Virginia’s Northern Neck – Many Stories To Be Told and Plenty of Elbow Room

Virginia’s Northern Neck – Many Stories To Be Told and Plenty of Elbow Room

Kick-off to Virginia Wine Week post…

“Charming area with lots of history, great escape from the crowded tasting rooms of Charlottesville and Loudoun areas, but a very long drive and far removed from everything.”

This is the reply I received from a wine friend who spends a lot of time on the Virginia wine trail when I asked him about the wineries of Virginia’s Northern Neck. My perception that the Northern Neck was ‘far removed from everything’ may have been the primary reason I haven’t visited the area sooner.   Although I am a fan of historical areas, especially if they happen to include wineries, I’m not so fond of long drives to remote places if there are other historical regions closer with more wineries.

My friend (and you know who you are   ) is sometimes known for less-than-good advice and was only partially correct about Virginia’s Northern Neck – the area is charming with lots of history and is an escape from over-crowded tasting rooms, but it’s not a long drive or far removed.  (Editorial Note:  Although tasting rooms in the larger areas tend to be more crowded during prime Saturday and Sunday hours, I like the ‘energy’ of a busy tasting room.)

Last weekend my wife and I finally had the chance to visit the wineries of Virginia’s Northern Neck.  Also called George Washington’s Birthday AVA, the Northern Neck is home to nine wineries.   If it wasn’t for an email exchange and subsequent invitation from Maria Swain, Cellar Master at Ingleside Vineyards, the Northern Neck would likely still be on my ‘to visit’ list.

After meeting Maria at a wine festival, and then trading a number of emails about a visit to the area, Maria graciously offered to plan our visit including a tour of Ingleside’s property, a wine lunch & tasting at Ingleside, scheduled visits to other Northern Neck wineries, and dinner.   An offer no wine enthusiast could refuse.

We departed our home early Saturday morning, and arrived at Ingleside about 2 1/2 hours later.  Upon arriving at Ingleside on that cool Saturday morning, we were warmly greeted by winemaker Bill Swain and his wife Maria.  After a tour of the tasting room and museum, we then toured the property (over 3,000 acres in total) with Ingleside owner Doug Flemer.   This property has been in the Flemer family since 1890, and the vineyards were planted in the late 1970′s. Ingleside Plantation Vineyards is one of Virginia’s oldest and largest wineries.

What I found most notable about the Flemer’s property were the homes dating to the mid 1700′s and 1800′s.  After the tour, we enjoyed lunch provided by Maria from the Tides Inn Market paired with Ingleside’s Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sangiovese Rose, and the 2007 Cabernet Franc.   Of this group, the Cab Franc was my favorite – one of a growing number of more concentrated, fruit-forward Virginia Cab Francs that still offer (hints) trademark vegetal components.

To cap off a great lunch tasting, Bill, Maria, and Doug pulled out a major awesomeness finale – a five vintage Petit Verdot vertical.   Included in the vertical were 2001 through 2006 Ingleside Petit Verdots (sans ’03), plus the 2005 Reserve.  Due to Hurricane Isabel, the 2003 growing season was very difficult throughout Virginia so Ingleside, like many wineries, did not produce a Petit Verdot that year.

 

Ingleside Vineyards Petit Verdot Vertical.

I’m not sure there are many other Virginia wineries that could offer a Petit Verdot vertical like this one.  Of the group, my favorites were 2001 and the 2005 Reserve.  Both were excellent with pure dark fruits, solid tannins, and well balanced.  The Ingleside 2006 Petit Verdot, also good, just won a Silver Medal at the 2011 Governor’s Cup. I’m surprised it didn’t win a Gold.  From the research I’ve done, I believe that Ingleside is the first winery in Virginia to bottle Petit Verdot commercially (if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know).

 

Tasting after lunch with Maria Swain, me, Bill Swain, and Doug Flemer.

Ingleside produces around 18 wines each year under three labels – Reserve, Premium, and Chesapeake series.  Their wine lineup ranges from Rose to whites like Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay to a number of reds like Merlot, Cabernet Franc and of course Petit Verdot.  Although I did not taste through Ingleside’s entire lineup (will do that next trip), I feel their standout wine is Petit Verdot.  Would be curious as to what other Virginia Petit Verdot fans think about about the range of other Petit Verdots available throughout Virginia, but I’ve had a lot of them and the Ingleside is one of the best.

After the tour, great lunch, excellent wines and conversation, Maria, Bill, my wife and I set out to Vault Field Vineyards.  Our greeter was Vault Fields’ winery dog, but he seemed indifferent to our visit.

 

Vault Field Vineyards winery dog - not sure if he's saying 'feed me' or 'go away so I can get back to napping.'

Named for a vault dating back to the 1800′s thought to be located/hidden somewhere on the property, our second stop was Vault Field Vineyards in Kinsale, VA.   One of the more interesting ‘how I got started‘ stories belongs to Vault Field Vineyards owner and winemaker, Keith Meenan. It all started in 2002 with a trip to K-Mart – in addition to the normal stuff one would buy at K-Mart they happened to have potted grape vines.  Seems a natural evolution – from potted K-Mart Concord grape vines for home wine experimentation, to a six-acre vineyard on the Northern Neck.  Keith’s experience is a great example of a hobby gone really wild (I’m thinking this sort of behavior would lead to the end of marital bliss at the Morgan’s).

 

Enjoying the wines of Vault Field - Keith pouring, Maria Swain in the foreground.

Three years after purchasing those few experimental vines from K-Mart, Keith broke ground at Vault Field vineyards with an initial planting of 4,000 vines in 2005, followed by 4,000 more vines in 2006.  As part of working his way through the learning curve of grape growing and winemaking, Keith and Dan spent time volunteering at one of our state’s most notable wineries, Linden Vineyards.  Linden founder and winemaker, Jim Law, no doubt provides an excellent training ground for budding winemakers.  I asked Keith his primary takeaways from his time volunteering at Linden – he noted, learning to evaluate fruit ripeness based on taste, skin and seeds, and he also learned the importance of grape sorting.  Like many winemakers, Keith also relied on the expertise of many others, including Tony Wolf of Virginia Tech, consultant Lucie Morton, and Jason Murray, vineyard manager at Chateau O’Brien.

Vault Field produces a Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, a white blend, a Rose, a Merlot/Cab Sauvignon/Chambourcin blend, and a Bordeaux blend.   My favorite of the tasting was the Vault Field 2007 Reserve Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot.

I suspect at some point Keith will eventually start digging around the property to locate that vault, so maybe this will serve as a subtle hint that I am a big fan of operating heavy digging machinery.  I will be following Vault Field to see how the wines evolve as the vines mature, and to see if Keith ever finds that hidden vault.

Our third and final winery stop of the afternoon was just down the street to The Hague in Hague, VA.  In 2004, Stephen and Cynthia Madey planted Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Muscat and Chardonel on their farm with the assistance of vineyard consultant Lucie Morton (beginning to see a trend of leveraging Lucie’s expertise throughout Virginia).   Stephen leverages the expertise of Michael Shaps of Virginia Wine Works for winemaking, and that expert touch shows in The Hague wines.

Call me old fashioned, or one dimensional, but I typically prefer the ‘classic’ vitis vinifera and am not a fan of hybrids and rarely find one that I enjoy.  I find many hybrids off putting because of the contrived aromas and flavors.  However, The Hague Chardonel – a cross between Chardonnay and the hybrid Sevyal developed in 1953 at Cornell University – has opened my eyes to the potential of this particular hybrid.  I found the Chardonel bright, crisp, with white flowers throughout.  At $14.95/bottle this is a nice wine, and is going to go great this summer with fresh Eastern Shore seafood.

I found Stephen to be interestingly interesting, and he strikes me as a guy with a number of great sea stories.   Stephen and Cynthia joined Maria, Bill, Doug, my wife and I for drinks at the Swain’s home and dinner at Good Eats Cafe housed in a refurbished 1930′s gas station. To pair with the excellent, well made dinner, was an ample supply of wine from The Hauge and Ingleside.

To cap the off the evening, we stayed at The Point at Liberty Farm guest house – a rental home on the edge the Rappahannock River, and just a couple miles from Ingleside.   I spent Sunday morning on the deck; reading, enjoying the quiet, and watching hawks search for their breakfast swimming below in the Rappahannock.  I look forward to returning in the summer when the surrounding foliage is green.

View of The Point from the Rappahanock River. Photo credit: Ingleside Vineyards

 

View of the Rappahanock from the top deck (imagine this view in the Spring and Summer)

For the ‘rest and relaxation’ seekers, I highly recommend this home as a great weekend getaway for rest, wine, and even some history.  Like much of Virginia, the Northern Neck is rich with history including George Washington’s birthplace, to Robert E. Lee’s birthplace Stratford Hall (great place to rent a cabin as well), historic homes dating back to the mid-1700′s and 1800′s are spread throughout the area.

 

Inside view of The Pointe.

View from inside The Pointe living room with view of Rappahanock.

Thank you to Bill, Maria, Doug and everyone on the Northern Neck for your hospitality and sharing your wines with us!

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Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

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Jefferson On Wine Day 19

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—Orchardist and Cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer (Part 2)
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 - Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy
Day 17 - Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy
Day 18 – Monticello Wine Festival

Day 19 – Jefferson in France, Thoughts on Bordeaux

In preparing for and writing this series, I have spent many hours reading/browsing Jefferson’s Papers maintained in the Library of Congress system. With each reading, I am amazed at how prescient Jefferson’s wine observations were.  For those with even a passing interest in the writings of a complex, enigmatic and great man, I HIGHLY recommend that you spend some time at the Library of Congress Jefferson Papers (original scanned versions available online).

During Jefferson’s travels through southern France and Northern Italy from February 28, 1787 to June 10, 1787, he spent several days in Bordeaux, and the subject of today’s post. Although Jefferson’s best known wine-related quotes about ordering wine involved the wines of Bordeaux, his purchasing habits did not necessarily follow.  After his famous 1787 wine trip, he only placed three orders for Bordeaux wines – one for Yquem, one for Haut-Brion, and one for Lafite.  Only in the case of Yquem did Jefferson receive what he ordered. (Hailman, p. 139).

The following was taken directly from John Hailman’s Thomas Jefferson on Winebook that was carefully excerpted from Jefferson’s Papers, which provide Jefferson’s initial notes on Bordeaux:

May 24. BORDEAUX. When we cross the Garonne at Langon we find the plains entirely of sand and gravel, and they continue so to Bordeaux. Where they are capable of any thing they are in vines.

Near Langon is Sauterne where the best white wines of Bordeaux are made.

May 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. BORDEAUX. The cantons in which the most celebrated wines of Bordeaux are made are MEDOC down the river, GRAVE adjoining the city and the parishes next above; all on the same side of the river.  In the first is made red wine principally, in the two last, white.

In the excerpt below from Jefferson’s Travelling Notes, I find his notes on grafting and vine age interesting:

The grafting of the vine, tho’ a critical operation, is practiced with success.  When the graft has taken, they bend it into the earth and let it take root above the scar.  They begin to yield an indifferent wine at 3. years old, but not a good on till 25. years, nor after 80, when they begin to yield less, and worse, and must be renewed.

To continue from the same entry, the excerpt below perfectly illustrates Jefferson’s amazing capacity for details [The notes below are referring to his observations of vineyard operations in Bordeaux.  Note the wage disparities between men and woman, little has changed in 220 years.]:

… They never hire labourers by the year. The day wages for a man are 30. sous, a woman’s 15. sous, feeding themselves. The women make the bundles of sarment (vine shoots), weed, pull of the snails, tie the vines, gather the grapes.  During the vintage they are paid high and fed well.

The excerpt below by Hailman, again from the same Travelling Notes entry provides Jefferson’s notes on vineyard rankings (as spelled by Jefferson):

Of RED WINES, there are 4. vineyards of first quality, viz.

1. Hautbrion, belonging 2/3 to M. le comte de Fumelle, who has engaged to Barton a merchant, the other third to the Comte de Toulouse. The whole is 75. tonneaux.
2. Chateau Margau, below to the Marquis d’Argicourt, who makes about 150. tonneaux of 1000 bottles each.  He has engaged to Jernon a merchant.
3. [Chateau] La Tour de Segur, en Saint Lambert, belonging to Monsieur Mirosmenil, who makes 125. tonneaux.
4. Chateau de la Fite, belonging to the President Pichard at Bordeaux, who makes 175 tonneaux.  The wines of the three first are not in perfection till 4 years old. Those (of) de la Fite being somewhat lighter, are good at 3 years, that is the crop of 1786 is good in the spring of 1789. These growths of the year 1783 sell now at 2000.# the tonneaux, those of 1784, on account of the superior quality of that vintage sell at 2400.# those of 1785 at 1800.#, those of 1786 at 1800.#, tho’ they sold at first only 1500.#.

In reading all of Jefferson’s notes on Bordeaux, it seems as if no level of detail is beyond his inquiry.  Fascinating.  In this same entry, Jefferson went on to note in considerable detail his thoughts on second and third quality vineyards.

To see how Jefferson’s observations during just a few days in Bordeaux compare to the official, outdated 1855 Classification, below is a comparative chart:

Jefferson’s rankings versus the original 1855 Medoc Classification. Jefferson’s rankings excerpted from Hailman’s Thomas Jefferson on Wine. Astute observations from someone in Bordeaux just a short time.

Editorial Note:  I do not claim to be a Bordeaux expert here, but even a Bordeaux neophyte like me knows that the 1855 classification is an outdated relic that makes no sense today given the number of changes in Bordeaux (some estates no longer making wine, others have changed hands many times).

Day 20 – Jefferson’s Notes on Burgundy

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Sources:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, Hailman, John

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Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

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30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Day 17

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—orchardist and cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 – Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy

Day 17 – Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy

“I am now about setting out on a journey to the South of France, one object of which is to try the mineral waters there for the restoration of my hand, but another is to visit all the seaports where we have trade, and to hunt up all the inconveniencies under which it labours, in order to get them rectified. I shall visit and carefully examine too the Canal of Languedoc.” ~ Jefferson to James Monroe, December 18, 1786

When Jefferson embarked on his ‘grand tour’ of southern France and northern Italy in February 1787, he did so allegedly for his health.  Ailing from a broken wrist, Jefferson thought the restorative mineral waters of Aix-en-Provence would help him mend.  Of course, during the trip, one cannot pass through parts of France without stopping at vineyards and Chateaux.

During his four-month, 1,200 mile, healing-his-wrist and drinking wine journey, Jefferson paid his own way and traveled as a private citizen from Virginia, rather than as a diplomat. (sounds like the life and times of wine blogger)

“I was alone thro the whole, and think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect more.”

Below are itinerary and summary of notes made by Jefferson in his ‘Memorandums taken on a journey from Paris into the Southern parts of France and Northern of Italy, in the year 1787.’  Before exploring the regions Jefferson visited in detail, I thought it would be interesting to provide a summary of his notes on the places he stopped.

I took the excerpts and summary notes below directly from the Th:Jefferson Encyclopedia (on wiki.monticello.org), or from The Writings of Jefferson, or from John Hailman’s epic book, ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine.’

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28 February—2 March (1787): Fontainebleau: Jefferson left Paris and traveled as far as Fontainebleau, where he was delayed for two days because of problems with the wheels of his carriage.

2 March: Sens: At Sens he noted paying to see its cathedral and climbed to the top of the cathedral’s tower to see the town’s buildings. Moret, Faussard, Villeneuve, Pont sur Yonne, Sens

3 March: Champagne. Sens to Vermanton. In his Notes, Jefferson recorded: “The plains of Yonne are of the same [mulatto] colour.  The plains are in corn, the hills in vineyard, but the wine not good.  Few chateaux.  No farm houses, all the people being gathered in villages.  Are they thus collected by the dogma of their religion which made them believe that, to keep the Creator in good humor with his own works, they must mumble a mass every day?  The people are illy clothed. Perhaps they have put on their worst clothes at this moment as it is raining.  But I observe women and children carrying heavy burthens, and labouring with the hough.  I see few beggars.  Probably this is the effect of a police.”

4 March: Burgundy: Lucy le bois, Cussy les forges, Rouvray, Maison-neuve, Vitteaux, La Charleure, Pont de Panis, Dijon (Hotel de Condé). “The soil a good red loam…All in corn. Some forest wood here…Now and then a flock of sheep…The people are well clothed, but it is Sunday.” “Dijon…The best round potatoes here I ever saw.”

7-8 March: La Baraque to Chagny. Dijon, La Baraque, Nuits, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault. Aussy, Chagny, Chalon-sur-Saone, Sennecey, Tournus. “The plains are in corn, the Cote in vines.”

9 March: Chalons, Sennecy, Tournus, St. Albin, Macon. “The vineyards are inclosed with dry stone walls…The cattle are few and indifferent..some good oxen…Few sheep…A good deal of wood lands.” Beaujolais: Maison blanche. St. George. Chateau de Laye-Epinaye. ”This is the richest country I ever beheld…Here, as in Burgundy, the cattle are all white…The wild gooseberry is in leaf, the wild pear and sweet briar in bud.”

11 March: Ville franche, Les Echelles, Puits d’or, Lyons (Hôtel du Palais royal). Lyon: “The Almond is in bloom.”

15-18 March: Dauphine: St. Fond to Mornas. St. Symphorin, Vienne. “The Rhone makes extensive plains…the high lands are often very level. The soil…is generally tinged, more or less, with red….In the neighborhood of Lyons there is more corn, almonds, and oaks; the hills are in vines.”

18 March: Principality of Orange. “No forest. Here begins the country of olives…Thyme growing wild here on the hills. Asses very small…The high hills in Dauphiné are covered with snow.”

19-23 March: Languedoc. Pont St. Esprit. Bagnols. Connault. Valignieres. Remoulins. St. Gervasy. Nismes. Pont Bagnols, Connault, Valliguières, Remoulins, St. Gervasy, Nismes, Pont d’Arles. “The hills are rocky…The culture is corn, clover, St. foin, olives, vines, mulberries, willow, and some almonds.” At Nîmes his enthusiasm for seeing, for the first time, the Maison Carrée, the building design he chose for the Virginia state capitol in Richmond, is seen in a letter he wrote to Madame de Tessé: “Here I am, madam, gazing whole hours at the Maison quarrée, like a lover at his mistress…From Lyons to Nismes I have been nourished with the remains of Roman grandeur.” At Remoulins, Jefferson “stopped…long enough to see the Pont du Gard.”

24 March: Nismes to Arles: “The plains extending from Nismes to the Rhone in the direction of Arles is broken in one place by a skirt of low hills…” “The high hills of Languedoc are covered with snow. At an antient church in the suburbs of Arles are perhaps some hundreds of antient stone coffins along the road side.…But the principal monument here is an Amphitheatre, the external portico of which is tolerably compleat…” Terrasson: St. Remis.

25 March: Orgon. Pontroyal. St. Cannat: “From Orgon to Pontroyal, after quitting the plains of the Rhone, the country seems still to be a plain cut into compartments, by chains of mountains of massive rock running thro it in various directions.”

25–28 March: Aix (Hotel St. Jaques). “The country is waving, in vines, pasture of green swerd and clover, much inclosed with stone, and abounding with sheep.”

29 March: Marseilles. Jefferson spent a week at the Hôtel des Princes in Marseilles. In his journal he wrote: “The country is hilly, intersected by chains of hills and mountains of massive rock.The soil is reddish, stony and indifferent where best. Whenever there is any soil it is covered with olives…There are 6. or 8. months at a time here without rain. The most delicate figs known in Europe are those growing about this place, called figues Marcelloises, or les veritables Marcelloises, to distinguish them from others of inferior quality growing here.”

6 April: Marseilles to Aubagne. Hieres. “This is a plain of two or three miles diameter, bounded by the sea on one side and mountains of rock on the other.” Toulon: “From Olioules to Toulon the figs are in the open fields. Some of them have stems of 15.I. diameter. They generally fork near the ground, but sometimes have a single stem of 5.f. long. They are as large as Apricot trees. The Olive trees of this day’s journey are about the size of large apple trees.”

8 April: Toulon, Hyères, Cuers, Pignans, le Luc (Hotel St. Anne).

9 April: Vidauban, le My, Fréjus, Lestrelles, Napoule, Antibes. “There is snow on the high mountains. The first frogs I have heard are of this day (the 9th). At Antibes are oranges in the open ground, but in small inclosures: palm trees also. From thence to the Var are the largest fig trees and olive trees I have seen.”

10 April: Nice: (Hotel de York).

11 April: Nice. “The pine bur I used here for kindling fires.”

13 April: Scarena, Sospello. “There are no orange trees after we leave the environs of Nice.”

14 April: Ciandola. Tende.

15 April: Limone. Coni

16 April: Centale. Savigliano. Racconigi. Poerino. Turin. “The alps, as far as they are in view from North to South, shew the gradation of climate by the line which terminates the snows lying on them.”

19 April: Settimo. Chivasco. Ciliano. S. Germano. Vercelli. “ The country continues plain and rich, the soil black.”

20 April: Vercelli, Novara, Buffalora, Sedriano, and Milan (Albergo Reale). “From Vercelli to Novara the fields are all in rice, and now mostly under water.”

21-22 April: Milan. “Figs and pomegranates grow here unsheltered, as I am told.” “—Among a great many houses painted al fresco, the Casa Roma and Casa Candiani by Appiani, and Casa Belgioiosa by Martin are superior.”

23 April: Leaves Milan. Casino. Rozzano. “It is supposed [Parmesan cheese] was formerly made at Parma, and took it’s name thence, but none is made there now. It is made thro all the country extending from Milan 150 miles.” “The ice-houses at Rozzano are dug about 15.f. deep, and 20.f. diameter and poles are driven down all round.” Binasco. Pavia. “Near Cassino the rice ponds begin and continue to within 5. miles of Pavia, the whole ground being in rice, pasture, and willows…They gave me green peas at Pavia.”

24 April: Voghera. Tortona. Novi.

25 April: Voltaggio, Campo Marone, and Genoa. “At Novi the Appenines begin to rise. Their growth of timber is oak, tall, small, and knotty and chestnut.”

26 April: Genoa. “Strawberries at Genoa.”

28 April: Noli. “The Appenine and Alps appear to me to be one and the same continued ridge of mountains, separating every where the waters of the Adriatic gulph from those of the Mediterranean.”

29 April: Albenga

30 April: Oneglia and St. Remo (Augerge de la poste). “The wind continuing contrary, I took mules at Albenga for Oneglia. Along this tract are many of the tree called Carroubier, being a species of Locust…It’s pods furnish food for horses and even for the poor in times of scarcity.”

3 May: Luc. Brignolles. Tourves. Pourcieux. La Galiniere. Aix (Hotel St. Jaques).

4 May : Le Grand Pin, Marseilles (Hotel des Princes, May 6th).

7 May: Aix, St. Cannat, Pontroyal, Orgon.

8 May: Orgon. Avignon (Hotel de St. Omer), Vaucluse.

10 May: Nismes (Hotel de Luxemburg). Lunel. “Hills on the right, plains on the left. The soil reddish, a little stony and of middling quality. The produce olives, mulberries, vines, corn, St. foin….Lunel is famous for it’s vin de Muscat blanc, thence called Lunel, or vin Muscat de Lunel.”

11 May: Montpellier.

12 May: Frontignan. Cette.

13 May: Agde.

15 May: Beziers. Argilies. LeSaumal.—-On the Canal of Languedoc. “The Canal of Languedoc along which I now travel is 6. toises wide at bottom, and 10 toises at the surface of the water, which is 1. toise deep…The locks are mostly kept by women, but the necessary operations are much too laborious for them. The encroachments by the men on the offices proper for the women is a great derangement in the order of things. Men are shoemakers, tailors, upholsterers, staymakers, mantua makers, cooks, doorkeepers, housekeepers, housecleaners, bedmakers.”

16 May: Le Samumal. Marseillette.

18 May: Carcassonne. Castelnaudari. (Hotel de St. Jean Baptiste)

19 May: Castelnaudary (Hotel de Notredame). St. Feriol, Escarmare. Lampy.

20 May: Narouze, Villefranche. Baziège.

21 May: Toulouse (Hotel du Griffon d’Or). “At Toulouse the canal ends. It has four communications with the Mediterranean.”

22 May: Toulouse.

23 May: Agen (Hotel petit St. Jean), St. Hilaire, Port Ste. Marie, Aiguillon, Tonneins, Marmaude, Mottelandron, Le Preole, Cauderat, Langon, Barlade, Castres.

24-28 May: Bordeaux (Hotel de Richelieu) “The cantons in which the most celebrated wines of Bordeaux are made are MEDOC down the river, GRAVE adjoining the city and the parishes next above; all on the same side of the river.”

28 May: From Bordeaux to Blaye.

29 May: From Rochefort to Le Rocher.

30 May: Bacha, Le Rocher, Rochelle, Usseau, Marans, Morelles, Ste. Hermine.

31 May: Chantenay, St. Fulgent, Montaigu, Aigrefeuille, Nantes (A la Croix verte).

1-2 June: Le Temple, Moere, Pontchateau, Rochebernard, Massellac. Thex, Vannes, Auray, Landevant, Hennebont, L’Orient (Hotel de Epée Royal). “The country from Nates to LORIENT is very hilly and poor, the soil grey.”

3 June: Hennebont, Baud, Locminé, Josselin.

4 June: Ploemel, Campenéac, Plélan, Mordelles, Rennes.

5 June: Bout des Landes, Roudun, Brecharaye, Derval, Nozay, Bout de Bois, Gesvres, Nantes (St. Julien).

6-8 June: Nantes. Ancenis. Angers. Tours. Manves, le Plessis, Ancenis (Hotel de Bretagne). “Tours is at the 119th. Mile stone. Being desirous of enquiring here into a fact stated by Voltaire in his Questions encyclopediaques. Art. Coquilles, relative to the growth of shells unconnected with animal bodies at the chateau of Monsr. De la Sauvagiere near Tours, I called on M. Gentil premier Secretaire de l’Intendance, to whom the Intendant had written on my behalf at the request of the Marquis de Chastellux.”

9-10 June: Blois. Orleans. “At Blois the road leaves the river, and traverses the hills, which are mostly reddish, sometimes grey, good enough, in vines, corn S. foin.”

10 June: Returned to Paris

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Jefferson’s notes on the trip total nearly 45 pages, and were written as a guide for two American friends – John Rutledge and Thomas Lee-Shippen.  Considering Jefferson lived in a ‘3 mile per hour’ age (horse and carriage), I find his 1,200-mile journey through southern France and northern Italy absolutely fascinating!  His detailed notes in his Memorandum book are even more amazing.

Source:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, John Hailman
NY Times, Following Jefferson Through the Vineyards, June 10, 2010
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. VI.
Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, http://wiki.monticello.org/

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30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Day 10

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—orchardist and cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson

Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei

“In my opinion, when the country is populated in proportion to its size, the best wine in the world will be made here.” ~ Philip Mazzei (Gabler, 6)

Since this series is intended to focus on ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine’ I will try to stick specifically to the subject, and not ramble too much about TJ’s drinking buddies.  I am deviating slightly from our course by introducing one of the more interesting characters in Jefferson’s life, Philip Mazzei.  Like most posts in this series, this one is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the life of a very complex man.  Instead, this is merely an introduction to someone who played a significant role in Jefferson’s life – politically, personally and with wine.

Philip Mazzei – born in Tuscany in 1730 - was a person of interest, friend of Jefferson, physician, promoter of liberty, spy, raconteur, merchant, and grape grower.  Although Jefferson had many wine acquaintances, few are as colorful and interesting as Philip Mazzei.

Being an ardent proponent of early American liberty, Mazzei was remembered on a US postage airmail stamp in 1980.

John Hailman writes, ‘If it was George Wythe and Governor Fauquier who first interested Jefferson in wine drinking, it was his unusual neighbor Philip Mazzei who first interested him in vineyards and grape growing.’ (p. 47)

I have absolute respect for Mr. Hailman and his expertise as a Jefferson and wine scholar, however I do question this particular point.  Jefferson was a man with a universe of interests with an already well-developed interest in wine, which I’m sure included vineyards and grape growing.  I seriously doubt Philip Mazzei was the initial spark to Jefferson’s desire to plant vineyards, but Mr. Hailman has a couple of decades of research to support his position, so I will resist the temptation to argue this point for the sake of arguing as I’m not able to find any documentation to support the fact that he planted vines somewhere prior to meeting Mazzei. I note this solely for posterity and the potential to say ‘I was right’ at a later date.

In his early years Mazzei practiced Medicine in his native Italy and in the Middle East.  He eventually found his way to England where he was a merchant specializing in silks, olive oil, cheese, and of course wine.  It was in London that Mazzei made the acquaintance of Ben Franklin and fellow revolutionary Thomas Adams, and later leveraged these relationships to gain entry in to their circles back in the American colonies.

After 18 years as a wine merchant in London, Mazzei sailed to Virginia in 1773 with the intent of establishing a wine industry in the Colonies and introducing the colonists to eggs of silk worms to make silk and olive trees. (Gabler, p. 3)  Arriving with Mazzei was his wife-to-be and ten Italian vignerons that much needed skills and hands needed to establish vineyards.

Soon after arriving in Virginia, Mazzei met Jefferson for the first time on his way through Charlottesville en route to his new land in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  This meeting likely changed the course of viticulture in early Virginia – Jefferson gave Mazzei 193 acres of land on the south side of Monticello and Mazzei purchased another 700 acres by 1778 and named his estate Colle (pronounced ‘collie’), that means ‘hill’ in Italian.

The amount of property provided to Mazzei is a point of debate as I’ve read many different acreage numbers ranging from 193 to 400 to 2,000.  (In this case, I am going with the Monticello.org number.)

While waiting for construction of his home to be completed, Mazzei lived with the Jefferson’s at Monticello. Not long after ‘moving in to the neighborhood,’ Italian wines began to appear in Jefferson’s records. (Hailman, p. 48)  The first of which was a flask of wine from Syracuse (likely Muscat), on the island of Sicily, in 1775. One could make the argument that Mazzei introduced Jefferson to the virtues of Italian wine.

Historical sign at the entrance to Jefferson Vineyards, just south of Jefferson's Monticello.

In the end, despite all of the effort – the work of the Italian vignerons, land from Jefferson, Mazzei’s expertise based on his family’s 400 years of winemaking history in Italy – Mazzei’s vineyards at Colle met a dismal end during the Revolution.  Jefferson explained that Mazzei “had rented his place to General Riedesel, whose horses in one week destroyed the whole labour of three or four years, and thus ended an experiment, which, from every appearance, would in a year or two more have established the practicability of that branch of culture in America.”

Who knows what would have become of Mazzei’s vineyards at Colle had the Revolution not occurred (of course I wouldn’t likely be typing this if that little Revolution not occurred).

Even after Mazzei left Virginia for the last time in 1785, he continued to provide Jefferson with fruit tree and vine plantings.  None of those vines resulted in wine at Monticello.

Mazzei’s Colle still plays a role in the Virginia wine industry today.  The closest winery to Monticello, Jefferson Vineyards, occupies the same land as Mazzei’s estate did two hundred years earlier.  It is said that many of Mazzei’s descendants still live in the Charlottesville area today.

For the conspiracy theorists only:
I sometimes have a conspiratorial streak about me, and I have thought often since beginning this study that Jefferson and Mazzei were more than just wine drinking buddies.  With spying on his resume, I wonder if Mazzei was a spy all along? Mazzei was a jack of many trades, one of which was alleged spy in France for the King of Poland.  This may seem a stretch, but something to consider.

Since this series is supposed to focus on ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine,’ this post is just a (very) cursory introduction to Philip Mazzei.  In no way could I fully explore and present the life of Mazzei here.  For further study, I would highly recommend the following two books, Mazzei’s account of his life, ‘Memoirs of the Life and Peregrinations of the Florentine Philip Mazzei,’ and ‘Philip Mazzei, Friend of Jefferson’ by Richard Garlick.

I will explore Mazzei’s ‘Wine Company’ that included Jefferson and Washington later in the series.

For history buffs, the story behind ‘the’ infamous letter from Jefferson to Mazzei about the state of political affairs in the Colonies that led to the divide between George Washington and Jefferson makes for interesting reading.

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Sources:
Monticello.org.
Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson, James Gabler.
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, John Hailman.

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Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

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