Rutheford Hill Winery was the third winery we visited. A quintessential Napa Valley winery, the place is perfect to bring out of town guests or local friends who enjoy beautiful wine venues. Rutherford has great ambience and good select wines for tasting.
We were actually looking for Elizabeth Spencer Wines but we got lost on Rutherford Hill Rd. and got to Rutherford Hill Winery by mistake. We still went ahead even though this was not in our list.
When we got there, we saw a lovely landscaped courtyard and a view of their huge wood and glass estate.
On our way to the entrance, I notice a beautiful picnic area. I made a mental note to add this place to one of the wineries to bring out of towner guests.
I was surprised to see how tiny their tasting area compared to the size of the estate. However, I think the tasting room is chic and elegant looking. The bar is U-shaped so I imagine it can accommodate lots of people during weekends.
After seeing these steel vats through a glass door in another room, I sort of undertood why the tasting room is tiny. I heard about their cave tours too but we were pressed for time. So the cave tour would have to be done some other time.
For the tasting, they have The Classics which consists select whites and reds; and their Signature Reds which includes just red wines. We chose to taste their Signature Reds which includes 2007 RHW Sangiovese, 2009 RHW Petit Verdot, 2005 RHW Reserve Merlot, 2009 TFV Cardinal's Peak, and 2010 RHW Malbec.
We also tried one of their chocolate covered blueberries to pair with their 2007 Zinfandel Port. It was delicious!
In the end, we decided to get the wine that stood out among their signature reds. We took home a bottle of their 2009 Cardinal's Peak. Lots of body and balanced dark fruit and oak flavor.
Rutherford Hill Winery is on Rutherford Hill Road in Napa Valley, California.
~rl
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