Sourcing Model for Biltmore Wines
From grape to glass, Biltmore’s head winemaker Sharon Fenchak takes great care in overseeing every step of the grape growing and winemaking process for Biltmore’s vast portfolio of wines. Labels within Biltmore’s wine portfolio indicate exactly how Sharon has sourced the wines enjoyed: Biltmore Reserve, Biltmore Estate, Limited Release, Vanderbilt Reserve and Antler Hill series.
North Carolina
Biltmore Winery, with some 50 acres of vineyard is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, N.C. on the grounds of an 8,000-acre estate owned by the descendants of Biltmore’s original founder, George W. Vanderbilt. The founder of Biltmore’s wine program, William A.V. Cecil, once noted that Asheville was about the same latitude as Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, however the climate of western North Carolina has proven not to be quite as predictable! Nevertheless, the altitude of between 2,100 and 2,500 feet does help grapes to enjoy good growing conditions, and the most exceptional grapes from these vineyards earn the Biltmore Reserve label, indicating Biltmore’s finest North Carolina vintages. The North Carolina appellation appears on these labels, indicating that all of the grapes and winemaking originate in North Carolina. These are the truly estate grown and bottled wines in the collection.
In Asheville’s climate, hearty varietals such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc do best in Biltmore’s vineyard. Biltmore has also established local growing partnership in Polk County of North Carolina to ensure consistent grape quality to meet the growing demand for Biltmore wines. This lower-elevation region is just south of Asheville and experiences slightly warmer temperatures.
Beyond Biltmore
Enjoying George Vanderbilt’s legendary hospitality when guests visited Biltmore House at the turn of the 19th century meant that an array of the finest wines would be available. Today, Biltmore’s wine program strives to ensure that there is a wine to please any guest and palate.
Recognizing that North Carolina is best suited to certain styles, Biltmore has established relationships with growers in other areas of the country to be able to offer a wider selection of the finest varietals and vintages, resulting in a truly storied portfolio. Regardless of where the grapes are grown, Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak sees through every step of the winemaking process. In some cases. these wines bear the American appellation, indicating that the fruit is grown on the west coast but the wine is finished and bottled at Biltmore Winery in Asheville, North Carolina. The majority of these wines can be found in Biltmore’s Estate and Limited Release series.
California
Biltmore sources grapes from select vineyards in growing regions throughout the state. Several times each year, Sharon schedules extended visits to California to meet with growing partners and select the best grapes.
As Sharon says, “some of the finest American wine grapes come from the vineyards of coastal California. The terroir—the different combinations of weather and soil in each hill and valley—translate into the distinctive flavors and qualities that characterize the wines of that region.”
California’s Northern Coast is home to some of the state’s best known AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), including Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Lake County, Napa Valley, Russian River Valley and Sonoma County. Some of these areas are particularly important for the Vanderbilt Reserve series of wines. “We select grapes from outstanding partner vineyards for some of our most distinctive wines, including our Vanderbilt Reserve Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Vanderbilt Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, Vanderbilt Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley, and The Hunt Red Blend Sonoma County,” says Sharon.
The Central Coast of California offers a warmer climate, but still benefits from the cooling influences of the Pacific Ocean. From here, Sharon chooses some of the more unusual varietals in the wine program, such as Barbera, Marsanne, Mourvèdre, Roussanne and Tempranillo. These are sourced from vineyard partners in AVAs such as Arroyo Seco, Cienega Valley and Paso Robles.
California is also where Biltmore sources grapes for the majority of the sparkling wines they produce, such as the Biltmore Estate Brut and Blanc de Noir wines.
Washington
The state of Washington continues to prove itself as an outstanding producer of a wide range of wine varietals. Vineyards are found primarily in the eastern portion of the state, which is in the rain shadow of the Cascade mountain range, and therefore benefits from a dryer shrub-steppe ecosystem. Longer hours of daylight – approximately two more hours per day during the growing season than California – and milder, more consistent temperatures are other features. Sharon selects excellent grapes from this region for the Estate series and Limited Release series within the Biltmore wine portfolio.
Handcrafting the Wines
While Sharon and her team directly handle the creation of the majority of Biltmore’s wines from start to finish on location at Biltmore Winery in Asheville, North Carolina, there are certain wines that she creates in the particular regions where they are grown. These are the Vanderbilt Reserve and Antler Hill wines within the Biltmore wine portfolio. This is a careful process, beginning with selecting the vintage and grapes, through aging the final wine, all of which is overseen by Sharon during her visits to California. The resulting wines bear the name of the California appellation from which the grapes were grown and in which the wines were produced and bottled.
“All of our wines represent the Vanderbilt family’s legacy of gracious hospitality on which Biltmore was founded,” Sharon says, “and as Biltmore’s winemaker, I am committed to handcrafting our wines with the philosophy of keeping each one true to varietal character and consistent from vintage to vintage. Whether I’m at work in North Carolina or California or Washington, I’m focused on creating wines that reflect the quality of this family-owned estate and winery.”
