(soft jazz music) >>I'm here at 8 Chains Winery with Cissi and Edz, where they have just recently purchased this property, which has a wonderful history, (jazzy piano music) and I'm so excited to talk to you both about this winery, your wines, and what the future holds for you at 8 Chains.

So, welcome, and thanks.

>>Thank you.

>>Mm-hmm.

>>Thanks for visiting us.

>>Yes, that's fabulous.

>>Absolutely, so tell me, what perpetuated this purchase?

>>Well, it was more a serendipitous thing.

We were not looking for a winery.

We've been together for six years.

>>Yes.

>>And our kids grew up in Herndon and Chantilly.

>>Mm-hmm.

>>And we needed a place of our own, and we were either going to move into the city, into Old Town Alexandria, or move out to the country.

Well, we fell in love with this house over here, and the house came with something else.

>>I love that, I love that, and so, did you have any background other than tasting wines, or- >>Consuming only.

>>Okay.

Okay, but you have business backgrounds though, right?

>>Business backgrounds, >>Yes, we do.

>>and restaurant backgrounds as well, >>Excellent.

>>so a little bit of the hospitality stuff we had in our back pocket.

>>Well, so what varietals do you grow here?

>>We grow Albarino, Syrah, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc.

>>Awesome.

So your Viognier, which you have is grown elsewhere, right?

>>Yep.

We have seven and a half acres under vine here at Waterford, >>Okay.

>>but we have 17 acres we manage in Loudoun County.

So we have three other vineyards that we manage.

>>I love it.

Well, I understand you have an amazing white blend.

Can we try that while we chat through a little bit?

>>Absolutely.

>>Sure.

>>So what's in your blend?

>>So this is grapes from our vineyard and one from one of our other vineyards.

It's heavy on the Sauvignon Blanc, has Alabrino and some Viognier.

>>Okay.

Ooh, that looks gorgeous.

And I love just that hint of that golden color.

>>Yeah.

>>Probably from the Viognier?

>>Yep.

>>Yeah.

Ooh.

Ooh, I can smell all of that, that citrus from the Sauv Blanc.

Ooh, that's really nice.

Mm.

So tell me a little bit about what it's like buying a winery that's already established with an amazing history.

Excellent winemaker.

How was that?

How's it working?

>>One of the reasons we bought the place was that we took months to negotiate with the old owner who happens to be the winemaker, Ben Renshaw.

>>Yeah.

>>So he agreed to stay on as the winemaker, and we would not have done it if he was not staying on.

>>Yes.

Yes.

>>For sure.

>>We also have a great management team here, and they've all stayed on as well.

And we just been helping them in the background, but getting more and more involved as we learn more and more about the business.

>>Oh, that's great.

Now, when you're working with Ben, will you add new things to the portfolio or will you kind of stay?

(all laughing) Yeah.

>>You know, Ben started his first vineyard in 2006.

This 8 Chains North was opened in 2010.

So it has a long history, as you mentioned.

>>Right.

>>So we didn't wanna push too hard but Cissi loves her Prosecco.

(Tassie laughs) So we literally just last week got two Prosecco tanks.

So we will be making some bubbles.

And Ben has >>Wow.

>>Ben has agreed to, he's done some more research on it too.

And we already have some Chardonnay that's ready for secondary fermentation to get in those tanks as soon as we can stand 'em up and get 'em in place.

>>Well, let's try your Rose, because I love a good Rose, and this particular one is a blend.

>>Correct.

>>As opposed to that maceration of just red.

>>Correct.

>>So what's in this one?

>>So this, a large part of the grapes come from one vineyard, one small vineyard that we have, Chambourcin, and then Merlot from our Furnace Mountain vineyard.

>>Okay, okay.

Mm.

So Chambourcin and Merlot, this wonderful blend of a couple of reds.

It's beautiful.

The color is exquisite.

>>So it's not overly sweet.

>>Ooh.

Yeah.

>>Right.

>>It has a nice nose on it.

>>Little strawberry maybe.

>>Yeah.

Yeah.

A little strawberry.

I almost get a little cheese.

>>Mm, oh really?

>>Yeah, mm-hmm.

Mm.

>>Whaddya think?

>>Oh, really nice.

>>So this is one of our most popular ones.

>>So you have an amazing red blend, your red Furnace Red, and everybody talks about this and the blend that's in it.

What's, what's in it?

>>So this is the 2019, and the 2019 has Cab Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot.

>>Ah, three that I love.

>>Yep.

>>Yeah.

>>And they're all from, all from out here.

Maybe a little bit more Petit Verdot from our Furnace Mountain vineyard as well.

>>Sure.

And you just planted Petit Verdot, right?

>>We did.

We had an acre and a half here that was just field, hay.

>>Yeah.

>>And we just planted it, boy, two weeks ago.

>>Wow.

>>And they're just popping out so we just walk the field, (Tassie laughs) and really cool, very exciting.

>>There's little heads holding up all by themselves, >>Yep.

>>like little babies.

I love that.

>>Yep.

>>Well let's try this red.

So sometimes you, I understand, put a little Malbec in it, depending on the year.

>>Yep.

So we did have some Malbec, but the plants didn't do very well in '17.

They, so they got, we needed to tear 'em out.

>>Okay.

>>But the '17 also has the Malbec in it, which gives it a little bit more of that spiciness from the Malbec, and then last year's '18, we added Merlot.

>>Oh wow.

>>We added Merlot in there too, so yeah.

>>Sure.

>>So it's sort of Ben's choice, >>Sure.

>>based on what the harvest brings.

>>Yeah.

Well, and Ben knows what he's doing.

>>Oh, yeah.

>>Oh, this is beautiful.

>>I think in the last three years, this is my favorite one.

>>Mm.

>>From the last three.

>>I love that berry.

That deep, dark, cherry dark fruit.

Mm.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Wow.

>>The '19 is the best of the three (chuckles).

>>It's absolutely amazing.

I love this.

Well, here's to bubbles.

Here's to you, and here's to the future (glasses clinking) of 8 Chains.

>>Thank you, very much.

>>Thanks for being here.

>>Thank you.

>>Thank you.

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