King Family Vineyards’ 2014 Meritage, a bright and complex Bordeaux-style blend with merlot as the dominant grape, was recently judged as the best wine in Virginia, winning the 2018 Governor’s Cup winner Tuesday night at a gala in Richmond that drew more than 600 spectators.
Described as having a nose of bright red fruit, violets, dried rose petals with delicate notes of saffron, vanilla and spice that lead to layered flavors of cherry and raspberry, the Meritage stood tall among a staggering number of 99 gold medal wines awarded after a stringent four-week, blind judging of 442 all-Virginia grape wines.
The Crozet vineyard’s Meritage — a blend of 50 percent merlot, 23 percent petit verdot, 21 percent cabernet franc and 6 percent malbec — was the highest scoring wine, with the next 11 constituting the Governor’s Cup Case.
