Horton Vineyards
- Located in Gordonsville, Orange County, 20-30 minutes northeast of Charlottesville. Denis Horton, the founder and owner of Horton vineyards who passed away in June 2018, was a major figure in the rebirth of the Virginia wine industry. Having started a small vineyard back in 1983, and then Horton Vineyards in 1988, he was one of the earliest in the business in Virginia. Horton’s essential contribution was his early investigations into what grape varieties would work best in Virginia’s climate, especially in dealing with the high humidity of mid-Atlantic summers. In that research, Dennis identified the potential for a then-relatively obscure grape from France’s mid-Rhome area, which he brought back to plant here. The grape he identified has gone on to become so phenomenally successful that it has become the state grape of Virginia – Viognier. Since his passing, Dennis’ wife and daughter have taken over and continue the family tradition.
- Wine: Among the Top 50 wineries in Virginia. Some excellent wines, albeit among a very large and mixed quality production range, perhaps trying to find their footing after the passing of founder (and Virginia wine-making legend) Dennis Horton. The winery’s 2017 Stonecastle Red and non-vintage Suil (a sparkling Viognier) were awarded gold medals at the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup competition. Their 2019 Cabernet Franc came away with a gold medal at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle nationwide wine competition, and their 2019 Albariño and 2015 Tannat also won gold medals at the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle event. Unusually Horton also produces a large range of wines based on other fruits, generally blended with Viognier or other grapes: Pear, raspberry, peach, strawberry. The fruit wines go under a “Chateau le Cabin” label, harking back to Horton’s log cabin where he first began winemaking. Prices are lower than for many other Virginia wineries. The large range and low prices are a positive on one hand, on the other hand one can read multiple reviews of people unimpressed by the wines they selected to taste at the winery. So best to go with a clear target in mind of what one wants to sample.
- Setting: Nice underground cellars for tastings, a castle tower for variety, and good views of the Blue Ridge. Tastings offer a sample of the winery’s unusually large range of forty-plus different wine types. Some reviewers note the interior as in need of renovation.
- Stories: One star. A Virginia wine pioneer. Dennis Horton identified the potential of Viognier and brought it to Virginia, becoming the first to commercially plant it here. In addition, Dennis was also the one responsible for reintroducing another iconic Virginia grape, the Norton. Norton, a native North American grape species, was widely planted in the 1800s, and for a period was very popular as a Virginia red wine grape. After Prohibition, the grape essentially disappeared from Virginia and the East Coast. One place it did not disappear from was Missouri, Dennis’ home state. And it so happened that he grew up a block away from a Missouri vineyard, Stone Hill, which went into producing wine from Norton well before anything was stirring in the Virginia wine industry. As he looked to France for grapes that would make good wine in Virginia, Dennis did not forget the Norton, and he successfully brought it back to its native grounds. Aside from his own bottling of Norton, Dennis also sells the grape to other producers in the state.