Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

St. Supery

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St. Supery Winery

St. Supery Winery

8440 St Helena Hwy, Rutherford, CA 94573

Website: https://www.stsupery.com/

This is a fun, unpretentious and educational winery.  I have been to the winery a couple of times.  The first time was on my honeymoon and I enjoyed a self-guided, educational tour.  Since that time I have had several friends who have visited the winery and told me that it was one of their favorite places in Napa.  They also became wine club members because they enjoyed it so much.  The winery has changed hands in the past couple of years but they still offers a variety of educational experiences.  Tastings are now by reservation.  Check their website for the various options.

The historic Victorian house at St. Supery Winery

The historic Victorian house at St. Supery Winery

St. Supéry is located in Rutherford. It was a family owned estate from the 1970s until 2016.  Chanel purchased the winery in 2016.  This winery is 100% certified organic.  They are most widely known for their Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.  When I arrived at the winery, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful white Victorian house with a huge farmer’s porch located on the property.  The house dates back to 1882.  To the right of it is the pathway leading to the picnic area and winery.  To the left is a demonstration vineyard where visitors can see the grape vines up close.

Along the pathway to the winery entrance is a nice area with trees, tables, and chairs.  There is also a pétanque (otherwise known as bocce ball) court.  As compared to the Victorian house up front, the winery is a simple stone building with wooden doors and plants surrounding the entryway.  There is a variety of tasting areas available to go along with the various experiences.  The main tasting lounge is located on the first floor just to the right of the entrance.  It is a large, bright open space with windows on the front side looking out at a patio.  The L-shaped tasting bar is big enough to accommodate large groups of people at one time.  It is made of slats of wood with a white marble top and pendant lights hanging from above.  On the second floor there is a gallery of paintings and other tasting areas.

Both times that I visited, the staff was very friendly and helpful with explaining the different wines they were pouring.  I really enjoyed the wines as well.  Their Elu and Virtu estate wines have artistic labels that I adored so much that I took home a poster of the label and framed it.  Now it’s hanging on my wall at home.  Overall, visiting St. Supery was a very pleasant experience.

 

Demonstration vineyard at St. Supery

Demonstration vineyard at St. Supery

MacRostie Winery & Vineyards

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MacRostie Winery & Vineyards

MacRostie Winery & Vineyards

4605 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: http://macrostiewinery.com/

I discovered MacRostie Winery on my last visit to the Russian River Valley.  This winery is located on Westside Road amongst several other Pinot Noir power houses like Rochioli, Gary Farrell, and Williams Selyem.  Steve MacRostie is at the helm of the winery.  Although the winery was founded in 1987, Steve has been making wine in Sonoma since 1974. This winery has been winning “Best Tasting Room” awards as of late.  In my opinion humble opinion, even though the name MacRostie may not be as well-known as some of those other power houses, this winery can definitely compete with their Pinots and Chardonnays.  That’s not totally a surprise after hearing that they source their grapes from big name vineyards like the Duttons, Sangiacomos, Martinellis, and Bacigalupis, plus their own Wildcat Mountain Vineyard.

 

Outdoor patio at MacRostie Winery

Outdoor patio at MacRostie Winery

The tasting room is named the MacRostie Estate House.  It is a contemporary complex.  The experience starts with the drive in along the vineyards that wind around to the back of the tasting room.  There are gorgeous panoramic views immediately upon stepping out of your car.  There are three patios available for guests to take in the wonderful scenery.  My first impression was that this winery is geared toward a younger crowd because of the modern layout.  Regardless, I found the staff to be extremely gracious and welcoming.  MacRostie requires reservations on weekends and they are strongly recommended during the week.  We did not have a prior reservation because we decided to stop in on a whim.  As we walked up toward the tasting room entrance we were immediately greeted by a host who handed us a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  When we said we didn’t have a reservation she told us that the tasting room and patios were full.  However, she was reluctant to turn us away and told us to have a walk around with our glass while she checked to see if she could get us in.  Fortunately they were able to find us a spot inside. 

 

MacRostie Tasting Room

MacRostie Tasting Room

The tasting room is so spacious and open.  There are windows from ceiling to floor all around looking out on the vineyards.  Even though we were not sitting outside, it still felt like we were out in the open.  The room has slate colored tile floors, a few small cozy tables with leather seats, and a long wooden community table in the center.  Our host was very gracious and forthcoming with information.  Our experience felt very personalized even though they squeezed us in.  There were two different tasting options to choose from.  They also offer an Elevated Tasting by reservation on weekends that offers a tour of the estate and tasting of their single vineyard wines paired with small bites.

The wines were very suitable to my style.  I enjoyed all of them, in particular the 2014 Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2015 Glasshouse Vineyards Pinot Noir, and 2015 Manzana Vineyard Pinot Noir.  Our host shared an interesting fact that this winery uses all twist tops for their wines.  I know some wine enthusiasts may balk at “no corks”, but to me I thought it was suitable because their wines were easy drinking and could be consumed immediately.  Corks make more sense for aging wines.  This was a great find!  I found the modern atmosphere to be refreshing and I was totally at ease here.

Silverado Vineyards

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Silverado Vineyards

Silverado Vineyards

6121 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558

Website:  http://www.silveradovineyards.com/

Silverado Vineyards is located off the Silverado Trail in the Stags Leap district.  The Mediterranean style winery sits atop a hill.  We drove up a long driveway to the parking area that looks out over the surrounding vineyards.  There is a pretty stone stairway leading up to the winery.  Before entering the tasting room area, there is a hallway off to the side with a window that looks down into the barrel room.  Visitors can open the window and get a whiff of the wonderful aroma of wine fermenting in barrels.  I love this smell!  It’s one of my favorite things about visiting wineries.

Silverado Vineyards Tasting Room

Silverado Vineyards Tasting Room

The tasting room is bright with its white walls and large windowed doors leading to the terrace, but it also has a little bit of a lodge feel with its wooden bar, wooden beams, and chandelier on the ceiling.   There is a fireplace at the opposite end of the room from the entrance, and there were a few tables set up in the center of the room with some wine accessories.  One of the best features of this winery is the outside terrace with French style tables where guests can see a spectacular view of the valley down below.

Silverado Vineyards Terrace

Silverado Vineyards Terrace

The winery was worth seeing but our tasting experience was not the best.  The person pouring for us was not very friendly.  My husband and I were the only ones at the tasting bar at the time.  There may have been one other couple in the tasting room.  The server handed us a menu and said “this is what we’re pouring”.  As she poured a wine, she told us the name of the wine and little else.  She didn’t seem interested in striking up a conversation.  I also didn’t find the wines to be spectacular, even though they have some Cabernet Sauvignons that have received over 90 points by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate.  My impression of the wine may have been tainted by the service we received.  It’s unfortunate that the service wasn’t as nice as the winery itself.