OVER THE MOON
Hounds, Houses and Wine Hunt breakfast guests enjoy fine regional wines — Seventy acres of the Mellon estate are sold BY VICKY MOON
Hunt breakfast hosts David and Barbara Roux (Middleburg Photo)
D
uring fox chasing season in Middleburg, a tradition known as the hunt breakfast is frequently part of the agenda.While it’s referred to as a breakfast, it never takes place in the morning. Instead, it’s held after the day’s chase at the home of the family from where the hunt launches. Barbara and David Roux recently hosted the Piedmont Fox Hounds at their St. Brides Farm near Upperville.The breakfast was served in the dining room with a bar set up outside in the garden along with a coffee bar. An avid equestrian, Barbara Roux is a vice president of the Upperville Horse Show. David Roux is a long-time entrepreneur with extensive ties to Silicon Valley. Built in 1916, St. Bride’s was designed by distinguished architect Nathan Wyeth, who also did the West Wing of the White House, the D.C. Armory and the Key Bridge. The elegant two-and-a-half story Classical Revival brick residence boasts many remarkable details including the front entry pediment and the garland swag in the tympanum above. Cary D. Langhorne, a Navy doctor who later endowed a chair in architecture at the
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University of Virginia, was the original owner. Through the years, other notable residents included the late Washington attorney and sportsman Edward F. “Jack” Howrey and Kate and Nick Vanoff. Guests at the St. Bride’s hunt breakfast and parties throughout the area might often sip Virginia wine. And one winemaker has had a major influence in a number of local vineyards. That would be Sebastien Marquet, a native of Semur-en-Auxois in the Burgundy region of France, who came to this area in 2007 from his previous home in Sonoma, Calif. Winemaking was always his dream while growing up in his small village, which dates back to medieval times. He studied in France and then connected with one of the professors at the well-known wine program at the University of California-Davis. From there, Marquet went to work in Sonoma Valley at Ledson Winery and Vineyards and went on to Martinique in the Caribbean. After reading up on the history of wine in the U.S., he “realized Virginia was it.” Marquet and his wife, Isabelle Truchon (whom he met in Sonoma), now own
Burgundy Style, a vine-to-glass consulting business offering services from property and soil analysis, viticulture, winemaking, tasting room set up and cellar and label design. They even offer travel excursions to Burgundy. Oenophiles can savor their results in the form of Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay or Merlot at Lost Creek in Leesburg, Greenhill Vineyards in Middleburg, Seven Oaks Farm and Vineyard on top of a hill near Greenwood and soon at Bozzo Farmily Vineyard in Purcellville. As part of his work, Marquet also has Vitilis Lab, which analyzes the sulfites, acidity and alcohol of the juice and wine within 24 hours. “This is critical throughout the harvest and winemaking,” he said. Finally, we have word of yet another sale from the estate of Bunny and Paul Mellon. Cathy Bernache of Thomas and Talbot handled the $2.57 million transaction (just above the $2.5 million listing price). Washington Fine Properties president Tom Anderson listed the 68.7-acre parcel located on Crenshaw Road near Rectortown. The lovely six-bedroom stone and stucco dwelling was built in 1979. It has first- and second-floor master suites along with a greenhouse, boxwood garden and stone potting shed. Do we see Bunny Mellon’s influence here?
Virginia winemakers Sebastien Marquet and Isabelle Truchon (Courtsy photo)
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
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