Bourgmont Winery in southern Johnson County brings Napa Valley to the heartland. Their spacious venue is a transformed equestrian complex with warm wood panelings, grand chandeliers and beautiful views of the expansive 160-acre vineyard and 15-acre lake, perfect for weddings and private events. Their locally planted and sourced wine includes both modern wines for every palate and unique wines made from historic heirloom grapes.
Alex Bergman is the director of wine operations at Bourgmont.
“We love wine, plants, and beautiful landscapes, and the wine industry has all three,” Bergman says. “Our goal has always been to make exceptional wines in Kansas. We desire to recapture the love Midwesterners have had for wine for generations beginning in the 1800s. We want to find the grapes that grow best here. It took a thousand years for the people of France and 120 years for the people of California, so we have all the patience in the world! The goal is to find the correct grapes, or perfect grapes to match our unique terroir. We have seen the incredible work of all the local wineries and want to do our small part in the creation of great Kansas wine.
“The atmosphere is bucolic, educational and beautiful. When you drive onto our property, a stunning view of vineyards and orchards surround our lake. In a converted equestrian facility, our tasting room, production facility and event space invite you in. Live music, events and wine tastings occur on our patio where you can view the sunrise and set over two lakes. Our staff has extraordinary passion and cares a little too much about wine—they love to talk.”
The name of their winery honors the first winemaker in Kansas.
“People have been making wines in this area for generations. We wanted to honor the local traditions and the first person in recorded history to make wine here—his name was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, a French voyager and explorer. He made summer wine from the local grapes in 1724. Since we use a combination of old world and new world winemaking grapes and techniques, we thought it would be a natural fit.”
The vineyard consists of 10 different grape varieties, with rosé topping the list.
“We make three rosés utilizing traditional winemaking styles and heirloom grapes. They run from bone-dry to semi-sweet. The most popular of which is our dry St. Vincent. A grape may make a different wine each year because we let the grapes decide what wine they will make—this occurs because the weather in Kansas is never the same, but we can make good wine in every style.”
Two new event spaces recently opened to allow ample room for socially distanced events and wine tastings.
“We have just opened our new barrel room and wine cellar for small gatherings and micro-weddings that has beautiful views of our barrels and wine as they age and mature. The space allows enough room for everyone to socially distance responsibly. Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of our guests and staff. We will continually seek new opportunities, and we look to add more outdoor spaces in the future.
“We are most excited for our new vineyards and orchards coming online. New products are thrilling and stave off complacency. We never want to be content and are always experimenting to find the next great wine for our customers. We continually plant new grape and apple types to discover the perfect fit. Our orchard is filled with heirloom and unique apples for production of hard cider—our plantings include 19 types of grapes, 25 types of apples and three types of pears. We always innovate but are informed by the past.”
In early October, Bourgmont will host a release party with live music and food trucks for their 2019 Chambourcin and their 2019 Vignoles. For more information on upcoming events and venue rentals, visit bourgmont.com.