV reporter in late August: "2011 is shaping up to be the finest vintage in my 25 years of growing grapes." Turns out I might have been a wee bit off the mark with that proclamation. A rain-sufficient spring was followed by a temperate summer and leading into harvest we were actually near drought here at Cardinal Point during August. The fruit was clean and beautiful and happy. After the first week or so of harvest, it started to rain a little ... and a little more ... well, it felt like it never stopped. Rain messes up fruit chemistry and it encourages fruit rot for vulnerable, ripe grapes. I do not recall a wetter harvest. Least affected were white varieties, which are mostly picked earlier, and later ripening reds like Petit Verdot. Most affected was our Cabernet Franc. - Tim

While the the weather for ripening and harvesting fruit was discouraging, the resultant wines are actually pretty solid. I'm honestly as surprised as anyone. Further, as I always claim to like a challenge, 2011 has really pushed me to try new techniques in the winery which is always fun ... if not always successful. I believe I am a better winemaker because of this vintage which will be good in the long run.

We have three wines going to bottle shortly: Our Union and Clay Hill Cabernet Franc, both from 2010. These are both solid reds, and very distinct; you will like them both, but for different reasons. The third wine, yet to be officially named, will actually be our first release from this recent 2011 vintage. It is a co-fermented dry white wine of Petit Manseng and Chardonnay, crisp, a little bubbly, and wonderfully fragrant. I am excited about this wine and hope you approve. - Tim


We had another successful (and rain-free) summer for our Tins4Tunes concert series, and, thanks to our generous concert goers, were able to bring bin loads of food to stock our local food pantry. Thanks to everyone who participated! We look forward to next year’s series and will have dates posted in January on our website for those of you who like to plan ahead.

In June, we hosted our first big wedding at Cardinal Point. Our friends Jenn and Brodie tied the knot and celebrated in big style with cocktails up at the house and a righteous reception, complete with dinner and dancing down on our event field in front of the winery. The entire event was absolutely gorgeous, and we could not be happier for the newlyweds. We haven’t yet fully committed to a wedding schedule at the winery, but stay tuned as we wade through the pros and cons; we’ll post updates to our Facebook and web pages.



Since we had such nice weather for our summer events, we anticipated that, perhaps, some inclement weather might affect our Oyster Roast. We were (imagine!), however, thinking it would come in the form of RAIN, not SNOW. So we were, in fact, a bit put out by the layer of snow on the ground on the Saturday morning of this year’s Roast. Fortunately, all worry was for naught—thanks to Tim and his crew who took care of some soggy ground and for the powers that be that parted the clouds promptly at noon, when we got started.

Special thanks to our friends at Rappahannock River Oysters who once again brought the tastiest oysters ever, the Cashmere Jungle Lords and The Atkinson’s who entertained us all weekend, Caromont Farm for providing some delicious cheeses to go on the fresh baked Goodwin Creek Farm breads, and the owners and crew at Skyline Tent Company who once again gave us all such a comfortable place to enjoy it all. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!

We had a busy summer in the tasting room, which led right into a busy fall! We are happy to report that our participation in the Nelson151 Trail has resulted in an increase in visitors to our area and our winery. If you have not checked out the website, please do—it is a great resource for any visit to our region, collecting information on the wineries, breweries, our business partners on the trail and events, all in one place: www.Nelson151.com.

A busy tasting room means that we’ve gone through quite a bit of wine this fall. Tim’s new blend, the 2009 Union, set a CP record for shortest time on our tasting sheet. We released on July 4th weekend, and we had sold out by the beginning of October. For those of you who were not able to snag a bottle, good news: The 2010 goes into bottle in December, and it is FANTASTIC! We are very excited and hope that any bottle shock will be minimal, and we can release it soon after. See Tim’s notes above about some other exciting things going on the shelves this year and next!!

Coming up, we celebrate a saner way to shop with our Black Friday/Cyber Monday Celebration. If you are in the area, take refuge from Black Friday madness with tasty treats at our wine bar and free tastings on Friday, Nov. 25. If you can't make it to the winery and you are ordering wines to be shipped to VA, MN, or FL, place your orders on Monday, Nov. 28--we will offer free shipping for all online orders placed before midnight on that date.

If you haven't already, "Like" us on Facebook! It is a great way to keep up with weekly happenings at Cardinal Point.

As always, thanks to our wonderful customers and our great staff for another productive and satisfying year at Cardinal Point. We value you all and wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons.