Press 4 Mix/Red • July 2023 Direct Press Selection

Ben Jordan was one of the first winemakers to convince me of the potential of North American hybrids as well as Virginia wines. I know I'm not the only one whose mind was changed by his Early Mountain Young Red, made from Chambourcin. He is thoughtful and committed to the hard work of matching the right grape to the right terroir in an emerging region, and embracing North American hybrids has been a big part of that.

He has since left Early Mountain (now in the expert hands of winemaker Maya Hood White) to focus on his own labels, Lightwell Survey and Midland. In addition, he has partnered with his brother Tim, Lee Campbell, and others to start Common Wealth Crush Co., a 'custom crush meets business incubator meets thinktank cooperative' in the Shenandoah Valley that will continue expanding the community of small producers in the region and allow a more diverse group of folks to get a leg up in the wine world.

And just in case you need any further convincing of Ben's ability to craft subversively delicious wines from unfamiliar grape varieites, crack open his 'Strange Collapse' rosé on a hot day and pour yourself a big slug. It's not your mom's rosé, that's for sure, sporting a label with one of the baseball bat-wielding gang members from the movie 'The Warriors' and a color that is more ruby red and amber than the typical Provençal pale salmon. But it is still immensely crowd-friendly. A blend of 49% Vidal blanc, 31% Petit Manseng, 8% Chambourcin, 8% Noiret, and 4% Traminette with zero sulfur added. Aromas of mandarin orange and Campari are met with grassy undertones, 'river stone wetness,' subtle tannic chew, and Alpine strawberry on the palate. It's one of those wines that was kind of hard to write about because my notes just say, 'mmm that's really good.' Jonathan Kemp

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