Breaux Vineyards

Whenever I visit Northern Virginia, there are three wineries that are must visits. One of those, Breaux Vineyards, is located in Purcellville, VA on the Loudoun Wine Trail. Easily one of the most picturesque wineries in Virginia with sweeping views of the valley between the Blue Ridge and Short Hill Mountains. The 404 acre estate has over 100 acres planted in 18 different grape varieties, making it one of the largest growers in the region.

We visited on a Wednesday where Breaux is one of the few Virginia wineries open during the week. The tasting room was quiet and the weather fabulous to sample some of Virginia’s best. The tasting fee is $10 and includes 13 wines. If I were to include all of my notes, this post would become a small novel, so I’ll stick with the highlights. Up first were the whites. The ’07 Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier were my winners of the group. The Sauvignon Blanc was outstanding and has me very excited about the potential of this grape variety in Virginia. A dry, crisp wine with good fruit left me wishing I had driven to Virginia versus flying. I’m limited to what I can pack in my suitcase and of course, it’s no time to be shipping wine to Florida in this heat. The Viognier, on my palate at least, was a unique example for Virginia (which I appreciate). Beautiful orange blossom and pineapple dominated throughout. The ’06 Select Barrel Chardonnay and the ’05 Madeleines Chardonnay are great examples of the contrasting styles of this variety and are highly recommended.

After enjoying the whites, I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Breaux, Director of Sales & Hospitality. After introductions, we jumped right into the reds, where Jennifer and the tasting room associate provided background on their current reds. Up first was the Equation. A blend of Merlot from the ’05 and ’07 vintages, with a splash of Petit Verdot, the wine retails for $15. A great quality to price ratio for a Virginia wine! Up next included the ’05 Marquis De Lafayette, a 100% Cab Franc. I had written down black pepper and plum on my tasting sheet. Lighter bodied than I had remembered, and once more, a great example of a Virginia Cab Franc. Breaux has a great Cabernet Sauvignon program, producing age worthy Cabs. We sampled the ’03 which was complex, earthy, and well-balanced. My wine of the day featured the 2002 Merlot Reserve, which made its way to Florida safe and sound in my luggage. Expect an upcoming review of this wine. The last of the reds included the much-praised, small production Nebbiolo. Coming in at $48, the wine exhibits nice fruit and complexities with earthy, cherry, and tobacco characteristics. We finished off our tasting with a selection of dessert wines. I had mentioned the tasting included 13 wines, but our tasting associate pulled out the recently bottled Nebbiolo Ice Wine, that is certain to become a Virginia classic. A beautiful wine that my wife and I went on and on about. One bottle came home and will be reviewed at a later date.

I’ve tried to do my best summing up Breaux Vineyards, but sometimes words can’t describe and pictures don’t do justice. From the customer service to the wine, Breaux Vineyards is a must on every itinerary when visiting Virginia wine country. I’ve noticed a jump in my site traffic thanks to all of my Virginia fans. As a thank you, I will send two free Breaux tasting passes for the tenth comment telling me their favorite Breaux wine OR a favorite Breaux story. Hurry up and plan that trip to Breaux Vineyards and be sure to tell them The Other 46 sent you. Cheers!

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