SPECIAL TASTING SATURDAY MARCH 16 FEATURING R WINES (VA) & WINEMAKER RIAAN ROSSOUW 12-4pm

2016 R WINES GRAND VIN-$33.99
2016 R WINES HEIRLOOM-$33.99

By day, Riaan Rossouw is the acclaimed winemaker for Lovingston Winery, one of Virginia's most distinctive and forward-thinking wineries. By night (or whenever there is a precious moment of free time), he is 'The Mind Behind' creating R Wines, his ultra-experimental small lot wine label that pushes every winemaking limit possible. Each harvest or so there is a wine or two made with a specific vision or purpose, and only a few common threads holding them together; hand raised, hand cared for from start to finish, with as little intervention as possible. The experiments done on these wines at this scale are then taken to the production level in the Lovingston wines. Barely a barrel of each wine is made each year, and we consider it an honor to represent them each year.

These wines are like bits of performance art, and like most forms of art are not built for the sole purpose of mass appeal. Some will enjoy the unique journey these wines will take you on, others will not. As he states in this Wine Enthusiast article from 2016 “Some people will reject what you’re doing in the bottle, but you still have to do it. Otherwise, you’ll just be stuck as some little winery making square wines. I’m here to give dynamic interest and flare to our industry.” The single varietal used in the Grand Vin and the blend of the Heirloom this year are deliberately kept a secret (won't even field guesses from us). The primary consideration for each wine was the soil pH of each vineyard before variety, and the harmony within each wine is the result. These are also wines requiring great patience, evolving over several days when open or easily capable of a decade in the cellar, the same paths as the fine Bordeaux or Tuscan wines that served as their inspiration. Or as he puts it; "The style vibrates, more a Warhol, Huxley, Bo Diddley, Chet Baker, Vaughn Monroe, Johnny Cash, Boney M frequency I think !"

There are simply no other wines like this made in Virginia, and we are so excited for you to enjoy the experience.

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