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St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery is one of a handful of Napa Valley wineries that is 100 percent estate. All of its wine comes from grapes grown on winery-owned land and is produced in a continuous process on the winery’s premises. The estate’s 1,587 acres are certified Napa Green Land, and the winery maintains Napa Green Winery certification — two voluntary, independent programs that are the most stringent, comprehensive industry environmental accreditations. St. Supéry’s two estate vineyards are dramatically diverse. The Rutherford Estate, home to the winery, is in the renowned Rutherford growing region benchland, whereas the Dollarhide Estate Vineyard sits in the wilds of Napa Valley’s northeastern hills, at elevations ranging from 600 to 1,100 feet.
A visit to the winery is well worth making an advance appointment. One of its engaging tasting experiences, Veggies + Vino, includes a vineyard and culinary garden tour followed by a seated tasting of the wines paired with small bites inspired by produce from the garden and Dollarhide Estate Ranch. Other popular experiences include the Five Bordeaux Varietals and Your Five Senses and My Virtú White Wine Blending experiences. St. Supéry invites fans to join the winery’s quest to enjoy its sustainably farmed wines with sustainably sourced seafood. For tips and recommendations, visit stsupery.com.
TOP EXPERIENCES
My Virtú: Create Your Own Wine Blend
Compare and contrast the two white Bordeaux varietals, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Learn the intricate nuances that define these varietals by tasting them separately and as a blend in St. Supéry’s Napa Valley Estate Virtú, then try your hand perfecting a custom blend tailored to your personal taste. A take-home bottle of your very own My Virtú is included with each tasting.
Five Bordeaux Varietal Exploration
Take your wine knowledge from enthusiast to expert as you explore the five classic red Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. This guided group tasting engages each of your senses. Enjoy a selection of cheeses that enhance the unique characteristics of each wine.
Vino + Veggies
Enjoy a seated tasting of four estate wines and learn more about the sustainable Napa Green winemaking practices. Each experience includes a tour of the winery and vegetarian small bites featuring farm-to-table produce from the Culinary Garden and Dollarhide Estate Ranch — all selected to accentuate the distinct flavors of each wine!
To Book These Experiences: stsupery.com/visit
“Our wine is tightly and solely controlled by us from vineyard through bottling. This is only achievable as a 100 percent estate winery.” —MICHAEL SCHOLZ
Around eight percent of all Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is grown at St. Supéry. What are the characteristics of these grapes and their wines? Sauvignon Blanc grows exceptionally well at the lower elevations of Dollarhide Ranch. We have over 200 acres of Sauvignon Blanc planted with our primary clone, Clone 1. Over 18 years ago, I made a field selection of this clone, selecting vines that were particularly expressive. It is now the majority of our Sauvignon Blanc and unique to our property. The wines are powerful, balanced, and emphasize purity of fruit with grapefruit and green lime.
What have you done in the winery to shift the focus to single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon? We’ve added new equipment and now double hand sort our fruit. We use an optical sorter to ensure that every red grape is sorted to the berry level. Last year, we experimented with triple berry sorting for even greater control over quality. Our focus is on small-lot management with open-top fermenters, and we often have over 120 lots of just Cabernet Sauvignon. We micromanage every lot, evaluating agricultural and cellar practices, then fine tune our actions in the vineyard and winery for the next vintage. A few years ago, I worked with one of our coopers on custom barrel toasts to create more depth and complexity and to convey uniqueness in our wines. We are always evaluating new techniques and equipment to improve quality.
What does it mean to work exclusively with estate grapes? Our wine is tightly and solely controlled by us from vineyard through bottling. This is only achievable as a 100 percent estate winery. Agriculture is not just farming, it is science and specific to the location while at the will of Mother Nature. Growing all of our own grapes gives us complete control over farming. The only thing we can’t control is Mother Nature herself.