Mountfair Vineyards

My girlfriend and I visited Mountfair after stopping at Grace Estates and Stinson. This was our favorite winery. It is a small operation run by a very nice married couple. Love the bar in the tasting room which is supported by oak barrels. The bar and timbers in the tasting room are from wood they harvested on their property. They only do red blends, and they are very good at it. We LOVED the wines. Because they are small, most of their wine goes to their wine club. Apparently they throw parties occasionally for their wine club. If you are in the area check them out.

Been here twice. Neither were great experiences, but this last one was truly awful! Jane was the worker in the tasting area. She gave the tiniest little dribbles of wines with no water to rinse even. That equates to not really tasting anything as it should except maybe the first pour which was some awful cider. All the wines (none of which Jane had tasted BTW) were way young and tight– not how you want your wine to be! It’s a shame! Such a great spot and I really like the owner.

This is THE place to enjoy really good red wines in a really relaxed atmosphere. My wife and I have been a fan of this vineyard since 2007 ish.
Go and spend a day hiking in the mountains and then finish up their Bonfire red.
Do NOT miss this place!

We had our wedding here on November 1^st and had the best time! The owners are as sweet as can be and will help you out any way they can. It is the perfect venue for a small intimate gathering. I could not have asked for a more perfect day! Thank you much!

Very poor customer service had relatives from out of state that dearly love your expensive wine that wanted to buy a fair amount of your wine while on there last trip to Virginia, as my Husband and I are moving to Denver Colorado. We called and left multiple messages but received no reply to these messages, tried about 20 times on Friday during business hours, number listed on website, Great wine but very poor customer service.

I finally found it — a hipster winery. But more than that, one of the best wineries in the area unique from its hundreds of competitors.
Certainly one of the most unique and pleasant wine tasting experiences I’ve had so far in Virginia. This place only specializes in reds, which is a godsend to me. We started off with a white from another vineyard, a Pinot Grigio aged in a steel barrel which almost convinced me I like whites. Next we tried two ciders — that’s right ciders! At a wine tasting! I’m probably easily impressed but this was a first for me at a winery. We wrapped up the tasting with their Reds, which were spectacular if a bit pricey for a bottle compared to other wineries (around $ 30 a bottle). The best part is we did the tasting outside with the wine/​coder brought to us. This place was full of surprises.
The atmosphere is closer to a blue grass bar than a winery (note — they have a Blue Grass band come in and perform on Saturdays at their indoor stage), and it was a really chill atmosphere.
In conclusion, this place goes out of its way to shake off the pretentiousness of other wineries. The fact it goes out of its way to distinguish itself plus back it up with some of the best Reds in the area, makes this a must on your wine travels.

My wife and I took local roads (33 to 810) from Massanutten resort near Harrisonburg and had a picturesque hour-​long ride through Shenandoah National Park and the adjacent mountain valley to visit this winery in Crozet, pronounced crow ZAY. We opted for the quicker drive back to the resort via interstate (I64W to I81N). It was our first visit to that area, so the more leisurely ride was very enjoyable. I wouldn’t recommend it in the dark or under harsh weather conditions as the roads, while mostly flat, were sometimes tight for dealing with oncoming traffic and windy roads.
Mountfair offered a tasting of six bottles: two ciders, two whites and two reds, and we purchased one of each pair. The reds were theirs; the ciders and whites were from neighboring vineyards. We enjoyed and picked up a bottle of Potter’s Craft Oak Barrel Reserve, which is made at Potter’s Craft Cider in Free Union, Virginia. It is made in oak barrels used to make apple brandy, so it has a unique flavor. We purchased Knight’s Gambit Chardonnay, which is made nearby near Whitehall, Virginia, not far from Lake Albemarle. It’s a non-​vintage (NV) wine (no year of vintage appears) but is a new offering for Knight’s Gambit, according to a spring 2014 post on their Facebook page. And we bought Mountfair’s Bonfire, which, like all of Mountfair’s reds, is a blend. We tasted it then bought a bottle and bought two glasses to enjoy on the patio.
I agree with previous posters that the wines are pricey. We spent over $ 90 for three bottles of wine. We didn’t pay attention to the prices. The tasting specialists were pleasant to deal with, but it would have been nice to have some munchies for purchase to eat on the deck. Some folks bring a picnic lunch, we were told, so take note. The patio is covered and inviting and its view is wonderful — I posted a photo. They offer a wine club, but I wouldn’t purchase wines without tasting them first from this vintner or its associated suppliers. We loved some but hated others.
We went to Stinton’s nearby and then to Crozet Pizza for dinner. As someone else suggested, you could easily make up your own tour in the Crozet area. I used Unilocal to find wineries near Harrisonburg and made a list of places to try. Massanutten resort offers paid excursions to one particular local winery, but there are plenty more beyond that one.

Every wine we tasted was absolutely delicious!

Mountfair is a frustratingly inconsistent winery to visit. Although their wines are usually quite good, there is sometimes a very limited selection available to taste. Prices are also in the higher end of the range for the area. But, if you’re a fan of reds, it’s still worth a visit.

I was a bridesmaid for a close friend’s wedding over Labor Day weekend, and had a great time! We had the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception at Mountfair. It was a beautiful location and the perfect size for a smaller group — the entire guest list was 55. We were able to really personalize the events — they allowed outside caterers, and we brought our own desserts, white wine, beer and liquor. Mountfair specializes in red blends, so they provided the red wine. I’m not a big fan of merlot but even enjoyed the merlot blend called Jilted. The owners did an amazing job of making the weekend special for all that attended. I’d highly recommend either planning an event at Mountfair or at least stopping by for some wine if you’re in the Charlottesville area.

I used to go to all sorts of wine tastings when I was younger but now I’m settling into a habit of going to the ones that consistently produce a good product. Does this exclude many new up and coming wineries? Sure. But wineries in Virginia are dime a dozen now and there is incredible dilution in wine quality which is a real shame.
Mountfair is one of the best vineyards in Virginia right now and I can say that rather affirmatively. It’s a fairly small winery with only reds that are from their make, although there is a limited white wine, sparkling wine, and apple cider selection to help even things out a little. Tastings were free the last time I was there.
Long winded intros aside (for an even longer review), this is mostly a review of their sold out 2010 Vintage… including the Wooloomooloo (Petit Verdot based) that I totally missed. But I had their 2010 Inaugural (Cabernet Franc blend) and their last 2010 Petit Verdot blend, the name that escapes me right now. Their 2011s were remarkably okay considering the rough season Virginia had with Hurricane Irene.
The wines are spectacular, to say the least. Big, broad, bold flavors marked with high acidity that desperately needs time in the cellar to tame, and intense red fruit with puckering tannins. They’re extremely small volume and they sell out pretty much in months of their release, so the wine needs bottle aging time or a good aeration to moderate the big, flamboyant notes. Their merlot-​based blends (most of them are) tend to be more mellow, and they sort of get lost in flavor when next to their Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot based blends.
A fairly young winemaker less interested, it would seem, on making classic, balanced Bordeaux blends and something more robust, aggressive, and hedonistic (distinctly Virginian? American?) makes Mountfair’s wines stand out, although each iteration and evolution of wines have shown growing maturity in pulling back on the sharp acidity and rumbling tannins towards a more gentle equilibrium that isn’t a big slap on the back. ‘Lively complexity’ is how I would describe it.
Some people may negatively reflect on Mountfair compared to other wineries that make more classic wines in the area, like Barboursville or even my mainstays in Linden and Glen Manor, but honestly, we’re talking about two very different products. I know they get a very divisive reaction when I open up a bottle, with people either raving about it or shying away from it, but there is simply nothing like it in Virginia or really anywhere else, and I mean it in a very good way. And the people are always extraordinarily friendly too!

Great view. They usually have live music outside. I wasn’t impressed with their wines but definitely to a cider tasting and make sure you buy one of their imported crystal glasses… gorgeous.

Their wines are overpriced for what they are right now. Give them a couple more years. The potential is there

By far the best tasting wine. I belonged to other wine clubs and cancelled them all because Mountfair wines have an exceptional balance, complexity, and finish. Guaranteed you won’t find another wine assortment like they offer. Chris & Fritz keep making that high quality wine because you have me and my wife hooked for life.
Also, join the wine club… Liz is awesome!

Beautiful location, with excellent (if overpriced) red wines, as well as a sparkling wine from nearby Afton Mountain (the mountain, not the vineyards) and a fun hard cider. The winery is small and has a barrel room/winemaker’s room that also serves as an events room. There is a small stage and they proudly admit they have live bands here, usually acoustic songwriter groups (I can’t imagine having amplified bands in such a tight, but cozy, barrel room).
The patio overlooking the mountains, foothills and pond was extremely inviting but unfortunately the music (Christmas music — uggghhhh!!!) was coming LOUDLY out of the speakers. We would have loved to hear just the hawks in the distance, but the owners were so proud of their set up here that we didn’t have the heart to ask them to turn the music down (way down) or off.
They work exclusively with reds here — in particular, cab franc, merlot, petit verdot (Virginia’s exciting «new red»), and now tannat. The winemaker still has a busy day job and admits that he wants to perfect the reds before possibly trying some whites. White and sweet fans won’t find much to like here; offering a few whites from neighboring wineries may not be a bad idea, but since I am a huge dry red fan, it posed no problem for me. At $ 25 and $ 30 a bottle, the reds are not cheap but I made due with a cab franc ($ 25) and it will age nicely on my rack. Strange that the prices are so high here; these are prices you’d see in Northern Virginia, not the Monticello area.
Location is close to a few other spots (White Hall, Stinson, King Family), so you can create a nice «mini Monticello» wine trail.

If you love Reds, this is your place! Mountfair specializes only in blended red wines and you can tell. We loved every one of them and took home bottles of the Wooloomooloo and Engagement. Aside from the wines, the winery itself is basic and their tasting room is very small. There were noticeable fruit flies but they didn’t get in the way of us having an enjoyable experience and their friendly staff were more than willing to conduct tastings outside. Even on a gorgeous fall day it wasn’t crowded so we easily found a spot on their patio and relaxed the afternoon away listening to live music.
The day we were there they were having a Wings over Wine Country event where we met avian ambassadors and two rescue owls from the Wildlife Center of Virginia — very cool! All tasting fees for the day were donated to the center which was an extra added bonus.

A very nice little place with very good red wine. They also sell some sparkling whites they sell for a friend’s vineyards and they are good as well. It is down a very hilly, dirt road, not a place to take a fancy car.

Nice, small tasting room with a larger barrel room for overflow. The patio was nice but full so we tasted inside. The young lady conducting the tasting was quite busy but managed to keep us informed as we went through the list.
Had the same problem as other Unilocalers with the annoying fruit flies — not only here but other wineries as well. Bought a bottle of 2009 Wooloomooloo which we will set back for a couple of years.
We’ll stop back next time we are in the area.

DELICIOUS reds! very relaxing place, not crowded, with a quaint feel. The tasting room manager is a gem, and knows the area (and other wineries/​restaurants) extremely well. We loved the small, intimate feel of the winery!
We wish they would have had a larger sign, we almost missed the place!

I went to Mountfair for the first time yesterday. I’d tried and bought some of their wines before at the VA Wine Expo, but was never quite far out enough to visit the winery (it’s a bit farther into the country than some of the other Crozet wineries). Yesterday I decided to make a plan and check it out.
The winery is pretty new with a small but nice tasting room and a small patio. They only had three wines for tasting yesterday, a Merlot, a Cab Franc and a blend called Belated. We tried them all, and they were all tasty. We took home a bottle of the Belated. The lady running the tasting was also very friendly and knowledgeable.
So, the wines were good, and I’d go back to try more. My only disappointment was that this place wasn’t super conducive to hanging out because it was so small. Also, I don’t think they had any snacks or anything. After a bit of an out-​of-​the-​way drive, I would have liked a more inviting atmosphere with a few more wines to taste, but hey, they’re new, and the wines I tasted were good. So 4 stars all the way!