My wife and I visited this vineyard last weekend and were completely disappointed. The disappointment started immediately when we were told the tastings are done on a precise schedule. Secondly, the weather has quite brisk though they insisted on having the tastings outside. This made no sense considering the fall/winter tasting room was available and not being used. The worst part of the entire experience is the actual tasting. You're forced to listen to long diatribes behind each wine poured. Hello!? This is why you have tours and tasting separate. The stories would have been tolerable if the tasting sizes lasted the length of the story. They do not. We were literally standing around for 5-10 minutes per pour listening to stories. Their wine was decent but nothing to write home about and the vineyard is not worth another visit if their tasting practices remain the same. If you want to spend over an hour tasting 8-10 wines, this place is for you. However, if you cherish your time, I'd recommend venturing elsewhere. One good point is that it's pet friendly.
We always have a wonderful time sampling wine and hanging out at Chrysalis Vineyards. Everyone is friendly. We usually buy a bottle of our favorite and hang out sipping wine and eating cheese!
On a perfect autumn day at their Bluegrass Festival, Chrysalis Vineyards highlighted their wide selection of Norton wines. With the largest acreage of Norton grapes, the truly American grape, Chrysalis has produced a marvelous array of high quality wines that have garnered multiple awards. This last tasting included four white, one rose, two semi-sweet and five red wines. Tastings are informative, relaxed and scheduled throughout the day. Located at the end of a narrow unpaved road, the vineyard sits on a hilltop with expansive views, barbecue grills and areas to picnic. There is a designated family area and many visitors with their dogs. The fees for tasting are nominal and if you opt to join their VIP wine club, you receive complementary tastings for four people whenever you visit. Give yourself a gift, take a drive into the beautiful Virginia countryside and enjoy a special day at Chrysalis.
This past summer, I joined the club at Chrysallis. In early December, a friend and I combined our birthday party benefit by invited 10 people to a wine tasting and birthday cake. It was great fun on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The view alone is worth the trip. And the wines are very good also
A lot of what they make uses the Norton grape, and most of it is pretty decent. Worth a visit if you're in the area. Our tasting featured 12 wines, which was a bit much but you get a good variety. They also have a "family area" on one side of the property.
Anyone who says they had a bad experience at this winery must be a real wine snob or in some kind of hurry. Chrysalis has a large, unique selection of wines, and hearing the stories about each of them is fun, and a part of the wine tasting process. I'm a member, so I visit often, and it's amazing that I learn something new every time I go; every single one of their staff is knowledgeable. Definitely visit! They are in the middle of building a new tasting room, not far down the road from the current one, so if you prefer indoor plumbing (right now all they have is port-o-potties), wait to visit that one.
This winery has a lot to offer even the most discerning wine palate. The wine maker can do more with the Norton grape than any other vineyard I have ever visited. The bid surprise was that there is more than just Norton wines. They have a very nice Albarino and a Tannat that is worthwhile taking home. The place is beautiful and the staff is knowledgeable. You won't regret making the trip.
Visited with a friend for a day of wine tasting. The grounds of this vineyard is beautiful even in the dead of winter. There were quite a few other guest but plenty of room to slide up to the tasting area. The host was friendly and very welcoming, she share the story of the vineyard and its history surrounding Sarah Pollard. The wines were very good and my favorite to were 2013 Sarah's Patio Red and 2013 Norton Schitz & Giggets. The tasting cost was reasonable and they told us about their annual Jazz Festival on the grounds in May. I hope to attend that, if I do, I will definitely share the experience. Overall a great find and a must try.
We've visited many wineries in VA and this one ranks in our top 10 of "not worth trying." Not because of the service, as the staff was friendly and pleasant (although it was a little odd that the guy doing our tasting was drinking right along with us and it wasn't just to taste a freshly corked bottle). But for a couple other reasons:1. The layout - You come into the "tasting room" (which is the main house or room) and pay there for the tasting experience you want. The prices are reasonable, considering the amount of wines you'll be tasting. Then you walk outside to the barrel room, where you do the tasting. Barrel room tastings are nice and can add that little "pizzazz" that impresses some folks. But this barrel room/warehouse was freezing cold! We went on a cold day in January and we may have well just had the tasting outside - not very comfy!2. They produce too many wines and don't perfect any. Just our opinions, but overall, the wines were mediocre at best. They do make way too many, including a complete tannat, which is great as a mixing grape, but powerful on its own. Even still, it didn't taste as well as others we've had of the same varietal. We actually poured a couple out, which is something we rarely ever do.We've tried their wines at a festival or two and didn't think much of them there and we've had friends who are into wine advise us not to waste our time, but we always like to try for ourselves.So, feel free to give them a try, you might like them. Just not what we seek in wine nor in a winery/tasting room experience.
A lot of winery choices but this is the best and my favorite. Great tasting experience but I wish they would pave the access road. All wines, from reds to whites are great and smartly priced. Taster was a former Air Marshall and had great stories. Came away with a case of wine, great memories and plenty of snapshots of the beautiful grounds