Chateau O'Brien At Northpoint

After visiting a few wineries over the weekend with some friends, we decided to try Chateau O’Brien. To make a long story short, we were met at the door by a the owner asking for our reservation despite the tasting room and patio area being nearly empty. We were told tastings were by reservation only and that they only sell bottles of wine to VIP members; however they would make an exception and sell us a bottle of wine. Ironically, the next tasting reservation never showed up. We won’t be going back to Chateau O’Brien, but we will make future trips to the other two local wineries we visited

I have lived a mile-and-a-half from Chateau O’Brien for four years, but only recently went for the first time, because I’d heard mixed reviews about the experience and there are two other wineries within five minutes (and several others within 15 minutes). There will be no second time.
The primary thing they have going for them is the view, but that is true of essentially every northern Virginia winery/vineyard. The wine is pretty average, but the real issue is the exceptionally poor hospitality. When we arrived an hour-and-a-half before closing time to a nearly empty building, the owner came

Where to start?
In 2019 my husband took me to Chateau for the first time. It was gorgeous, the Tannat was incredible, and the woman that hosted our wine tasting (without a reservation) was kind and accommodating.
Sadly, things have changed. The picture you see here was taken in 2019.
Yesterday we brought friends to the winery for their first experience and the owner was abrasive and downright rude. He refuses to do a tasting because “he’s been in business for 15 years and doesn’t need to do this anymore.”
Because a friend of mine has a well known name in Markham, his tune changed and

CALL AHEAD for a reservation!!! A lovely low-key winery that is focused on quality. The chateau and views are picturesque without trying to be artificial Instagram backdrops. No buses, limos, or ANYONE under 21 make for a relaxing time. Accessibly upscale with a wonderful owner, Howard, and very capable staff to guide your experience. Try the crowd-pleasing whites or award winning reds. A fun getaway for all, but also offers an especially unique lineup of events for its members.

Not family friendly. There were 3 people in the place and we were turned away because I brought my wife and 10 month old to enjoy the deck while me and my sister were going to taste the reds. I drove over an hour to visit chateau O’Brien. Very disappointing that I was turned away because we brought our infant. We will not be back. There are plenty of other places that will take my money with the company of my baby.

This vineyard is very much out of the way and even driving up you’re wondering if you made a wrong turn across the train tracks. This feeling continues as you navigate up the very steep road but once you get to the top it’s well worth it. The main drinking room is very nice with a circular viewing area where you can see the mountains in the distance. The wine is also very nice, I had their Petite Manseng and for me hit all the right notes. One thing to keep in mind is that they are reservation only, and on that note they do a good job of keeping people at a distance.

Disappointed in this winery. Arrived late in COVID on a Saturday to an empty parking lot and were turned away because of no reservations. Totally understand reservations but most establishments allow walk ins if they are not busy. They were happy to encourage us to make reservations.... the answer is NOPE... if you are not busy now I'm not going to come back. I don't recall the wine being that elite the last time I was here

Absolutely phenomenal! With the COVID-19 restrictions it is so difficult to make any real personal connections. Howard, the owner, greeted us curbside and regaled us with beautiful tales of his travels to Uruguay and other wine destinations. He helped us choose a variety of bottles complete with descriptions and guided pairings. The vineyard sits atop a beautiful hill where the trees and mountains surround you with greenery. We cannot wait to return to the vineyard once the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

If you want the real effect read the full correspondence that started on 1/31. I was responded to on 2/11 only after posting on their FB page. Just got off the phone and he was unprofessional. Very short conversation- ALL EXCUSES. Offered us 2 bottles of apple wine, I declined, he hung up---CLASSLESS.. Read reviews before you go.

From: Thomas Eisert dinkeythedog@verizon.net
To: howard@chateauobrien.com
Sent: Tue, Feb 11, 2020 5:17 pm
Subject: Fwd: RE: service complaint

Howard
I am sincerely sorry if your parents are ill.
Everything else in your email I quite frankly do not believe .
If you

The service, wine, and food was absolutely delicious. The patio and inside deck was gorgeous. I love the views from both with the mountains in the background. Since it's currently fall the picture were to die for! I love a great background, peaceful surroundings, and great outdoor decor.

They have a tasting for all kind of wine drinkers. If you like sweet, dry white, and a special cellar for the red wine drinkers. The tasting averaged from 8 to 15 dollars. Totally worth it and the employees were super knowledgeable of everything. They also had great specials on the bottles of wines

Good wine , decent prices. Super friendly staff. View is great. Live music. No kids allowed !!

We attempted to visit this winery last fall after sampling from their tent that was set up in the orchard next door where we were apple picking with our two kids. The wine was decent so we decided to give it a try. We were immediately asked to leave when we walked in with the kids. It made me wonder why the people at the tent in the orchard that saw us with children didn't mention that. Rules are rules and we are ok with it but we felt a little blindsided. There is a sign as you drive in that says 21+ only but we didn't see it. On to our recent official visit...

We arrived to a mostly

My wife and I along with friends have been to this winery several times. Howard puts on a great tasting as well as pairing with food and conversation. He has made special accommodations where we arranged 8 of us to come to the winery. The wines are varied and interesting and he has put a lot of thought and expertise into his crafting of the various wines. His tannat is special and he has quite a few other interesting choices. In addition, he has a fantastic rose that he makes purposefully and not as an afterthought. Great place.

How appropriate that my 600th review is of one of my favorite places to visit, a winery!!!!!

Leslie is the best!!! She made our visit and our tasting worth our time!!! She was a pure joy. She was engaging, energetic and full of good vibes!!!

The winery sits kinda nestled up on a slight hill overlooking some amazing views. The drive in is breathtaking as you enter through the large wooden gate and are immediately greeted with a sea of lovely vineyards that just grab you at first sight.

The stairway to the vineyard is beautiful!! If you look close enough you can see grapes growing on

Just don't waste your time. There are plenty of other wineries nearby that you will enjoy so much more then this one. The owner, apparently his name is Howard from other posts I've read, was extremely rude and arrogant the entire time. Not just to us, but also to his staff. I honestly felt bad for the people who work there. There were too many instances to write on here, but over all the staff was okay, the wine was okay, but the owner was simply too rude and it created an unpleasant atmosphere. You will have a much better time at a different winery.

We won't be going back and

Friendly and knowledgeable staff and owner. Good reds and very nice views. Their tastings are separated whites from reds and are two different charges if memory serves me correctly. It was a good experience and we had fun chatting with the pourers. Thanks!!

I was kind of disappointed with Chateau O'Brien.

They have two different tasting rooms with different wine offerings. When we went they were understaffed so only one tasting room was open - the one with all reds. I'm not a big fan of reds so we opted not to do the tasting. I bought a glass of one of the whites and it was just ok. They had a really nice outdoor sitting area and a decent amount of food options.

They make an apple wine with (I think!) apples that come from the orchard that's right next door.

It was a convenient winery to get to after a nice day of apple picking

I enjoy this winery with every visit! I first went a few years back for a birthday wine tour and again this month. I love the outdoor sitting area that has a lovely view, even when the weather isn't cooperating. The wines are pretty good and we really liked the Northpoint White this time. Great stop if you're checking out wineries near Markham.

Little arrogant Italian man runs the business. Only people to come in and he sits there and tells us to move our car, didn't decide to even try the wines. Will not be back

I really enjoyed my visit here. It is beautiful with a sweeping skyline of mountains with seating front row center for you to enjoy you spectacular views, especially with the autumn leaves being in so many different hues.

I tried both the red and white of the classic tastings. The gentleman who served me was well advised of the wines and was super nice! He commutes on the weekends from Fairfax to partake in his line of part time work because he has such a love for wine and is a good friend of the owner of Chateau O'Brien.

The bottle I purchased was well worth the buy. I enjoyed it over a

By far the most Napa winery I've been to in Virginia! But it also has serious French vibes, so one could say it has a bit of a fusion thing goin' on.

My partner-in-wine and I came here on what was a slow afternoon for Chateau OB but that worked in our favor since we were able to spend quality time chatting with our servers as well as Howard himself (the owner). I am a major fan girl! He is funny, charming, all over the place... Listening to him chat with 2 other patrons was highly amusing; apparently he does not do first weddings at his winery... Only second, third, etc. Ha!

Tastings

Sad, coming from out of town and wanted to get some wine for the evening. Wanted to sample some wines and he told us (the actual owner) that we couldn't because I had my 3 month old son with us.
Yes we read the sign that stated no one under 21, but we understand that to mean you can't bring your underage girlfriend, don't bring our rowdy kids.
My three month old is a not someone that should be discriminated against... Or I guess us, for choosing to have a child.
He stated safety reasons, but ummmm when is it you who decides for my family? People going to stop serving a glass at

Chateau O'Brien elicits very strong views, mostly centered on their prices & rules. That's because O'Brien provides an 'adult' wine-centric experience that is increasingly rare, which throws off people who are accustomed to the more event-centric wineries nearby. Put it this way; if VA wineries were restaurants, many would be considered laid back mom & pop joints or pubs. Some would be very nice 3 or 4 star facilities. But Chateau O'Brien sets out to give a 5 star wine experience which few can achieve. They have 45 acres of vines, some on the property but most

Come for the views, stay for the wine and food. After passing on Chateau O'Brien in the past, we finally had a weekend without our child, so we made a bee-line to the tasting room. After reading all the mixed reviews we were not sure what to expect. However, while we missed Howard (in cellar doing private tasting in tasting?) the staff was friendly and helpful. And the wines were good. There was high quality reds and there was a tasty fruit wine (apple). Our server made it sounds like Howard had mixed feelings about the apple wine - but hey - its cheaper, takes less time to process, and

I love Chateau O'Brien. I love it so much so that I spent my 30th birthday here, I will order their Vintner's Reserve at the Capital Grille every time we go there, and will tell anyone who wants a different VA winery experience (and wants to listen to me-of course) to go here.

The tasting room sits over the train tracks, up off the hill with a breath taking view of the Virginia country side. Walking into the front door you will be greeted quickly and asked which types of wines you prefer, then led to the appropriate tasting area.

I'm more of a red drinker for the most part, but

They're really proud of their wines and they charge what "they" feel is an appropriate price for them. Unfortunately, we don't concur. The wines we tasted were mediocre at best. Even their $100+ bottle of red was just "ok" and nothing special.
They also charge a LOT for a basic tasting, but they did offer a decent pour, enough that my wife and I split a tasting and got a couple good sips. But $15 to taste red only and $8 more to taste white only is too much when the wines are mediocre and you don't keep the glass.

The good - The tasting room is gorgeous! Very