Otium Cellars - Goose Creek Farms

Oh, Otium.  Akin to finding that last loaf of bread stuffed deep at the back of a grocery shelf, somehow visible only to your eye, harried shoppers rushing frantically around you in the hours before a snowstorm.  Having spent so many years being treated like a naughty child at some of the larger wineries in the area (namely a few that have expanded greatly in recent years- their customer service unable to keep up with the number of grandeur tasting rooms and wedding venue buildings being built), Otium is a very refreshing find.  If you expect gracious service and a delectable selection of wines, then give Otium a try.  I promise you, you won't leave disappointed.

I am not a white drinker.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy punishing myself on occasion, but the holy Mary hangover day after a night of partaking in white wine is not high on my list of must-haves.  I will make an exception for Otium.  Their whites are light, crisp, and sans the gallon of syrupy high-fructose corn assaulted mess that comprises many of the Virginia whites I've tasted.  To my palate, they are well-balanced and refreshing.  If you let me near a bottle of Dornfelder (a red, German varietal of wine exclusive to Otium), it will be gone within an hour.  I shed a little tear when they told me they'd run out of it this season.  Thankfully, they will be bottling the 2011 soon, so I have begun planning my leave from work in advance so that I might spend eight straight wine-besotted days and nights enjoying the new release.

You'll usually find us there on a sunny weekend afternoon, or sometimes on a Friday evening as they awesomely stay open until 8pm to oblige their legions of local fans (read: fun drunken Purcellvillians).  They're super canine-friendly, so bring along Fido if he's cool with getting poked and prodded and ogled by several dozen tipsy locals.  The experience will make him a better guy, trust me, our two Jim Henson goldendoodles love it.  They're in the midst of building a pretty outdoor gazebo/tasting bar, should be completed in time to enjoy the Fall tasting season.

I have to say, I feel as though I've been duped. My fellow Yelpers have never led me as far astray as they have with Otium Cellars. I'm still rubbing my eyes in disbelief re-reading the reviews after our visit over the July 4th holiday weekend. Before you get all hot and bothered about my one star rating (which you'll see by looking at my Yelp contributions, I rarely ever give), let me explain our experience to you.

My husband and I love the fact that we live in a state with many fine wineries and feel that Virginia wines are often underrated and underrepresented. Over the holiday weekend we decided to visit Bluemont Vineyards down the road, and then wrap up our afternoon taking in a tasting and perhaps relaxing with a glass at Otium Cellars (again, given the reviews on Yelp we had no reason not to give them a try.) We were accompanied by two friends who were in town from Florida for a visit (they're well-versed in wine and we were excited to share our VA varietals with them!)

Ambience: When we pulled up we were excited to see the tasting room had a unique farmhouse look to it. We pulled around the horse barn (where we saw *a* horse), parked and wandered inside. Our first clue should have been that there were only two other people inside (sitting at a table playing a game) and the tasting bar was e-m-p-t-y. There were several tables, a small fireplace, cooler was some snacks, and an upstairs which we did not venture up to see.

Wine: We tasted six wines that afternoon. Never before have I been as unimpressed with the selection as I was at Otium. To put it simply, the wine was weak. To explain a bit further, the first pour (a pinot gris) tasted as if it had been left uncorked overnight. Bad, bad, bad. It was the first pour, so I snacked on an oyster cracker to cleanse my palate a bit and eagerly awaited the next, convinced it would be better than the last. Well, the next pour, and the next pour, and the next (you get the idea) pour were equally as unimpressive. I always put little marks next to each wine on a tasting paper (plus, check plus, minus, etc) and it was almost solid x's all the way down the list. We didn't order a single glass between the four of us and walked out empty handed (but $40 lighter).

Tasting experience: The tasting was $10 per person for the six pours (which were on the small side at that). Having just completed a tasting at another winery, we feel that this was a lot of buck and no bang. Completely underwhelmed.

Bottom line: I am still completely befuddled as to how this place has 4.5 stars. There are so many other wineries to visit in the area that we will not make the same mistake twice in visiting again. The wine was weak and expensive at that. Take your hard earned dollars to any of the other wineries nearby before venturing to Otium.

Awesome service. Nice wine except malbec. Not good deck, but excellent sofas in second floor.