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
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
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.