Category Archives: Napa Valley

Chimney Rock

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Chimney Rock Winery

Chimney Rock Winery

5350 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA

Website: http://www.chimneyrock.com/

Chimney Rock is an alluring winery located off the Silverado Trail in the highly acclaimed Stags Leap District. I was drawn in by its white Cape Dutch style architecture that stands out along the hillside. Before being planted to grapes, the property was a 185 acre golf course. The name “Chimney Rock” was inspired by the chiseled rock formations in the hillside. The Wilsons purchased the property in 1980 and planted 75 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The first vintage of Chimney Rock wine was produced in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the hospitality center opened for the first time. A decade later, the Wilsons formed a partnership with the Terlato family who own more than 40 wine brands worldwide including some well-known Napa and Sonoma wineries like Markham, Rutherford Hill, Iron Horse, and Terlato Family Vineyards. The Terlato family has full ownership of the winery today.

Tasting room at Chimney Rock

Tasting room at Chimney Rock

I really enjoyed my tasting experience at Chimney Rock. The tasting room is open, bright, and comfortable with white walls and wooden beams. Windows all around the room bring in lots of natural light. There is a good-sized, square, wooden tasting bar in the center of the room. A gold chandelier and wooden shelving add some elegance to an otherwise simple room. According to their website, they are recognized as “one of the world’s premier fine wine producers”. They offer a selection of tasting options that range from $20-$35. Although I consider this to be a bit high, many of the Napa wineries are charging similar fees now. My husband and I shared a white flight and a red flight. I wasn’t a huge fan of the white wines, but I really enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is not a surprise to me since people have been seeking out Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District since the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976. This winery also offers a few different tours each day by prior appointment. The staff here was very gracious and I would recommend this as a stop along the Silverado Trail for their red wines.

 

Rombauer Vineyards

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Rombauer Vineyards

Rombauer Vineyards

3522 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.rombauer.com/

Rombauer Winery is tucked away in the norther part of St. Helena off the Silverado Trail. Former airline pilot Koerner Rombauer and his wife Joan started making wines in 1980. They established the winery in 1982. It is still owned and operated by Koerner and his son and daughter. I was encouraged to visit this winery by a friend of my sister whose uncle is a distributor for the winery. He promised to “hook us up” with a nice tasting when we visited. I was aware of the Rombauer wines because I had tasted them at local wine tasting events. They are most well known for their Chardonnay. I’m always looking for new experiences and certainly wouldn’t pass up an offer for a special tasting.

Rombauer's Tasting Room

Rombauer’s Tasting Room

I have some mixed feelings about my experience at this winery. My first impression is that this winery is a little out dated and could use some modern touches. To me their wine label isn’t all that eye catching. It looks old fashioned like a monogram you might find on a letter or a check. In addition, the tasting room felt dated with the peach colored wallpaper covered in vines on the back wall and the tan carpet. I was trying not to be too critical considering that we had a connection who set us up for the tasting. Based on how he hyped it up, I was expecting to get a tour of the winery along with our tasting but unfortunately we didn’t get a tour. However, the tasting room manager came out to say a quick hello and gave us a free tasting. I definitely won’t complain about that!

On the plus side, this winery is located atop a tree covered knoll with some great views of the valley. They have a huge porch on the side of the winery where guests can sit and take in the gorgeous views of the Mayacamas Mountains. In addition, there is a garden and various pieces of artwork strewn about the property. The artwork is very eclectic. We saw a metal Pegasus sculpture and a couple of colorfully painted cows.

Painted cow at Rombauer Vineyards

Painted cow at Rombauer Vineyards

Guests are welcome to stroll the gardens or hang out at the picnic table at their own leisure. We visited when the winery first opened in the morning and it was very quiet. We were told that during the peak times of the day the winery can get crowded. The tasting room is a little snug with three tasting counters that each fit about 4 people comfortably at a time.

Another plus is the wines. I had sampled their widely distributed Classic wines before, but I wasn’t aware that they have quite a few other Proprietor wines that are limited production and made from single vineyards. I sampled a couple Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays, and Zinfandels. I enjoyed the Carneros Chardonnay and the Proprietor Selection Chardonnay the best, but I also enjoyed the other wines I tried. I was very pleasantly surprised by the wines overall.

Even though our experience didn’t turn out the way I expected, I do appreciate this winery for its quality wines and scenic views.

The view from Rombauer Vineyards

The view from Rombauer Vineyards

 

Rutherford Grove Winery

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Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards

Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards

1673 Saint Helena Hwy S, Saint Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://rutherfordgrove.com/

This winery was the first winery I ever visited back in 2005. There was no particular reason why I chose this winery as my first. I was with my friend Denise and we hadn’t really talked about where we were going to stop when we arrived in wine country. We each purchased a wine country guide book prior to our trip and highlighted a couple of places, but this was not one of them. As we were driving down Highway 29, we saw the sign for Rutherford Grove and said “let’s try this one out”. I’m glad we stopped here because it is a small, quiet winery whose true focus is on making wine, and it wasn’t crowded with tourists like many of the larger wineries in the valley.

Rutherford Grove Tasting Room

Rutherford Grove Tasting Room

Rutherford Grove is a nice little winery with a rustic feel. It is tucked away from the road. We walked by rows of vines and stopped to snap our first pictures of grapes hanging from the vines as we followed the pathway to the tasting room. All of the outside walls of the tasting room and winery are covered in vines. The tasting room opened its doors to the public in 1994. Although it hasn’t been around in Napa Valley for a long time, the Pestoni family who owns it has been making wines in Napa Valley for 4 generations. The inside of the tasting room is not extravagant. The way it is set up felt to me like we were in a large, refurbished barn. When the Pestoni family bought the winery from its previous owners, they renovated the facility by recycling objects and tools from the old family ranch where they had grown up. The lights are made from old chicken brooders, and the oak bar was recycled from a 5,000 gallon upright tank.

The selection of wines includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, and Zinfandel. Visitors who would like to spend some time relaxing at the winery can purchase a bottle to enjoy in the outdoor garden and picnic area surrounded by vineyards. There is a beautiful view from the relaxing picnic area behind the winery.

I recently revisited this winery, 11 years later. I’ll admit, the first time I was there I was not a wine drinker and couldn’t appreciate the wines. My memory of my first wine experience was taking a sip and saying “that’s not for me”, then passing the glass to my friend. As I listened to the guy behind the counter explain the aromas and flavors I was supposed to get out of the wine (for example “leather and tobacco”), I thought “why would anyone want to drink that?”. Over the past 11 years I have gone from extreme wine novice to a wine enthusiast. It was exciting for me to return to where I had my very first tasting experience and see how my palate has changed. I’m so glad that I did stop in because not only did I love the wines this time around – the Pestoni Family Merlot and Pestoni Family Cabernet Sauvignon in particular – our server, Roger Asbill, is a farmer who sources grapes to the winery. Two of the Cabernet Sauvignons that we tried were made from grapes from Mr. Asbill’s vineyard. Probably to some people meeting a farmer would not be a big deal, but my husband and I were thrilled to meet someone who worked hard to produce the grapes for the lovely wine we were drinking. It’s so easy to get caught up in the glamour of Napa Valley that we sometimes lose sight of people who are doing the hard work to create the wine. Thank you to Mr. Asbill for giving us a great tasting experience and for producing the grapes to make the wines we tried. Now I can truly say this is a winery worth visiting. The family’s dedication shows in their wines.

Rutherford Grove Picnic Area

Rutherford Grove Picnic Area