Best wines and best prices we found. The only winery that gave us a souvenir glass and a bag for our wine.

We visited Chrysalis on an overcast Friday at mid-day. We were hoping for a sunny day and fall foliage, but the winery was a nice stop anyway. It is a couple of miles down a gravel round not far from Aldie Virginia. There were two young woman staff members in the tasting room, with only us and two other couples, so we had a nice leisurely tasting experience. They offer two choices - a $5 tasting of about 7 wines and a $10 reserve tasting of at least a dozen wines (we chose this latter option, which we recommend).

The first wine on the tasting list was an Albarino (usually from Spain -- I had not seen it in the US, but it was quite good, at $24 per bottle). The second was a Viognier, which they are known for. The also had a couple of 2.5% sweet wines (we do not care for sweet wine) and an interesting series of red wines. One of the staff told an engaging story about the history of the Norton grape.

Outside, although it was a grey day, we wandered around a bit. There is a nice outside seating area and a picnic area. The picnic area is marked as the "family area." I have seen a couple of prior reviews remarking about the lack of facilities for children. Frankly, we go to wineries to enjoy an adult experience and we would not be interested in a tasting at a winery where there were little kids running around -- this is just a personal preference. There is a pond down below and you can look down on the actual winery building, where they were busily wheeling barrels in and out.

I have visited several of the Loudoun County area wineries, and this one compared favorably with Tarara, which is another of our favorites. We have enjoyed our visits to Napa and Sonoma, but there are more local wineries now that are worth a look, and Chrysalis is one of them.

Went to the Norton and Bluegrass Festival. A band didn't show up (it happens) and Chrysalis never even made an announcement. Left everyone just sitting there in silence until a customer finally hooked up some recorded music. They kept selling tickets and more people came it to no music. Never an explanation or apology, much less a refund. Terrible service. I talked to a group of wine club members who were very angry and embarrassed. By the way, the scenery is outstanding, but the wine is meh. Much better wine in the area.

One of many of the great vineyards Virginia has to offer. Their Norton and Viognier is worth the trip alone. These grapes do very well here in the Eastern U.S. Staff is friendly and helpful and they have events through the year.