2019
The wines of 2019 are the beautiful culmination of years of relentless and incremental improvements in the vineyard and winery, married with the attributes of a stunning growing season. What began as a relatively cool and damp spring, steadily transitioned into a dry, warm summer, producing an impressively concentrated crop by the end of September.
Attentive, diligent farming and respectful winemaking captured the fresh yet rich essence of the year, and the resulting wines are graced with the winegrower’s holy grail of power and elegance. About the 2019, oenologist Eric Boissenot writes, This wine has a great personality expressed first and foremost by its nose of incredible precision and great complexity. It has a rich texture on the palate, carried by remarkably long tannins, bringing a nice freshness to the finish.
LOST MOUNTAIN
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%
CABERNET Franc 38%
Merlot 2%
RENDEZVOUS
Merlot 52%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 39%
Cabernet Franc 7%
Petit Verdot 2%
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2018
“Follow the house, not the vintage report.” This advice not only influences my personal cellar purchases, but also my philosophy as a winegrower. Great producers consistently find ways to produce to great wines.
Every winemaker who attempts to translate the whims of Mother Nature from grape to glass must, at some point, confront extreme weather events. Fires, drought, floods, and frosts are all possible. 2018 brought the rain and Virginia farmers were deluged with record-breaking amounts.
To maintain our strict quality standards, we had to reduce our production by more than 70%. We repeatedly dropped fruit in the vineyard and were draconian at the sorting tables, with only the best parcels making it to the fermenters. 2018 showed us that our hillside will produce beautiful wine even through catastrophic growing conditions. We’re proud of these wines, not only because they overcame long odds, but because they are honest, assured, and true expressions that are showing beautifully now and will age proudly.
LOST MOUNTAIN
Cabernet Franc 75%
Merlot 15%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 10%
RENDEZVOUS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 87%
Cabernet Franc 9%
Merlot 4%
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2017
The 2017 vintage began with a relatively mild and dry winter, which translated into an early spring. Bud break occurred in the second week of April, about 10 days ahead of schedule. As we transitioned into May, warm rains feel frequently making for a precarious flowering.
June and July progressed as expected, whereas a cooler than average August slowed the early momentum of the vintage. The hallmark of the vintage, as so often is the case, came with the final ripening months of September and October with warm days and nights with no rain. What started as an early vintage translated into our longest growing season to date with the harvest of Merlot beginning in the final days of September and finishing with the Cabernet in early October.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 59%
Cabernet Franc 24%
Merlot 17%
RENDEZVOUS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 42%
Merlot 42%
Cabernet Franc 11%
Petit Verdot 5%
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2016
The growing season started early in April as warm weather and dry soils promoted advanced bud break, but a cooler and wetter May returned the vintage to its normal pace. The summer became increasingly drier and by mid-July the vines eagerly transferred their energy from growing leaves towards the ripening of their fruit. Such a transition is always a positive for wine quality as it promotes concentrated fruit and an early harvest. We started with the Merlot in late September and within 10 days the later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon was in the cellar.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 97%
MERLOT 3%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 36%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 35%
CABERNET FRANC 29%
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2015
With a drier start than typical, the vines progressed through flowering beautifully just prior to consistent June rains. Late summer and early autumn were stunning for ripening and in the last week of September we began and continued straight through harvest, finishing a mere eight days later due to the very even fruit set. Thanks to those dry periods when we needed them, the resulting wines are both powerful and balanced and we are extremely pleased with their extraordinary quality.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 66%
CABERNET FRANC 31%
MERLOT 3%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 45%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 23%
CABERNET FRANC 21%
PETIT VERDOT 11%
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2014
A late spring and relatively mild summer translated into a leisurely and quite enjoyable growing season. Just enough rainfall during July and August allowed us to dry farm for the entirety of the vintage and a stunning September ripened the fruit beautifully. Harvest for Lost Mountain began with the merlot on September 24th and was completed on October 2nd with the harvest of our best blocks of cabernet sauvignon.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 72%
CABERNET FRANC 16%
MERLOT 12%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 42%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 23%
CABERNET FRANC 20%
PETIT VERDOT 15%
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2013
Thanks to frequent rains and warm temperatures, a rather steamy spring and summer kept the vineyard team humming. We recall optimistically commenting at the end of August that if Mother Nature decided to cooperate, we would have a wonderful year. Fortunately, she lavished us with cool, dry weather throughout the entire autumn. The early warmth gave the wines generosity, and the perfect autumn conditions ensured concentrated and balanced fruit.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 53%
CABERNET FRANC 27%
MERLOT 20%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 44%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 25%
CABERNET FRANC 22%
PETIT VERDOT 9%
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2010
Record temperatures in late March set the momentum for the hot and dry season that would follow. With the vines breaking bud in early April, the season began nearly three weeks ahead of average. Much to our pleasant surprise, these dry Mediterranean conditions continued all the way through harvest, which began in early September and was complete by mid-October. Small intense berries produced wines with tremendous concentration and power that will undoubtedly age gracefully for many years to come.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 64%
MERLOT 36%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 44%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 24%
PETIT VERDOT 20%
CABERNET FRANC 12%
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2012
Long growing seasons are often credited with producing wines of elevated aromatic and flavor complexity, and this is exactly what happened in 2012. The growing season began ten days early but mild temperatures and consistent rains resulted in a harvest that was a week later than usual. Several weeks of a stunning Indian summer in September provided the ideal amount of stress to beautifully ripen the Merlot and give the Cabernet Sauvignon the gentle push it needed. The resulting wines are characterized by rich flavors, charming aromatics, and a seamless structure.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 46%
CABERNET FRANC 40%
MERLOT 14%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 57%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 22%
CABERNET FRANC 12%
PETIT VERDOT 9%
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2009
We began with a later than normal start due to a cool and wet spring, one that continued into the beginning of June. Fortunately, flowering was successful and dry warm weather arrived by July. August and September provided ideal ripening conditions with very moderate temperatures and minimal rainfall. Harvest began in mid-September with the Merlot and continued through the end of a cool October with the Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, the wines show great finesse and balance, expressing a vintage void of excesses.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 77%
MERLOT 14%
PETIT VERDOT 9%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 35%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 32%
CABERNET FRANC 21%
PETIT VERDOT 12%
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2011
In 2011 Mother Nature proved temperamental at times, testing our site and our determination. A quick but violent hailstorm in early July reduced the crop load by 30 percent. Luckily, the vines are resilient, and by late August we were again optimistic—until Hurricane Irene and a month of unrelenting cloudy weather paid us a visit, reducing our yields by another 40 percent. Despite these struggles, we were thrilled with the remarkable, elegant wines produced. The only thing we are left wanting is more bottles in the cellar.
LOST MOUNTAIN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 50%
CABERNET FRANC 31%
MERLOT 16%
PETIT VERDOT 3%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 69%
CABERNET FRANC 23%
PETIT VERDOT 8%
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2008
In our inaugural vintage, a warm and dry June encouraged a healthy flowering. Consistent light rains followed. This proved to be a blessing, establishing the new vineyards with a strong canopy needed to sustain the plants through the increasingly dryer summer months. Because the vines were young and the conditions hot and dry, harvest took place in early September. The resulting wines display a density of opulent fruit while retaining a balance of elegance and complexity.
LOST MOUNTAIN (known as RdV for our first vintage)
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 85%
MERLOT 10%
PETIT VERDOT 5%
RENDEZVOUS
MERLOT 62%
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 29%
CABERNET FRANC 6%
PETIT VERDOT 3%
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