Pollak Vineyards

Our Wines

All of our wines listed below are grown on the estate where we work throughout the year to ensure the highest quality fruit. At harvest all of our grapes are picked by hand into lugs and sorted, then cooled before being crushed or fermented. Many wines are made in small lots so we can coax unique characteristics from different yeasts and terroir. For wines that are blended, blind taste tests are conducted to find the best blends for each vintage.

Our 25 acres of vineyard are spread among five distinct vineyards on the property: the original 10 acre block, the Viognier field, the Mountain vineyard which is sited on the highest portion of the property at 880 feet, the Pinot Gris block at the winery, and the Smuggler vineyard. The last was named for one of David's great-grandfather's silver mines in Colorado where he founded the town of Aspen. This block has our Cabernet Sauvignon and a special Merlot.

In 2009, we bottled two wines which we consider to have "reserve" status. For us this recognizes a high quality which may be attributed to especially favorable growing conditions, use of native yeast, or simply the identification of best vineyards lots. Some years will permit this, and this year, we are excited to have a 2007 Cabernet Franc and a 2008 Chardonnay which meet this standard.

 

Meritage 2006, unfined/unfiltered - SOLD OUT2006 Meritage

Cases Produced: 325
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Mountain vineyards
Varietals: 44% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: A hot, dry summer yielded great maturity in all reds. All three varietals were crushed and then cold-soaked for maximum color. The wine fermented in t-bins, went through extended maceration and then barrel aged in French oak for seventeen months.
Tasting Notes: This Bordeaux-style blend has a rich full body, soft tannins and abundant fruit. It has a complex nose and generous fruit centered on black currant, cherry and raspberry.
Price: $24

 

Cabernet Franc 2007, unfined/unfiltered2007 Cabernet Franc

Cases Produced: 430
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Mountain Vineyards
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: Conditions for red wine were excellent in 2007. Nearly perfect weather throughout the season allowed for intense maturation and balanced fruit. Crushed into both tank and T-bins, this wine is the result of many yeast strains and very hands on control of fermentation and extended maceration. It aged 14 months in oak with 40% new French barrels.
Tasting Notes: Dark garnet in color, this wine has fragrances of pomegranate , cherry, cassis and fresh cracked black pepper. On the palate there are impressions of ripe blackberry, cassis and dark cocoa flavors, all with a velvety texture.
Price: $18

 

Cabernet Franc 2007 Reserve, unfined/unfiltered2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve

Cases Produced: 98
Vineyard Designation: Eastern portion of original 10A
Winemaking Notes: The wine is the result of having 2 weeks extended hang time in the vineyard. Ripened completely and picked clean, this wine exemplifies what can be achieved in Virginia in an ideal growing season.
Tasting Notes: The additional time on the vine concentrated the fruit flavors of pomegranate, cherry, cranberry and dark red berries which marries with a touch of black pepper. This wine is silky and luxurious with with a well integrated oak finish.
Price: $30

 

Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, unfined/unfiltered 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Cases Produced: 196
Vineyard Designation: Smuggler Vineyard
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: The soil type/rootstock relationship of our clone couldn’t be much better than that in our Smuggler vineyard. Low yielding vines and small berries brought this fruit to a quick maturity and provided intensity in both color and mouth feel.
Tasting Notes: This wine is one of our best vintages yet for reds. It expresses our terroir, dusty tannins and great minerality and a perfect oak profile. Its flavors include eucalyptus, blackberry, and cassis combined with a hint of spice.
Price: $26

 

Merlot 2007, unfined/unfiltered - SOLD OUT2006 Merlot

Cases Produced: 215
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A block
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: A balanced crop load on large ballerina-trained vines and a hot dry season produced intense flavors and well balanced fruit. Crushed into both tank and T-bins, this wine was produced with complex yeast selection and blending. Extended maceration developed the fine tannin mouth feel. It aged fourteen months in oak, forty percent new French barrels.
Tasting Notes: Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and a hint of chocolate are found in this wine. It has a rich, full mouth feel with great intensity and long length.
Price: $20

 

Petit Verdot 2007, unfined/unfiltered2007 Petit Verdot

Cases Produced: 230
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Mountain Vineyards
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: Having multiple clones and multiple vineyard sites of this variety has enabled us to manage it with the intention of finding out what we can do with it in the winery to maximize fruit character without losing balance with its natural tannic intensity. Finding the right yeast strain has helped to capture the essence of this inky monster in the bottle. 2007 was a great year for this red varietal with maturity levels unreached in previous years.
Tasting Notes: There are aromas of ripe berry and plum fruits. On the palate there is peppery spice and hints of earthiness making a long lingering finish. This is Virginia’s answer to Malbec.
Price: $20

 

Durant Red 2008Durant Red 2008

Cases Produced: 283
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Mountain Vineyards
Varietals: A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc
Winemaking Notes: This wine is a stainless steel fermented Merlot blended with a spice driven Cabernet Franc.
Tasting Notes: Intended to be fresh and young, unlike our other reds, this wine, was brought to bottle without aging so as to capture the bright fruit elements of the varietals. They include raspberry and strawberry with a richness that makes this a very approachable table wine.
Price: $14

 

Chardonnay 20082008 Chardonnay

Cases Produced: 270
Vineyard designation: Original 10A and Mountain Vineyards
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: The fruit load of this vintage was very high, yet fruit character was better than it has been in the past providing exceptional acidity and minerality from the soil. The wine was fermented in a combination of 60% stainless steel and 40% oak. The oak was a blend of new and neutral. Many yeast strains were used to achieve a dynamic palate and structure, reflective of our terroir and varietal preference.
Tasting notes: This wine is crisp and bright with great minerality. The flavor profile reveals quince, pear, lemon and melon. It is a very versatile wine, pairing well with many foods.
Price: $19

 

Chardonnay Reserve 2008 2008 Chardonnay Reserve

Cases Produced: 133
Vineyard Designation: Mountain Vineyards
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: As with our estate version, this wine is reflective of a great vintage. Native fermentation in French oak barrels drives the structure of the wine as the vintage intensity carries through on the palate and nose. It was allowed to go through 30% malolactic fermentation.
Tasting Notes: This wine is both creamy and bright with great structure to age. It has tangerine, orange, lemon and tropical fruit flavors balanced by a beautiful acidity at the finish. This is a wine worthy of its title.
Price: $25

 

Pinot Gris 2008 - SOLD OUT2008 Pinot Gris

Cases Produced: 283
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Pinot Gris Vineyard
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: Large crop loads and an intense sun filled season supplied us with an amazing vintage of this varietal. Picked in late August, this was our first fruit through the door and was handled with the intensity that this timing permits. Whole cluster pressing and crushed cold soak were both used on this variety. The resulting wine is a stainless steel produced blend of multiple fermentations.
Tasting Notes: This wine is a pale straw color with a light pinkish hue. It has orange blossom, lime and fresh tropical fruit flavors. It is a great easy drinking white for all occasions.
Price: $16

 

Viognier 2008 - SOLD OUT2008 Viognier

Cases Produced: 285
Vineyard Designation: Viognier Vineyard
Vineyard/winemaking Notes: From nearly 5 acres of vines comes this aromatic gem with a structure serious enough to give red wines a moment of pause. Heavy fruit and a late season slow down created a hang time for this crop that transferred water to sugar and maturity in both skins and seeds. Made in stainless steel, this wine is a blend of one native yeast fermentation and one lab strain fermentation.
Tasting Notes: Kept cool during processing, the fruit bouquet in the nose is as dynamic as its structural notes on the palate. It has bright tropical and intense apricot aromas with subtle peach and pear fruit flavors, youthful acidity and a clean, crisp long finish. This is Virginia’s white wine.
Price: $18

 

Durant White 2008Durant White 2008

Cases Produced: 401
Vineyard Designation: From all vineyard blocks on the estate where white varietals are grown
Varietals: A blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay
Winemaking Notes: This wine is a blend of all our white varietals and nicely represents the entire estate. The majority of this blend is stainless steel fermented. A portion of the chardonnay spent time in oak, mainly neutral barrels. This wine has an array of fruit components unlike any of our others while maintaining a balance of acidity and freshness that carries the essence of the vintage forward.
Tasting notes: This wine is crisp and elegant. Bright vibrant lime, green apple, quince and passion fruit come together with great finesse. An outstanding expression of the three white varietals we grow.
Price: $14

 

Rosé 20082008 Rose Wine

Cases Produced: 138
Vineyard Designation: Original 10A and Mountain Vineyards
Varietals: From all vineyard blocks on the estate where red varietals are grown
Winemaking Notes: Our rosé is a representative blend of our entire red wine vintage. As each red comes in for crush, we bleed off a small percentage of juice. This juice goes into a collection tank and is kept very cold during the entire harvest season. Once our final reds are crushed, we warm the wine and ferment in stainless steel.
Tasting Notes: Dry, with a structure true to its red origin, this wine is a light representation of our red clay terroir. It has a delicate cranberry character with lemon and raspberry notes. A versatile wine, it could complement turkey, ham as well as lighter summer fare.
Price: $14