Pollak Vineyards
To enjoy our wines at home, they can be purchased online for residents of AK, FL, ID, LA, MO, NE, ND, NH, NM, NV, OH, OR, WV, WY and the District of Columbia.
Orders will be directed to VinoShipper, a specialist in providing shipping, payment and reporting functions for wineries.
We look forward to adding other states as shipping regulations permit.
If you are a resident in other states, please call the winery at 540.456.8844 to determine shipping availability.
*There is a 3 bottle minimum
Our Wines
All of our 5000 cases of wine is grown on the estate where we work throughout the year to ensure the highest quality fruit. At harvest all grapes are picked by hand into lugs and sorted, then cooled before being crushed or fermented. Many wines are made in small lots so we can coax unique characteristics from different yeasts and terroir. For wines that are blended, blind taste tests are conducted to find the best blends for each vintage.
In 2011, we bottled the second vintage of a white port style viognier, which we call Mille Fleurs, a tribute to the wonderful nose of the late harvest viognier at its heart. Made like a port, this wine was fortified with brandy and then aged almost two years in barrel, acquiring a flavor that makes it a candidate as an aperitif, an accompaniment to port's traditional cheese side or simply an end to dessert.
In 2009, we bottled two wines which merit Reserve status: a cabernet franc and a cabernet sauvignon. For us this recognizes a high quality which may be attributed to especially favorable growing conditions or simply the identification of best vineyard lots. Not all years will permit this.
2010 Meritage
price: $35
availability: Limited pre-release until the end of summer
cases produced: 599
date picked: September, 2010
date bottled: April, 2012
varietals: 41% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot, 18% Petit Verdot
vineyard/winemaking notes: This wine continues our tradition of making a red blend based upon careful selection of barrels from each of the three varietals. We begin a blind tasting of different proportions of varietals in November after the individual wines have completed 12 months in barrel using 60% new French oak and 40% neutral barrels. Based on the selected mix, varietals are blended and barrel aged another 5 months. This final wine was then aged in the bottle another 12 months permitting the various components to come together for a nuanced flavor.
tasting notes: Produced in a Bordeaux style, this wine presents a full bodied, opulent feel in the mouth with silky tannins and sound acidity to frame blackcurrant, black cherry and leather flavors. This wine is impeccably balanced and leaves a mouthwatering finish. It is approachable now, but will gain complexity with additional aging in your cellar.
awards:
- Monticello Cup overall winner
- Gold, Dallas Morning News
- Gold, San Diego International
- Silver, Finger Lakes International
- Silver, Governor's Cup
- Silver, Hilton Head
- Silver, San Francisco Chronicle
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
price: $26
availability: yes
cases produced: 198
date picked: September, 2010
date bottled: July, 2011
vineyard designation: Smuggler block
tasting notes: Consistent with treatment of our other reds, these grapes were cold soaked before being fermented in micro lots and subjected to extended maceration. We used very light pressure to extract only the soft tannins. The wine was aged 8 months in 50% new French oak barrels.
2011 Cabernet Franc
price: $22
availability: yes
cases produced: 390
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: July, 2012
vineyard designation: An estate blend from the original 10 acre and Mountain vineyard
vineyard/winemaking notes: These grapes were picked in September 2011, cold soaked and then underwent an extended maceration. The wine was aged 10 months in French oak barrels, 40% new and 60% neutral.
tasting notes: This wine has a bright ruby color with fragrances of pomegranate, cherry jam and fresh cracked pepper. On the palate one experiences soft impressions of ripe blackberry and cassis while dark cocoa flavors mingle with a velvety textured finish.
2011 Merlot
price: $22
availability: yes
cases produced: 274
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: July, 2012
vineyard designation: An estate blend from the original 10 acre and Smuggler blocks
vineyard/winemaking notes: These grapes were harvested in early September 2011, cold soaked and then experienced an extended maceration. The wine spent 10 months in barrel: 40% new French oak; 60% neutral.
tasting notes: Aromas of fresh, ripened cherries and blueberries burst from this perfectly balanced merlot. The wine has soft and silky but firm tannins, yet it retains freshness and vibrancy through to the finish.
2010 Petit Verdot
price: $30
availability: Very Limited
cases produced: 365
date picked: September, 2010
date bottled: March, 2012
vineyard designation: An estate blend from the original 10 acre block and Mountain vineyard
vineyard/winemaking notes: Consistent with treatment of our other reds, these grapes were cold soaked before fermentation in micro lots and subjected to extended maceration. We used a very light press pressure to extract only the soft tannins. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak barrels.
tasting notes: This is a full bodied wine with the dark color characteristic of this varietal. Its bold tannins are rounded out by flavors of plum, earth and tobacco.
awards:
- Silver, Governor's Cup
- Silver, Hilton Head International
2011 Durant Red
price: $16
availability: yes
cases produced: 440
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: February, 2012
varietals: 57% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
vineyard/winemaking notes: The goal of winemaking for this wine is a Bordeaux style blend which is a lighter, less tannic style for every day pleasure. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and pressed off the skins two thirds of the way through fermentation, and then allowed to finish fermentation. This creates a fresh, fruit forward red wine.
tasting notes: This wine is designed to be lighter in body but still with plenty of juicy red berry personality. Soft tannins intertwine with lush fruit on the palate, reminiscent of a Cote du Rhone.
2011 Chardonnay
price: $20
availability: yes
cases produced: 520
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: April, 2012
vineyard designation: An estate blend from the original 10 acre block and Mountain vineyard
vineyard/winemaking notes: The wine was fermented 50% in French oak and 50% in stainless steel tanks. Selected yeast strains were used to achieve a dynamic palate and structure, reflective of our terroir and varietal preference. This is our first chardonnay produced by Benoit.
tasting notes: This wine presents itself with a golden yellow color and pale hue. Seductive aromas of pineapple, Asian pear, and citrus are balanced with honeysuckle creamy oak. Flavors of pear and exotic fruits are backed with lively acidity. The creamy palate has a lingering finish with satisfying richness.
awards:
- 91 Point Rating, Gold Medal, Beverage Tasting Institute
- Gold, Dallas Morning News
- Silver, Finger Lakes International
2011 Viognier
price: $22
availability: yes
cases produced: 616
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: January, 2012
vineyard designation: Viognier Block
vineyard/winemaking notes: The grapes were crushed and cold soaked 12-16 hours before fermenting in stainless steel. A small amount was fermented in barrel and blended back to add complexity and creaminess. This was Benoit's first viognier made with us.
tasting notes: This is a fresh, lively, full flavored wine with fragrant notes of creamy apricot and honeysuckle. On the palate one tastes ripe stone fruit balanced by crisp acidity.
awards:
- Gold, Best of Category, Atlantic Seaboard International
- Gold, Riverside International
- Silver, Indy International
- Silver, Dallas Morning News
- Silver, Governor's Cup
2012 Pinot Gris
price: $20
availability: yes
cases produced: 565
date picked: August, 2012
date bottled: January, 2013
vineyard designation: An estate blend from the original 10 acre and winery block
vineyard/winemaking notes: Pinot Gris is our first pick of the harvest. The grapes were crushed and cold soaked overnight imparting the barest hint of the red grape coloring before being fermented in stainless steel.
tasting notes: This wine has a pale straw color with a light pinkish hue, a nose of stone fruit and fresh tropical fruit flavors. It has a round, creamy style with bright minerality and a fruit forward finish.
awards:
- Gold, Finger Lakes International
- Silver, Monticello Cup
2011 Durant White
price: $16
availability: yes
cases produced: 772
date picked: September, 2011
date bottled: January, 2012
varietals: 60% Chardonnay; 40% Viognier
vineyard/winemaking notes: This wine continues our popular white blend with each varietal fermented in stainless steel, then blended together.
tasting notes: This wine is intended to be crisp and elegant with flavors of bright vibrant lime, green apple, quince and passion fruit. Without the tannic structure from oak aging or extended skin contact, this wine is approachable for both new and experienced wine lovers.
2012 Rosé
price: $16
availability: yes
cases produced: 322
date picked: September, 2012
date bottled: January, 2013
vineyard/winemaking notes: This rosé was made out of "saignee" from cabernet franc. This is the process of bleeding off the wine juice after it has had a short period of contact with the skins. The fermentation was managed similar to our whites: cold fermentation temperature and aging on fine lees for 2 months
tasting notes: This rosé is packed with fresh aromas of Strawberry Rhubarb jam that is backed by white pepper spice. Luscious ripened berries give way to Rhubarb flavors that bring a vibrant acidity and excellent mouth feel to the palate.
awards:
- Silver, Finger Lakes International
2009 Mille Fleurs
price: $30
availability: Now
cases produced: 165 (24 bottles per case)
date picked: Late September
date bottled: July, 2011
vineyard/winemaking notes: Our Mille Fleurs is a blend of eau-de-vie brandy and a late harvest viognier wine creating a wine in the style of a port. This fortified wine has an alcohol content of 17.5% and a residual sweetness owing to the viognier whose fermentation was stopped with the addition of brandy. Once blended the wine was aged in oak for 18 months.
tasting notes: On the nose this wine shows candied apricot, honey, fig, hazelnut and stone fruit, all attributable to the strong viognier base. Intense and invigorating peach and citrus flavors fill the palate to maintain a distinct acidity. The sweetness is not overpowering and perfectly balanced by the structure of the oak and flavor of brandy.
awards:
- 90 Point Rating, Beverage Tasting Institute
- Silver, Riverside International
- Voted Best Desert Wine in Virginia, Virginia Wine Lover Magazine, Port of Viognier
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