Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Kenwood Vineyards

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Kenwood Winery

Kenwood Winery

9592 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

Website: http://kenwoodvineyards.com/

Kenwood Vineyards is another winery I chose to visit because I was familiar with the name. I had tried some of their wines before I visited and enjoyed them. They produce a wide selection of the classic varietals that include Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Massive wooden fermentation tanks at Kenwood Winery

Massive wooden fermentation tanks at Kenwood Winery

Kenwood is located off of Highway 12 in close proximity to several other wineries. Although Kenwood Vineyards was founded in 1970, the refurbished winery is located in the former Pagani Brothers Winery that was originally built in 1906. The winery and tasting room looks like a refurbished barn. I visited twice and each time it wasn’t terribly busy. That may be because I visited soon after they opened in the morning. Inside the tasting room was warm and inviting like a camp lodge with a large tasting bar at the back end. The atmosphere was low key and our server both times was very friendly and knowledgeable. I felt very comfortable inside this tasting room and I didn’t mind staying a while to learn about the wines.

Kenwood produces a few different series of wines. Probably the most widely known is the Sonoma Series which has been produced at Kenwood since 1970. The next series is the Reserve wines which are small lot wines from Kenwood’s top vineyards. Of these wines, I enjoyed the Pinot Noir Reserve. Kenwood also has a Jack London Series that is produced from the vineyards of the historic Jack London Ranch in Glen Ellen, CA. Kenwood has been the exclusive producer of these wines since 1976. The label for these wines has the signature wolf head logo that Jack London used on his novels. My favorite of this series is the Syrah. The two other series that Kenwood produces are the Yulupa Series and Artist Series. The Yulupa wines were designed solely for restaurants and can only be purchased directly through the winery. I purchased the Yulupa Chardonnay to take home with me. The Yulupa White Zinfandel makes for a nice sipping wine. Each year Kenwood releases an Artist Series wine which features the work of a renowned artist on the label. These are collectible wines. Past labels featured works of Pablo Picasso, Henry Miller, Alexander Calder, and Vincent van Gogh.

This winery is definitely worth a stop because the tasting room is comfortable, the staff is friendly, and all of the different series of wines are great. I would suggest bringing along a couple of friends and purchasing a couple of tastings to share to be able to try more of the wines.

Picnic area at Kenwood

Picnic area at Kenwood

Domaine Carneros

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Domaine Carneros Chateau

Domaine Carneros Chateau

1240 Duhig Rd, Napa, CA 94559

Website: https://www.domainecarneros.com/

When driving down Highway 121 in Carneros, it is hard to miss the chateau of Domaine Carneros set upon a hill off the side of the road. On a nice day, there are often people sitting on the terrace in front of the chateau overlooking the stairs and beautiful landscape leading up to the winery. Sipping bubbly at an elegant French chateau overlooking a vineyard on a sunny day is everything I dreamed wine country to be.

Domaine Carneros is owned by the Taittinger family who are famous for producing Champagne in France. The chateau of Domaine Carneros was built to resemble the Château de la Marquetterie in France where Pierre Taittinger began making champagne in 1934. Visitors who are interested in doing a tasting without a tour can choose to sit at the indoor salon or outdoors on the terrace. It is possible to sample a flight of wine or purchase it by the glass or bottle. This winery is a nice place to relax at a sit down tasting.

My husband and I have visited the chateau twice. The first time we opted for the tour. This was not the most impressive tour that I have been on in Napa Valley, but it did provide a basic overview of how sparkling wine is made. The tour began with a video that provided some history about Domaine Carneros and the Taittinger family. Then the tour guide took us up to a glassed-in area where he talked about the riddling process and we could see how the wine was bottled. At the end of the tour, we were taken to a private salon to sample some of the sparkling wine. I felt like our tour guide was really trying to push us to join the wine club.  Although most of the wineries do this, I found him to be more aggressive than others.

Sipping bubbly on the terrance at Domaine Carneros

Sipping bubbly on the terrance at Domaine Carneros

The second time we visited we set up a reservation for a tasting on the terrace. Even though reservations are not required, I would recommend setting one up via the website because the terrace tastings are very popular. This time my husband and I wanted to sample more of the wines and selected two of the bubbly flights to share along with a cheese plate. The view from the terrace is pretty. This winery makes high quality sparkling wines that have won many awards. We enjoyed the sparkling wine and cheese, but I find their wines pricey. I have tried other sparkling wines in Napa and Sonoma that I would choose over Domaine Carneros. The downside of our second visit is that we were seated at a table that was directly in the sun and we felt like we were broiling while doing our tasting. There are some shaded tables beneath umbrellas but unfortunately they were all taken.

My sense from both visits is that this winery leans on its French family roots to drive up its prices.  However, it is good quality wine if you are willing to pay a little extra. I would recommend bypassing the tour and spend the time sipping a glass of bubbly on the terrace instead.

View from the terrace at Domaine Carneros

View from the terrace at Domaine Carneros

Chateau St. Jean

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Chateau St. Jean

Chateau St. Jean

8555 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

Website: http://www.chateaustjean.com/

Chateau St. Jean is an elegant winery, located between Landmark and Kenwood wineries along Highway 12 in Kenwood. Both the estate and the wines are remarkable. The first view we saw as we drove through the gates to the winery was stunning. There is a paved road leading up to the winery with rows of vines on each side. Behind the winery is a large mountain that makes the Chateau look very small in comparison. On the way to the tasting room, we walked through a courtyard with a beautiful garden. There are large terra cotta pots dispersed around the courtyard with lovely flowers and plants. There are also a couple of fountains, palm trees and perfectly trimmed hedges that line the walkways, adding a Mediterranean touch. I could have easily spent an afternoon sitting in the courtyard soaking in the beauty of it all.

Courtyard at Chateau St. Jean

Courtyard at Chateau St. Jean

The Chateau was built in 1920 by the Goff family from Saginaw, Michigan who made a fortune in iron mining and lumber. They had planted all 250 acres of vineyards with white grapes until Prohibition brought a stop to grape growing. When Chateau St. Jean was founded in 1973, “The Chateau” was fully restored to its original state. Reserve and limited release wines are available for tasting inside the Chateau.

Tasting room inside the Visitor's Center at Chateau St. Jean

Tasting room inside the Visitor’s Center at Chateau St. Jean

The tasting room inside the Visitor’s Center is just as illustrious as the grounds outside. Inside the Visitor’s Center I felt like I was inside a fancy villa with the tile floors, elegant décor, and large windows looking out into the vineyards. There is a Charcuterie (French delicatessen) inside the tasting room as well that offers gourmet treats that visitors can purchase and savor while sitting at the outdoor patio with a magnificent view.  In addition to the traditional tasting in the Visitor’s Center, there are Reserve tastings in the Chateau and seated tastings by appointment.  They also offer the option of ordering lunch with a glass of wine from the deli to eat outside in the gardens or at their picnic tables.

If the beauty of the property isn’t enough to win guests over, the wines probably will. Chateau St. Jean has received many accolades from Wine Spectator, including “Wine of the Year” for its 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Cinque Cépages, and Robert Parker, Jr. declared their single vineyard Chardonnays as “exceptional wines” in 2000. The winemaker, Margo Van Staaveren has been making the wines for Chateau St. Jean for 30 years and was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast magazine in 2008.  This winery has a wide selection of wines to choose from, and the $15 fee to taste 5 high quality wines was reasonable in my opinion.