Burnley Vineyards

4500 Winery Ln, Barboursville, VA 22923, USA

Address:	4500 Winery Ln, Barboursville, VA 22923, USA
Phone:	+1 540-832-2828
Site:	burnleywines.com
Rating:	3.7

Location

Photos 43

Reviews 14

Katherine Lindsey

Burnley Vineyards - dont change anything. I dont know why everyone is so critical - its a family-run farm that does tastings on the side, not a Total Wine for Gods sake. The woman who ran the tasting counter for us was extremely sweet and more knowledgeable about the wines and property than she let on at first - if you cant get past a little dust on the windowsill inside someone elses beautiful old home after youve been invited in, then save their family the trouble and dont bother stopping here. Their wines exhibited a broad range from sweet to dry, which is why I have such a hard time believing anyone who says they "didnt like anything here" - especially when they didnt even try everything. Unfortunately these people were given the option everyone has of picking and choosing which wines to try - which makes a tasting very one-sided and not wholly representative of what a producer has to offer. Obviously, my advice is: try everything - especially things you dont think youll like. I didnt like everything, but I was also very pleasantly surprised by their Spicy Rivanna spiced red wine - something I never really thought I would want to try, much less buy. As for the vintage years, I purchased a 2006 Norton from them for $12 just out of curiosity for what a ten-year-old Norton would taste like. Thank God it wasnt corked - it was the best Norton Ive ever had in my life. Obscenely flavorful and smooth yet almost tongue-tingling spicy - we HAD to make tacos to go with it. I guess I may not "know Virginia wines" because I dont make enough money to visit all 252 (and growing) wineries in the state every vintage year, but at least I can say that Ive tried the ones at Burnley - and because of my experience here, I would never suggest discrediting any Virginia red based upon its vintage.

A Private User

My wife and I recently went on a Charlottesville winery tour, with Burnley being our third stop of the day. On first take, the tasting room building appears to be more of a run-down house than an actual tasting room. The tasting room is situated on the second floor of what appears to be a single family dwelling, and the outside stairs were slightly rotten and sagging. The tasting room itself appeared to be stuck in the 1970s, with a sticky wood panelled tasting bar, poor lighting and a generally dismal appearance. The individual behind the bar appeared to be completely inconvenienced by our visit. She was gruff and unfriendly, with one word answers to our questions (How many acres of grapes, who is your wine maker, how long have you been open, how many cases do you produce, etc..) and a generally unfriendly demeanor. There were a decent amount of wines to taste, and we started two versions of their chardonnay. The aroma was distinctly off on their oaked chardonnay, with a taste to match. The second, which spent some time in steel, had a fruitier taste bouquet but still felt sour on the tongue. My wife described their peach wine as having a penicillin aftertaste. Every wine we tasted was unimaginative, if not downright off. There are a number of other vineyards to try in the area that are worth a stop, even if you have to drive an extra 15 minutes to get there.

Glenn King

This place has a lot to learn about running a winery and running a business in general. First impressions count a lot and ours were not good -- should have turned around and left. Had to climb a set of rickety stairs (that should have been replaced years ago) to the "tasting room" -- a porch that seemed more like a rustic cottage than a business. If you have mobility issues, youll have difficulties here. With the TV blaring in the background, we were served by a gruff, older lady who really didnt know the wines or how to serve them. She even insisted on charging us for two tastings even after we told her we were going to share a tasting! I wont go into our impressions of the wines since everyones taste is different but we didnt find anything that we liked enough to purchase. My suggestion: Bypass this one and some of the other wineries in the area -- they know how to do it right.

Kristen Moorefield

Nice people but the wines were undrinkable. Im a big wine drinker, but I could barely drink most of them, and we skipped several reds. They are still serving 2010 vintage wines, which if you know VA wines, is way too old for VA reds!! There are so much better places in the Charlottesville area!! I will add- Glenns review below is still very accurate! Skip this one!

Michael Sims

Great Wines and seasonally inspired tastings, particularly with their Peach Fuzz in the fall and their Chocolate wine Aurora on Valentines Day. The owner and his family/staff never present with a snobby attitude as experienced with a couple of the nearby wineries (not Hortons). We will always make them a stop during our wine tour trips.

Eric Force

Stopped by recently on a motorcycle ride to Charlottesville. The vineyard is smaller, but inviting. The gentleman helping us with the tasting was courteous, as well as honest with the flavors. Ended up picking up 2 bottles of a red that my wife really liked. Cute place.

Jesse Mack

My friends and I loved this place. So many tastings for 3 dollars! Award winning wines for such a good price. Great conversations with the proprietor not just about wine, which was a welcomed change. Real personable and down to earth folks.

Jesse Thomas

The family that owns and runs Burnley Vineyard is magnificent! I was stunned that almost every wine they have I enjoyed. That is very rare. Usually one or two per stop but with Burnley all where top notch Well done!

Elizabeth Rabb

Not what we had hoped for. The people were friendly, but the quality of the wine was subpar. The reds tasted old and we ended up skipping them after tasting one. The interior needed updating.

Colt Hinchman

Oh my.... The interior was terrible, the wines were undrinkable. At least the people were nice. Go to Barboursville instead.

James Harmon

An under stated gem. Excellent wines at an affordable price in an unpretentious atmosphere.

Barbara Gee

It was awesome. Very friendly and the wine was great! Definitely on our return list.

A Private User

Fantastic family owned winery. Great selection of quality wines.

A Private User

great people, great wine