2805 Spring Mountain Rd, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.springmountainvineyard.com/

Visiting Spring Mountain Vineyard is like being invited to a special high society event.  All guests must have a prior reservation to visit. Although the winery accepts reservations up to 24 hours in advance, it is advised to plan ahead, especially during the busiest tourist months.  There are limited opening. The property is amazing.

My husband and I were treated like special guests as we we pulled up to the property.  When I stepped out of the car in the parking lot I breathed in the fresh mountain air and the the scent of eucalyptus from the huge trees surrounding us.

We walked along a path through the pristine greenhouse garden to the charming historic carriage house. Behind the carriage house is a hillside vineyard. The landscaping all around the property so pretty and well manicured.  We signed up for the Estate Tour in advance.

As we approached the tasting room we were greeted by by our host and handed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. We were invited to take a seat in some lounge chairs looking out at the surrounding hills until other guests arrived.  It was so serene. Our host was cordial and started asking us about where we were from and gave us a quick history of the winery and vineyards.

There is a lot of character and history to this winery.  The original Mexican American owner Tiburcio Parrott established the winery and cave in 1885.  Tiburcio built the victorian style mansion Miravalle that is still the hallmark of the estate today.  Over the years the property has changed hands a couple of times and has acquired three other vineyards – La Perla, Chevalier, and Streblow – to form the 850 acre estate that it is now.  The current owner is Swiss banker Jacqui Safra. In 1973 Spring Mountain Chardonnay took 4th place at the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Another intriguing part of the history is that the drama series Falcon Crest was filmed on the site from 1981 to 1990.  It seems this is a part of the history that the current staff and owner do not like to highlight. I personally find it fascinating. Spring Mountain specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon mostly grown on hillsides. They have a large library of wines that are quite ageable.  The most well known wine is Elivette which is a primarily Cabernet Sauvignon red blend. They also produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.

The Estate tour was a unique experience because we got to do a library tasting inside the Miravalle mansion.  To get to the mansion we walked along a stone pathway lined by trees and shrubs. It felt like walking through a small tropical forest. Then looming in front of us above the trees was the victorian structure.  I couldn’t help but to break out my camera and snap a photo. We proceeded to the front of the mansion where we could see an inground pool and sweeping views of more vines.

Our tour continued inside where we were taken to a salon with a long wooden table and a large window framed by stained glass that looked out on the front of the house.  Our tasting experience would have been ideal if it weren’t for the couple who joined us. First of all, they showed up a little late. It was clear from the time they arrived that these people had connections at the winery and were very wealthy. Our host started doting on them. We learned over the course of the tour that they owned their own business which was apparently very profitable.  They boasted about their travels around the world during our tasting and kept referring to the library of Spring Mountain wines that they already had at home. Our host was so focused on them that it started to feel awkward. I felt like an outsider who was invited to a party of closely knit friends and I had nothing in common. I always take notes during my tastings but I was feeling self-conscious and out of place as we tasted the different wines.  It was unfortunate because everything else about the winery was great. The wines were very elegant. I loved that we got to try wines from the library and do a side-by-side comparison. We ended up taking a few home.

The cost for the tour and wines is pricey but well worth the chance to sample some of the superb wines. If you don’t want to splurge for the tour you can do just a tasting instead for almost half the amount. Reservations are still required. There are a couple other tasting options as well.  Check the website for specific times and prices. Hopefully you’ll have better company during your tasting experience than we did.