Project Description

Jennifer McCloud from Chrysalis Vineyard joined John Sporing, founder of A Life Well Drunk for a virtual tasting on October 15th, 2020.

Did you miss the live tasting? No worries, watch it here:

In the October 15 tasting we sipped and discussed three Chrysalis wines:

2019 Chrysalis Vineyards Albariño

2019 Chrysalis Vineyards Viognier

2019 Chrysalis Vineyards Barrel Select Norton

This package included two complimentary items to introduce you to some of the other products produced on her farm!

  1. 8 oz. Jar of Norton jelly – made from 100% Norton fruit, it’s the best grape jelly you’ve ever tasted!
  2. 1/2 lb. Slice of Nottingham Gouda – produced by our sister company, Locksley Farmstead Cheese Co., straight from our pastured dairy herd and aged for 1 year, delicious and the perfect companion when sipping wine!

Meet the Maker

Jennifer McCloud’s goal is “To proudly restore Virginia wines to world renown, and celebrate the homecoming of Norton, The Real American Grape!® NOT out of the question…she has already successfully established three hi-tech companies and built each to multi-million dollar sales status.

Rather than “following the pack” and growing more of the currently popular varieties of grapes, she has determined to concentrate on growing varietals that perform best in Virginia soils, which will naturally result in wines of the very highest quality. These varieties include not only the “alternative” Viognier, Albariño, Tempranillo, Graciano, Fer, Tannat, and Petit Manseng, but also one the world’s largest planting of Norton, the native Virginia grape that received international acclaim for 50 years prior to prohibition.

In addition to crafting many highly regarded wines for more twenty years, in 2018 McCloud began producing artisan cow cheeses from her dairy herd, under the brand Locksley Farmstead Cheese Company, and offering artisan breads and flatbreads from The Little River Bakehouse. These additional value-added agricultural endeavors make her 412 acres known as The Ag District one of the most unique and diversified agricultural properties anywhere.