Belle
Mount Vineyards was founded in 2002 by Ray and Catherine Petrie. The Winery
was initially an effort to make better use of the topographically challenged
land on the estate originally known as Belle Mount. Three Mounts are in
existence in Richmond County with the historic landmarks Grove Mount and
Mount Airy on each side. Belle Mount is the "Beautiful Hill" between them
overlooking the Rappahannock River and Cat Point Creek.
Since modest beginnings in 2002, with the planting
of a few hundred vines the current vineyards have over eight acres of vines,
Belle Mount has blossomed into a small, super-premium winery that focuses on
small lots of handcrafted, vineyard-designated varietals.
The tasting room and gift shop opened in 2005 and current harvest
levels range between 1,000 to 3,000 annual cases depending on the vintage.
Our current team consists of Winemaker Ray Petrie,
and Director of Operations Catherine Petrie. Our focus at the winery is
devoted to the production of high quality varietals beginning in the
vineyards with careful, attentive management to achieve mouth-watering,
truly physiologically ripe fruit and continuing in the cellar with small
lots, minimal handling, and slow fermentation to express the flavor
potential of each grape variety.
Belle Mount currently grows most
of the fruit on our 243 acre estate. Our winemaking
efforts begin by ensuring that the vineyard produces the highest quality
fruit with strong emphasis on low tonnages and low-input farming practices
for natural plant balance.
This dedication to quality has resulted in the
production of high quality premium wines representing the greatest potential
in the Northern Neck - Chesapeake Bay region.
Over the next several years, Belle Mount intends to
maintain production levels at 1,000-3,000 annual cases, the bulk of which
will be sold at the winery and a few select wine shops within Virginia. The
Winery is located near Warsaw on Newland
road.
And now about Belle Mount and the Northern Neck. A
neck is a colonial term for a peninsula. Along Virginia's Chesapeake Bay
region the most northern peninsula is the Northern Neck. With breezes from
the river, gentle rolling hills and abundant game the land here provided an
opportunity for those seeking to get away from the increasing population of
Jamestown and Williamsburg. From the headwaters of the Rappahannock and
Potomac Rivers to the Chesapeake Bay the Northern Neck Proprietary was
taking shape.
A 1707 land grant from the King of England to
Joseph Belfield created Belle Mount in the heart of historyland. George
Washington's Birthplace, the ancestral home of Robert E. Lee, and many
colonial plantations are located here. Today the quiet countryside provides
a retreat from the hurried lifestyle of
metropolitan centers. Our population is growing slowly and one day will
reach the level attained at the time of the Revolutionary War. Meanwhile our
wines age gracefully as they await your enjoyment.
