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Etude

Etude Winery in Carneros

1250 Cuttings Wharf Rd, Napa, CA 94559

Website: https://www.etudewines.com/visit/tastings

Etude Winery is one of several gems on the Napa side of Carneros. It was started in 1982, the year before Carneros was declared its own American Viticultural Area (AVA). The name of the winery comes from the musical term “etude”, which signifies a short musical composition created to perfect a musical skill. Instead of music, the winemakers at Etude are focused on perfecting their wine, which shows in their exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, the winery rang in the new century with a 98 point score from famed wine critic Robert Parker for the 1999 Etude Eden Rock Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Their Cabernet Sauvignons and Pinot Noirs have continued to earn high 90 point scores since then. All of their Pinot Noir is sourced from estate fruit.

An interesting fact about the winery is that the tasting room was built in the former RMS Brandy Distillery. Etude still produces small lots of brandy that is only available in the tasting room. During our tasting experience, the host surprised us by giving us a pour of the Brandy. Although I prefer to stick to wine, it won over my husband and he brought a bottle home. I felt that the property and tasting room had a simple elegance to it. There is a patio area right out front of the doors to the tasting room with a few tables. The building itself looks modest, made of gray brick with a stucco roof.

Etude Tasting Room

The interior looks a bit like a lodge with wood floors and paneling along the walls and bar. Up above are circular chandeliers. One one side of the room is a display with samples of the different types of soil (or terroir) the grapes come from plus some high top tables for guests. At the opposite side of the room is a lounge area with a chaise sofa, a marble coffee table, and some leather chairs. The tasting bar is at the front of the room with a lit-up display of neatly aligned rows of more than 200 wine and brandy bottles.

Etude Tasting Bar

You’ll have to plan ahead to visit this winery because they are by reservation only. They offer a few different types of experiences that includes a traditional tasting of 4 wines in the tasting room, a garden tasting paired with small bites, and a couple of private tasting experiences. I really enjoyed my tasting experience. Compared to some other wineries in Napa, the cost of the tasting was very reasonable to be able to sample some award winning, single vineyard limited production wines. The host provided us with lots of education on each pour and gave us personalized attention. I was enamored with all of the wines, but the most exceptional to me were Forté Pinot Noir with velvety red fruit, 2015 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon that reminded me of chocolate covered blueberries, and 2015 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon with a dustiness typical of that area. I definitely recommend taking the time to visit here. While you’re at it, you could make a day of visiting other nearby wineries in Carneros.

Madonna Estate

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Madonna Estate

5400 Old Sonoma Rd, Napa, CA 94559

Website: https://madonnaestate.com/

In Carneros, tucked into a corner off highway 121 and Old Sonoma Road is the historic Madonna Estate winery. This winery is overshadowed by the touristy Domaine Carneros, Artesa, and Cuvaison properties up the road, but it’s well worth a visit. We pulled into a small parking area right off Old Sonoma Road and followed a gravel path leading to the front of the winery and tasting rooms. In the center of the walkway is a small marble fountain and a few metal café style tables and chairs. I was intrigued by this winery for its history, variety of wine, and commitment to natural farming. Madonna Estate has been run by the Bartolucci family since 1922. They are proud to share that they are the second oldest winemaking family in Napa. In their early years they made wine for the Church, hence the origin of the name. Founding father, Andrea Bartolucci, built the first winery in Oakville. Unfortunately it was devastated by fire. Andrea rebuilt in 1933 and continued running it with his son Louis. The Oakville property was sold in 1970, but third generation and grandson Andrea “Buck” Bartolucci wanted to carry on the family tradition. So, he bought 160 acres in Carneros and built the current estate winery in 1977. Today the fourth generation is involved in operations, with plans to continue onto the 5th generation.

The Bartoclucci family is committed to growing wine naturally and meshing traditional and modern techniques. All of the wine is estate grown and dry farmed on 120 acres. They make an impressive range of varietals to suit many palates from bold red to sweet whites. Their Estate wine list includes Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto, Barbera, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat Canelli.

Tall cypress trees flank the doorways to the two tasting rooms – the Main room and the Reserve room. The Main tasting room is open to the public daily. When we arrived there was a tour group wrapping up, thus we were only in the room long enough to check it out. The room is a little narrow but has a long marbel tasting bar along the wall on one side to serve a large group of people at a time.

Madonna Reserve Room

I’d highly suggest splurging a little and making a reservation ahead of time to do a tasting in the Reserve room. The Reserve tasting fee is very reasonably priced compared to other more popular wineries in Napa, and it includes a tasting of 5 wines. Walking into the Reserve room was like being invited into an Italian family’s cozy living room with big leather chairs and a sofa in one corner. The floors are tiled with a couple of throw rugs and two dining room style tables that seat four. There were also a couple of high top tables for couples. I am not ashamed to admit that I was excited about trying the sweeter wines, while my husband opted for the red wines. Our host was great, providing educational information about the winery and tailoring to our tastes. I loved the off-dry style Gewürztraminer and the Rosetto. On the red side I personally enjoyed the Estate Merlot and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the most, but their Italian varietals Dolcetto and Barbera are worth a try too. Our experience was very pleasant and I would definitely return.

Buena Vista Winery

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Buena Vista Winery

18000 Old Winery Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: https://www.buenavistawinery.com/

Buena Vista was founded in 1857 and is California’s oldest premium winery, as it proudly boasts on its sign that welcomes visitors to the winery. The original winery is now a California Historic Landmark. It is located in Carneros about five minutes from Sonoma Plaza.

This winery was founded by Agoston Haraszthy who is often referred to as the “Father of California Wine”. He named the winery Buena Vista because of its amazing views (translated to “good view”). Haraszthy was a wealthy Hungarian with a lot of ambition. It was on this property that Haraszthy planted the first European vitis vinifera grapes in California to produce premium wines. He toured Europe in 1861 and brought back thousands of cuttings to plant on his estate. He also hired Chinese laborers to dig a wine cave into the hillside. Haraszthy wrote extensively on the viticulture in California and set the foundation for future winemakers, like the Mondavis, Krug, Schram, and Niebaum. Unfortunately Haraszthy ran into financial troubles and had to sell off the property.

The cellars at Buena Vista were destroyed in an earthquake in 1906. Frank Bartholomew purchased the property in 1940 and restored the winery to its original state, with the help of celebrated winemaker André Tchelistcheff. In 2011 the winery became part of Boisset Family Estates, run by Jean Charles Boisset whose family is the largest wine producer in Burgundy. Raymond Vineyards, De Loach, Lyeth Estate, and JCB Cellars are all part of Boisset Family Estates in Napa and Sonoma. Jean Boisset has a flare for the dramatic, and he has embraced the history in this winery. The staff dresses in 19^th century garb, the tasting menu provides a little bit of family history with each wine, and there are several unique tasting experiences throughout the historic grounds of the winery. Check out their website for all of the experiences as many of them require reservations.

The Press House and Tasting Room at Buena Vista Winery

Buena Vista’s tasting room is located in the Historic Stone Press House. The cellars have been restored to how they looked in Haraszthy’s time. Visitors are welcome to walk around the historic property at their own leisure and relax in the picnic area. You can go up to the historic caves and take a peek inside without signing up for a tour. There are placards that explain the history of the winery and grounds.

Buena Vista Tasting Room inside The Press House

There are two floors to the Tasting Room. The top floor is a mini-museum area with pictures and a timeline describing the history of the estate. On the bottom floor is a large L-shaped wood bar and a small gift shop area. Off to the left of the tasting bar are a couple of special tasting areas that are in a part of the original caves before they collapsed in the earthquake.

I’ve been to this winery twice. The first time I visited was prior to 2011 and the current owner. At that time, I was not wowed by my experience. I found the wines to be decent, but nothing stood out to me as a great wine. I was more impressed by the property and history than the actual wine tasting. This time around I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience. The girl who served us did an excellent job of explaining the wines and history of the property without seeming overbearing. We came home with a bottle of Sheriff of Buena Vista and the Zinfandel as well as a new appreciation of the winery.

The exterior of Buena Vista’s historic wine caves

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Tag Archives: carneros

Etude

Madonna Estate

Buena Vista Winery