David M.
Yelp
Super short version: Great winery with good service that is also not rowdy. Fantastic place to go for a glass or three of quality wine in relative peace and quiet.
Short version: Casanel, a small family owned winery, simply put our favorite winery bar none. Notable for their Cabernet Sauvereign (hard to grow in Virginia) and their Petit Verdots, all of their wines every year have been good to great. Service is good, pricing is fair and reasonable considering the market, and the atmosphere is welcoming and warm. They do allow dogs and food outside, but do enforce a no dog and no outside policy indoors, in part to ensure that there always is a place that is quieter for those who seek it.
Long version: My wife and I judge wineries on three scales - quality of the wine, quality of the service, and other (which includes the views, value for price, food options, etc).
Wine Quality - Casanel wine has been consistently good to great in spite of difficult years. Although they have had a change in wine makers, the samples we have tasted of the product that their new wine maker Adam has produced, I believe, will continue their reputation for quality. While many of these produced by Adam are not yet available for sale, they also have a strong library of wines that are well worth checking out and, we believe, value for money. That said, our pallet tends to lean toward the dry reds (PV, Cab Sauv, and others), but they also produce a Chardonnay that has gone through malolactic fermentation and lightly oaked, producing a flavorful wine that is not a butter bomb. They also produce a few other whites and reds that are also worth a visit, including Norton (both still and as a bubbly), a Carmenere (an all but lost burgundy grape), and Pinot Gris in several styles. In the warmer months, they also have several roses including last year an orange wine (based on a white wine made like a red). And that is about half of their offerings. If I had to say that they had a weakness in this category, it would be that they don't have that much to offer sweet wine drinkers, but they do have an option or two.
Service - The Casanel winery team does all they can to create a warm, welcoming environment to their guests and, being that we are frequent visitors, they have become our winery home away from home. Notable is Theresa, the operations manager who with her team handles the front of the house. Victoria does a great job keeping interesting events going on. Nelson, the owner, is a character with great passion for the US - while you may not always agree with his views, you certainly will never question his love of what his hard work and the opportunities of this nation have granted him. Elliotte does a thousand jobs including helping with communications and the website. And one cannot go on without mentioning Anna - the general manager who quite literally is the glue that keeps everything going. Hers is a thankless job of putting out fires, dealing with difficult customers, and ensuring that her team (mentioned or not) have the resources to have all run smoothly. If Casanel had a weakness in this area, it would be that this is not a place for loud drunken parties nor a place for children and animals to run unrestrained or without supervision - but to us, that is a strength and not a weakness.
Other - As noted above, this is a catchall category for us. Casanel's main tasting room was hand built by its owner, and the secondary tasting room is a historical structure. Both are lovely as are the grounds. While the wine is a bit pricey, the quality is there and therefore in our books represents a good value. Further, there are a number of efforts that occur behind the scenes that also contribute to the experience. Be it from the vineyard crew who manage to keep the vines healthy and attractive in spite of weather and pests thus allowing quality fruit to be had to the production staff ensuring that quality never fails, there is significant effort that goes into the bottle before it is labeled.
In closing, when one considers the consistent quality and superior customer service this small winery provides, it certainly should be on your list of wineries to check out.
