SIP
Autumn Pursuits at St. Supéry
Limited-time tours and tastings give visitors an inside look at their busiest season.
Bottle of St. Supéry wine next to plate of food with glass of red wine on table
PHOTO courtesy of St. Supéry

A fall visit to Napa Valley likely means overlapping with harvest season. At Rutherford’s St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery, they embrace the season with a seasonal tour and tasting that highlights their favorite time of year.

The Harvest LIVE! Tour and Tasting ($87) is a communal experience that begins at 10:15am. Guests are led through the vineyard and winery while learning about the picking process, fruit sorting, crushing, pressing, native yeasts, and fermentation. It is as interactive as it is educational and certainly provides a peek into a day in the life of a vintner, which hopefully translates to further appreciation upon the tasting of four wines following a tour of the estate vineyards to view the progression of the grape ripening, watch the sorting table in action, or smell (and maybe even taste) fermenting Sauvignon Blanc juice from a tank. Expect to spend up to two hours enjoying this harvest-season-only tour and tasting.

The Harvest LIVE! experience only runs through mid-November, or when all the fruit is picked, sorted, and punched down. However, for guests unable to make the autumn happenings, St. Supéry adds another special behind-the-scenes opportunity for their winter lineup.

The Cellar Tour and Tasting Experience ($87) also starts at 10:15am, leading guests through a custom cellar tour, seated tasting of three estate wines, and a rotating special fourth wine selection. This two-hour experience focuses on the daily decision process of St. Supéry’s winemaking team, from fermentation to aging duration for each harvest block, so that no two tours are ever the same.

“Enjoyment of wine and education in a fun and inviting way is a hallmark of our hospitality. Harvest is so exciting, and happens just once a year. We love to welcome our wine club members and new fans each fall. It’s our opportunity to show the best of what we do and hopefully create fans for life,” stated Jamie Jamison, Director of Hospitality.

The winery also embraces this time of year with exclusive fall-featured wines, which will only be available to taste at the winery: 2019 Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Malbec and Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon for reds, and 2022 Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Semillon and their 2024 Rutherford Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc among white wines.

“Our winemakers love a palate of blocks to work with each vintage. Their ability to create limited-edition wines that are offered to our wine club members and winery visitors exclusively is a real treat. These wines show the depth of our three estate vineyards and how the winemakers choose between blocks, fermentation methods, and aging,” noted Jamison.

St. Supéry says these wines are perfect for fall flavors, especially the Dollarhide Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon, which complements a number of savory and umami spices and flavors. In particular, they recommend their recipe for Koji Roasted Carrots (creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet) or a hearty fall Rib Eye with Hen of the Wood Mushrooms (rich and savory).

For more information: www.stsupery.com

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// St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery
// St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery