A New Beginning

Summer of 1988 was hot and humid in Virginia. The air was thick and the afternoon thunderstorms felt electric. It was my first time working at our family winery, and my first paid job. I set out to work in our vineyards pruning vines with a charming crew of Mexicans. My Spanish helped me fit in right away. That summer started a three decades long relationship with Virginia wine.

My grandparents planted vines in 1981 intending to create wine to share with family, friends, and guests. Having studied and traveled through France, they were passionate about European wines. As diplomats getting settled into a new life, wine was central to the conversations they had around the dinner table. In re-establishing a vineyard here, they sought to make a wine of their own to serve and enjoy with whoever joined them at the table. In 1993, my father and stepmother, took the reins of the business and committed themselves to further elevating the characteristics of our wines. Two decades later the business was passed to my siblings and me. Virginia beckoned.

What started as a one month consultation, ended up in a 10 year commitment. With a talented team we improved and expanded: a new tasting room, new gardens, terraced and outdoor patio seating areas. A plethora of conservation efforts took root including some 400,000 bees that now make delicious honey. I am incredibly proud of our vineyard and winemaking team who worked tirelessly on our Viognier wine program. It now stands as one of Virginia’s most highly awarded Viognier's, vintage after vintage. Considered Virginia’s state grape, it is a deeply humbling honor - an emblem of consistency in an inconsistent climate. Achieving this excellence also helped propel the overall reputation of Virginia as a wine destination.

Virginia has a storied wine history. Over two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson said wine was a "necessity of life." In a glass, he seemed to see a benefit to health, to culture, and to society. In his founding vision of our young country, he perceived a place for wine and carved a place for our first commercial viticultural endeavor in Albemarle County. It is on that same land that my family’s forty-year legacy of continuing Jefferson's vision began. Today, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, will become the new owner of Jefferson Vineyards. It is a story that comes full circle, back to a founding winemaking legacy started in 1773.

This is a bittersweet moment for me. I have always felt close to my team - all 45 of them who I call family. Together we have achieved much. Not only has Jefferson Vineyards become a beacon of quality wine production, but we’ve achieved this together. In finding the new owner of this beautiful historic property, it was important to find someone who cared as deeply as we did about our people, the land and the rich wine history. Committed to land preservation and conservation, I am also encouraged by the values we share in common with the new owner. It is a great fit!

None of this would have been possible without my amazing team, many of whom have remained with us since that first day in January, 2013. I am indebted to them for making my work fun, educational and for creating leading wines that put Virginia on the national wine map.

With this tremendous gratitude we welcome 2023. Happy New Year!