Williamsburg Winery Introduces Small Batch Field Blend Series

Williamsburg Winery Wine Club members are in for an exclusive treat.

As part of their February wine shipment, they’ll receive the first of the Winery’s Small Batch Field Blend Series.

What distinguishes a field blend is the togetherness of the grape varietals.

“These grapes essentially spend their whole lives together, starting with in the field,” said Winemaker Matthew Meyer.

After harvest, they’re co-fermented in the winery. Typically in winemaking, each grape varietal is fermented separately and blended together after aging.

That makes a field blend more challenging than traditional winemaking because proportions of varietals aren’t as exact. “You’re essentially seeing what happens,” Meyer said. “You can really finetune when you’re blending. Field blends involve more of the unknown, which makes them more exciting.”

“It creates more of a melded blend,” added Kenny Bumbaco, Vice President, Direct Wine Sales at the winery.

Field Blend No. 1 is 57% Merlot and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Juliet Farm in Crozet. Each of the wines made in the Small Batch Series is from the 2020 vintage, when smaller quantities of grapes were harvested because of a spring frost.

“The Merlot and Cab Sauvignon work well together; they’re complementary,” Meyer said. “You get the nice red fruits from the Merlot, and there is more Merlot in this.”

Merlot contributes the plush bright fruit character and Cabernet Sauvignon adds body and tannins. Bumbaco recommends pairing Field Blend No. 1 with anything that goes well with Merlot, such as poultry, pork and lighter red meats.

The first two field blends are from Mount Juliet; the third is from a Winchester vineyard. Field Blend No. 2 is Petit Verdot and Tannat and No. 3 is Cabernet Franc and Tannat. Nos. 2 and 3 will be released later in 2022.

“They’re fun,” Meyer said. “Honestly that’s what they are. Hopefully people will see that and like the blends.”

If you need another good reason to join the Wine Club, it’s that these three Small Batch Series wines will only be available to Wine Club members.