Out of a field of over 500 entries and 64 gold medal Virginia wines, 868 Estate Vineyards in Purcelville, Loudoun County, won the 2020 Virginia Governor’s Cup for their 2017 Vidal blanc passito, a dessert-style wine, awarded by Governor Ralph Northam, to 868 owner Carl DiManno at a tasting of gold medal wines at a ceremony in Richmond on Feb. 25th.
Carl DiManno of 868 Estate Vineyards accepting the Governor’s Cup from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam
Made from 100% Vidal Blanc, the 2017 868 Vidal passito was harvested at 22.5 Brix and then dried for one month to concentrate flavors and by reducing water content, increase the sugars to 32 Brix. The juice was fermented to 8 Brix and then chilled to stop fermentation, and aged in neutral French oak for 14 months. The wine is vibrant and fresh, with brisk acidity (10.8 g/l) to match the 8% residual sugar, and with a pleasing mid-palate density reminiscent of Sauternes.
The Governor’s Case
These are the top twelve wines in the Governor’s Cup competition by highest average score given by the 13 judges of the final round of top-scoring wines in the competition.
- 868 Estate Vineyards 2017 Vidal blanc passito (Cup winner)
- Afton Mountain Vineyards 2017 “Tradition” (meritage-style blend)
- Barboursville Vineyards 2014 Octagon (meritage-style blend)
- Barboursville Vineyards 2018 Vermentino Reserve
- Delaplane Cellars 2017 Williams Gap (meritage-style blend)
- Lake Anna Winery 2017 Tannat
- Michael Shaps 2016 Meritage
- Pollak Vineyards 2017 Cabernet Franc Reserve
- Pollak Vineyards 2017 Smuggler (meritage-style blend)
- Rockbridge Vineyards 2017 V d’Or (cryo-extraction white dessert blend)
- Shenandoah Vineyards 2017 Shenandoah Reserve (Tannat/meritage blend)
- Virginia Cellars/Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards 2017 Petit Verdot
Governor’s Cup Gold Medals
| Producing Winery Name | Brand Name Winery Name | Name of Wine | Vintage | MEDAL |
| Hark Vineyards | Hark Vineyards | 2017 Merlot | 2017 | GOLD |
| Sunset Hills Vineyard | Sunset Hills Vineyard | 2017 Mosaic | 2017 | GOLD |
| Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard | Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard | 2018 Viognier Monticello AVA | 2018 | GOLD |
| CrossKeys Vineyards | CrossKeys Vineyards | Ali d’Oro | 2016 | GOLD |
| Afton Vineyards & Winery LLC | Afton Mountain Vineyards | AMV (Tradition) | 2017 | GOLD |
| Trump Winery | Trump Winery | Blanc de Blanc | 2014 | GOLD |
| Bluestone Vineyard | Bluestone Vineyard | Blue Ice | 2015 | GOLD |
| Chester Gap Cellars | Chester Gap Cellars | Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Lost Creek Winery | Lost Creek Winery | Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Muse Vineyards | Muse Vineyards | Cabernet Franc | 2015 | GOLD |
| Pollak Vineyards | Pollak Vineyards | Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Rosemont Vineyards | Rosemont of Virginia | Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Pollak Vineyards | Pollak Vineyards | Cabernet Franc Reserve | 2017 | GOLD |
| Madison County Wines, LLC | Chisholm Vineyards | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2016 | GOLD |
| Trump Winery | Trump Winery | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2017 | GOLD |
| Pollak Vineyards | Pollak Vineyards | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2017 | GOLD |
| Keswick Vineyards | Keswick Vineyards | Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve | 2016 | GOLD |
| DuCard Vineyards | DuCard Vineyards | C’est Trop | 2017 | GOLD |
| Narmada Winery | Narmada Winery | Chardonel Reserve | 2017 | GOLD |
| Lake Anna Winery | Lake Anna Winery | chardonnay | 2018 | GOLD |
| Chestnut Oak Vineyard | Chestnut Oak Vineyard | Chestnut One | 2017 | GOLD |
| Cardinal Point Winery | Cardinal Point Winery | Clay Hill Cabernet Fran | 2017 | GOLD |
| Virginia Wineworks | Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards | Easton Blue | 2016 | GOLD |
| Virginia Cellars | Hamlet Vineyards | Eltham | 2017 | GOLD |
| Zephaniah Farm Vineyard | Zephaniah Farm Vineyard | Friendship | 2017 | GOLD |
| Cunningham Creek Winery | Cunningham Creek Winery | Her Dog Red | 2017 | GOLD |
| Glen Manor Vineyards | Glen Manor Vineyards | Hodder Hill | 2015 | GOLD |
| Jefferson Vineyards | Jefferson Vineyards | Jefferson’s Own Estate Reserve Red Wine | 2017 | GOLD |
| Keswick Vineyards | Keswick Vineyards | Les Vents d Anges | 2018 | GOLD |
| King Family Vineyards | King Family Vineyards | Loreley | 2017 | GOLD |
| Jefferson Vineyards | Jefferson Vineyards | Meritage | 2017 | GOLD |
| Pollak Vineyards | Pollak Vineyards | Meritage | 2017 | GOLD |
| Virginia Cellars | The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards | Meritage | 2017 | GOLD |
| Breaux Vineyards | Breaux Vineyards | Merlot | 2016 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps L. Scott | 2017 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Meritage | 2016 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Meritage | 2017 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Petit Manseng | 2018 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Petit Verdot | 2017 | GOLD |
| Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps | Michael Shaps Raisin d’Etre Blanc | 2016 | GOLD |
| King Family Vineyards | King Family Vineyards | Mountain Plains Red | 2017 | GOLD |
| Greenhill Vineyards | Greenhill Vineyards | Mythology | 2016 | GOLD |
| Breaux Vineyards | Breaux Vineyards | Nebbiolo | 2015 | GOLD |
| Barboursville Vineyards | Barboursville Vineyards | Octagon | 2014 | GOLD |
| Barboursville Vineyards | Barboursville Vineyards | Octagon | 2017 | GOLD |
| Early Mountain | Early Mountain | Petit Manseng | 2018 | GOLD |
| Virginia Wineworks | Honah Lee Vineyard | Petit Manseng | 2017 | GOLD |
| DuCard Vineyards | DuCard Vineyards | Petit Verdot | 2017 | GOLD |
| Lake Anna Winery | Lake Anna Winery | Petit Verdot | 2017 | GOLD |
| Virginia Wineworks | Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards | Petit Verdot | 2017 | GOLD |
| Potomac Point winery | Potomac Point Winery | Petit Verdot 2017 | 2017 | GOLD |
| Delaplane Cellars | Delaplane Cellars | Rusticity | 2017 | GOLD |
| Shenandoah Vineyards | Shenandoah Vineyards | Shenandoah Reserve Red | 2017 | GOLD |
| Early Mountain | Early Mountain | Shenandoah Springs Cabernet Franc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Pollak Vineyards | Pollak Vineyards | Smuggler | 2017 | GOLD |
| Lake Anna Winery | Lake Anna Winery | tannat | 2017 | GOLD |
| Paradise Springs Winery | Paradise Springs Winery | The Moment | 2016 | GOLD |
| Winery 32 | Winery 32 | Thoroughbred Blend | 2016 | GOLD |
| Rockbridge Vineyard | Rockbridge Vineyard | Vd’Or | 2017 | GOLD |
| Barboursville Vineyards | Barboursville Vineyards | Vermentino Reserve | 2018 | GOLD |
| 868 Estate Vineyards | 868 Estate Vineyards | Vidal Blanc | 2017 | GOLD |
| Virginia Wineworks | Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards | Wild Common Reserve | 2017 | GOLD |
| Delaplane Cellars | Delaplane Cellars | Williams Gap | 2017 | GOLD |