Boordy Vineyards: State of the Art Viticulture and Winemaking on the East Coast
Boordy Vineyards was established in 1945 by Philip M. Wagner, editor of the Baltimore Sun and author of the book American Wines and How to Make Them published in 1933. He sourced grapes from Maryland vineyards owned by the Deford family and sold the winery to Rob Deford in 1980. Rob made continuous improvements in both the vineyard and the winery. In recent years, he built a state-of-the-art winery, replanted his entire vineyard with the advice of viticulturist Lucie Morton, and brought in Spanish winemaker José Real (shown here) and former Michel Rolland consulting enologist Steve Blais to further raise quality. The wines keep getting better, and Maryland’s 2023 vintage is phenomenal as tasted from barrel.
Rob Deford
In this article, we review current releases from the 2019-2023 vintages. Like the rest of the East Coast, Maryland has climate swings that result in significant vintage variation. We summarize the vintages below.
The Wines
The following wines were tasted at the winery and our Washington DC offices.
Boordy Vineyards 2023 Viognier Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series Catoctin AVA ($30) 91 There’s excellent varietal character to this perfumed Viognier. The palate is super clean and long lasting with nuanced flavors of white stone fruit and a note of lemon verbena. Nicely balanced with good richness, too. Sourced from an 0.7 acre parcel of the South Mountain Vineyard. Made using only free run juice and aged in stainless steel. pH 3.30 12.5% alc.
Boordy Vineyards 2022 Albariño Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series Catoctin AVA ($40) 91 Opens with delicate aromas of pear, melon, and acacia. Round on the palate with good acidity and layered flavors of white fruit and hints of fresh garden herbs. Fermented and matured for 6 months in 20% new French Hermitage, light toasted oak barrels. 13% alc.
Boordy Vineyards 2022 Stone Fence Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series Catoctin AVA ($35) 92 This unusual but successful Chardonnay-Albariño blend has a sweet, floral perfume and a grippy texture in the mouth. It shows fresh flavors of white peach, honeydew and juicy apple with bright acidity that enlivens and balances the wine. Would pair especially well with fish and vegetable dishes but also works very well as a well-chilled aperitif wine. A blend of 2/3 Musque clone of Chardonnay and 1/3 Albariño, all from the South Mountain Vineyard and fermented and aged in stainless steel. 12.5% alc.
Boordy Vineyards 2022 Chardonnay Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series Catoctin AVA ($40) 92 This Maryland Chardonnay is an excellent wine. It offers good flavor, a round mouth feel, and satisfying freshness with the requisite new French oak accents, all at a reasonable price. But it’s the 12% alcohol that makes this wine particularly special. Alcohol levels are rising everywhere, and it’s not unusual to find Chardonnays at 14 and 14.5% ABV. So this well made, delicious Chardonnay at just 12% alcohol is a real treat. It offers a nougat and apple nose, good richness of flavor, and just the right amount of acidity. Made from Dijon clones 76 and 96 and the Italian VCR 4 from the South Mountain Vineyard and matured in 20% new French oak with 6 months on the lees. Outstanding winemaking by José Real.
Boordy Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Franc Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series ($60) 93 This wine reveals the varietal character of Cabernet Franc with notes of herbs and spice complementing fresh red plum and dark berry fruit. It’s just the right weight for pairing with food, too—good depth and ripeness but not over the top like some other New World Cabernet Francs. A delicious, refined wine. Matured in 30% new French oak for 18 months. 13.5% alc.
Boordy Vineyards 2019 South Mountain Red Landmark Series Maryland $25) 90 Medium ruby red. A fragrant bouquet reveals red and black berries with hints of tobacco leaf, cooking spice and dried flowers. The medium weight palate reveals fresh fruit flavors up front and savory notes kicking in on a dry finish. The perfect pizza wine. A blend of 88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Syrah aged in 26% new French oak for 18 months. 13.5% alc.
Boordy 2020 Dry Bench Reserve Landmark Series Catoctin AVA ($70) 94 A fresh wine from a warm vintage. Opens with aromas of dark berries, cigar box, and dried herbs with floral and underbrush notes. Silky mouth feel with ripe flavors, good balancing acidity and firm, refined tannins. Finishes very long (45+ seconds) and flavorful. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet France matured 17 months in 40% new French oak. 13% alc.
