Rappahannock Cellars

We cannot speak highly enough about Rappahannock Cellars and their staff. My husband and I recently held a wedding party at RC and it was truly fantastic. Kelly, with RC, was organized and tremendously helpful with wine and original party suggestions. We had a vague vision of what we wanted, and she really helped solidify the details so that the party exceeded are already high expectations. As for the wine itself, our guests could not stop raving about it. We highly suggest joining the wine club, as it includes two bottles of wine a month. The setting is gorgeous and we will certainly be back soon!

This place is great. My husband and I have been coming here for years and the staff are always extremely friendly and helpful and fun to interact with. We love the wines, and being members of their wine club is definitely worth it. It’s always a great treat to come out here.

We visit here often and every time it is a great experience! Hannah always takes good care of us.

We had a corporate event here in November and had a great experience. We did a tasting/​tour followed by a lunch meeting, which Kelly coordinated and was lovely to work with. The tour and tasting were very fun and informative, and we loved the space offered for the meeting– very spacious and open.
My favorite wines were the Rose, the Cabernet Franc, and the Chardonnay/​Viognier.

I enjoyed a wonderfully warm winter afternoon here on a Sunday. I absolutely loved this place and could gush about so many things here: the red wines, the white wines, the cheese plate, the ambience/​décor/​atmosphere, the background scenery, the service. All wonderful.
I came here for wine tasting with my bf and his parents, who are members. I loved all the white wines and red wines and the port. I particularly liked the chardonnay. While tasting, we ordered a cheese plate, which was delicious and had a good amount of cheese. It was enough for all 4 of us. It included delicious/​interesting/​fancy cheeses, warm bread, dates, apricots, nuts, cranberries, and mustard. My boyfriend loved the mustard, and it went well with all the cheeses!
On the day we came, there was also a food truck outside. They had a good selection of sandwiches and sides. It was super yummy and a nice addition to our experience. We enjoyed the sandwiches while sipping on the chardonnay we ordered.
We sat in the large room in the back and there was plenty of seating and tables, and we sat by the window. There’s outdoor seating as well on the patio, which seemed nice for a warmer day. There were some people out there just enjoying the weather and others smoking cigars.
The tasting room was spacious, well lit, and very nicely decorated. I’ve been to several wineries in Virginia and this was my favorite. It was very well decorated, relaxing yet comfy and cozy.
Our server was wonderful. He was knowledgeable about the wines and gave interesting commentary. He was friendly and genuine throughout our experience. He even accommodated my allergy and put nuts on a separate plate, which was very thoughtful.
I’ll definitely be back if I get the chance!

Opened a 2007 Cab Franc tonight and it was delightful. We have all good things to say about this wine. Nice bouquet, elegant.
Delicate on the tongue, notes of crushed red fruit, great finish!!! Aged well.

I’d been there a bunch of times, with most experiences being ‘pretty good’ to excellent. But this last time, they were firing on all cylinders. It helped I was served by one of most awesome tasting gurus I’ve met anywhere thus far. Also semi dog friendly (pooches OK on the porch but not inside).
Rappahannock is one of the older and larger wineries in the area. At 13,000 cases/​year, they tower over some of their VA neighbors, although they aren’t nearly in the same production league as some in Charlottesville.
Facilities: 4 or 5 stars overall. It looks very comfy and posh, although only club members get to hang out in the nicest room. At least the outdoor patio is scenic. And they have light fare, which was good.
Service: Another 5 stars. Waheed was AWESOME; not only was he very friendly, he snuck me a pair of otherwise member-​only wines. While he was the best, I don’t think I’ve ever had bad service here. I also like how they have two different glasses for different portions of the tasting; they definitely went all out.
Wine: 4 or 5 stars. I had several I loved and the rest I really liked.
Whites & Rose: The only one I wasn’t a big fan of was the 2014 Chardonnay/​Viognier blend. But I did like the toasty-​ness of the 2014 Chardonnay. The Rose had a really wonderful pinkish color; I think it was the prettiest rose I’d seen in a while.
Reds: First up was the 2013 Nobleese Rouge. It was 3.5 stars; more like a starter red for white drinkers, with a smoky finish. The 2013 Cab Franc was decent as well.
Moving up was the 2013 Meritage, which I liked quite a bit. At $ 34 it was somewhat on the pricy side, although sadly that’s actually average for this area. But even better was the New World Red, which is normally a club wine but I lucked out. It was really fruity but I liked it a lot anyway.
But drum roll… they had not one, but two port-​styles! A NV Port and a «2013» port. While Non-​Vintage wines are typically a warning sign for me, in this case I LOVED it. A little sweet but still nice strong taste to it. But equally good was the «2013» port, which normally was a club wine but I think will go on the tasting menu soon. I shared a glass of that with someone, which was pretty mandatory — it has 21% alcohol! Definitely something to knock your socks off. Have I mention how happy I am VA upped the alcohol percentage for ports?
It’s a shame they are so far away from the DC area; if I was considering a new club membership this would definitely be in the running. But another nice bonus was they both have military discounts, AND if you buy a case (even mixed case), the entire case is 50% off. Not to shabby!

One of our favorite wineries. We’ve been wine club members for over 8 years. Always a great experience.

Had a large party on a Friday, was told the members only section was open only on weekends, we would have to stand in the tasting area. We had some elderly people with us and that wouldn’t work We were treated rudely, and there were people sitting in the «closed» areas. Four elderly people were also asked to leave the sit down areas.

This winery used to be one of my favorites until my recent visit during Memorial Day Weekend. Although most of the wines are good and our server in the tasting room, Mathew, did an splendid job I experienced something that left a bitter feeling about how certain customers may be treated. While undergoing the tasting, one of the other servers cam over our section to ask me to lower my volume because my voice was bothering his customers because they could not hear what he was saying.
To my surprise when looking around the room I realized the room was full of people, it was loud and noisy, however my voice was the only one bothering this server and his customers. I was so frustrated and dissapointed, that the lady next to me told the server that I was not bothering them who were next to me that how come that from the other side of the room people were complaining about it. The answer from the server was that his customers were complaining, no apology whatsoever after his unconsidered request. At the end I was a customer too, but not anymore.
The Leesburg area have many other friendly wineries with superb wines and a more welcoming setting for all customers. Barrel Oaks Winery and Delaplane Cellars are good examples of such wineries.

Visited early on a Friday and Sheri and Alexandra lead us through the tasting. They were great. The wines were solid across the board. The 2012 meritage was good, but overpriced compared to other local alternatives. The stand out here was their NV Port, which is aged in whiskey barrels. Their wine club sounds like the most flexible program I’ve ever seen.

The amazing view is what makes it 4 stars at this vineyard, on your way to the mountains.
We veered a left to make a pit stop at this quaint vineyard. We pre-​gamed, believe it or not, before our adventurous hike to Old Rag Mountain. I was sold on the Chardonnay however other party members were sold on the signature red blend. Nevermind them. I will tell you their Chardonnay is one of the few non-​oak, sweet Chardonnays you will EVER taste in your lifetime. Ever.
The view on the front patio of the mountains overlooking the grape vineyards was what made our trip not only unforgettable, but breathtaking. No matter the crowd, enjoying our glass (es) of wine and plate of charcuterie was definitely worth our time. The moment you realize you were outside of the city boundaries and took in the fall/​spring scenery, that’s when you can truly enjoy a glass of wine and a slice of cheese.

Of the wineries we have visited in the Blue Ridge Mountains area. We visited on a Saturday afternoon, and while they were very busy (they were hosting a soup tasting for wine club members), we we able to snag a wine tasting right away. The tasting fee was $ 8, but if you serve in the armed forces it’s a 50% military discount.
I thought the wine as a whole was actually very good, clearly above average for the area. Aside from Linden, which is about 15 minutes up the road, I think Rappahannock comes in a close second. The white wines including the Viognier and Chardonnay were both well balanced, with soft acids, and on the dryer side, which is the exact style my wife and I prefer. The reds were also crafted in the same mold, and I was particularly fond on the Meritage and Cabernet Sauvignon, which I thought had medium body, supple fruit, and ample tannins. Of course, the climate and growing season here in Virginia is not particularly conducive to growing fine Bordeaux varietals, but Rappahannock has done a superb job developing a product that maintains the character and integrity of the varietal /​wine style, while adapting to the unique climate here in VA.
Overall, I thought their wines were an 8 out of 10, and they seem to be improving. That is a high mark in my book as I’ve tasted some truly horrendous wines here in VA, and I must say that although I give Rappahannock an 8 on quality, they earn a 10 on consistency. Every wine we tasted was consistently good.
We were so impressed, that I ended up joining their wine club during our visit!
Bottom Line: If you are visiting the Shenandoah Valley /​Blue Ridge Mountains area on a wine tasting journey, make sure you add Rappahannock Cellars to your list.

We have been here a few times with a friend that is a member. The member comes only 2 – 3 times per year to pick up her wine because of the distance from her house. However, we gladly go each time. They have an expanded members tasting area which is very nice. On a couple occasions we have brought our own food and had a very nice afternoon tasting wine and eating a picnic. As mentioned elsewhere, there is a designated dog area. But rather than leaving our pup sitting under a table in the rain on our recent visit he just stayed and slept in the car without issue.
I would consider this wine to be near the top of Virginia wines. Honestly, one of the few VA wineries where the wine justifies the $ 20−30/bottle price point. These folks are originally from California and actually know how to make good wine. Highly recommend visiting once in a while if you’re up for a pretty healthy drive into the country.

This was the first stop in our tour of wineries on Labor day weekend. This had one of the nicest tasting rooms that we saw. The person who helped us with the tasting was extremely friendly and happily answered all of our questions. There wasn’t any particular wine that really stood out to me as something I couldn’t wait to try again, but I liked all of their wines, including the reds and I’m not much of a red drinker. The grounds also seemed very beautiful and if we weren’t trying to go to more wineries, it would’ve been a great place to spend some more time.

Not dog friendly. Has a pet area outside where you can leash your dog to an old fence in full sun but they wouldn’t (unlike most other Virginia vineyards) allow us to enter the tasting room with our four-​legged companions on a leash.
Vague «health code» concerns were stated.
We turned around and went elsewhere — so should you!

One of my two favorite VA wineries. Have been a member for quite some time… folks here are very friendly and the wine is very tasty. Wish I lived closer.
We used their wine for our wedding and it worked out perfectly. Also, their members area is pretty comfy for rainy day lounging.
Reminder, like any local winery… you have to go and taste… and if you like it, buy enough to last because the next vintage may taste different and while that is ok… you may just miss out on that exceptional year… like the Port that tasted like tootsie rolls.

This was the last stop I made while doing a whirlwind tour of the Shenandoah Valley vineyards, and it didn’t disappoint.
The first thing I noticed when I walked it was the «members only» room – which made me feel like the place was a bit posh and penalized out-​of-​towners, like me, who are just in the area for a weekend. Also some of their wines are only for members, which adds to the poshness.
During our wine tasting, we had a number of good tasting wines. I can’t tell you which ones I enjoyed because I was already quite drunk, but I can tell you that if you chat nicely a bit with the staff who is giving you a tasting they will let you taste some of the members only wine too. Apparently we didn’t chat nicely enough to be able to buy a bottle of said members only wine, though.
Anyway, this place was great for a visit. They have a couple horses right next door that are nice to pet, even though the signs say not to.

Did première tasting and wine was very good. Very small pours for the tasting and our lady was informative but not super friendly. Wines range from high 20s and up. We are Californians so our review is for Virginia wineries –no comparison to Napa or Sonoma-​but still good

This wine making family from California arrived to the Virginia Piedmont in 1998, situated at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains to continue their wine making passion. They specialize in Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
I have been here with my family several times to enjoy their wine tasting. Today we arrived to enjoy a March outdoor picnic on a picnic table followed by their indoor wine tasting on a beautiful sunny day.
The premium wine tasting costs $ 8 to taste eight wines. I love their Cab Franc and Sauvignon followed by their Viognier.
The only negative here are the rocky dirt roads leading to the main paved roads. You need not take your car to the car wash prior to your visit, but, afterwards is more appropriate.
This is my favorite winery in the area.