Recently, we had the pleasure to visit
Chimney Rock Winery located on the beautiful Silverado Trail in Napa’s Stag Leap
District.
Chimney Rock’s history dates back to 1980 when Hack and Stella Wilson purchased the 180-acre parcel which included a golf course. They brought their passion for wine and South African winery architecture to the Napa Valley. In 1990, the Cape-Dutch style winery and tasting room were added to the estate. Shortly after phylloxera caused the property to be replanted with only red Bordeaux -variety grapes recognizing the unique terroir of the Stags Leap District. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot were planted to produce world class Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2004, the Teralto family purchased this sensational estate. Today there are 119 acres of vineyards divided into 28 district blocks.
Winemaker Elizabeth Vianna crafts these grapes into world class wines. One of our favorite chefs Gordon Ramsey featured Elizabeth as a special guest filming a segment of his Food Stars series at the winery. After a blending class with Elizabeth, contestants were asked to create their own blend and food pairings. Elizabeth and Gordon carefully evaluated each of the contestant’s creations. This was a brilliant and fun way to get national exposure to the Chimney Rock Wines and the fabulous Napa Valley.
We enjoyed tasting these wines with
our knowledgeable host Tyson. The tasting was held on the outdoor patio
overlooking the pristine beauty of the famous Stags Leap district.
We began with a splash of 2022
Sauvignon Gris chilled perfectly to open our tasting senses. We then tasted the
2021 Elevage, a super expressive blend of 55%Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon,
13% Petite Verdot and 3% Malbec.
We then tasted the 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. We especially enjoyed this graceful and elegant blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. We took a few bottles back home to Danville to share with our friends.
We also tasted the 2019 Alpine Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 Ganymede Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Arrowhead and 2021 Tomahawk that were all graceful full-bodied world-class creations.
In conclusion, this winery is a “must do” to add to your Napa bucket list.
For further information and to make a reservation go to: https://www.chimneyrock.com/index.cfm?method=homepage.showpage
