From Chateau St. Jean

The highlight of a visit to Chateau St. Jean is the opportunity to taste our handcrafted Sonoma County wines. From award winning Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to captivating Merlot and Gewurztraminer, you will discover wines to please your palate, at tastings created with you in mind.

Our Visitors Center, Charcuterie, Gardens and Picnic Areas, Open daily 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

Premium Tasting Fee $10.00 per person
Reserve Tasting Fee $15.00 per person

Private Group Wine Tasting
Enjoy our handcrafted wines in a private setting. Our wine host will lead you through a tasting while explaining the history of the Chateau, our winemaking philosophy and a detailed discussion of each wine. Choose from several options including our Sonoma County and single vineyard designated wines, Reserve wines or a VIP Reserve Riedel tasting.

Sonoma County & Vineyard Designated Wines: Chateau St. Jean pioneered the single vineyard designate wine revolution, taste the difference. $10.00 per guest. 8 guest minimum.

Reserve Wines: Reserve wines are the cream of the crop, only the finest. $15.00 per guest. 8 guest minimum.

Reserve Wines in Riedel Glassware: First class wines in first class glassware. You will be amazed at the effect glassware has on the experience of wine. Includes plate of specially selected cheeses and olives. $25.00 per guest. 2 guest minimum.

Cinq Cépages Blending Class: This rare and fantastic opportunity allows attendees to become "Winemakers for a Day". Experience the challenge of blending the five components that make our world renowned Cinq Cépages and competing for best blend with other participants. This fun seminar will explain the complex processes a winemaker faces in producing an award-winning blend. A great team-building seminar! $75 per guest. 8 guest minimum. Hours by appointment only.

For booking, please call Laurie Cusenza at (707) 833-4134, ext. 5258 or email us at csjtour@chateaustjean.com .

We're located at 8555 Sonoma Highway (Highway 12).

Take 101 to Santa Rosa.

Exit on California Highway 12 going Eastbound (toward Sonoma).

As the freeway ends, follow Route 12 for approximately 12 miles through Santa Rosa via Farmer's Lane and continue via Sonoma Highway into Kenwood.

Chateau St. Jean will be on the left.

Chateau St. Jean
8555 Sonoma Highway (Highway 12)
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-4134

From Chateau St. Jean

Chateau St. Jean is Sonoma’s first and foremost champion of single vineyard designated wines, founded around a concept cherished for centuries in Europe but new to California – terroir (pronounced “ter wahr”). This French word has no direct translation in English. Nevertheless, it speaks volumes about how each vineyard’s unique combination of climate, soil and growing conditions determine a grape’s flavor and intensity. To achieve Chateau St. Jean single vineyard designation, the grapes must consistently exhibit exceptional varietal character. The superior quality of the vineyards must be proven, vintage after vintage.

And these same vineyards allowed Chateau St. Jean to be the only winery ever to have placed five wines in a single Wine Spectator Top 100 rating. (Cinq Cépages Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County Chardonnay, Belle Terre Vineyard Chardonnay and Sonoma County Merlot). Great wines are made in the vineyards.

Sonoma County, with it remarkable breadth of microclimates and superior growing regions, is Chateau St. Jean's home. In 1973, we established our 250-acre estate winery with the belief that this land would evolve into one of California's finest wine grape appellations.

Careful vineyard selection is our first priority, ranging from Robert Young Vineyard in the northernmost Alexander Valley, to independent growers in the Russian River Valley, and our own vineyards in southern Sonoma Valley. The result is an assemblage of outstanding vineyards whose quality is reflected in our Sonoma County, Sonoma County Reserve and Single Vineyard Designated wines.

Our Sonoma County wines draw on the full range of Chateau St. Jean's vineyard resources. Handcrafted using time-honored techniques, including barrel-fermentation and aging in small oak barrels, these elegant wines display generous fruit and true complexity.

Our Sonoma County Reserve wines represent the best of Sonoma County character. Produced from Chateau St. Jean's finest vineyards, aged slowly in 100% French oak barrels and given additional time in the bottle prior to release, these dramatic limited-release wines are benchmark achievements.

Chateau St. Jean
8555 Sonoma Highway (Highway 12)
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-4134
http://www.chateaustjean.com

From Chateau Felice Winery

Chateau Felice farms 25 acres planted to five different varieties of wine grapes. These vines, carefully tended to produce a low-yield, allow the winemaker to craft small lots of extraordinary wine. The goal is to allow the unique essence of these grapes to come through, providing true varietal character in the aromas and flavors of each wine. Similar to her neighbors at the Chalk Hill Winery, Chateau Felice features rolling hills sloping upward in every direction from the road and lakes.

Slopes and hillsides have long been considered prime winegrowing locations, as they allow for better drainage and sun exposure. Chateau Felice has nine different blocks of vineyard, each with a slightly different exposure. The primarily clay-loam soils have a generous supply of water at their disposal, should the need arise. Chateau Felice's winegrowing philosophy echoes that of many of the best vineyards in California and Europe - Great wines are made in the vineyard. Only by producing the best possible fruit can truly world-class wines be produced. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Syrah and Zinfandel surround the winery. Chateau Felice Estate Vineyards are blessed with a combination of climate factors that contribute to the production of extraordinary wine grapes.

The orientation of the little valley encourages the influence of the cool coastal air in the morning and evening. Because of the geographical orientation and altitude, however, the vineyards are protected from lingering excess moisture that can lead to mold and rot. The vines are trellised to allow maximum exposure of the grapes to the evening breezes, while shielding the grapes from the hottest of the sun's rays. The height of the hillsides that face each other to form the valley causes sunset to come early, but the soil composition retains the day's heat, to the benefit of the ripening fruit. Constant observation by the winemaking team - and the tending of the vineyards by the vineyard management company - ensures that the grapes that will become Chateau Felice wines are of the highest quality and most representative of the terroir in the Chalk Hill Appellation.

The quality of the grapes is directly affected by the quantity of production, with lower yield leading to higher-quality grapes. Chateau Felice cuts back excess fruit throughout the growing season. As the grapes progress toward the harvest, some vines may have uneven ripening and those that are not progressing satisfactorily are also removed. Then, just prior to harvest, a final pass is made to remove those bunches that are damaged or do not meet quality standards. The result is that at harvest, only the best grapes are processed into the must.

Chateau Felice Chalk Hill Winery
10603 Chalk Hill Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 836-9011
http://www.chateaufelice.com

From Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards

Thekla and Richard Sanford are excited to announce that they have moved to a permanent site on their home ranch, Rancho El Jabalí - the same place in which they established their namesake winery 25 years ago.

Tasting room manager Chris Burroughs, of Sideways fame, invites you to join him at the rustic, creekside space to enjoy a glass of our award winning wines.

Address: 7250 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton

Hours of Operation: 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily
We are closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Group reservations: Reservations are required for groups of 8 or more. To make an appointment please call us at 805-688-9090.

Directions: Exit Highway 101 just south of Buellton at Santa Rosa Road.

Follow the signs to Santa Rosa Road, and go west for approximately 5 miles.

Look for our sign, turn left, and follow the long gravel driveway through our vineyard to the tasting room.

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards
7250 Santa Rosa Road
Buellton, Ca. 93427
(805) 688-9090
http://www.almarosawinery.com

From Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards

Richard Sanford traveled throughout California in the late 1960’s in search of the perfect site to plant Pinot Noir. He found it on the north-facing slopes along Santa Rosa Road in the Santa Rita Hills. There the transverse mountain range of California prevails, running east to west and allowing the onshore Pacific maritime breezes to cool the vineyards.

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards maintains two vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Both the El Jabalí and La Encantada vineyards are organically certified (the first to be certified organic in Santa Barbara County); and both were part of the 15,525 acre Rancho Santa Rosa Land Grant originally ceded to Ex-Corporal Francisco Cota in 1839 and 1845. The historic significance of the land is reflected in the name of the winery (Rosa), and the Spanish word for soul (Alma) represents the wines reflecting the “soul” of the original Rancho.

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards practices and promotes organic farming, sustainable agriculture, ecologically-responsible packaging, and green building. In addition it supports related earth-friendly causes such as the reintroduction of peregrine falcons to the Santa Ynez Valley and the international slow food movement.

As Thekla explains; “The future for us is to build on what we’ve learned. Through the years we’ve tried to do everything in a green way and will continue working toward a business which is greener and more sustainable. This new venture is an opportunity for us to become even more committed to the environment and to share what we’ve learned with others.”

With over 100 acres of certified organic vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards focuses on continued excellence in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir - Vin Gris (a dry rosé). All wines are food friendly and display the high acid, and extraordinary balance for which Richard Sanford’s wines have been known since 1976.

With new energy and a positive focus, Richard and Thekla Sanford are excited about Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards and hope you will continue to enjoy their efforts in bringing you and your family together to share good food, good wine, and a sustainable future.

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards
7250 Santa Rosa Road
Buellton, Ca. 93427
(805) 688-9090
http://www.almarosawinery.com