Drink (and think) like a somm
Michael Shaps
Meritage
Virginia
Cabernet Franc 33%
Petit Verdot 33%
Merlot 25%
Malbec 9%
Red cassis, figs, thyme, balsamic
20 Months
New French Oak 75%
Neutral Oak 25%
Complex, elegant, and perfectly balanced. Definitely a wine that needs some time to breathe to show its full potential.
Low
Med -
Medium
Med +
High
ABOUT
Michael Shaps 2022 Meritage
Our 2022 Meritage is a reflection of our commitment to excellence in both viticulture and winemaking. Every aspect of the process – from vineyard selection to barrel evaluation – is focused on producing a wine that represents the highest level of quality we can achieve. Only the finest fruit and most exceptional barrels are selected for this blend.
The result is a balanced, structured, and deeply expressive wine with the concentration and elegance to evolve beautifully for ten to twelve years under proper cellar conditions.
PAIRINGS
IN A PINCH
Lean meats, aged cheeses.
DEEPER DIVE
This Meritage focuses on elegance over power, which is a function of the Cab Franc playing the dominant role here. It’s got great acidity and soft tannins which makes it an excellent pairing wine.
The best choices here are going to be lean red meats like lamb and tenderloin since this wine doesn’t have the powerful tannins required for the richest cuts. The grill is going to be this wine’s best friend to help cook off fat and match the smoke with its earthy notes.
Aged, cave-ripened cheeses are going to be excellent pairing options with this wine, especially blue cheeses and anything salty like sharp cheddar.
STANDOUT FEATURES
- Complexity
- Linear Acidity
- Soft Tannins
STEER CLEAR
Anything too light like fish won’t work here, and be careful of the fuller end of the spectrum as a rich dish like a stew might overpower this wine.
PAIRING SCALE
Light Dishes
Salads
Raw Bar
Med – Dishes
Fatty Fish
Roast Chicken
Med. Dishes
Lean Meats
Rich Poultry
Med + Dishes
Burgers
Fatty Meats
Full Dishes
Stews
Rich Sauces
CHEESE OPTIONS
Stilton
Stilton
Country: England
Animal: Cow
Type: Hard
Texture: Crumbly
Style: Rich, creamy, earthy.
Taleggio
Taleggio
Country: Italy
Animal: Cow
Type: Soft
Texture: Creamy
Style: Mild, sweet, aromatic
Cheddar
Cheddar
Country: England
Animal: Cow
Type: Hard
Texture: Grainy
Style: Tangy, earthy, sharp
RECIPE IDEAS
SERVICE
WHICH GLASSES?
Large Bordeaux are best here to bring out the aromatics, but all-purpose glasses would still do well.
BORDEAUX
BURGUNDY
FLUTE
COUPE
ALL-PURPOSE
WHITE
DESSERT
SHOULD I DECANT THIS?
WHY “Yes”?
There’s a lot of complexity packed into this wine, and to skip the aeration step would diminish the full experience. It’s also an age-worthy wine, which would require decanting down the road.
HOW LONG?
Generally you would want to decant a younger wine for longer to help it open up and be cautious of exposing older wines to oxygen for too long. There are always exceptions of course, but this is a pretty good rule to follow.
Minutes to decant this bottle:
Year opened
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:
20
-
20
Development
Year Opened
NERD STUFF
TECHNICAL NOTES
pH: 3.7
TA: 6.75 grams/L
Alc: 13.7%
RS: 0.01%
Bottled: July 26, 2024
Cases Produced: 297
VINEYARD NOTES
A blend of three different vineyard sites each offer a unique style of terroir. Our Honah Lee site is situated at an elevation of approximately 1,000 feet, the vineyard is planted predominantly in Davidson clay soils and benefits from a southeastern exposure that provides abundant sunlight and promotes optimal ripening.
The Shenandoah site is a lighter loamy, limestone soil in a much drier micro climate providing this blend with structured Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The Highland Orchard site at a higher elevation has been producing excellent Petit Verdot with great depth and fruit. The 2022 growing season was marked by warm temperatures and balanced moisture levels throughout the year. These conditions allowed the red varieties to ripen evenly, developing rich fruit character while still retaining brighter natural acidity.
WINEMAKING NOTES
All grapes were destemmed into open-top fermenters and cold soaked for five to seven days to enhance color, flavor, and tannin extraction. Fermentation was initiated using native yeast cultivated from the fruit’s own juice during the cold maceration process, with no commercial yeast strains added. The fermenters were gently warmed to encourage ambient yeast activity.
Throughout fermentation, pump-overs were performed twice daily to maximize extraction and build structure. Extended maceration continued for several weeks after fermentation, with ongoing daily pump-overs to further develop complexity and depth. After approximately four weeks, the free-run wine was separated from the skins, which were then pressed. The wines were transferred to French oak barrels for aging, with 75% new oak used for maturation. Each variety was aged separately before the final blend was assembled the following spring. The completed blend was then matured for a total of 20 months prior to bottling.
PRODUCER
1650 Harris Creek Rd
Charlottesville, VA
(434) 296-3438
Open Daily from 11am-5pm
ABOUT US
Founded in 2007, Michael Shaps Wineworks is located in the former Montdomaine Winery, twelve miles south of Charlottesville, Virginia. The original concept was to use the facility for production of the existing Michael Shaps brand of wines, and to produce a second brand called Wineworks, a more value-oriented line of Virginia wines.
Within the first year the opportunity arose to develop Virginia’s first contract winemaking operation–more commonly known as custom crush–to make wine for independent growers who want their own brand. Found in many wine regions around the world, this previously untapped market became a focus for Wineworks.
Between 2008-2014 the customer base grew to over twenty contract winemaking clients and the facility grew in size and capacity, requiring two expansions. Wineworks quickly became a regional leader for contract winemaking, serving clients from Tennessee to Delaware.
Michael ShapsWhen Michael’s founding partner left in 2014, he brought in investors to expand the winery facility to increase production capacity to 30,000 cases of wine and changed the name from Virginia Wineworks to Michael Shaps Wineworks. In 2015 the processing volume reached 430 tons (approximately 28,000 cases) and the 2017 harvest brought in over 500 tons.
OUR VINEYARDS
Our Vineyard sites have been chosen and cultivated with care, thinking about the current vintages as well as future vintages. We believe that great wines start in the field, without great fruit, we cannot achieve great wine.
HONAH LEE
Located in Gordonsville, VA, Honah Lee Vineyard is our primary vineyard site.
WILD MEADOW
Wild Meadow Vineyard has been highly acclaimed as one of the best chardonnay sites in the state.
MICHAEL SHAPS ESTATE
Michael Shaps Estate Vineyard
The Harris Creek Road property has been planted to vineyard since the early 1990s.
Interested in joining our wine club?
Membership Benefits:
- 4 shipments per year: February, May, September, December
- 30% discount on all Wine Club shipments
- 20% discount on all other wine bottle purchases–both online and in tasting rooms
- Complimentary wine tastings for two (limit 2 per membership) at the winery of either Virginia or Burgundy wines, depending on your club each time you visit the winery
- 20% off wine flights at Wineworks Extended each time you visit
- Discounted tickets to many special events
- Access to pre-release & “library” wines not available to the public
- Tickets for two (limit 2 per membership) to the quarterly Wine Club Pickup parties, held in February, May, September, December
