Lightwell Survey

About

Owners: Jay Zutant, Sebastian Zutant, Ben Jordan, Julian Caustrita, and John deNapoli
Winemaker: Ben Jordan
Vineyards: Sourcing grapes “négoce-style” from growers throughout the Shenandoah Valley
Vineyard management: Varied by site
Soils: Limestone, sandstone, greenstone, granite
Grapes grown: Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Traminette, Riesling, and various apples
Annual production: 15,000 bottles

Quick facts:

• Lightwell Survey is a “négoce”-style project sourcing grapes from lesser-known vineyard sites in Virginia’s mountains.
• You might recognize Sebastian from Primrose in Washington, DC, and Ben from Midland and Common Wealth Crush.
• Artist John deNapoli designs new labels for the wines each vintage.

Ben Jordan, Sebastian Zutant, and Jay Zutant created Lightwell Survey to explore Virginia’s lesser-known vineyard locations, believing these sites would produce unusual, delicious, and provocative wines. Lightwell focuses on sourcing fruit from the state’s mountains and mountain valleys, grown at high elevations, on stony soils, and tended by dedicated farmers. The approach to winemaking is unconventional, but with utmost respect to the raw material. Lightwell aims to be a beacon in a state still struggling to find its wine identity and a region that has yet to come to terms with what it is possible to achieve when thinking beyond the conventional norms of aspirational winemaking. In doing so, Lightwell Survey hopes to help establish a new model for the young and creative class of its industry, so that Virginia’s next generation of winemakers are collaborative, qualitative, sustainable, and original.