Blenheim Vineyards is a

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

located in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

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

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

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 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 (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

and

Martha Jefferson Martha Skelton Jefferson ( ''née'' Wayles; October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the wife of Thomas Jefferson. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781. She died in 1782, 19 years before ...

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 of the

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

. 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 phil ...

. 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 research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

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 bo ...

's ex-wife Patricia Kluge.

Production

Blenheim Vineyards has under

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") 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 themsel ...

. The first planting was in 2000 and the second planting was in 2007. The grapes growing on the Blenheim property include Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, 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

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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