Burnt Hill Farm

Burnt Hill Farm is located in Clarksburg, Maryland on what they refer to as "a sundrenched hill overlooking the Appalachian Mountains." The farm is owned by the same three siblings as Old Westminster and what they have created with this property is something special. As you pull up to the property, the first thing you notice is all of the sheep grazing freely through the vineyards. They are farming regeneratively and integrating animals like the longwool sheep, woodland hogs and honeybees. They also grow crops like grains and fruit for their farm to table snacks they provide to guests that visit the winery. It took them from January 2016 to December 2016 to find and purchase the 117 acre property, knowing it had to have the perfect soils, elevation and topography for what they wanted to create and you appreciate all of that research as soon as you sit down and start the tasting experience. You already have your glass of blanc de blanc you received upon entry and now a knowledgeable server is pouring you  more wine to taste, describing in detail everything about the wine, from the vineyard it came from to the final product you are now able to taste. You learn the plates on your table for the snacks to come are made from the soil on the property. 2018 and 2019 were spent planting very intentional crops on the property to enliven the soil and get it ready for the vineyards to be planted. The first wine our server, Chelsea, poured for us was the 2021 Dreamscape. This is a blend of 91% gamay and 9% cabernet sauvignon and is from their north vineyard. As unique as it is to have a gamay from Maryland, it was also fermented 3 months in ash wood then in neutral French oak. It had very fresh aromas of red cherries and cranberries, along with pepper and rose. Chelsea is studying for her WSET 3 currently and was a wealth of knowledge as we tasted through which we appreciate as wine nerds ourselves. Our favorite from the tasting was the Bordeaux-style blend, Terrafirma, which means solid ground. It was a blend of mostly merlot, but also cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and tannat. It had great dark fruit like plum and raspberry with a nice earthy, thyme aroma. The snacks for pairing came out next and were perfect pairings. I think the gamay was especially food friendly. We enjoyed food from Chef Tae Strain, who worked in Michelin Star restaurants including David Chang's Momofuku in Washington DC. He calls Clarksburg home and is happy to be back in Maryland creating great dishes from freshly grown food from the farm. First, we enjoyed the sourdough bread with compound butters, one honey and chili flavored, the other herbs. Then came delicious squash soup with curry oil, olives, sausage and a big apple, fennel salad. All were fabulous. If you aren't aware, the restaurant space is opening in April 2026 and will be a super intimate dinner experience with Chef Tae Strain. There are only 11 seats so get on that list if you want invites. Our visit finished with a visit to our table by co-owner, Drew Baker, who was a gracious host and was happy to answer our questions. He said Burnt Hill Farm is what Old Westminster Winery would be if they could do it all over again and had the hindsight knowledge upfront. We left with a polaroid of ourselves with our blanc de blancs and a feeling of being very relaxed. What a special experience they have created. It is reservation only so get on their site and book one as soon as you can.