We always have fun making the multiple variety blends like Five Forks and Foothills. Both wines are made from vineyard blocks that produce fruit that stands in contrast to how we are told red wine or white wine should be. Over several vintages, we have noticed that Foothills inherently embraces classical Virginia vintages, even to the point in riper years, we find ourselves blending towards aromatics and a palate weight that could even be considered refreshing. While we many may recall we typically blend a small bit of Petit Manseng into this red blend, 2021 is unique in that we utilized Petit Manseng two ways to complement the fruit density of the vintage: we co-fermented juice with Petit Verdot, which allows for additional colour formation and aromatic diversity, as well as inclusion at final blending. This vintage of Foothills sees almost equal play between Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, with Tannat and Petit Manseng equaling each other and just a skosh of Cabernet Franc. We have always considered Foothills a “Bordeaux-ish” blend, with Petit Verdot being used at much higher percentages, but allowing for a lot more play using other varietals, like Tannat and Petit Manseng. It is this non-committal approach to blending that makes Foothills such a unique and vibrant wine.