Rutger owns RdV Vineyards, a winery set snugly on the side of a hilltop in the mountainous region of Virginia, finding his joie de vivre in mastering the art of fine wine in a part of the world little known for such luxuries. Since opening his winery a little more than five years ago, Rutger has risen to the top in the world of high quality wines, earning a reputation for making an elegant, sophisticated selection that rivals those made in Napa and Sonoma. I first met Rutger and his wife Jenny at Music To Your Mouth’s event at The Dabney in Washington, DC, this past summer. A power couple in the humblest sense of the phrase, Rutger and Jenny brought some of RdV’s most delicious Bordeaux-style blends from 2010 to pair with the delectable dishes served to hungry DC diners. I introduced myself to Rutger and Jenny and was immediately intrigued by the pair. Rutger is tall and tanned, with an easy, confident manner that fits somewhere
A Millennium Choice Although Rutger has owned RdV Vineyards since 2004, his professional life until that point was not filled with winemaking. Rutger spent the first four years of his career serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which he described as, “not really a job, but a way of life.” After his service in the Marines, he earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and upon graduation he went to work for a venture capital firm. “So many people said, ‘Oh you must be having a great time.’ But for me, that wasn’t a way of life, it was a job. I was always focused on my time off and away [from the job]. It was at a New Year’s Eve party in 2000 – you know, the millennium – when I decided I’ve got to change my life. I’ve got to do something with my hands, in the sun and get dirty.”
between dashingly debonair and seasoned outdoorsman. Jenny is petite
And as a man of conviction, that is exactly what Rutger did. He quit
and bright-eyed, and she speaks in an eloquent, thoughtful manner – the
his corporate life and began searching for a way to satiate his thirst for
kind that always makes you stop what you are doing to listen because you
something new, something real and something he could create with
know what she’s saying is going to be good.
his hands. Rutger began an apprenticeship with Jim Law at Linden
We sat next to each other during the dinner, devouring plate after plate of food, washed down with a different wine at each course. When the
Vineyards, one of the most prestigious vineyards in the region and one of the founding fathers of the contemporary Virginia wine scene.
wine from RdV was served, both Jenny and Rutger beamed at the bottle
“Within the first week, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life,”
like it was their newborn baby, and they explained the composition and
Rutger remembered.
story of their wines to me with a passionate fervor that was refreshingly
He stayed on at Linden Vineyards for the next two years, working side
uncomplicated and, better yet, without a hint of the usual wine snobbery.
by side with Jim, whom Rutger fondly calls the “Godfather of Virginia
For me, it was love at first glass, enjoying the wine as well as its makers.
wine” for his professional approach to running a vineyard in an area not
As guests sipped their luscious wine, examining the deep color and
known for such endeavors. During his time at Linden Vineyards, Rutger
tasting the rich, velvety notes each sip revealed, Rutger discussed with
gathered the essentials of viticulture and winemaking from Jim, who
the group his vision for bringing fine wine to Virginia, and the lengths
also impressed upon him the importance of choosing the correct site
he and his team take to reflect that special terroir. Unsure of the exact
for a vineyard: “The wine comes from the site; it isn’t manipulated in the
meaning of terroir, a French word, in this context, I asked him to explain
cellar,” Rutger said.
afterwards.
From Virginia, Rutger then traveled to Bordeaux, France, where he
“Terroir, in French, means of the earth,” Rutger replied.
surrounded himself with experts in his new venture and studied
“With wine, it means you can taste the earth; you can taste the land
winemaking intensely, seeing firsthand the effect terroir has on wine. A
that particular vine grew from.”
few years later, he was ready. Rutger began scouting sites to start his own
I took another sip of the 2010 Rendezvous, and my untrained, immature palate searched for a taste of terroir. Nothing. I sipped again, this time concentrating feverishly on the deconstruction of what I was digesting – wait, what was that? Something full, something rich, something with substance. Is that terroir? Oh, who am I kidding? I have no clue. Then Jenny smiled at me, and I realized what it was – the taste of fulfillment of one’s life purpose in the form of a simple grape.
vineyard. His search started on the coast of Sonoma and then north of Santa Barbara, both of which are world-renowned for their grape-friendly soil, but neither spoke to him. He spent three years looking for the perfect site, and finally, he found one – on a rocky hillside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, just 60 miles from Washington, DC. He knew his work was cut out for him. The dry, arid climate of Napa and Sonoma in California make the soil there ripe for growing grapes that make wonderful wine, but the temperate, rainier climate of Virginia? Not quite the same story, but the
f a l l / wi n t er 2 0 1 6
8