Historical Wine Haven: Ingleside Vineyards and Winery

I discovered the joys of the Northern Neck for the first time this summer, on a trip with my in-laws to the Kilmarnock area. I’ve been to VA beach and Eastern Shore a bunch, but had never really stopped to explore the Northern Neck area until this year. How fortunate for me, because Ingleside Vineyards and Winery has just given me another reason to fall in love with that region’s laid back and historic vibes.

The property is HUGE, yet the winery space and tasting room courtyard manage to be cozy, homey, and feel like a tucked away European/Mediterranean garden. The Flemer family have owned and operated the estate since 1890, and converted the previous dairy farm to a plant nursery in the 1940s and then also a vineyard in the 1980s (they still have many acres dedicated to the plant nursery which is awesome). They also have a mini Museum of Natural History on site (with renovations planned), that has many incredible Native American artifacts found on/or near the property, a taxidermy of regional wild life, and many other regional historical items, one of them even involves George Washington himself! The family is still very involved in the property and winery operations today. I had the pleasure to sit with Chris Flemer, who serves as their marketing manager, to get an inside scoop of what Ingleside wines have to offer.

One word that kept coming to mind during the tasting to me was “creative.” I felt like their current selections were extremely creative, and truly surprised and delighted. Nothing was its standard varietal showcase…everything had a special twist that gave the whole collection of wines a special feel while also bringing out the best characteristics of each varietal.

Matt and I had the white tasting flight, which included their: 2019 Pinot Grigio, 2019 Albariño (a very popular selection and one of the favorites of the day), 2019 Viognier, Coastal White Chardonnay, and the 2019 Chardonnay Reserve.

We also had the mixed tasting, which featured: the 2019 Pinot Grigio, the 2019 Albarino, the 2020 Rosato di Sangiovese, 2019 Sangiovese, and 2019 Cabernet Franc. Because Chris was awesome, we also got a little tasting of their Petit Verdot Rosé (which I ended up drinking a whole glass), 2019 Left Bank, and 2018 Petit Verdot. I was too eager to try these last 3 that I did not snap a picture, sorry y’all.

While I genuinely enjoyed every wine we tasted, I have to highlight the standouts of the day:
1) 2018 Petit Verdot: This is one of the most approachable PVs ever. It manages to maintain it’s boldness and complexity without having strong/harsh tannins.

2) Petit Verdot Rosé: I was just so impressed by this wine. It’s a medium, almost full bodied, rosé (which is unique in itself) with lots of strawberry and blossom notes on the nose and palate. It has a tangy finish that reminds you it’s made with PV, that I absolutely loved. 10/10 most unique rosé I’ve had so far.

3) 2019 Sangiovese: This was my very first Virginia-grown Sangiovese! If you’re a fan of Italian wines, 100% check this one out. I want to do a side by side comparison soon of this with an Italian one. This one was very dark fruit (dark plum especially) forward, with soft tannins.

4) 2019 Albariño: Albariño is quickly becoming one of my favorite varietals, and this one will be added to my favorites list. Honeysuckle aromas on the nose, and various tropical fruits on the palate balanced with some citrus make this dry white wine one to remember.

5)2019 Cabernet Franc: I regret not buying a bottle of this one… the only on I didn’t is because I’m sitting on a collection of Cab Francs that I haven’t started on yet and wanted more variety on my wine bar… all of that to say: it’s a delicious notes of black cherry, black plum, medium bodied and medium tannins.

6)2019 Pinot Grigio: I feel like I don’t see as often as I would like in Virginia as a single varietal. It’s 100% estate grown Pinot Grigio, and won bronze in the 2021 VA Governor’s Cup.

They have more new releases coming soon, I won’t give away too much but there may be some bourbon barrel aging involved! I cannot wait to be back soon and continuing to explore their wines! Cheers to Ingleside!