Chester Gap Cellars

A group of 3 of us visited Chester Gap Cellars one afternoon a couple of weekends ago for a wine tasting and to relax.
We were the only customers in the place — it was one of the first sunny, warm, beautiful afternoons in a very long time. I’m guessing a lot of people were going outside to enjoy the warmth and not run out to visit places — hence the quietness of the winery.
First, the view off the back deck is spectacular! It looks off into a wooded, remote valley. I’d love to see what this looks like in the Autumn when the leaves are turning various colors!
As for the wines, the wines were decent and show promise. None of them wowed me, but overall I enjoyed the tasting and the visit.
The Wines
2013 Viognier
2012 Viognier «Boisseau»
2012 Rousanne
2012 Merlot
2012 Cabernet Franc
2012 Vintner’s Red
2012 Petit Manseng
After the tasting, we each selected a glass of wine and went out on the deck to enjoy the company, the view, the wine, and the sunshine! We had brought some food (salami, cheese, grapes, etc, to snack on.)
The one thing I will ding them on is the individual who poured during our tasting. He was not very friendly or talkative. I felt like we really had to work hard to get him to say much of anything about the wine. We enjoy hearing about the wine and the wine making process, the challenges faced in making that particular vintage of wine, and so on.

Not able to review since they were closed when we got there. The wine map and sign said they were open but once we got there we had to call and find out they had different winter hours that was not posted. Very disappointing. I would suggest you call before you plan a trip.

Favorite winery in VA! Tried most everything at every place in NOVA, and I came back here more often than any others. The wine is high quality, and the view from the deck into the valley is tops! It is a small space, so take your tour bus down the hill to one of the bigger places and leave Chester Gap cozy. Viogniers always top notch, and a merlot a few years back was excellent (and I generally hate the stuff.) I’m out of bottles and need to make another trip back.

Love this small German roots couples location and their lovely commitment to wine making. Enjoyed a new wine — Roussanne. The Merlot is bright. I wished they still had the Viognier Reserve from their estate but sold out. The 2012 Cabernet Franc is already fine and in time should be suburb. We have drunk one of our 2007 Cabernet Franc and give high praises. I give this place a special praise for personal touch.

We came back for another tasting since we were again visiting our family. Too bad we missed the peak leaves because the view is just as gorgeous as can be imagined.
Bought all the Viogner varietals this time.
Wineries in VA have exploded since 1986 when there were about 4 in the DC to Strasburg corridor. It’s a mind jumble to pick the ones you should visit, but we can’t leave this one out.

We stopped in on a Friday afternoon when there was no other customers there. The younger girl working really didn’t seem interested in serving us. She was yawning the entire time and walked away rather than talk in between pours. When she poured one wine, she simply poured it and walked off without even saying what the wine was or explaining anything about it. Something we’ve never experienced anywhere else!
The wines also had an odd taste to them. Perhaps it was the first one having such a horribly sharp flavor that put a bad taste in our mouths for the rest? Not sure, but we literally spent less than 10 minutes getting our tasting, paying and leaving. Not an enjoyable visit at all.

This winery had the best view of all the wineries that we stopped at. The tasting room, while not particularly pretty, opened out to a deck with tables and bench for people to sit and enjoy the beautiful view. Our tasting was fine, though the person helping seemed a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people. These wines are a bit drier and more oaky than I care for but the venue was so nice, I could see myself back here enjoying a glass on their deck.

What a great winery! The tasting room and parking lot is small, but just big enough for a group of friends to come in and enjoy. We went on a foggy day so we couldn’t see what we heard was a exceptional view. Their whites were very good and we also enjoyed the Cabernet Franc. Also, if you buy a bottle your tasting fee is waved, which was much appreciated. The road into the winery is a bit narrow, but my little car handled it just fine! It is also within short drive to Rappahannock Winery and Dessert Rose Winery. Can’t wait to come back on a clear day and see the view!

Allows picnics (inside and out).
Beautiful setting.
Small tasting room.
Beautiful, quite grounds. A one-​way road in and out, no limos or buses.
We arrived after a group of 8 was finishing up their tasting. The person serving the tasting was nice and informative. She told us the history of the owner/​vineyard and offered pairing suggestions. (All grapes grown on the premises.)
I left with a bottle of white, my boyfriend left with a bottle of red (I believe I got the Sauvignon Blanc – I drank it that night and it was delicious!)
Good wine. A must stop if you are in the area. A couple we met at this winery told me their local friend said this was one of three wineries they should visit. If I’m in the area again I would visit and definitely recommend to friends. It was a smaller wine tasting list but tasting fees are waived if you buy a bottle. Also decent prices.

We stoppped at Chester Gap by chance a couple of weekends ago and bought a bottle of the 2011 Viognier, their driest white (we skipped the tasting) took it out onto the deck and enjoyed the gorgeous view in way above normal temps.
The wine was amazing, We said to each other this is a fluke, let’s have a bite to eat, see if it still tastes. We were heading to a hiking trip with loads of provisions in the car. Let me tell you this Viognier complements .
We drank half of this bottle, went inside and bought six more.
The other half of that bottle was a much anticipated welcome drink at our lodge. It did not disappoint.
Tonight we opened another bottle and guess what?
We are going back and we are doing the full tasting and will buy a case of the Viognier, if there’s any left.

Up and coming winery. They grow their own grapes, something that should be profoundly basic but unfortunately not the case, especially in large drunk bus settings nearby. Their wines are… unique. Most, if not all, of their varietals are the typiical ones you see in Virginia — Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Petit Manseng, etc. There was one unusual one that I remember from my tasting and a somewhat different style of wine than I am used to at nearby gems at Glen Manor or Linden.
None of the wines were exceptional but all were good and I did end up getting a petit manseng for a future summer to enjoy with friends out on a porch. Cold. Most of the wines had sufficient complexity and interesting notes that made them above average, and the price point of their wines make them more interesting to crack open on whim than, say, a bottle of the 2007 Avenius from nearby Linden.
The views are amazing. It’s tucked away in the middle of nowhere and that’s often a good thing. Some of the wine reviews with one star or two stars are a touch harsh. One goes for the wine, not the friendliness of staff and if you know your wines, they’re very much happy to talk to you about their wines.
Looking forward to seeing how they grow in the next few years.

Great view from the deck off of the tasting room. That’s the only thing that impressed me. The server stuck with her quick/​rehearsed spiel. No chit-​chat or pleasantries. There were 5 wines on the tasting list. One of them was sold out. Charging $ 7 to taste only 4 wines is obnoxious. All of the red wines tasted exactly the same – none were good. We visited 4 wineries that afternoon – we bought mulitple bottles of wine from each one, except Chester Gap. They’re going to have to step up their game to compete with the other great wineries in this area. To sum up: Chester Gap is not awful, but it’s definitely not worth the drive.

Yes, the view is gorgeous. Let’s get that out of the way quickly so we can talk about everything else. The winery is all estate. Let’s talk about that for a moment. That means they grow everything they turn into wine. That is extremely, profoundly difficult. In Virginia, we have vastly different and variant growing seasons that challenge even the most astute wine grower and winemaker. They make it work, and spectacularly so. Try the Cuvee Manseng and their (sometimes vertical) assortment of Viognier vintages — you will be most impressed.
I pour at a different Virginia winery, and I am continually sending folks to Chester Gap as an additional example of how to handcraft wine that is elegant, simple, and magnificent. You’d do well to include Chester Gap in your next trip to the emergent Virginia winery countryside.

This was our favorite of the winery stops
(no beer, though we do love the hops).
Gorgeous views to behold —
after one taste, we were sold
to quit sipping and start to shop.
We walked out with two bottles, both reds,
and German winemaking facts filling our heads.
We considered a white
but try though we might
’08 and ’09 took the medals instead.
*Nota bene: tasting fee waived if you purchase a bottle. Don’t mind if we do!

Unpretentious. Good wine. Knowledgeable vintners.

There seems to be some negativity surrounding Chester Gap. There are several different types of wineries in Virginia. The large, corporate-​like places, that welcome «Keg» buses and limos and bachelorette parties with open arms; the more rustic, intimate wineries that simply don’t have the room for such buses and limos and parties; and those in between. Chester Gap has a sign on the gravel road leading into their property – No Buses or Limos. They simply don’t have the room. Their tasting room is sort of unfinished and the deck, even though it has great views (you can almost touch the mountains), has tables with no umbrellas. And only one table inside. This place is all about the wine, as Linden and Glen Manor are. The wine has its detractors and fans, based on the reviews on Unilocal.I’m a fan. I love all three Viogniers, particularly the reserve. The prices are mostly under $ 20. The owners are not over-​the-​top friendly (winemaker is originally from Germany), but they exude a mellow vibe. This place is not for everyone. If you get a charge out of the chaos and crowds found in a place like Rappahannock (which is right down the road), and find more quiet places boring, you’d be wise to skip Chester Gap. But I rank it as a favorite — four and a half stars – could be five, if they just put some umbrellas outside.

Chester Gap shines mostly due to it’s amazing setting. Plus, it’s always a good sign when they have strict rules about limos and groups over 6. We went on a Friday evening around 4:45 during harvest season and the grapes were busting off of the vines, which surround the tasting room.
They have a beautiful deck off of the tasting room with picnic tables, where you can bring a picnic. The wine is not spectacular but pretty good; this place is more about ambiance than mind-​blowing wines though. They have a few viogniers and a cab franc.
It is also family run, which I love. A couple runs the vineyard and the wife was telling us all about their harvest and the process at the vineyard, she was extremely friendly. It is true what some other reviewers have said about the unfinished tasting room and feeling like being in a family room — but I found that charming. Their son was hanging out with the dogs and we felt like we were part of the family.

Chester Crap. The folks at Gray Ghost recommended that we go for the view. We had a few extra moments, so we skipped another two wineries in favor of this one. I wish I had checked Tu-Van’s Unilocal review first. The views were gorgeous, and sitting at the picnic tables in the sun was nice, but on our way in, I asked a couple which was their favorite, they said, «you’ll just have to try them all!» Which I now know was a nice way of saying, «None of them stand out from any of the others.» It’s been six months since the last review, and they have continued building their tasting room. They now have a dry erase board! Seriously. I think you’re charging me for my wine tasting since you knew I wouldn’t buy a bottle after tasting everything you had to offer. The whites were sour, and the reds had little to no body and a very thin finish. I ended up dumping out three of the six tastings we had, and that is very unusual for me. It will not make my list of Virginia wineries I am proud to tell my California friends about.

I give 4 stars for the wine. It is true, there is not much of a physical plant to this winery and it appears you are in a backyard. But, look, this guy has the best wine I tasted all day long on our tour around NOVA. Hands down.
He’s from Germany, and knows a think or two. The reds actually have character, which is something no other wine from NOVA I’ve tasted has. I’m not saying these wines are going to beat California reds, no way, but they are fine for VA.
If you’re along for a Saturday ride and want to see pretty things, stay on the main path and skip this one, but if you are interested in the wine you’re tasting, go to Chester Gap.

Definitely skip this «winery» if this is on your list. This place was suggested to us because it was up and coming and the view was supposed to be amazing (and it was).
The winery looked like it was set up at someone’s backyard, where the «tasting room» consisted of a foldout table right outside the house. And the wine — not so great. Every one of them had a metallic taste to it with some of them tasting especially tannin-​y. I felt bad, but I so wanted to spit out every wine I tried.