OUR STORY
For 300 years, the Slater family has farmed along Goose Creek in Virginia, mostly growing cereal crops and beef cattle. In 2010, we added grapevines to that farming tradition.
Slater Run Vineyards, founded by Chris and Kiernan (Slater) Patusky, is located in Upperville, Virginia. We produce 19 different wines, the majority of which come from the 13-acres of vineyards on site.
Sustainability and stewardship of the land are a part of our everyday practices at Slater Run.
In the vineyard, we use canopy management and mechanical cultivation as much as possible to limit our sprays. Most of the vineyard work is done by hand—from pruning and leafing to cluster thinning and harvesting. In the winery, we sort fruit, ferment, and age by varietal and press-lot to ensure the highest quality.
With respect for our greater environment, we have constructed a winery that is 100% solar powered. As three generations of our family currently reside on the vineyard property, we try our best to preserve (and even improve) it for the future as well.
Kiernan Slater Patusky
Owner & Vineyard Manager
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Kiernan comes to the vineyard and winery business with a strong liberal arts background, which her grandfather always assured her: “will teach you to be a life-long learner.” After a career that included teaching high school and college writing, she moved back home to the family farm with her husband and two young children to launch the vineyard, winery and tasting room. She continues to enjoy learning with and from her fabulous team every day!
Christopher Patusky
Owner
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Christopher Patusky partners with his spouse Kiernan in running the vineyard and winery. Chris brings 30 years of experience working in law, academia, government and various start-up ventures. He enjoys building the family’s farm winery venture from the ground up while getting to know his neighbors and guests.
Katell Griaud
Winemaker
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Slater Run’s Winemaker, Katell, brings a wealth of experience, education, and enthusiasm to the wines. Soon after her parents had the opportunity to accomplish a dream and purchase a vineyard and a winery in Monbazillac (Southwest France), Katell Griaud “fell in the barrel” and began her studies in oenology and viticulture. Graduating with a Diplôme National d’Oenologue from the faculty of oenology of Bordeaux, she went on to earn a Master degree in Oenologie et Environnement Viti-Vinicole.
After a few harvests in France and New Zealand, working as winemaker and winemaker-consultant, she moved in 2009 to Virginia to work at Kluge Estate and then Trump Winery as a winemaker. In summer 2014, she decided to go back to winemaking for small hands-on family wineries and now works with Slater Run Vineyards in Upperville and Gabriele Rausse Winery in Charlottesville. She also returns to her family’s winery, Chateau Kalian, twice a year to help make Monbazillac organic wines.
Liz Carpenter
Operations Manager
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Liz oversees the day-to-day operations of Slater Run, blending business strategy with a deep passion for hospitality. She holds a B.S. in Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology Management from Virginia Tech and brings over a decade of experience in hospitality management, particularly with small, independent businesses. Liz is committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences while supporting the continued growth of Virginia’s vibrant wine industry.
Sarah Woods
Events Manager
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A Fauquier County native, Sarah has a deep appreciation for the land, agriculture, and the strong sense of place and community that make the Virginia Piedmont so special. Her passion for hospitality is rooted in a love of bringing people together around good food and wine and creating genuine, memorable experiences that celebrate community and connection.
Alice Slater
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Kiernan’s mother, Alice, wears every hat in the family business – from harvesting grapes to labeling bottles to helping in the tasting room. She has led the landscaping effort at both the winery and tasting room as well as the design and installation of the flower and agricultural themed decorations that make the winery a special place to visit.
Bob Slater
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Kiernan’s father, Bob, brings a lifetime of experience working the family farm, as he helps ensure that all aspects of the vineyard and winemaking effort are done right-including the selection of the best terroir for the vineyards. His specialty, however, is serving as the farm and vineyard’s “tractorist,” maneuvering the narrow-gauged Landini and Kubota through the close-spaced rows of the vineyards to care for the vines and by operating larger equipment, a.k.a. the “Bushhog,” through the surrounding fields.
Lucie Morton
Vineyard Consultant
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Lucie Morton is the established superstar on the team with academic credentials and accomplishments too many to mention, including being one of the world’s foremost ampelographers. Lucie helped the team select the vineyard site and the clone/rootstock combinations to fit a vineyard design with one meter between vines and seven feet between rows. Lucie continues quarterly visits to the vineyard to advise on how to nurture the vines to produce the type of high-quality fruit that makes great wine.
