Orange wine, or skin contact wine, is a lesser known style that has been made since 6000 B.C., recently gaining popularity. Ours is a skin contact fermented Vidal Blanc based wine, aged for two years in French oak barrels but with the "twist" of adding actual orange peels to the barrels. This wine has evident citrus notes, but they don't overwhelm. There is a rolling, creamy mouthfeel, and a balanced sweetness on the finish. Grab a few pieces of dark chocolate for a perfect dessert wine pairing! 

57% Petit Verdot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 7% Tannat. Dense dark red wine. Red fruit aroma, dark cherry, mulberry, licorice flavors. Complexity includes some leather and spicy clove notes. There is underlying base tannins from start to finish. This will age well!

Our co-ferment of 92% Cabernet Franc and 8% Viognier returns. Counterintuitively, the white varietal Viognier used in the blend helps stabilize the wine’s color and adds tannins, mouthfeel, and structure. The wine features a velvet feel, garnet color, and varied complexity. Notes of cherry, toffee, and vanilla. It's light in body but firm, almost chewy at the finish. Try with anything from the grill.

Our first 100% varietal P. Manseng wine. Loaded with tropical fruit aroma and flavor. It is close to being totally dry, but "drinks" a little sweet thanks to all the fruit tones. This is a rich, fun new wine that we hope to make more of in the future. 

A delicious blend of Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Viognier, and Traminette. Apple and pear flavors with a refreshing finish. Annually our most popular bottle! 

A lighter bodied red blend of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Aroma of currants and red fruits, good acidity, and friendly tannins. Start by pairing with pasta or pizza with red sauces, but the wine works with many dishes.

Considered a true "halbtrocken" or half-dry Riesling, it's sweetness is balanced by natural acidity. It's round on the palate, but crisp on the finish. Our first screw-capped wine is now easier to store an opened bottle, and even easier to bring along on hikes and picnics. A true "food wine", it pairs with varied dishes from gyros to tacos. 

Our annual emulation of Beaujolais Nouveau. Made from 100% Petit Verdot and made using carbonic maceration (a gentle, hyper-anaerobic technique where carbon dioxide is used to break down the fruit cell walls) rather than by mechanical means, to release the juice and color. The wine is fun and oh-so-fresh (just about two months from the vine), juicy, fruity, with gentle tannins. It’s my favorite for turkey dinners and holiday parties.

50% Petit Manseng, 50% Chardonnay

“Green” is a co-fermented Petit Manseng and Chardonnay (1:1 ratio). The purpose of co-fermenting instead of fermenting in separate tanks and blending together later is two-fold:

(1.) The combined juice has a more favorable pH for a healthier fermentation which leads to better aromatics and complexity.

(2.) Combining the two varietals at the onset saves space (one less tank) and time (less winemaking consternation over the blend.) Time is a major factor as this wine is bottled about six weeks after the fruit is picked.

Clean apple and flower nose, with pome fruit and slight pineapple flavor tones. Strong mid-palate, and pleasantly tart finish.

Suggested pair: seafood, chicken, hard/sharp cheese.

This is the first straight Vidal Blanc bottled by Cardinal Point. The fruit comes from our friend, Jenny Rous’ vineyard, just south in Roseland, Virginia. Like all wines in our “Frai” series, this wine’s primary fermentation was stopped before all the sugar became alcohol. The idea is to bottle the freshness of a new wine. It’s semi-dry and features flavors of apple and pome fruit. The wine features complexity in mouthfeel and finish due to pre- and post-fermentation experimentation. It’s a little petulant, showing its youth. Definitely a drink for Summer evenings … and a cheese plate.

100% Cabernet Franc rosé

As always, the vintage was produced employing a pre-fermentation technique called stabulation (St.= stabulation, not saint, but we say saint so you should, too.) Essentially the process delays the start of juice fermentation in order to wring out all the possible aromatics and flavors from the pressed grapes (i.e. the good stuff!) For fans of the ’20 St. Rosé: Sorry, no bubbles this year.

Strawberries and cream aroma contrast with sour cherry to near citrus flavors and complexity.

Suggested pair: grilled lamb, hammock

As always, the fruit for this wine was grown by nearby Clay Hill Vineyard. This latest vintage, aslo just bottled, has the classic flavors and aromas of Cab Franc we expect for this wine like cherry, spice,  and cedar. It will definitely gain more richness with time in the bottle.