Michael Shaps WineWorks

Virginia & wine

The Virginia Piedmont, the gently rolling eastern face of the Blue Ridge, has a viticultural tradition dating back nearly 300 years. Thomas Jefferson grew vines at Monticello, James Monroe cultivated vines at his home at Monroe Hill (now part of the University of Virginia), and fellow Founding Father James Madison’s estate Montpelier, just 25 miles up the old highway from Jefferson’s home, is surrounded by literally dozens of highly-regarded wineries.

Today the state is home to over 300 wineries which can be found all. along the Piedmont, as well as dotted throughout the beautiful Shenandoah Valley to the west of the Blue Ridge.

The region is famed for its wines made from Scuppernong, a variety of Muscadine that lends itself to dessert wines- in fact, Scuppernong has been served at dessert at the White House ever since our Presidents have resided there. Today’s wineries work with a mix of native varieties, varieties of vinifera best suited to the local higher humidity, and of course hybrids of the two.

The vineyards

With the exception of his Chardonnay, Michael sources the majority of his fruit from the Honah Lee Vineyard in the Monticello AVA, a collection of small blocks planted in 1998 on the eastern flank of the Southeast Mountains in Gordonsville. These 25+ year old vines sit at elevations of 900-1200ft where they bathe in a layer of gentler temperatures allowing the grapes to fully develop their ripeness. The vineyard sits on iron/magnesium rich clayey loam soils of the Davidson Series, which provide excellent drainage and a strong mineral backbone typical of deep lateritic soils.

Michael shaps & wineworks

A Massachusetts native, Michael moved to France in 1990 to study at the Lycee Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy, and in 1995, after a stage with Chartron & Trebuchet, Michael returned to the USA and settled in Virginia as head winemaker and GM of Jefferson Vineyards. Since then he has worked at or consulted for many of Virginia’s most important wineries. In 2004, he launched Michael Shaps wines, working with vinifera varietals planted in nearby Gordonsville VA.

In 2007, Michael and a partner launched Virginia WineWorks, the new home for Shaps’ wines as well as other related projects. In 2014 he bought out his partner, and in 2018, Michael also purchased the historic Shenandoah Vineyards and now makes the wines there as well. Since then Michael has concentrated on three sets of wines, his Virginia wines under the Michael Shaps and Shenandoah labels, and a range of superb burgundies under the Maison Shaps label.

Michael works as cleanly as possible in both vineyard and cellar, and all wines are made with natural (wild) yeast fermentation, without inoculation. His wines have won 83 Virginia Governor’s Cup gold medals and has been included in the Governor’s Case 9 times since 2016

the wines

Blanc de Franc Brut NV: A single-vineyard, 100% Cabernet Franc, wine made by the Methode Traditionelle of secondary fermentation in the bottle after a primary fermentation in 100% neutral French oak. Bright floral notes and citrus are prevalent on the nose, while brioche and vanilla round out the finish. Elevated acidity is balanced out by a soft mousse from the fine bubbles which makes for a wonderful combination of richness and sharpness to give this wine excellent pairing ability with a wide range of cheeses.

Chardonnay: from the Wild Meadow Vineyard in Purcellville (Middleburg AVA, several miles north and a bit uphill from the Monticello AVA), widely recognized as one of the finest sites for Chardonnay in the state. Grapes here ripen about 2 weeks later than in the vineyards around Charlottesville, and the cooler evening temperatures help preserve the acidity. Vinified in the Burgundian style- whole cluster pressed, then fermented in oak barrique (50% new) using only ambient wild yeast, followed by a prolonged malolactic fermentation, then ageing in barrique on the lees. A balanced and well structured Chardonnay that ages well for 5-8 years.

Viognier: Michael’s Viognier is made up of around 90% Viognier with 7-10% Riesling to lift the fruit a bit. Aged in 100% stainless steel for 6 months, the result is lush and tropical with floral and stone fruit aromatics with a hint of anise on the nose. The palate offers texture from the skin contact, and is balanced by crisp acidity, resulting in a well-balanced food friendly wine.

Roussanne: The fruit for the Roussanne is sourced was from the Honah Lee vineyard in Gordonsville, VA. The vineyard rests 1000 ft above sea level, and is southeast facing to soak up as much sun as possible. The majority of the soil make up is Davidson Clay, which is well draining and perfect for some of these Northern Rhone varieties like roussanne and viognier. The hand-harvested fruit undergoes a 12-hour cold soak prior to crushing to increase the aromatics and mouth feel, followed by fermentation in French oak and then ageing in a combination of new and used French oak barrels. It showcases bright citrus and stone fruit notes with hints of white flowers. Full-bodied with an almost oily texture balanced by excellent acidity. It should age well for about 5-7 years.

Petit Manseng: The Petit Manseng is made up of nearly 100% Petit Manseng with a touch of Roussanne.
Aged in 30% new French oak for 9 months. This is a big white that expresses a beautiful aromatic complexity of grilled pineapple notes, apricots and peaches. The barrel notes are well integrated and add good balance to the bright acidity. This wine is built to age and will continue to express itself for 5-7 years after bottling.

Cabernet Franc: Shaps’ Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc aged in French oak (about half new) for 22 months. This is a medium weight style that has nice red fruit notes, gentle tannins, and substantial length. Very approachable now. This wine pairs well with a wide variety of cuisine.

Petit Verdot: Petit Verdot has naturally high acidity and has therefore adapted well to the Virginia climate though the acid level is lower in Virginia than in other regions. This allows Virginia vintners to make a single varietal wine. Methods of traditional winemaking were used: two pumpovers daily with post fermentation maceration on the skins for over two weeks (averaging one month on the skins before pressing).Their Petit Verdot was barrel aged in about 60% new French oak for 22 months. Deep and powerful, with great ageing potential.

Tannat: A varietal originally from the Madiran region of southwestern France; Michael was one of the first to work with it in Virginia. Prior to fermentation, grapes were cold soaked and had a maceration period of 48 hours in order to extract tannin and color. Aged in about 2/3 new French oak for 23 months. This wine is high acid, high alcohol, and high in tannin, which makes it great for aging; this vintage is prepared to age for ten or more years. Even so however, this Tannat is much rounder and riper than its Madiran counterparts, and has a lushness that comfortably conceals its iron fist inside a lovely velvet glove. Notes of black fruit, tobacco, and leather. Pair with rich meats like beef tenderloin, or strong cheese like blue and parmesan.

Meritage: A blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. All of the grapes were de-stemmed and then cold soaked for 5-7 days for added extraction. The tanks are then warmed up a bit and inoculated with locally derived, ambient yeasts. After about four weeks of fermentation and then maceration with daily pump-overs, the free run juice is separated from the skins, which are then pressed. The wine is matured in 100% new French oak for several months, then blended and returned to cask for a total of 20 months in barrique. The art of blending different varieties from different vineyard plots highlights the nuances of each of our vineyard sites. The result is a balanced, well-structured wine that will continue to develop under proper cellar conditions for about 10-12 years.

En Hommage a L. Scott: A blend of Tannat, Merlot and Malbec largely from the Honah Lee Vineyard, this wine is named in honor of Michael’s older brother, Scott, who succumbed to ALS, and 10% of the revenue from this wine is donated to Project ALS. The majority of the fruit year comes from Honah Lee in the Monticello AVA. All of the grapes were de-stemmed then cold soaked for 5-7 days for added extraction. The tanks are then warmed up a bit and inoculated with locally derived, ambient yeasts. After about four weeks of fermentation and then maceration with daily pump-overs, the free run juice is separated from the skins, which are then pressed. The wine is matured in 100% new French oak for several months, then blended and returned to cask for a total of 20 months in barrique. The result is a highly-structured wine that will continue to develop under proper cellar conditions for about 15-18 years.