Boxwood Winery is a new addition to the Virginia wine industry (vines planted on 16 acres in 2004), producing only estate-bottled red wines in three distinct styles. Topiary is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec in the St Emilion style. Boxwood reflects the Médoc style with Cabernet Sauvignon as the principal grape. Rosé is a dry rosé wine produced every year in limited quantities from Boxwood varieties. The wines are aged in French oak for twelve months; once fully established, the winery will produce no more than 5,000 cases annually.
Boxwood is owned by John Kent Cooke, son of legendary Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke (1912-1997). Hugh Newell Jacobsen, renowned Georgetown architect, designed the multiple structures on the property.
Visitors are welcome by appointment for a tour and tasting. Tours of the winery, located just one mile outside Middleburg (2042 Burrland Rd.), last approximately forty-five minutes and are limited to fifteen people per tour. $20. The Boxwood Estate is a National Historic Landmark, one of the earliest established farms in historic Middleburg, the epicenter of Virginia's Hunt Country. 540-687-8778.
Wine bars & shops: Boxwood Winery has three satellite Tasting Room locations: downtown Middleburg (open Thursday through Sunday), Reston Town Center (1816 Library St., Reston, Virginia; open seven days a week 703-435-3553) and Chevy Chase (Maryland). The Reston location (see photo below) features live jazz on Thursday evenings (no cover). The Tasting Room boasts enomatic wine dispensers stocked with mixed wines, including homemade vintages and select Bordeaux imports, with a variety of tasting options: by-the-ounce (in three sizes), by-the-glass and by full bottle. Wine-friendly snacks — primarily charcuterie, artisan cheeses and gourmet desserts, are offered.
