After driving over an hour and a half and booking an air bnb near so we would not have to drive back home, I was a bit disappointed in my first experience at Early Mountain. I have been wanting to try them for quite some time after following them on social media. The winery is beautiful and the service itself was top notch. The hostess who greeted us was smiley, warm and inviting. The waitress came over almost immediately after we sat down to greet us and go over the menu. The tasting menu was the plan I had in mind before coming however, after arrival I saw it was all vegetarian which is nice for veggie lovers but most things didn't peak my interest. The couple of items on the tasting menu that I did wanna try were not able to be ordered à la carte. We were off to a good start, we ordered a bottle of EM wine that was recommended by our waitress which tasted great. Next came the crab salad which surprisingly was my favorite dish of the night. For $36 the cheese board was the start of my disappointment. It looked nice but was just lacking. We ended up needing more bread which cost $8 more for 3 more pieces bringing the cheese plate over to over $40.00. The ribeye bison was cooked to just the right temperature, however when you got to the middle it went from being tender to very chewy. The scallops were over salted and cut in half so half of it was missing the known scallop sear. I am not 100% sure of what the name of the wine "cocktail" was that I ordered, I saw it come out for another table and requested one from our waitress. It was so delicious that I ended up ordering three more. Although the visit was not the one I expected I truly hope this was just a fluke. I will be back in the area again in June and look forward to giving Early Mountain another opportunity.
Michael Cain Seay
A world class culinary and wine experience. 10/10 will return.
Paul Carney
We regularly visit the winery each year as a stopping point for a tasting and lunch on our way to visit Northern Virginia wineries. We discovered some great EMV wines like Five Forks and Foot Hills.But we were disappointed with the food. The menu has gone more upscale and does not have approachable options for a light lunch. We have always enjoyed the food and even the plates we got were okay and too expensive for what you get.
Mary Fountain
The Wine was great! The waitress was difficult to find. I think she had a huge section. The food was disappointing and pricey. Probably will just buy wine from now on and forego this winery experience
Jennifer R.
I cannot wait to go back to Early Mountain! The BF and I had a great experience! The ride was so beautiful... I put my phone away and just enjoyed the scenery. When we arrived we were warmly greeted and seated immediately. The service and food were amazing! We both enjoyed the food and some good wine. The menu offers several selections even for vegetarians! Definitely check it out! Don't leave before you try dessert the carrot cake and yuzu cheesecake were both delicious!
Lauren-Maree McPhail
The Bison Ribeye was out of this world delicious!
Deborah Jordan
Wow! Great atmosphere and ?!!!
Nicole K.
I made reservations for the 12P Elevated tasting experience for my husband and I. It was $80/pp and I booked a week in advance. We arrived 15 minutes early and we were greeted my very friendly staff. The grounds / tasting area was really beautiful. The music wasn't too loud, but was a nice backdrop. They had just opened, so it wasn't really busy - but by the time we left it was pretty busy. We were escorted downstairs to the private tasting area. The elevated tasting seats 8 people total; we were seated with 3 other couples at a long table. The host that gave us our tasting was a really nice guy, but the lack of information (outside of the winery's history) was slightly disappointing. No tasting notes given...and at one point he just said that we can taste at our own pace and he didn't want to give us notes because he didn't want to tell us what we were supposed to taste. The entire time it felt more like we were at a restaurant and told to drink what was placed in front of us; this felt in no way elevated outside of the venue. Maybe some people prefer the less structured tastings, but I am not that person and at $80/pp I thought there would have been more info / structure to the tasting. After 10-15 minutes we were served a plate of cheese, crackers, olives, and a small hot appetizer. All were lovely and it paired wonderfully with 2 of the 5 wines. My husband and I were excited for the next plate to be served....but sadly that was it. No other plates. I was absolutely stunned and thought for sure that the verbiage on the website eluded to more than a tiny plate of cheeses / crackers.... the website specifically says this: "Join us for a beautifully curated wine tasting and culinary experience in our Wine Library". I am sorry....but a small plate of cheese with a tiny slab of rock fish that pairs with only 2 of the 5 wines is not a culinary experience.... it was a small snack and it left my husband and I starving. We laughed it off and just decided to eat in their restaurant (and pay more money). We were able to get a table for 2 upstairs. The food was pretty good. We had the Chèvre board w/ prosciutto to start. That was a HUGE portion. After that we split the sweet crab salad. This salad took almost 30 minutes to arrive after the appetizer was finished. The salad was good, but not great. After that we ordered a glass of the late harvest and the carrot cake. The carrot cake was so disappointing....dry, weird flavors - just not great. Our server never brought the wine so when she finally came back over I asked her about the wine. Her response was "oh, yeah, it is chilling". Uh, ok. I was a server - I get it...it's busy and we forget things. It's ok. But don't lie about it. The three of us all knew the wine was not 'chilling'. Either way, it eventually got to the table and it was not good. I love a good late harvest / dessert wine, but this is not it. Our server eventually comped the wine because "it took so long to get to us" (her words) - but we never asked for it (and we never finished the wine either). That was nice for her to do, but I would rather have had a server that was a little more attentive and our lunch not to take 90 minutes for an appetizer, a salad, and dessert for 2 people. Overall, this place gets the high rating because of the gorgeous setting. The wine was good, but nothing I would buy to consume at home. The Petit Manseng was the best out of the lineup, with the Cabernet Franc being just decent at best. The wines were flabby with no finish. The food was good and honestly something I would come back for if I knew the service would be better, but for the price and the drive I will just go somewhere local and bring my own bottle. All this being said, I think it is worth trying if you normally enjoy Virginia wines. Just go when it's not busy and don't bother with the elevated tasting - do the regular tasting and just order food.
Harish N
Sir I am Indian
Drew M.
While roughly 30 minutes outside of Charlottesville, this kitchen has consistently produced dishes and flavors that compete with any highly-rated restaurants in the Charlottesville metro area. Olives and almonds are a classic pairing with EM wines, and the crispy brussels is one of the more memorable bites I've had in years. The views are gorgeous and the setting makes for a restful afternoon with friends or a romantic date spot. The staff are always friendly and professional. Consider joining their wine club if you live in the area and can take advantage of the perks from visiting the winery regularly.
Lovely vinyard and restaurant. Love the red wines here (Foothills 2022, Eluvium 2020, 2020 Cab Franc). Had the local Bison steak. Fantastic service - extremely attentive. The Chef and Wine director have quite the resume. We will be back!
Russell Thomas
Forget about the good wine. This is a five star restaurant. Servers and food are the highest level!!
Stephanie B.
Enjoyed a nice late Sunday afternoon here at Early Mountain. We didn't have a reservation but that was no problem as we were quickly seated. My guy and I shared the mixed flight (can't recall the name) of reds, whites and a rosé. For food we ordered the half baguette, butternut squash soup and crispy brussel sprouts. Everything was warm and delicious! Our sever was attentive and helpful. We each had a glass of wine after our meal. The sparking rosé was divine! We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and hope to be back soon!
Anthony Mujica
Beautiful winery with amazing food and wine. One of the best in the area. I look forward to returning.
Ryan H
A long drive but worth it, a bit pricey but overall 4.75 stars.
After driving over an hour and a half and booking an air bnb near so we would not have to drive back home, I was a bit disappointed in my first experience at Early Mountain. I have been wanting to try them for quite some time after following them on social media. The winery is beautiful and the service itself was top notch. The hostess who greeted us was smiley, warm and inviting. The waitress came over almost immediately after we sat down to greet us and go over the menu. The tasting menu was the plan I had in mind before coming however, after arrival I saw it was all vegetarian which is nice for veggie lovers but most things didn't peak my interest. The couple of items on the tasting menu that I did wanna try were not able to be ordered à la carte. We were off to a good start, we ordered a bottle of EM wine that was recommended by our waitress which tasted great. Next came the crab salad which surprisingly was my favorite dish of the night. For $36 the cheese board was the start of my disappointment. It looked nice but was just lacking. We ended up needing more bread which cost $8 more for 3 more pieces bringing the cheese plate over to over $40.00. The ribeye bison was cooked to just the right temperature, however when you got to the middle it went from being tender to very chewy. The scallops were over salted and cut in half so half of it was missing the known scallop sear. I am not 100% sure of what the name of the wine "cocktail" was that I ordered, I saw it come out for another table and requested one from our waitress. It was so delicious that I ended up ordering three more. Although the visit was not the one I expected I truly hope this was just a fluke. I will be back in the area again in June and look forward to giving Early Mountain another opportunity.
A world class culinary and wine experience. 10/10 will return.
We regularly visit the winery each year as a stopping point for a tasting and lunch on our way to visit Northern Virginia wineries. We discovered some great EMV wines like Five Forks and Foot Hills.But we were disappointed with the food. The menu has gone more upscale and does not have approachable options for a light lunch. We have always enjoyed the food and even the plates we got were okay and too expensive for what you get.
The Wine was great! The waitress was difficult to find. I think she had a huge section. The food was disappointing and pricey. Probably will just buy wine from now on and forego this winery experience
I cannot wait to go back to Early Mountain! The BF and I had a great experience! The ride was so beautiful... I put my phone away and just enjoyed the scenery. When we arrived we were warmly greeted and seated immediately. The service and food were amazing! We both enjoyed the food and some good wine. The menu offers several selections even for vegetarians! Definitely check it out! Don't leave before you try dessert the carrot cake and yuzu cheesecake were both delicious!
The Bison Ribeye was out of this world delicious!
Wow! Great atmosphere and ?!!!
I made reservations for the 12P Elevated tasting experience for my husband and I. It was $80/pp and I booked a week in advance. We arrived 15 minutes early and we were greeted my very friendly staff. The grounds / tasting area was really beautiful. The music wasn't too loud, but was a nice backdrop. They had just opened, so it wasn't really busy - but by the time we left it was pretty busy. We were escorted downstairs to the private tasting area. The elevated tasting seats 8 people total; we were seated with 3 other couples at a long table. The host that gave us our tasting was a really nice guy, but the lack of information (outside of the winery's history) was slightly disappointing. No tasting notes given...and at one point he just said that we can taste at our own pace and he didn't want to give us notes because he didn't want to tell us what we were supposed to taste. The entire time it felt more like we were at a restaurant and told to drink what was placed in front of us; this felt in no way elevated outside of the venue. Maybe some people prefer the less structured tastings, but I am not that person and at $80/pp I thought there would have been more info / structure to the tasting. After 10-15 minutes we were served a plate of cheese, crackers, olives, and a small hot appetizer. All were lovely and it paired wonderfully with 2 of the 5 wines. My husband and I were excited for the next plate to be served....but sadly that was it. No other plates. I was absolutely stunned and thought for sure that the verbiage on the website eluded to more than a tiny plate of cheeses / crackers.... the website specifically says this: "Join us for a beautifully curated wine tasting and culinary experience in our Wine Library". I am sorry....but a small plate of cheese with a tiny slab of rock fish that pairs with only 2 of the 5 wines is not a culinary experience.... it was a small snack and it left my husband and I starving. We laughed it off and just decided to eat in their restaurant (and pay more money). We were able to get a table for 2 upstairs. The food was pretty good. We had the Chèvre board w/ prosciutto to start. That was a HUGE portion. After that we split the sweet crab salad. This salad took almost 30 minutes to arrive after the appetizer was finished. The salad was good, but not great. After that we ordered a glass of the late harvest and the carrot cake. The carrot cake was so disappointing....dry, weird flavors - just not great. Our server never brought the wine so when she finally came back over I asked her about the wine. Her response was "oh, yeah, it is chilling". Uh, ok. I was a server - I get it...it's busy and we forget things. It's ok. But don't lie about it. The three of us all knew the wine was not 'chilling'. Either way, it eventually got to the table and it was not good. I love a good late harvest / dessert wine, but this is not it. Our server eventually comped the wine because "it took so long to get to us" (her words) - but we never asked for it (and we never finished the wine either). That was nice for her to do, but I would rather have had a server that was a little more attentive and our lunch not to take 90 minutes for an appetizer, a salad, and dessert for 2 people. Overall, this place gets the high rating because of the gorgeous setting. The wine was good, but nothing I would buy to consume at home. The Petit Manseng was the best out of the lineup, with the Cabernet Franc being just decent at best. The wines were flabby with no finish. The food was good and honestly something I would come back for if I knew the service would be better, but for the price and the drive I will just go somewhere local and bring my own bottle. All this being said, I think it is worth trying if you normally enjoy Virginia wines. Just go when it's not busy and don't bother with the elevated tasting - do the regular tasting and just order food.
Sir I am Indian
While roughly 30 minutes outside of Charlottesville, this kitchen has consistently produced dishes and flavors that compete with any highly-rated restaurants in the Charlottesville metro area. Olives and almonds are a classic pairing with EM wines, and the crispy brussels is one of the more memorable bites I've had in years. The views are gorgeous and the setting makes for a restful afternoon with friends or a romantic date spot. The staff are always friendly and professional. Consider joining their wine club if you live in the area and can take advantage of the perks from visiting the winery regularly.
Restaurantji Recommends
Lovely vinyard and restaurant. Love the red wines here (Foothills 2022, Eluvium 2020, 2020 Cab Franc). Had the local Bison steak. Fantastic service - extremely attentive. The Chef and Wine director have quite the resume. We will be back!
Forget about the good wine. This is a five star restaurant. Servers and food are the highest level!!
Enjoyed a nice late Sunday afternoon here at Early Mountain. We didn't have a reservation but that was no problem as we were quickly seated. My guy and I shared the mixed flight (can't recall the name) of reds, whites and a rosé. For food we ordered the half baguette, butternut squash soup and crispy brussel sprouts. Everything was warm and delicious! Our sever was attentive and helpful. We each had a glass of wine after our meal. The sparking rosé was divine! We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and hope to be back soon!
Beautiful winery with amazing food and wine. One of the best in the area. I look forward to returning.
A long drive but worth it, a bit pricey but overall 4.75 stars.