Winemaker Notes
Nearly opaque bright deep violet color; bright, roasted aromas and flavors of baked berries, coffee beans, and dark chocolate with an even, lively, dryish body; warming, complex marinated cherries and beets, nut skins, with chewy, dusty tannins and moderate oak. Very dry, old-world style.
Pair with osso buco alla veneziana, chicken braised with black olives, and walnut crusted lamb.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A linear and tight red with currant, spice, walnut and sweet-tobacco character. Full-bodied, refined and polished. Very driven and pretty. Lovely length. Excellent potential.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Octagon is a blend of 46% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 16% Petit Verdot, aged for 12 months in 40% new French oak. It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. A lovely Octagon, this will one day have a beautiful expression of fruit to go with its pungent aromatics. It also has a more rounded feel to it than some high-end Virginia wines this issue. That's not to say that there is no power—there is plenty. Still, a Barboursville trademark is the ability to seem complete and perfectly balanced while still aging well. All that said, this is hardly ready to drink. It is more approachable than some other big boys in this report, but it does need a couple of years of cellaring to come into even better balance and show more expressive fruit. It should certainly do both. It should hold for around 20 years from the vintage date, maybe more. Here, unlike with some wineries, there is in fact a track record—and it is a good one.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Diversity of landscape, terrain and climate make Virginia one of the most exciting American wine producing states today. Its viticultural history reaches as far back as 1607 when early settlers made the first wine from indigenous American grapes.
Thomas Jefferson imported the first French varieties to Virginia and grew the Vitis vinifera species (the European species), though not with great success.
Today, however, increased knowledge and optimal vineyard management techniques bring prosperity with a great number of diverse varieties. Virginia’s varied landscape has created seven distinct AVAs (American Viticultural Areas).
Encouraged by an enthusiastic state government, fine wine production in Virginia continues to flourish. The state achieves success with a variety of wine types and styles including sparkling wines, Bordeaux Blends, Nebbiolo, Chardonnay, Viognier and less common whites like Petit Manseng and Vermentino.