Chateau Obrien At North Point

3238 Railstop Rd, Markham, VA 22643, USA

Address:	3238 Railstop Rd, Markham, VA 22643, USA
Phone:	+1 540-364-6441
Site:	chateauobrien.com
Rating:	3.6

Location

Photos 89

Reviews 8

A Private User

Great winery with a beautiful view!! I’ve been coming here since it opened back in 2006 and have to say that I found the wines to exceptional; I live nearby and only frequent a few wineries on a regular basis with Chateau O’ Brian being one of those due to nothing more than the fact that the wine is that good. If planning a trip to go wine tasting at the wineries around here, it would be a crime to miss this one as it’s geographically positioned to be accessible on the way to so many other various wineries. Also, seeing as this is just my personal opinion of the winery, I would go to any winery at least “once” in an effort to make my own decision and ultimately avoid missing a wine that speaks for itself. As for the negative comments about the owner, Howard… he’s a New Yorker and can be a bit overwhelming about his wine, but that is just his persona which I can’t fault as he is truly passionate about what he is selling. Lastly, I have two kids myself and agree with Howard’s policy about children not welcome at the winery. It may be an inconvenience, but why should Chateau O’Brian have a low rating for purporting not driving under the influence with kids. Seems like a noble cause to me. Again, this is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt for I can say I have a bias. I enjoy this place and will continue to frequent this establish as the wine taste like I want my wine to taste.

Victoria Hallmark

I have been to Chateau OBrien several times. It is my husband and Is favorite winery in Virginia! We have had a private reserve tasting which is down in the cellar with the owner, Howard. He is very knowledgeable and answered all of my husbands questions regarding his wine process. We have had tastings on the main floor and purchased several bottles. We ordered a half a case and Howard even delivered it right to our door step the next day! A very important note, I do not like dry wine however Howards dry wines completely changed that! I absolutely love his dry wines and his Virginia Apple Wine is to die for!!! My husband and I absolutely love the meat and cheese spreads and have never been disappointed by the wine, food, and staff. The view is beautiful as well!! The environment is very laid back and comfortable, as a bonus there is also live music at times. I have read over the negative reviews and quite honestly I do not believe those people could have had such horrible experiences. If you are looking for a hip hop winery where all the young kids go to hang out then Chateau OBrien is not for you. But if you like to relax, eat great dishes, and drink AMAZING wine this it is the place for you!

William Hallmark

Ive been to no less than 50 wineries in the region. Im very fond of red wines and Ive been looking for great red wine. I believe Howards are in the top two best of the area. If you are above the fray and dont have time to slow down and enjoy a glass of wine this isnt the place for you. If you want a great wine with great service and a small venue that takes absolutely every ounce of their energy to give you the best product, then visit Chateau OBrien. Howard, his staff, the wines, and the venue are phenomenal! We were treated with warmth and kindness. These are the best reds we have found in Virginia and his apple wine is so light and refreshing. We also did the cellar tasting and had the most amazing time. The platters are excellent, and the OBrien chocolates are great as well. Thank you Chateau OBrien!

Molly Bridenbaugh

This is the second time that I have been here and had a negative expirence. They are very slow and unprepared for busy weekends. Our group waited over an hour for a tasting. The fresh glass for every pour is annoying and slows down the process even more. The woman doing the tasting, while friendly and amusing, is consecending and does not have a sense of urgency even after we told her we had a schedule they had already messed up. Additionally, the wines are nothing special. Nothing here is memorable. As a person who drinks a lot of VA wine, I can think of many other wineries I would choose over any of the wines here. They are not balanced and very thin on flavor. $8 for 4 pours of wine is ok on the classic, but $15 for 4 on the reds tasting is overpriced for the expirence

Carl Brown

The wine and views are fantastic. For Virginia. Really, its about the only VA wine I like and will buy. Yeah, terribly overpriced given what you can get at Wegmans from Napa for 1/2 as much. But, thats not why you go to Wineries. Or, this winery in particular... You go because the owner is hilarious... I guess you need a lot of self confidence with that guy. I totally get why people are incensed about being kicked out or treated rudely. But, thats the charm of it. Youll have a hard time finding someone as wacky as this making awesome wine. And, if you get kicked out -- well, consider yourself lucky to be chosen. You got the full experience. You can take a 5 minute ride over to Aspen Dale. Theyll be nice and you can have another glass of wine and tell your war stories.

A Private User

I visited with a group of 6, and although we arrived with 1.5 hours until closing, the owner turned away so many people who arrived at the same time as us that we counted ourselves lucky to be selected as the last group he would allow to participate in a tasting. Then during our tasting, the owner was so pompous about the ordeal that it overshadowed any possiblity of enjoying the wine, it was not at all inviting or relaxing. After our tasting began, a few more small groups of people arrived and were turned away with so loudly and rudely that it was upsetting. We left reeling from the unsettling manner in which potential customers were treated. If that wine speaks for itself, fine . .but someone should tell the owner to shut-up.

Jesse G

The wine was very good as was the venue itself. On the negative side, some of the employees give this place a snobby vibe. Im not one to complain about paying high $ values for food, especially If you are paying for high quality and an excellent location; the $ value is expected. The cheese and meats plate is a joke. Its expensive and you might get a total of 5 bites. The staff recommended ordering the bread with it. Id recommend avoiding both and bringing your own food. With improvements in the staffs attitude and the food portion and quality this place gets closer to 5 stars rather then 3.

A Private User

The winery itself looks nice enough, but on our first, last and only trip to this winery we were treated like wine neophytes, as if hes the only person that knows about wines. He actually thinks "his" wine is some of the best in the world - as if the Italian, Greeks, Spaniards and French are morons. Definitely NOT a place to visit and relax. Hes notorious for being rude to his customers, which is why I expect most people have the "one and done" mindset when visiting this winery. There are plenty of other wineries in the area to patronize - dont waste your time or money here.