Interesting tasting of wines from Muse Vineyards, an award-winning estate in the Shenandoah Valley/ Virginia at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar/ American Wine Society Washington DC Chapter. The wines were presented by co-owner Sally Cowal, who, before getting into wine, had a distinguished career at the US State Department, including US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2015, Muse’s 2009 Clio won the Virginia Governor’s Cup and I wrote about it on my blog schiller-wine (which I found out during the tasting). See below.
The Story of Muse (Muse Vineyards)
Steeped in History and Passion
Muse Vineyards is located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. At Muse, science, passion and reverence for the tradition of classic wine making converge to produce award-winning wines.
In 2015, Muse’s 2009 Clio, a Bordeaux-style blend, was named Virginia’s top wine and awarded the coveted 2015 Virginia Governor’s Cup, besting over 400 entries from across the state.
At Muse Vineyards, we devote to time-honored farming and wine production techniques in homage to the domaine vineyards of France and Italy. Rarely larger than 35 acres and often family-owned and operated for centuries, these vineyards represent for us the ideal of artisanal, premium wine making.
Muse, Briefly
Muse’s proprietors are husband and wife, Robert Muse and Sally Cowal. Robert is an international lawyer who (as an Arizonan) trained as a barrister in England. Sally is a former United States ambassador who is now Senior Vice President of Global Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society.
Shenandoah River Fork at Muse Vineyards
There’s always a river. Like many Americans, farming is a large part of Robert’s background. In the 17th Century, his French Huguenot ancestors came to America and settled on the banks of the Potomac where they started planting tobacco. Their property adjoined George Washington’s birthplace.
In 2003 Robert and Sally drove to Woodstock, Virginia to look at a property with an overgrown vineyard. They bought the property specifically for the vineyard and began working to resuscitate the vines.
Robert & Sally next purchased a 200-year-old Mennonite farm adjacent to their property on the banks of the Shenandoah River and expanded to thirty acres of vines. After much research they learned how to combine the qualities of Muse’s soil, its topography, and its proximity to the river to produce a range of exceptional wine grapes.
Grape Varieties
Muse has planted some twenty different grape varieties. According to Robert, “The varieties we’ve planted produce interesting wine: for instance, Sangiovese is the grape from which Tuscan wines are made, mid-weight with cherry notes; while the Nebbiolo grape produces the complex wines of Italy’s Piedmont region. We use those grapes and others to produce bold reds that are refreshing, food complimentary wines.”
Vineyard Terrain
Muse Vineyards sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet and rests on Virginia shale and rocky red clay soils. The top vineyard sits on a terrace formed millions of years ago by the Shenandoah River that today flows one hundred feet below. The soil is a loose loam formed from crystalline rock. Red gravelly clay begins at a depth of about three feet. Gentle inclines combine with the rocky soil to ensure good drainage.
The vineyard next to the tasting room, where Cabernet Sauvignon and some white varieties are grown, plunges down a steep shale outcropping. The lower vineyard is on the river’s bank and consists of silt loam alluvium formed from sandstone and shale.
The Result
Exceptional Wines Crafted with Care, Patience, and Expertise.
Viticulture
According to Robert Muse, Muse Vineyards’ viticultural philosophy and practice is that of minimalist agriculture. “We aim for as few sprays as possible. Our commitment is to employing only the latest generation of low-impact materials and taking great care when and how we use them. Every function from pruning to harvest is done by hand.”
Our Winemaking
Muse chooses to make its Chardonnay using the classic Burgundy method of fermentation in oak barrels. This adds to the complexity of the wine. “But,” Robert explains, “there still remains a fine line between winemakers pursuing their own visions – and then trying to pour the results down the throats of consumers – and being respectful of other’s preferences. Honestly, nobody’s right. Nobody’s wrong. As long as a wine’s cleanly made from grapes grown with integrity, drink what you like and be confident in your choice.”
Introduction
5 Wines
Tasting
Governor Terry McAuliffe awarded the Virginia Wineries Association’s (VWA) 2015 Governor's Cup to Muse Vineyards for their 2009 Clio, a Bordeaux-style blended red wine. This is the first Governor’s Cup for Muse Vineyard, based in Woodstock in Shenandoah County.
Speaking at the Governor’s Cup awards ceremony, Governor McAuliffe said, “I am honored to present this year’s award to Muse Vineyards for their 2009 Clio. Robert Muse and his wife, Sally Cowal, embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Virginia winemakers: a vision for excellence, a relish for hard work in the vineyard, and an aptitude for risk and experimentation. Thomas Jefferson would be proud of Robert and Sally’s efforts and I congratulate them for winning the 2015 Governor’s Cup.”
For the results of the past 2 years, see:
Virginia's Best Wines: 2014 Virginia Wineries Governor’s Cup, USA
Governor’s Cup Competition 2013, Virginia, USA
Muse Vineyard’s Clio is a blend of 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, and 25% Petit Verdot. Winemaker Robert Muse, in consultation with Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards in Crozet, employed a non-interventionist approach to the fermentation, an option made possible by optimally ripe grapes from the 2009 vintage. Following de-stemming and a light crush, the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc were fermented separately with daily punch-downs. The wine was racked directly into 50% new and 50% neutral French oak barrels where it aged for three years before its bottling. The winemaker's tasting notes on the 2009 Clio are as follows: Deep burgundy in color, this classically-styled Bordeaux blend presents a lovely complex nose with notes of ripe cherry, vanilla, black tea, nutmeg and leather. The wine is wide and steady on the palate with a fine tannin structure, balance and length. Decanted, it continues to open beautifully for at least an hour. It will mature nicely for five or more years.
"The 2009 Clio is one of the first wines we produced from our vineyard,” said Robert Muse. This wine is grown and produced solely at our estate. It is something that speaks to the geology of the Shenandoah Valley, to the weather unique to our land and to the methods employed in our vineyard. It is that local element and authentic nature of winemaking that excites my wife, Sally, and me. We are glad others enjoy the fruits from this effort, and we are honored to be recognized among those that have won this award before us.”
The 2015 Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition was conducted over four weeks of preliminary tastings, held at the Capital Wine School in Washington, D.C. in January. The final round of tastings was held at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond in early February. The Governor's Cup award winner and the other 11 wines that make up the 2015 Governor's Cup Case, are the top 12 highest scoring wines chosen from 390 entries of both red and white wines, from 94 wineries.
In addition to Muse Vineyards’ 2009 Clio, the other 11 wines in the 2015 Governor’s Cup Case are:
Cactocin Creek Winery - 2012 Meritage
Cross Keys Vineyards – 2013 Touriga
Delfosse Vineyards & Winery – 2013 Petit Verdot
Jefferson Vineyards – 2010 Meritage
King Family Vineyards – 2012 Meritage
Michael Shaps - 2012 Tannat
Michael Shaps – 2012 Raisin d’Etre White
Narmada Winery - 2010 Yash-Vir
North Gate Vineyard - 2012 Meritage
Rockbridge Vineyard - 2010 V d’Or
Vint Hill Craft Winery - 2012 Petit Verdot
This year's results are notable for a wide geographic scope of winners, as well as diversity of the wines themselves. For example, three wines from the 2015 Governor’s Cup Case hail from the Shenandoah Valley, four from Northern Virginia, and five from the Central Virginia area. The wide spectrum of wines include Bordeaux blended reds, Petit Verdot, a Touriga, a Petit Manseng, two white blends, a dessert wine, and a Tannat.
Jay Youmans, one of only of 35 Masters of Wine in the U.S., directed the competition. Youmans, who is also a Certified Wine Educator and the owner and educational director of the Capital Wine School, recruited wine judges from the professional wine buying and wine media community. A list of the judges along with their bios can be found at http://www.virginiawine.org/governors-cup.
Virginia is the 5th largest wine industry in the US, with nearly 200 wineries and 2,500 acres of vineyards. In the original charter of the thirteen colonies was a royal commission to pursue three luxury items that England was unable to provide for itself: wine, silk, and olive oil. Every colony made attempts to satisfy the requirements of its charter. Despite many years of failure, the early Americans persisted in their efforts. A big step forward was made in 1740 when a natural cross pollination occurred between a native American grape and a European vitis vinifera. Other successful crossings followed.
In 1762, John Carter, who had 1,800 vines growing at Cleve Plantation, sent 12 bottles to the Royal Society of Encouragement of the Arts, Manufacture and Commerce in London for their evaluation. Minutes of their meeting on the 20th of October 1762 declared Carter’s wines to be “excellent” and a decision was taken to reward Carter’s efforts with a gold medal for his wines. These were the first internationally recognized fine wines produced in America.
Over the past 30 years or so, Virginia wines have experienced a tremendous development - to elegant and balanced, mostly European vinifera-based wines. Recently, Donald Trump as well as AOL founder Steve Case bought a Virginia winery.
Today, the vitis vinifera grapes Chardonnay and Viognier are the leading white varieties. Increasingly they are made without any or with neutral oak, to retain natural acidity and freshness. It appears Viognier is on its way to becoming Virginia’s official “signature grape”.
For French-American hybrid varieties, Seyval Blanc is still popular, but resembles now the fresh and crisp wines from France’s South West. Vidal has become the backbone of the artificially frozen (cryoextraction), ice wine which I am not a great fan of. Cryoextraction is an approach, developed by the French, which kind of simulates the frost in the vineyard in the wine cellar.
As far as red wines are concerned, there has been a shift from straight varietal wines to blends, with the blends now being dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Mirroring the Virginia white wines, there is an increasing focus on neutral oak and clean, vibrant fruit.
Tannat, Uruguay’ signature grape from the South West of France, is showing up in more Virginia wines, usually as a blend. The only red French American hybrid which has performed consistently well in Virginia is Chambourcin, which resembles the Gamay grape of Beaujolais.
Finally, Claude Thibault, a native from France, has taken Virginia sparkling wines to a new level. His NV Thibault-Janisson Brut, made from 100 percent Chardonnay, which President Obama offered his guests at his first state dinner, is as close as you can get to Champagne outside of France. See more: "As Close as You Can Get to (French) Champagne at the US East Coast – Claude Thibaut and His Virginia Thibaut Janisson Sparklers at screwtop Wine Bar"
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