Drink (and think) like a somm
Barboursville Vineyards
Vermentino
Virginia
Monticello
Vermentino 100%
White Flowers, Fresh Citrus, Anise.
7 Months
On Lees
Stainless Steel
100%
ABOUT
Barboursville 2024 Vermentino
Native to the maritime growing regions of Liguria, Corsica and Sardinia, Vermentino has adapted splendidly to our warm climate in Piedmont Virginia. A spontaneously ingratiating white wine of self-proclaiming love for seafood and fish in all preparations, Vermentino’s dry but distinctly luscious minerality is complemented by generous palate weight and length, which we capture with fermentation and aging in stainless steel, under continuing lees contact of at least 7 or 8 months.
PAIRINGS
IN A PINCH
Goat cheese, burrata, and light seafood.
DEEPER DIVE
This wine offers a medium rich body, a pleasurable richness and softness that is gradually taken over from great freshness and a long complex aftertaste. Very drinkable yet very rewarding and complex.
Pair with fresh goat cheese, burrata, oysters on the half shell, grilled shrimp, scallops, rockfish, pan-seared guinea hen, venison scaloppine, or risotto with morels and asparagus. Or simply enjoy it on the porch.
STANDOUT FEATURES: Bright acidity, citrus aromatics, rich mouthfeel.
PAIRING SCALE
STEER CLEAR
Anything too rich, especially thick sauces, might start to overpower this wine.
CHEESE OPTIONS
Burrata
Burrata
Country: Italy
Animal: Water Buffalo
Type: Soft
Texture: Creamy
Style: Fresh, milky, smooth.
Pecorino
Pecorino
Country: Italy
Animal: Sheep
Type: Hard
Texture: Grainy
Style: Tangy, saline, nutty.
Chèvre
Chèvre
Country: France
Animal: Goat
Type: Soft
Texture: Creamy, crumbly
Style: Acidic, salty, tangy.
RECIPE IDEAS
SERVICE
WHICH GLASSES?
White wine or All-purpose glasses would be best here.
BORDEAUX
BURGUNDY
FLUTE
COUPE
ALL-PURPOSE
WHITE
DESSERT
SHOULD I DECANT THIS?
WHY “Up to you”?
There’s definitely enough complexity here to break out a decanter and give this wine some air. But at the same time, this wine has no trouble showing most of its fruit flavors right up front.
SERVING TEMP
The correct serving temperature is important to show a wine’s true potential, but don’t stress over getting the temp exactly right. Use the chart below to try to get in the right ballpark.
AGING
WHEN SHOULD I OPEN THIS?
If a wine has been released by the producer, it means it is ready to drink. Wines don’t necessarily get “better” with age, they just change. Typically, this change involves things like losing fresh fruit flavors in exchange for more savory notes.
The moment you should open the bottle depends on your preference, so it’s more important to understand the evolution and the life span of the bottle than it is to try to time its opening perfectly. (It’s far better to open a bottle too early than too late.)
This bottle should probably be opened between:
2026 – 2034
Development
VINTAGE
2024
“The best vintage ever” – Luca Paschina, Winemaker
A unique growing season. Bud break started March 29th, earlier than average, spring brought mild temperatures and some gentle rain, and two frost nights caused minimal damage.
The bloom phase was somewhat disrupted by some rains in early June which resulted in a lower fruit set generating beneficial looser clusters. The summer set in with an alternation of warm and hot days, mild and cooler nights. A pattern of lack of rain set in starting June 10th and ended August 12th when tropical depression Debbie gifted us with 1.72 “ of much appreciated rain, yet during the drought period we wisely irrigated 40 of the 170 acres of vines, specifically parcels of younger vines (3-5yrs) and a few older ones with low water retention.
Meanwhile, older parcels with higher water retention adapted perfectly to the drought. The ripening proceeded very well, harvest started in early August to end on September 16th just ahead of heavy rain that protracted for 16 days. All varietals were picked at optimum and delivered very fragrant, intensely aromatic and fresh white wines.
A textbook vintage with a combination of characters from the 2009 and 2010 vintages. Some wines from this harvest will be shown at celebratory parties for our soon to come 50th Anniversary of the Estate.
NERD STUFF
TECHNICAL NOTES
pH: 3.44
TA: 6.3 grams/L
Alc: 13%
RS: 0.1%
Cases Produced: 1,650
FERMENTATION
Fermentation: All press fractions of juice are sedimented, racked and co-fermented in stainless steel at 65F.
PRODUCER
ABOUT US
The new generation
The present generation of leadership of this estate is the seventh in a family tradition in viticulture dating back to 1821. In 2017, after 40 years and more in planting Barboursville Vineyards and establishing it in the world of wine, Gianni Zonin
Gianni Zonin, Ownertransferred executive duties to the three sons he raised in this life’s work. Domenico, Michele, and Francesco Zonin (L-R) are steeped in his dedication and fluency in winegrowing, commerce, and law.
Most importantly, the family’s devotion to the land and the people who sustain the Estate of Wine has been extended with the same foresight and energy which have always guided these vineyards.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Heritage
The estate of wine which Thomas Jefferson foresaw taking root in his own ground at Monticello would far from disappoint him to discover here at his friend’s plantation, for whom he designed the historic landmark mansion. That construction commenced in 1814, while James Barbour held office as Virginia’s Governor, and was completed in 1821, as Casa Vinicola Zonin was being founded in Palladio’s home province, the Veneto.
The assimilation of this plantation within the viticultural traditions of the Zonin family has conferred upon our work a heritage of agricultural passion and purpose through 8 generations.
OUR WINEMAKER
Luca Paschina, WinemakerLuca Paschina, a native of Alba, Italy, is a graduate of the Enology Institute of Alba and has crafted 35 vintages on the estate. Daniele Tessaro holds a bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Udine, bringing 18 vintages of expertise. Fernando Franco, originally from Armenia, El Salvador, studied at the Escuela Nacional de Agricultura. Edoardo Quinones contributes a wealth of experience with 28 vintages to his name.
THE LAND
Situated on the broad, rolling plateau and foothills of the Southwest Mountains in the Virginia Piedmont, running parallel with the Blue Ridge to the west, our 900 acres occupy ground of sedimentary rock of volcanic origin, and separate stratifications of sandstone and conglomerates, with sloping exposures of even greater variety.
In the temperate mid-Atlantic weather of our growing region, this estate presents the viticulturist with a dynamic mosaic of growing conditions. Some years favor one planting site for a given varietal, such as Cabernet Franc, and other years favor another in the same varietal.
The resulting engagement with the vines is exceptionally active and verifies the truism that the human hand, learned, seasoned, and schooled by many previous vintages, must be incorporated in any conception of “terroir.”
