Biltmore Wines: Cheers for Each Tier! Posted on August 9, 2022 at 6:38 pm.Written by Jean Sexton All Biltmore wines are cheers-worthy, from our fine American Series and Limited Release options to our exceptional Reserve tiers and Antler Hill® vintages. Discover what makes our wines worth cheering about with an overview of each collection. Biltmore Estate® American Series Collection Our classic Biltmore Estate® American Series wines are approachable and feature classic varietal character. Look for the “Biltmore burgundy” capsule and a line drawing of Biltmore House on the label. Grapes for this collection are selected from leading growing regions across the nation and handcrafted at our estate winery in Asheville, NC. Each wine captures the true character of the varietal, resulting in an outstanding taste that provides a perfect pairing for any occasion. Example: Biltmore Estate® Cabernet Sauvignon is a great option in our American Series collection. This smooth wine featuring lush cherry flavors and soft, lingering tannins was awarded 95 points in the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition. Biltmore Estate® Limited Release Collection Biltmore Estate® Limited Release wines, distinguished by a matte black capsule and black-and-gold label, are perfect for sipping by the glass or in craft cocktails. Crafted in smaller lots, these exceptional wines include some of our most intriguing varietals and blends that showcase our winemaker’s skillful artistry in each bottle. Limited Release wines are exclusively available on the estate, online, or through the Vanderbilt Wine Club®. Example: Our highly aromatic Biltmore Estate® Limited Release Chenin Blanc balances off-dry citrus flavors and a lingering sweet finish. Biltmore® Reserve Collection Our Biltmore® Reserve label honors fine vintages handcrafted with grapes from the estate’s vineyard in Asheville, NC. The collection is distinguished by blue foil capsules and a label showcasing elements of the Vanderbilt family’s table linens and place settings. An invitation to dine with the Vanderbilts at their magnificent home in Asheville, North Carolina, assured you of enjoying gracious hospitality paired with fine wines. Today, their enduring legacy inspires our winemaker to handcraft each wine in our Biltmore® Reserve Collection from grapes grown at the estate’s own vineyard or from local partners in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Example: We handcraft our lovely Biltmore® Reserve Rosé North Carolina 2022 to offer delicate sweetness with hints of spice and white pepper. Approachable and easy to drink, the style is reminiscent of classic old-world rosés. Vanderbilt Reserve® collection Each outstanding Vanderbilt Reserve® wine bears the appellation and vintage of its origin. This collection is distinguished by red foil capsules and a label design based on George Vanderbilt’s monogramed china and table linens. These distinguished vintages reflect George Vanderbilt’s interest in collecting fine wines from around the world to share with his friends and family at Biltmore. For Vanderbilt Reserve® wines, our winemaker selects outstanding fruit from partner vineyards in some of the nation’s finest growing regions and oversees the process of handcrafting each one. Each of these wines bears the appellation and vintage of its origin. Example: Our Vanderbilt Reserve® Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2020 showcases its versatile, food-friendly character with good acidity, flavors of strawberry, red raspberry, and cherry, and slight hints of minerality, enhanced by aging 14–16 months in French and American oak barrels. Antler Hill® Collection Handcrafted with premium vintages from the finest growing regions, Antler Hill® wines offer extraordinary taste and excellent aging potential. The handsome label is reproduced from a sporting print in George Vanderbilt’s collection. Antler Hill® wines pair the passion of Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak with the premium harvests and vintages from our small partner vineyards with whom we’ve cultivated long-standing relationships in the nation’s finest wine regions. Each wine is handcrafted with exceptional skill to showcase the varietal, the vintage, and to honor the Vanderbilt family’s heritage of gracious hospitality. Example: From smooth tropical notes to a bright citrus finish, our exceptional Antler Hill® Chardonnay Carneros 2020 offers crisp layers of refreshing un-oaked flavor achieved by careful aging for 12–24 months in stainless steel tanks under the direction of our estate winemaker. Biltmore Estate® Sparkling Collection Each of our sparkling wines is carefully handcrafted in the traditional méthode champenoise, including our exceptional Biltmore Estate® Chateau Reserve Blanc de Blancs created with estate-grown Chardonnay grapes. At Biltmore’s Winery in Asheville, NC, we craft both still and sparkling wines. It’s unusual to offer both—most wineries specialize in one or the other—but Biltmore has a long history of doing the unexpected. All our sparkling wines are handcrafted in the traditional méthode champenoise, a process that requires a secondary fermentation in the bottle, and is vital for developing the delicate bubbles that characterize outstanding sparkling wines. Example: Dry and delicate with tiny mousse-like bubbles, Biltmore Estate® Château Reserve Blanc de Blancs North Carolina 2019 is our finest sparkling wine–and it’s handcrafted from our own estate-grown Chardonnay grapes! Learn more about Biltmore wines Learn more about Biltmore wines with a complimentary tasting at the Winery, then enjoy your favorites by the glass or bottle at the adjacent Wine Bar. We invite you to learn more about Biltmore wines by visiting our Winery in Asheville, NC, to taste them for yourself! Your Biltmore Estate admission includes access to Antler Hill Village & Winery, and we encourage you to enjoy a complimentary tasting at the Winery during your visit. Want another great way to discover our wines? Become a member of the Vanderbilt Wine Club® and enjoy seasonal shipments of our handcrafted wines delivered directly to your door.
Highlights From Our 2019 Vineyard Harvest Posted on January 3, 2020 at 10:19 am.Written by Jean Sexton In 2019, Biltmore’s vineyard produced 177.5 tons of grapes on approximately 45 acres of mature vitis vinifera vines—that’s almost double last year’s output. Biltmore vineyard supervisor Philip Oglesby “Harvest began on August 22, and that’s the earliest start I remember in more than 20 years,” said Philip Oglesby, Vineyard Supervisor. “We picked until October 11, and the weather cooperated with long, hot, dry days that allowed the grapes to mature to their full potential.” With an average yield of more than four tons per acre, our 2019 harvest can be considered one of the best in recent memory. Grapes being picked by hand in Biltmore’s vineyard Quantity and quality In addition to the quantity, the quality of fruit produced in 2019 was outstanding. Weather played an important role in the process as relatively mild spring temperatures gave way to the kind of hot, dry summer conditions that create earlier-than-normal ripening times. Grapes for our Biltmore Reserve wines are grown at the estate or selected from local partners “As always, we look forward to the fine wines that will be handcrafted following the harvest—especially our Biltmore® Reserve wines that are created from estate-grown grapes,” Philip said. “This special designation represents our finest local vintages and our continued commitment to our agricultural heritage.” Highlights from Biltmore’s vineyards: Cabernet Franc 37 tons on 8.2 acres Cabernet Sauvignon 32 tons on 10.2 acres Chardonnay 103 tons on 25 acres Merlot 5.5 tons on 1.2 acres Total: 177.5 tons on 44.6 acres Highlights from our partner vineyards Grapes ripening in Biltmore’s vineyard Washington: Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak selected approximately 160 tons of grapes from the state of Washington (America’s second largest producer of wine grapes), with average brix (measurement for the number of grams of sugar present per 100 grams of liquid) around 25, which is comparable to last year. September was very rainy and a hard freeze in early October preventing the grapes from ripening further. Varietals: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Petite Verdot, and Tempranillo. Increased selection by 12% compared to 2018. As the grapes ripen in our vineyards, the fruit must be protected from uninvited guests such as robins, geese, and turkeys. California: Sharon selected approximately 25 different varietals from multiple growing regions throughout the state with an average brix of 23, which was slightly higher than 2018. Arroyo Seco, CA Approximately 18,000 acres located along the central coast in Monterey County. Cold winter, mild-but-wet spring, and a few summertime heat spikes left grapes with a little more hang-time and a later harvest by about 2–3 weeks. Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Mendocino County, CA North coast; 14, 512 acres includes 10 different American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) with very diverse climates. Wet spring and late bud break gave way to moderate weather for most of the growing season; yields were light-to-average, with good fruit quality for the vintage. Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Russian River Valleyin Sonoma County, CA About 15,000 acres of vineyards; known for cool-climate grapes. Heavy rain in late winter and a wet spring led to a moderate yield with a good and healthy crop. Varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. We selected about 120 tons of fruit from the region, with the majority being Pinot Noir, of which about half will be handcrafted to become Vanderbilt Reserve wines. Tempranillo is a great way to spice up your wine selections Savor Biltmore Wines Whether you’re visiting the estate and enjoying complimentary tastings at our Winery or stocking up on your favorite varietals in your neighborhood or online, we invite you to savor our award-winning wines today!
Discover Biltmore Wines From Grape to Glass Posted on July 30, 2019 at 1:55 pm.Written by Jean Sexton How do we select the finest fruit for Biltmore wines? Here’s an overview of the process, from grape to glass! Sourcing fine North Carolina vintages In his book Lady On The Hill, George Vanderbilt‘s grandson William A.V. Cecil noted that “Asheville was about the same latitude as Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, and with an altitude between 2,100 and 2,500 feet, the fields of the estate would enjoy warm days and cool nights in the summer.” While the climate of Western North Carolina is not nearly as predictable as that of the Mediterranean or other major grape-growing regions, when conditions are right, the fruit produced in our estate vineyards is exceptional and earns the Biltmore® Reserve label for our finest North Carolina vintages. To ensure we can meet the growing demand for Biltmore wines, however, we also look to our local vineyard partners in Polk County—a lower-elevation region just south of Asheville that experiences slightly warmer temperatures with less danger of late season frost damage. Enjoy the fruits of our labor, by the glass, on the Farm to Table Tour. Beyond Biltmore We also look to our west coast partners for the quality and consistency of grapes needed to handcraft our award-winning wines. Several times each year, Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak schedules extended visits to California to meet with our growing partners and select outstanding vintages for Biltmore wines. “Some of the finest American wine grapes come from the vineyards of coastal California,” Sharon said. “The terroir—the different combinations of weather and soil in each hill and valley—translate into the distinctive flavors and qualities that characterize the wines of that region.” Harvest preparation is one of the busiest times of the year for vineyards and the wineries. California’s Northern Coast This large wine grape-growing region is located north of San Francisco, with a maritime climate that is affected by cool fogs and breezes from the Pacific Ocean. Some of California’s best-known American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Lake County, Napa, and Russian River Valley, are located here. “This AVA is an important one for our Vanderbilt Reserve® series,” said Sharon. “We select grapes from outstanding partner vineyards for some of our most distinctive wines, including our Vanderbilt Reserve Merlot Dry Creek Valley, Vanderbilt Reserve Pinot Noir Sonoma County, Antler Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, and The Hunt Red Blend Sonoma County.” Our Biltmore® Reserve label honors fine vintages handcrafted with grapes from the estate’s vineyard in Asheville, NC. The collection is distinguished by blue foil capsules and a label showcasing elements of the Vanderbilt family’s table linens and place settings. California’s Central Coast Stretching from San Francisco Bay south to Santa Barbara County, this region offers a warmer climate that still benefits from the cooling influences of the Pacific Ocean. We partner with vineyards from such prestigious AVAs as Arroyo Seco, Cienega Valley, Monterey, and Paso Robles. “Some of the more unusual varietals we choose from partner vineyards here include Barbera, Marsanne, Mourvedre, Rousanne, and Tempranillo,” Sharon noted. The central coast wine region is one of California’s most fascinating wine regions and is also home to some of the most prestigious wineries in the country. Washington A wide range of grapes are now being grown in the fertile valleys of Washington, making the state an important producer of outstanding wine varietals. Vineyards are found primarily in the eastern half of the state that benefits from a dryer shrub-steppe ecosystem and the rain shadow of the Cascade Range. The state experiences long hours of daylight—approximately two more hours per day during the growing season than California—and milder, more consistent temperatures. “We are excited to be working with some great partner vineyards in Washington,” said Sharon. “We’re selecting a lot of excellent grapes for our American Series and Limited Release Series wines.” With 1,050+ wineries, 400+ grape growers, and 60,000+ acres of wine grapes, Washington State is the 2nd largest wine producing state in the U.S. Handcrafting our award-winning wines While Sharon and her team handcraft the majority of our wines from start to finish at Biltmore’s Winery in Asheville, North Carolina, our Vanderbilt Reserve® wines and Antler Hill wines are created in the particular region where they were grown. This painstaking process is overseen—from selecting the vintage and expressing the varietal character to aging the wine—by Sharon during her visits to California. “All our wines represent the Vanderbilt family’s legacy of gracious hospitality on which Biltmore was founded,” Sharon said, “and as Biltmore’s winemaker, I am committed to handcrafting our wines with the philosophy of keeping each one true to varietal character and consistent from vintage to vintage. Whether I’m at work in North Carolina or California or Washington, I’m focused on creating wines that reflect the quality of this family-owned estate and Winery.” Beautifully balanced Dry Riesling, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, refreshing Pinot Grigio, and smooth, oaky Chardonnay are just a few of the white wines available in Biltmore’s Wine Portfolio. Discover our exceptional wines for yourself Visit Biltmore’s Winery, purchase online, or find them close to home with our Retailer Locator.