Fletcher Henderson, General Manager

Fletcher volunteered in several Virginia vineyards starting in the mid-1990s learning the basics of growing quality wine grapes. He then assisted the consulting winemaker at Unicorn Winery from crush to bottling of the 1999 and 2000 harvests. Assisted the winemaker at Rapahannock Winery, Farfelu Winery, and Christiansen Ridge Winery (formerly Misty Mountain Winery) for the 2000 harvest. This experience of having simultaneously assisted making wines in multiple wineries during the same year gave him hands-on knowledge and understanding of the unique style that each individual winery can craft from the same vintage.

In February 2006, Fletcher invested in a new Virginia winery, The Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, Virginia. He was concurrently hired by the investor’s group as the in-house general construction manager for the restoration of the dilapidated circa 1800 historical manor house, building of the winery facility, and property improvements. He also styled the winery’s Chardonnay that was subsequently named after him, which he considers a great honor.

After establishing The Winery at La Grange as a burgeoning success, Fletcher went back to his career as a Spanish wine broker, both in importing and distributing. His appreciation of Spanish wines and their commitment to classic terroir-driven styles furthered his passion to be a part of the burgeoning Virginia wine industry.

Fletcher’s love of The Winery at La Grange has brought him back to us in 2012 as our General Manager. He is excited to take charge of such a delightful, growing winery again and to introduce new guests to our family of delicious wine and dedicated staff.

Doug Fabbioli, Consulting Winemaker

Doug's passion for making quality wines has been passed down from his paternal grandfather, Leone Fabbioli. When Leone made his wine in the basement of his Elmira home in the 1940s and 50s he would take special care to sort the fruit, keep the lots of wine separate and get to know the growers of the fruit before deciding to buy. Doug employs time honored traditions of constant care and evaluation of quality along with the modern scientific techniques to both grow the grapes and make the wine at his winery.

Doug was attending Syracuse University for Production Management when he took a part-time job helping a friend plant and run a vineyard. “This was a very exciting time for me but I knew that we all needed to learn a lot” Doug says. This realization led Doug to his first job in the wine industry, with Buena Vista Winery in the Carneros district of California. Over the ten years of his employment, Doug had a chance to work with many fine winemakers including the legendary Andre Tchelicheff. He continued his education in both enology and viticulture at U.C. Davis and Santa Rosa Junior College. He had been the assistant Winemaker for 3 years when he heard the calling to return to the East Coast.

Doug accepted the winemaker position at Tarara in Lucketts, VA in 1997 and in 2000, he was concurrently contracted to guide Windham to improve quality and productivity in both the vineyard and cellar, taking over fully as Vintner in 2001. In 2002, Doug’s efforts were rewarded as Windham won its first gold medal along with numerous other honors of gold, silver and bronze. Not long after, Doug’s passion for wine to purchase and operate his own winery, Fabbioli Cellars, with his wife Colleen.

The Winery at La Grange is thrilled to welcome such a venerated presence in the Virginia wine industry and look forward to our 2012 vintage under Doug's direction.