Winery Visit - Casanel Vineyards

On March 16, 2013, I visited Casanel Vineyards in Leesburg, VA for a wine tasting and tour.  My good friend and roommate, her mother, and her mother's friend accompanied me during this visit. This would be my second ever winery visit, and I was extremely excited to put my new wine knowledge to the test. 

Casanel Vineyards, Leesburg, VA

Casanel Vineyards is located on the top of a gravel road, in a place I would have least expected a vineyard. The forty acre property features a ten acre vineyard, two acre pond with a gazebo and a charming picnic area. As a newer vineyard, established in 2006, one of the first things I noticed was a big building that was still under construction. The tasting room is an 1800s barn that has been renovated. What I was surprised to find out is that the wine is not actually made on-site, as there are no wine-making facilities. However, all of their grapes are grown on location, then barreled at another local winery. 

A view of the vines that cover 10 acres of the vineyard

We wasted no time, and immediately started our tasting upon arrival. We sampled five different wines:

Name: Viognier Mas Que Nada
Variety: Viognier 
Region: Northern Virginia 
Country: USA 
Year: 2009
Price: $28 
Winery review: Won best varietal in Virginia Wine Lover’s 2013 Best of Reader’s Choice Awards. Silver medal winner at the 2011 VA Wine Lover's Classic! Our 2008 Viognier exudes a delicate honeysuckle nose, bursting with flavors of white peach and nectarine mid-palate. The finish lingers with a tart crispness of limes, reminiscent of a key lime pie, which complements the smooth, silky finish. 
My review: The Viognier Mas Que Nada didn't have a particularly interesting nose in my opinion. It had floral aromas, which I find to be boring. The palate, however, was the complete opposite. I immediately detected the peach flavors, which I absolutely loved. It had very soft tannins and was nice and crisp. It was an overall extremely smooth wine. This wine embodied my ideals of a perfect summer wine, and it was not hard to understand why this Viognier won best in state.

Name: Chadonnay Mas Que Nada
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Northern Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $17 
Winery Review: Bronze medalist in the '11 VA Governor's Cup & the '11 VA Wine Lover's Classic. Our Chardonnay begins with a nose of subtle herbal aromas, and is then followed by hints of melon and star fruit. The flavors suggest a touch of grilled melon wrapped in Prosciutto, with apple and cucumber essence. Barrel-aged for 8 months, it finishes with notes of oak and butterscotch.
My Review: The Chardonnay Mas Que Nada had a nose that I found to be much more exciting. It had a nose of pineapple which is one of the first wine I've come across with this aroma. What was different about the taste of this wine is that I found the flavors to be relaxing in a way. This chardonnay was more of an oaky chard, as compared to a buttery one, but it was just the perfect amount of oak. It was a bit dryer, but had a nice smooth finish. 

Name: Norton Rose
Variety: Blend
Region: Northern Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $24
Winery Review: Whole-cluster pressed and barrel-aged for 8 months in French oak, we fermented this Virginian red wine grape as a white wine and completely transformed this varietal. A lighter, friendlier version, our Norton tastes just like sangria, but without the work!  With natural notes of fresh berries permeating throughout; flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry sit lightly upon your palette and then develop into a delightfully spicy, lingering finish.  Perfect for your summer barbeques or patio get togethers!  We pair this vintage with any and all dishes because of its light yet bright berry taste.
My Review: The Norton Rose had a delightfully exciting nose. Aromas of cherry, berries and a soft hint of vanilla instantly grab your attention, with the cherry really standing out. When tasting this wine, I was expecting it to be extremely sweet as it was compared to sangria, however, I was extremely surprised! I normally cannot stand drinking sangria, or anything extremely sweet, but the Norton Rose was just the perfect amount of sweetness. It was extremely drinkable. The berry tastes stuck out the most on the palate, with a hint of spice at the end.

Name: Cabernet Sauvignon Batucada
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Northern Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $23
Winery Review:  Gold ribbon winner at the 11' VA State Fair. Silver medalist at the 2012 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, and silver medalist at the '11 VA Wine Lover's Classic. Our 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits fresh herbal notes of pine and eucalyptus on the nose. It has hints of darker red fruits mid-palate, such as black cherry and raspberry. The finish is smooth, with traces of cinnamon and oak. The perfect red for your richer dishes!  
My Review: When smelling the Cabernet Sauvignon Batucada, the dark cherry aroma stands out most prominently. It also had a bit of a spiced nose, namely cinnamon. The palate of the Cabernet Sauvignon had a bit of spice to it, but was more acidic than I was expecting. There was a soft hint of vanilla in the finish of this wine. What I found the most interesting about this wine is that the label won an award for having the best civil war label.

Name: Merlot Batucada
Variety: Merlot
Region: Northern Virginia
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $21
Winery Review: Gold Medalist at the '11 VA Wine Lover's Classic. Silver medalist at the '12 Finger Lakes International Wine Competiton. Bronze medalist at the '11 and '13 VA Governor's Cup. Our '08 Merlot starts with deep red fruit flavors in the nose, namely black currant, strawberry, and black cherry. Barrel aged for over 10 months in French oak, our Merlot also has hints of earth and cedar, culminating in a smooth, satisfying finish.
My Review: The nose of the Merlot Batucada was not one that I particularly enjoyed. I couldn't really pinpoint any aromas. This wine was loaded with tannins and was extremely full bodied. Our wine pourer recommended that this wine would be complemented well with a flavorful meal such as Chinese or Thai, and I can say that I agree with her.

The tasting bar at Casanel Vineyards

Our pourer was actually the owner of the vineyard, Kathleen DeSouza. She was an absolute delight and was very informative when pouring the wines. When we told her that we were students from Virginia Tech, she lit up and told us that her daughter was a student at Virginia Tech as well. After the tasting was over, we chit-chatted a little more before each purchasing a glass of wine to enjoy in their picnic area. I had chosen the Viognier Mas Que Nada.

Kathleen and Nelson DeSouza's daughter's are proud Hokies

We lucked out with our visit because it was 55 degrees and sunny, which was a pleasant change from the snow and cold weather we had just a few days prior to the visit. We brought some of our own cheeses, crackers and grapes to enjoy, and chose a table next to a cute little fire pit that they had. After enjoying my class of Viognier and way too many crackers and Brie cheese, my roommate and I decided that we would explore the vineyards. 

Outdoor seating patio where we enjoyed cheese and crackers

We went back into the adorable tasting room, which featured an attractive curved tasting bar and cozy stone walls. There were several cute paintings and decorations all over the room with sayings such as "Keep Calm and Wine On." My roommate and I had noticed a charming spiraling staircase, and when Kathleen had seen us staring down it, she said we were more than welcome to go down and take a look. What we found was a room with a fireplace and seating as well as another tasting bar that would be perfect for small gatherings. We also bumped into Nelson DeSouza, Kathleen's husband.
 

Spiral staircase that led to second tasting bar

Talking to Nelson was one of the most rewarding part of our visit. He was an extremely hilarious, lovable and honest guy. He talked to us for at least 30 minutes explaining how he got into the wine business and his passions. One of the comments that he made that really stood out to me was that he compared the wine business to a non profit organization. He told us that the vineyard opened in 2008, and he didn't see a single penny from the vineyard until 2012. Now this is not to be confused with a profit. Nelson explained, that he is just starting to see any money coming in and is no where near making a profit from it yet. That's why he explained that you need to be passionate about this business. He admitted to us that he had no idea what he was getting into when he purchased this property in 2006. With a huge laugh, DeSouza admitted that his job is "hard as shit!" 


Nelson DeSouza is from Brazil and started out in construction. In fact, that is probably one of his biggest passions is building and construction. I learned that everything on the vineyard was constructed by him, including the big building still under construction that we saw when we first pulled into the vineyard. He explained to us that he is building an area to hold events, such as weddings and wants to eventually get barrels to barrel the wine on site as well.

The construction of a second building that Nelson DeSouza himself is building

Our visit to Casanel was out of this world. The wine was wonderful, the atmosphere was great, and best of all, everyone who helped us at Casanel was inviting and warm. I will definitely be coming back in the summer to not only see how the construction of their second building is coming along, but also to sit back and enjoy ourselves on the gazebo that looks out onto their large, gorgeous pond.