Wine Tasting in Sonoma - Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery

Spring is glorious in Northern California. The weather was extra beautiful last week so Mijo and I decided to drive to Sonoma for a day trip.

We decided to pay Chateau St. Jean a visit since we like their wines but we have never been to the winery. The winery is very pretty and the wines we tried were very tasty!

The Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery is located in an area in Sonoma called Kenwood off highway 12. I saw lots of familiar brand names wines like St. Francis, Landmark, Kunde and Kenwood vineyards along highway 12.

[read my other wine tasting blogs @ Balitang SF]

It was a sunny day that day and the vines seem like they are enjoying every moment of it. The landscape is rows and rows of vines as far as the eye can see.  It is so beautiful!

 

We finally reached Chateau St. Jean. The gate going into the garden looks elegant and the place looks huge from the outside. It is something I would see in Napa Valley. The thing is, I am used to smallish, modest and sometimes rustic wineries in Sonoma. 


If I think the gate is elegant, wait until you see the garden. The garden is lavishly landscaped with a fountain in the middle. The focal point, of course, is the Chateau.

 

Different varieties of grape vines are on display on one side of the garden.

My favorite in Sonoma valley, of course, is Pinot Noir.

We had a choice to sample their reserves and Cinq Rêves, their limited releases wine or their handcrafted Sonoma County wines. We decided we'll sample their Sonoma County wines at the Main tasting room.
 

Mijo and I decided to share the tasting since we didn't want to get tipsy. We were going to just 'taste', after all. They were offering the following wines to taste: 2013 Pinot Blanc (Robert Young Vineyard), 2012 Chardonay (Roberty Young Vineyard), 2013 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast), 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley), 2011 Eighty-Five-Fifty-Five (Sonoma County). Not in the regular menu, they also let us sample their 2012 Dry Creek Merlot.

The bottle on the left has a brown label. It was the first time I was seeing this label from Chateau St. Jean.

Of course, the wines were excellent. Mijo and I had the same favorites that day. The winner for me is their 2012 Dry Creek Merlot. The 2013 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast and their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon were also our favorites. We decided to get a bottle each of our favorites that day.


Overall, our experience at Chateau St. Jean was excellent. Our servers were great, patient and very knowledgeable.

Maybe next time we'll explore their gardens and have a picnic.

~rl