Located to the east of Leesburg, in Loudoun County, just off of Highway 15. Bleu Frog is the “retirement” project of Jan and Joe Kernan. The name is a combination of Jan’s passion for French food and Joe’s years as a “frogman” in the US Navy. The Kernans bought the old White Stone Farm in 2016. Though neither has prior viticultural experience, they have leaned on some of the many winemaking neighbors to this side of Leesburg, with legendary Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars as their first winemaker. Daughter Shannon is frequently in charge of the tasting area.
Wine: Tier II. Blue Frog is just getting started – the first crop from their vines came in 2019, but with Doug Fabbioli as their winemaker you can count on good things to come as more vines mature. The first batch of Bleu Frog wines includes Vidal, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin, as well as Rosé.
Setting: Bleu Frog is for now mainly an outdoor venue, though a tasting room is in the works and should be open soon. Tables are set up right at the edge of the vineyards, so there’s no mistaking where you are. The combination of the vines and the rolling hills make for pleasant views. Firepits make outdoor tastings work even in the cooler seasons. Dogs are not only welcome but plentiful: the Kernan’s dogs include Dexter, Doc, Mouse, Piper, Bear, and Louie.
Stories: George Mason and Selma Mansion. George Mason is known as the Father of the Bill of Rights, for his authorship of the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, as the name on several schools in Virginia, and in some places as one the few members of the 1787 Constitutional Convention who refused to ratify the Constitution (he insisted that it should immediately abolish slavery). He could have been brought up on the land where Bleu Frog Winery now sits, though he narrowly was not. The near miss dates back to 1741, when his father’s widow, Ann Stevens Thomson Mason, bought 10,000 acres of Lord Fairfax’ Northern Neck Proprietary, intending it as an inheritance for her two sons and one daughter. After her death, George wound up not with the northern end of the lands, but the southern end, where he built Gunston Hall. His younger brother Thomson Mason built Raspberry Plain mansion in 1777, and his son Stevens Mason (George’s nephew) in 1810 built a mansion at the base of Catoctin Mountain overlooking a sweeping vista of lawn and pastural farmland. The mansion and plantation were named Selma, inspired by the translation of a Gaelic poem by Sir John McPherson with “Selma” meaning “Beautiful Castle” or “Highest Place” (courtesy Selma Mansion website). Stevens Mason served as an aide to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown and was a close personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, the eventual third President of the United States. After decades of neglect, the historically important site a stone’s throw from Bleu Frog was rebuilt by current owners Sharon Virtz and Scott Miller. While not open for visitors, one can get a great sense of the restored property from the extensive photo gallery on its website.