Brandon Hills Vineyard

Brandon Hills is relatively new, with its first harvest in 2007. Their selection of dry reds was very limited to a Barbera, a Merlot, and a blend called Raptor Red, but all quite good, particularly the Barbera. They offer more dry and semi-​dry whites, a couple of which I found quite palatable, the 2010 Pinot Gris being the best. As with most of the vineyards in the Yadkin River Valley, the setting is picturesque, and they offer plenty of outdoor seating, including an arbor-​like gazebo. It was scorching hot out there yesterday, but we persevered and enjoyed a glass on the porch. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and very accommodating. They are also avid supporters of the Carolina Raptor Center, which is dedicated to the conservation of birds of prey, through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphan raptors.

We visited Brandon Hills Vineyard on a whim as we were on our way to the more familiar Hanover Park winery. I’m not exactly sure when they opened their tasting room but it must have been fairly recently because we only stumbled on it by luck from Googling North Carolina wineries while actually on the road. This is an example of how fast the NC wine business is moving and changing as new ones pop up out of the blue.
LOCATION: This winery is certainly off the beat so have your GPS or old school map handy. On the plus side, it is only about
6 miles from Hanover Park which is one of the best boutique wineries in the area. It’s also only about 20 miles from Raylen Vineyards which is also good so you can make a mini-​tour out of it.
WINE: BHV wine list includes about 9 wines with 5 of those single vinifera varieties and the rest being blends or non-​grape wines. On the single grape side, it seems this winery focuses on Pinot Gris and Barbera. I’m guessing that as they grow more single varietals will also be available. When we visited they offered both the ’08 and ’09 Pinot Gris (both $ 12) with the newer ’09 being superior. We pick up a bottle of this because the value was good relative to the flavor. Their other white varietal was the ubiquitous (in NC at least) ’09 Viognier ($ 15). The nose of this was great and the flavor profile was pretty good but there is a lot of competition for this grape in the region so I wouldn’t say it stood above others.
The sole red single varietal available was the ’08 Barbera ($ 19) was actually very enjoyable and a nice find in Yadkin area. I personally wouldn’t plunk 19 bucks on it but I applaud their effort on this one. There is also a blush available made with 100% merlot grapes ($ 15) with a residual sugar listed as 4%. I’m not a sweet wine guy but I wouldn’t have pegged this as having that much residual so a job balancing the acidity level.
BHV offers a red blend they call Raptor Red ($ 19) made from Cab Sauv, Merlot and dashes of Petit Verdot and Viognier. In my opinion, the wine felt a little thin and at 19 dollars I held off.
There was also a blackberry wine ($ 15) and something that I found most interesting called Amoretto Amore ($ 15). This a red wine with a bit of sweetness that I would swear was fortified with Amoretto, however, the guy helping us swore it wasn’t. I’m not sure I believe that because I can’t explain the flavor profile otherwise but it was really interesting and pleasant in dessert pairing. We got one just for the novelty!
While still new and young, I’m pretty impressed with the overall quality of the wines. It seems like they are committed to creating serious offerings and will definitely be checking in on them. At this point, 3 Stars for the wine with a nod to potential.
SERVICE: When we arrived, there was pretty much already and full house and we had to wait a few for a couple of open bar seats. However, the young guy manning the tasting room did a great job keeping things like and entertaining. A large group already there was also very complimentary of him. He’s got a background in wine making which is always a bonus when trying to have a meaningful conversation about the product. 4 Stars for service.
VALUE: My assessment on the value is that it hits both ends of the spectrum. The ’09 Pinot Gris was nicely priced but some of the others were on the high end compared to other providers. I say this fully recognizing that I don’t expect Food Lion prices — I know small wineries have huge cost of goods numbers and I often buy wine at above average prices. 3 Stars for value.
ATMOSPHERE: While a bit small, the tasting room is very nicely done and includes a great deck in the back that overlooks the valley. It’s a very nice, relaxing environment. If I had the time, we would have definitely chilled out for awhile and consumed a bottle (probably of the ’09 gris). 4 stars for the neatness and view.
Overall, this was a fun and unexpected fine. My sense is that there is a gem here in the process of polishing of the edges. Include BHV on your next Yadkinville wine trip!