Our solar-powered estate winery, on the banks of Goose Creek, was started in 2010 by Christopher and Kiernan (Slater) Patusky, and Kiernan's parents Bob and Alice Slater. We are a family operation guided by the renowned viticulturalist Lucie Morton. Lucie worked with Kiernan's father, Bob Slater, to select the two vineyard sites on the farm.  Kiernan's mother "Alice" designed and oversaw implementation of the winery landscaping. Lucie helped us design our close-spaced vineyard and choose our now thirteen acres of vines, including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. 

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We were also fortunate to hire Katell Griaud as winemaker in mid-2014, in time for her to make our inaugural vintage.  Ms. Katell was raised working in her family's vineyards and winery in France and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in winemaking from Bordeaux University.  She brings her extensive training and skills to making every Slater Run wine. 

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The original winery building was built by Bill Tyler in 2014, and the new tasting room building was designed by the owners and completed in 2019. The winery is solar-powered, with a 66 kw system covering two roofs. The Slater Run wine label "feather" paintings and the distinctive "Slater Run Vineyards" script were made by local Upperville artist Holly Ward Bimba.  

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The winery effort continues a long family agricultural enterprise on the farm. As recently confirmed by the Mellon Foundation's research, Kiernan's ancestor, John Glascock, acquired the current vineyard and winery land on Crenshaw Road in Upperville, Virginia in 1720. When Glascock's descendent, Tacie Glascock Fletcher, married George H. Slater (of Mount Bleak Farm, now Sky Meadows State Park) in 1905, the farm passed into the Slater name.  

 

The Slater Run Vineyards experience comes in many forms, ranging from a one-time visit for a tasting, to attending one of our winery hosted events, to joining the club and attending our weekly Saturday Club night or one of our club-only events.  Some of the events that we have been known for are the annual “CrabFest” to benefit the Upperville Outreach program, the annual Art of the Piedmont charitable art auction to benefit both the artists of the area and the Middleburg Montessori School.  We have also been known to host the occasional theatrical event, including book releases by Ellen Crosby who writes about a fictional winery located very close to our location, lectures on local history, and a home grown production of Edgar Allen Poe’s “A Cask of Amontillado” for Halloween twice in the past.  However, at the center of every Slater Run day and event are the premium wines made by our French born and trained winemaker, Ms. Katell Griaud.