Certainly of central importance in the history of wine-growing in Virginia, Jefferson Vineyards has seen many changes over the years. The vineyard's history is extensive. It was first surveying this land in 1774 that Fillipo Mazzei, Thomas Jefferson's partner in his venture to grow vinifera at Monticello, stated; "I do not believe that nature is so favorable to growing vines in any other country as this."

Mazzei and Jefferson would both be proved wrong as they struggled for 10 years in vain attempts to produce anything of quality here. Beset by scientific problems beyond their ken, both men were humbled by the forces of nature. Nevertheless, the vision survived as the stewards of the land changed through the decades.

Gabrielle Rausse came to Jefferson Vineyards, then called "Simeon", after a successful stint at nearby Barboursville. Rausse, a native of Italy, wanted and believed he could succeed where Mazzei, his Italian predecessor, had failed. And he did, successfully identifying the problems that plagued vine stock in the sometimes tricky, sticky Virginia climate.