Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winner: Michael Shaps Chardonnay

2022 Michael Shaps Wild Meadow Chardonnay ($28)

Nestled in the woods just south of Charlottesville, Michael Shaps Winery blends Old World tradition with Virginia terroir. Founded in 2007 by acclaimed winemaker Michael Shaps, the winery is known for producing small-batch, age-worthy wines.

Produced in the Burgundian style, this 100% Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed and fermented in oak barrels (50% new) with ambient (wild) yeast. This resulted in a prolonged fermentation and full malolactic conversion. It was then followed by 15 months of aging on primary lees.

This Michael Shaps Wild Meadow Chardonnay is medium gold in color with a very delicate aroma of pear. On the palate, this Chardonnay is fresh and bright. Its rather high acidity of 6.15 g/L is somewhat offset by the oak aging, having undergone full Malolactic conversion and the reported 0% residual sugar. These factors yield a Burgundy-like Chardonnay, that is fresh and bright. [ABV: 13%, TA: 6.15 g/L, pH: 3.2, RS: 0%]

This is yet another winner and, at this price, a perfect fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review.

Media Sample Provided by Michael Shaps Winery, Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winner: Barboursville Vineyards Octagon

2017 Barboursville Vineyards Octagon ($95)

This Barboursville Vineyards wine was named to celebrate the estate’s diverse connections with the legacy of Thomas Jefferson, symbolized in the central octagon drawing room in his design for Governor Barbour’s mansion.

Octagon is produced from 100% estate-grown grapes including 62% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. The gapes were grown under the expertise of viticulturist Fernando Franco, and were sourced from two Merlot parcels, one Cabernet Franc, and two Petit Verdot plots.

A traditional approach to fermentation was followed, with blending occurring after 12 months of aging.

This Octagon is medium purple in color with aromas of red fruit, sweet tobacco and notes from the oak aging. On the palate, this medium-full bodied wine has rich black fruit flavors along with notes from the 12 months of oak aging. It has medium-high tannin and finishes soft and balanced. [ABV: 13.5%, TA: 5.4 g/L, pH: 3.68, Residual Sugar: <0.1%]

This is indeed a winner and a perfect fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review.

Media Sample Provided by Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winner: 50 West Vineyards

50 West Aldie Heights Cuvée ($70)

50 West is a farm vineyard located on Route 50 just past the historic town of Aldie in Middleburg, Virginia. (39060 John Mosby Highway).

First used by Native Americans as a route to move their migrating herds, Route 50 was later used by the colonists and a portion was even surveyed by George Washington.

As one of the larger farm vineyards in the state, they grow fruit on five properties in northern Virginia and are proud of their reputation for growing 100% Virginia grown grapes to make their wine.

Winemaker Jason Burrus got his start in California where he spent six years in Napa, Sonoma, and the Central Valley while completing his MS in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis. He’s called Virginia home since 2006.

This Aldie Heights Cuvée was produced from 47% Tannat, 44% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon from their Shenandoah Springs & Shenandoah Ridge Vineyards. It was aged for 26 months in French oak barrels.

It is medium purple in color with delicate black fruit aromas along with a hint of the French oak. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has rich dark fruit flavors, is very complex, has wonderful vanilla notes from the French oak aging and has a long, smooth and balanced finish. [ABV: 14.5%, TA: 4.5 g/L, pH:4.0, Residual Sugar: 0.4%]

This is a truly outstanding wine. One sip will show you why this was a winner in the Virginia Governor’s Cup. And, it’s a perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review.

Media Samples Provided by 50 West Vineyards, Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winner: King Family Vineyards

2021 King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains Monticello Red Blend ($85)

King Family Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery. They’re known as one of the best wineries in Virginia.

They specialize in the production of premium wines that showcase the remarkable quality and terroir of the Monticello AVA. Beginning with carefully selected grapes, winemaker Matthieu Finot creates wines inspired by the old world, but uniquely expressive of Virginia wine.

This Monticello Red Blend is produced with 45% Cabernet Franc, 37% Merlot and 18% Petit Verdot.

The grapes are hand-sorted and destemmed. The wines underwent four to eight weeks of maceration in open-top concrete fermentation tanks, allowing for the extraction of color, tannin, and concentration. Following pressing, the wines were aged separately for 22 months in new French oak barrels. After blending, the wines continued to age until bottling.

This Monticello Red Blend is Medium ruby in color with aromas of black plum, blackberry and black currant along with a pleasant hit of the French oak. On the palate, this medium-full bodied Red Blend is rich and complex with big black fruit flavors and notable oak. This wine has a wonderfully long finish that is very smooth. [ABV: 13.8%, TA: 5.27 g/L, pH:3.52, Residual Sugar: <0.1%]

This King Family Vineyards Monticello Red Blend is indeed a winner! And a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review.

Media Samples Provided by King Family Vineyards, Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Winning Red Wines

The Virginia Wine Governor's Cup® Winning Red Wines

As noted in a previous blog, a qualified team of judges sampled over 620 of the best Virginia wines, ciders and meads from across the Virginia Commonwealth. 

The Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition is one of the most stringent and thorough wine competitions in the United States. The contest is a result of a partnership between the Virginia Wineries Association, which owns and manages the competition and the gubernatorial-appointed Virginia Wine Board.

The highest 12 ranking red and white wines make up the 2025 Governor's Cup Case.  

Here’s the first of the winning reds included in the Governor's Cup Case:

Trump Winery Sparkling Rosé ($44.99)

Trump Winery (formerly Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard) is a winery on Trump Vineyard Estates in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the county of Albemarle. It is within both the Virginia and Monticello viticultural areas and is among the 23 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail.

The winery and vineyard were established by Patricia Kluge in 1999, and later purchased by Trump in 2011.

Jonathan Wheeler oversees their sparkling, white, and red wine programs. With extensive experience since 2006 and a background from Sonoma, Monterey, Marlborough, and the Finger Lakes, he holds a B.A. in Chemistry from SUNY Oswego and is a member of the Winemaker’s Research Exchange in Virginia.

This Trump sparkling rosé is produced from 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir. It is medium copper in color with a delicate that includes cherry and floral notes. On the palate this wine is very bubbly with flavors of strawberry, cherry and grapefruit. [ABV: 12.5%, TA: 10 g/L, pH: 3.25, Residual Sugar: 0.9%]

This is a very refreshing sparkling rosé and a Virginia Wine Governor's Cup® winning wine featured as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review.

Media Samples Provided by Virginia Wine and Donna White Communications