Septenary is located in Greenwood, Virginia, 15 minutes west of Charlottesville. The winery sits on a 100-acre estate of rolling hills and farmland. Todd and Sarah Zimmerman, University of Virginia alumni, purchased this National Register of Historic Places property in 2014. At the time it already had a producing vineyard, and the Zimmermans also leased land with vines in Essex County. The tasting room opened late 2017. The Winemaker is celebrated Burgundian Sebastien Marquet, who settled in Virginia after stints in France and California, and has been winemaker at Greenhills Winery in Middleburg, and Doukenie Winery in Loudoun County.
Wine. Tier III. A lot of potential here, though for right now wines are made from externally-sourced grapes, including from out of state. Marquet nonetheless achieves some excellent blends with the reds. This is a winery with a lot of future promise.
Setting. Two stars. Seven Oaks is on the National Register of Historic Places for its Greek Revival Estate. The building is spectacular, and the view outstanding. There is ample seating indoors, but you want to be out on the patio. A new tasting room is in the offing. Note that tastings are on the expensive side, at $14, as are the bottles.
Stories. Virginia’s Seven Presidents. Perhaps the most intriguing story about Seven Oaks Farm is of the seven white oaks that once stood on the south lawn in front of the manor home. These majestic trees were each named for a Virginia president. [Quick now: can you name all seven? The first few are easy: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe. Then it gets a bit tougher to remember. The last three were William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Zachary Taylor.] In 1954, Hurricane Hazel destroyed all but one of the oaks. Given the estate’s ties to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, it seems fitting that the lone surviving tree was the one named for Thomas Jefferson. That oak tree stands proudly on the property to this day. (Courtesy of Septenary website).