Barboursville Vineyards Octagon Red 2021

From The Winemaker

After twelve months of barrel aging, the final blend is made through extensive and repeated series of barrel tastings. The chosen barrels will be then assembled in a stainless-steel tank to amalgamate for six months prior to bottling. What is set aside, only by fortunate excess, will definitively shape the Reserve bottling in each of the varietals. In this way, Octagon may be a poacher of supply in these varietal Reserves, but the standard they achieve is always the highest possible.

Since our first vintage-dated bottling of Octagon in 2001, the wine has drawn positive comment from critical media in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was Michael Broadbent’s Tasting Note 308 for Decanter (02/2003), on the non-vintage Octagon Third Edition (1998), which gave the first widely circulated notice of what could be expected of this wine — “opaque core, impressive; ripe, full-bodied, and seriously good.” 

Tasting Notes

"Attractive deep garnet color, elegant aromas of blueberry, black currant, fresh flowers and dry herbs, the structure expresses medium body, silky tannins and a cool, refined finish. Drinkable now, yet with a long future and evolution in the mouthfeel and aromatic profile . It is very reminiscent of the stellar Octagon 2009 from a vintage considered by many Virginia winemakers as “the perfect one”."

Scores

93 points, James Suckling. 

Gold Medal, Virginia Governor's Cup 2025