Founding Father James Madison could stare out at the Blue Ridge Mountains from the second-story library at his famous Montpelier, Va., home. To Madison, both the land beyond those peaks and drafting the nation’s Constitution represented the possibilities of what America could be.
That idea—what America could be—is still the ethos in the foothills of Virginia. And it’s expressed by great winemakers and superb chefs finding new inspiration beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains. The mountain range runs through eight states, stretching for more than 500 miles. The peaks spanning all of western Virginia present a gorgeous fall foliage, and a symphony of flowering trees in spring. Though it’s a short drive from cities like DC and a skip from Charlottesville, it’s also worlds away.
Stay
When George Washington was a teenager, he worked as a surveyor. About 40 miles from what would become the nation’s capital that bears his name, the future president supposedly surveyed a miniscule town, putting Main, Middle, and Gay Streets on a map. Years later, the town would become Washington, Va., and to this day it remains very, very small. While fewer than 150 people reside in Little Washington, as it’s known, the town is home to one of the country’s finest inns on account of its three-Michelin Star restaurant.
Rooms, with average prices around $750, are whimsical, blending rural Virginia with cultural capitals across the globe. Afternoon high tea combines Asia’s most interesting varieties, paired with elevated British finger foods. Guest rooms, named for famed chefs and food-focused journalists, are gorgeous and curious and inspiring, which might be the best way to describe everything at the inn. Pore through cookbook collections, sip on “potions” delivered to guest rooms that Washington would have enjoyed, or wander the farm to see Little Washington’s Little Washington Monument.
Farther south is the Inn at Willow Grove, a property once owned by another surveyor. Though he never ascended to the presidency, the gentleman did plot out nearby Montpelier for Madison. The grounds of the inn are still shaded by old-growth magnolias and boxwoods that saw Civil War action, and during a construction project years ago, crews found a cannonball lodged in the manor house’s wall. Today, things are quieter at Willow Grove. Twenty-five lovely rooms and suites are scattered about for guests to enjoy fresh beignets and strong coffee delivered to their patios, visits to the spa, views of the stream, or sunsets over the mountains.
Food and Wine
In the 1990s, Virginia produced some very poor wine, as the state’s winemakers attempted to replicate California’s successes. When Barboursville Vineyards brought on
Luca Paschina,
he determined that Virginia’s climate and landscape would be better for European varietals instead. Since then, Barboursville, under Paschina’s mastery, has created some of the best, yet underappreciated, wines in the country, from grapes with household names to others such as Vermentinos and Nebbiolos.
In addition to its wine selection, Palladio, Barboursville’s restaurant, is spectacular for homemade pastas and pork from farm-raised pigs, with entrees priced at less than $40. Enjoy views of the vineyard and the ruins of Gov. Barbour’s old estate, which Thomas Jefferson designed. The ruins feature a central octagon, which appeared in all of Jefferson’s architectural projects. The wine named after his preferred shape is not to be missed.
In Madison, Va., Early Mountain Vineyards was later to the game than Barboursville, but produces wine that’s as good, and serves food that’s somehow better. Eluvium is a Merlot blend that shines alongside their Cabernet Francs and Petit Mansengs. Executive chef Tim Moore cut meat and his teeth at the Inn at Little Washington for eight years before helming Early Mountain’s kitchen. Not only does he come with three stars on his resume—and three stars tattooed and skewered on his forearm—he can even turn one ingredient in one dish into three distinct stars. His gold bar squash “carbonara,” for instance, is gold bar squash three ways—a squash “pasta,” puree, and roasted filet.
Of course restaurant royalty belongs to the three-Michelin-starred Inn at Little Washington. For decades, O’Connell has secured every accolade bestowed on the world’s best chefs. Gorgeous, curious, and inspiring define everything about the meal that’s French-inspired, yet playfully American. From wasabi sorbet topping carpaccio laid out like a checkerboard to ice cream paired with shishito peppers, Little Washington makes diners pause and smile, rotate plates and ponder.
While gorgeous amuse-bouche and five courses can be highfalutin at most places, O’Connell refuses to take his creations too seriously. Nearing the edge of haute, Faira, an actual cow statue, interrupts the dining room with a moo. The restaurant’s cheese expert, who wears a pin dubbing him “Cheese Whiz,” pushes Faira through the dining room with a cheese tray on her back. He understands cheese and can place a pun on each offering.
Other excellent bites include Orange County’s Forked on Main, where calamari with hot cherry peppers and rigatoni Bolognese amaze; Iron Pipe Alewerks, which pipes out tasty pizzas to pair with IPAs; and Gordonsville’s Barbeque Exchange. For a second day in Washington, Blue Rock’s tasting menu features four magnificent courses, like crudo with touches of Thai curry and crème-fraiche-and-corn-filled agnolotti capped with fresh morels over a lemon puree.
Experience
Most of the best experiences outside of wine and food are in Orange County, Va., and involve its hometown hero, James Madison. (President Zachary Taylor was also born in Orange, though to his posthumous chagrin, his name is never spoken.)
At the Oakland Heights Farm, history, horseback, and rodeo converge. One weekend a month, the county descends on Oakland Heights when amateur and professional riders try to stay on bull-back. For greater peace of mind, travel by horseback through the farm’s 60-plus acres of forest. Journey along the same grounds where Robert E. Lee outlasted a Union army, and ride the route that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson would have trotted on during their eight-hour, 30-mile horseback rides between Montpelier and Monticello. One tree in the forest holds rusted artifacts lost during those historic traverses and battles. Comb the hills closely for remnants of the Civil War or items misplaced by two Founding Fathers.
If you prefer to walk, visit Grelen Nursery and use their public trail system to hike onto Montpelier. Shorter trails keep to Grelen and are even lovelier. The 1,000-acre farm presents a gorgeous array of flowering trees, from dogwoods to purple-petaled red buds, and they have a “pick-your-own” orchard and berry bushes half the year. Before venturing out to enjoy those views, grab a sandwich at their market for a picnic in the hills.
On the grounds of Montpelier, the Virginia Thoroughbred Project, a nonprofit organization, is home to 35 racehorses that have had their careers cut short. Some thoroughbreds are retraining to show, others learning to fox hunt. Most just gallop across acres of paddock to their heart’s content.
Of course the main draw to Montpelier is the Madison residence, where expert guides tell fascinating stories about the Father of the Constitution and the nation’s fourth president. Walk the rooms where he and Dolly Madison brokered compromise at their dining room table, examine the Madisons’ artwork that the couple had hung to make political statements, and admire the library and writing desk facing the Blue Ridge Mountains and what was then an unknown future for the country.
Appropriately, the Madison property also examines his inaction on slavery. A more complete story is told through an exhibit called, The Mere Distinction of Colour. The name is a reference to Madison’s rebuke of slavery, despite his failure to free a single slave during his life and after his death.
The writer was a guest of the hotel properties.
Read the full article here
