Matthew F.
Yelp
This place has everything going for it - the age-worthy Michael Shaps wine, the historical buildings, and the server with the New Jersey accent. Definitely the highlight of my wine tour of the VA neck.
The Hague is a smaller vineyard - only 5 acres under vine, but everything they make is estate grown. That's so rare, it's an accomplishment in itself. And the property is somewhat historical - it also includes a 1800s era refurbished house turned B & B.
Michael Shaps is the winemaker, and all of their wine is sent to his place for production. But that's not to say the Hague's owners aren't active participants; my server told me a bit about the family, enough that I should give them their due in making this excellent product.
My $6 tasting included 7 wines; two different vintages of Chardonnels, a Rose, several reds, and a sweet Muscat. The Chardonnels were very crisp, and the 2011 Cynthia Muscat was fairly floral, and actually not too sweet. In retrospect I should have gotten a bottle of the Muscat - my server told me it goes well with pastry or blue cheese, both of which I'm a sucker for.
While all that was good, where they really make their money are the reds. Wonderful, smooth reds....I really enjoyed the 2013 Petit Verdot, which was medium-to-full bodied. The 2013 Cab Franc was pretty good too.
But the best was the 2010 Meritage Reserve. Very smooth, wonderful color. And it was only $29! This is another one I'll look back and regret not grabbing; curses upon myself for having a wine rack that's already full to bursting.
I'd likewise kick myself if I didn't mention my service. Everything was poured thru an aerator into a small cup, then re-poured into my glass. Maybe that was done for convenience, but I suspect it also opens up the wine. And my server was also the cook from the restaurant I just had lunch at! We hit it off pretty well; since she's from NJ, she is one of the few locals here who sounds normal to me. But hey - New York doesn't have great reds, so it looks like I'll be here for a while.