Overview
Grace Estate Winery sits on Mount Juliet Farm at 5273 Mount Juliet Farm Road, in the rolling agricultural country between Crozet's Square and the village of White Hall to the north. The farm is 450 acres in total. The estate mansion overlooks a 50-acre core operation, and behind an eight-foot-high woven-wire deer fence, 250 acres are protected for grape growing. The vineyard runs about 63 acres of vines across 14 varieties. The whole operation is the project of John and Lola Grace, who founded the winery in 2013 as a family business.
John Grace, of W.R. Grace & Company, the chemical manufacturing corporation, owns Mount Juliet Farm. The family's purchase of the property dates to before the winery, the first vines went in around 1998, and for years the farm sold grapes to other Virginia wineries before opening Grace Estate to the public. The team that tended the original vineyards is largely the team that tends them now. Continuity matters in viticulture; Grace Estate has it.
The wines
The wines are the reason to come. Jack Busching is the winemaker, raised on a beef cattle farm in northern Minnesota, who came to Charlottesville in the 1990s, became farm manager at Jefferson Vineyards in 1997, and has built a Virginia winemaking career that's now anchored at Grace Estate. His public line about his Minnesota origins: "It's too cold and too dark there."
The recent track record:
- 2026 Virginia Governor's Cup Gold Medal, 2021 Odo Red Wine and 2022 Slope of Grace Cabernet Franc. Two golds in one year is a major showing.
- 2025 Virginia Governor's Cup Gold Medal, 2022 Gange-Rolv Chardonnay.
- James Suckling 92 points, 2022 Slope of Grace Cabernet Franc.
- James Suckling 91 points, 2021 Colonel Richard Tannat.
- James Suckling 90 points, 2021 ODO Red Wine.
The flagship reds, Slope of Grace Cabernet Franc, Odo Red Wine, Colonel Richard Tannat, are where the estate makes its most serious statements. Cabernet Franc is the variety the Monticello AVA does best, and Grace Estate's version is among the appellation's stronger ones. The Tannat is the harder-to-find muscle red, Grace Estate is one of a handful of Virginia producers making serious Tannat.
The whites run smaller in scale. The Gange-Rolv Chardonnay (2025 Governor's Cup Gold) is the room's flagship white, barrel-fermented, with the lees-stirred richness Virginia Chardonnay can deliver when handled carefully. A Viognier and a few rotational whites round out the lineup.
The winery's tagline, "traditionally produced, premium award-winning, artisanal wines from estate-grown old vines", is one of those phrases that can sound like marketing fill but in Grace Estate's case is largely accurate. The vines are 25+ years old in the oldest blocks, the production is small enough that every wine sees winemaker attention, and the awards have arrived consistently.
The tasting room and the experience
The tasting room is housed in the renovated farm structure with views down the slope to the Blue Ridge. Tasting flights run the standard format, five wines, walked through by a knowledgeable pourer, about 45 minutes. Reservations recommended for groups; walk-ins welcome for smaller parties.
Friday evenings are the room's social anchor: live music from 6 PM to 9 PM, with a food truck parked outside, on a regular schedule from spring through fall. The Friday programming has built a following over the past decade, for many western Albemarle residents it's a recurring weekly social date.
Saturdays carry the music and food-truck programming through the main daytime tasting hours. Sundays are more relaxed, locals bringing visitors out, families with kids on the lawn, the back-deck tasting room still pouring through closing.
Weddings book the property occasionally, the mansion-and-vineyard combination produces the photographic backdrop Virginia wedding photographers favor. The estate is selective about which events it takes; the wine business is the main one.
Visiting
Address: 5273 Mount Juliet Farm Road, Crozet, VA 22932. Phone: (434) 823-1486. Email: graceestatewinery@gmail.com. Website: graceestatewinery.com.
Hours: - Wednesday–Thursday 12 PM–6 PM - Friday–Saturday 12 PM–8 PM - Sunday 12 PM–6 PM - Closed Monday and Tuesday
The drive in is part of the experience. From Crozet's Square, head north on Crozet Avenue, then up Mountain Plain Road into the rolling farm country, the property is about 15 minutes out, with the last stretch on Mount Juliet Farm Road climbing through pasture before the vineyard appears. The mansion sits on the ridge above.
Bring a sweater for the porch, the elevation runs cool even in summer evenings, and the breeze off the Ragged Mountains can get cool by 7 PM.
Why it matters
Grace Estate is, in 2026, one of the most decorated wineries in the Monticello AVA. Two Governor's Cup Golds in one year, three in two years, multiple James Suckling 90+ scores, the volume of recognition has accumulated to the point where a serious Virginia wine taster cannot ignore the property.
For Crozet, the winery is one of the anchor properties of the village's wine identity, alongside King Family Vineyards, Stinson, Veritas, and the rest of the local cluster. Each of these wineries plays a slightly different social role: King Family is the polo-and-fireworks venue, Stinson is the small Sugar Hollow garagiste, Veritas is the wedding-and-concert house. Grace Estate is the wine destination. It's where you go when the wine itself is the reason for the trip.
For visitors: come on a Friday evening with the food truck and the band. Order a flight, drink the Slope of Grace, watch the sun fall behind the Blue Ridge. For the wine-serious: come on a quiet Sunday afternoon and book the longer tasting. Either trip is one of the better things you can do with a Saturday in western Albemarle.
In the news
More winery in Crozet
Winery
King Family Vineyards
Estate-grown wines. 2023 Governor's Cup winner. Sunday polo matches Memorial Day–October. Hosts Crozet July 4 fireworks since 2024.
Winery
Stinson Vineyards
Garagiste-style French wines. Father–daughter Scott Stinson and Rachel Stinson Vrooman. Inn at Stinson onsite.
Winery
White Hall Vineyards
Established 1992. 48 acres at 800 ft. Wide varietal range; weddings.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Grace Estate Winery?
Grace Estate Winery is located at 5273 Mount Juliet Farm, Crozet, VA 22932, in Crozet, Virginia.
How do I contact Grace Estate Winery?
You can call (434) 823-1486 or visit https://graceestatewinery.com. Hours and current information are most reliable directly from the business.
What kind of business is Grace Estate Winery?
Grace Estate Winery is categorized as winery in our Crozet directory. See the description and quick facts above for what makes this listing distinctive.
