Stony Hill Vineyards

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Let’s raise a glass to World Kindness Day!

Perched atop a hill overlooking the Napa Valley sits Stony Hill Vineyard on Spring Mountain. This winery is truly a hidden gem with breathtaking views surrounded by protected parkland! Founded in 1948 by Fred and Eleanor McCrea, the couple introduced their first vintage in 1952. Famous for their no-butter Chardonnays, Stony Hill’s wines are dry farmed and aged in old neutral oak barrels without malolactic fermentation. This sharpens the wine’s profile and makes them age worthy. For a typical vintage, Stony Hill produces < 5,000 cases. Because of its small production and limited inventory, the winery does not actively sell library wines. Instead, older vintages can be found in the auction market or sold directly at the estate. 

All the wines are 100% estate grown and bottled. In 1972, Mike Chelini joined Fred McCrea as winemaker and arguably the the longest-tenured winemaker in Napa Valley. Unfortunately, a day after our visit, Mike passed away on October 31, 2023. Fortunately, we were able to taste all the vintages he produced including two reds: 

1. 2007 Estate Napa Valley, Chardonnay, $233 
2. 2012 Napa Valley Chardonnay, $183 
3. 2020 Estate Chardonnay, $110 
4. 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $250 
5. 2019 Estate Syrah, $100

If you’re looking for a big ‘Napa cab’, this isn’t the place. They are known for their Burgundy-style Chardonnay. You’ll get tropical fruits, citrus zest, grapefruit, green apple and fresh pineapple. We enjoyed an outdoor tasting located not far from Eleanor’s original dining room, which has remained relatively unchanged since the early 1950s. The interior design was actually featured on Architectural Digest. If you are planning a visit, book an appointment with weeks in advance as there are limited slots available for a private tasting. 

There are many scenic and gorgeous wineries in Napa Valley, but Far Niente is a must-see for its picturesque property (including a vintage car museum!) and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Before our private tasting of their estate collection, we enjoyed a walking history tour of the winery; strolling through manicured gardens surrounded by Ginko trees (something out of a painting!) and their underground cave.  

Far Niente Winery was established in 1885 by John Benson, a Gold Rush forty-niner and uncle of the famous American painter, Winslow Homer. Benson took the winery’s name from the Italian phrase “il dolce far niente,” or “the sweetness of doing nothing.” As Napa Valley’s original stone wineries, the building itself is a piece of art designed to please the eye and function as a gravity flow winery, gently moving the grapes through each stage of production. Far Niente prospered until the onset of Prohibition in 1919 where it later turned into a transportation hub.

In 1979, Gil Nickel purchased the winery and spent three years restoring the property, earning it a spot to the National Register of Historic Places. Under the Nickels’ guidance, winemaking returned to Far Niente in 1982 focus only on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The label in use today is designed by artist Tom Rodrigues, who also designed labels for Far Niente’s sister wineries:  

1. Dolce: Only winery in North America producing a single, late harvest wine ($104)
2. Nickel & Nickel: Produces single-vineyard, 100% varietal wines ($135-$235) 
3. EnRoute: Focused on Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley ($32-$85) 
4. Bella Union: Dedicated to Napa Cabernet ($45-$110) 
5. Post & Beam: Focused on youthful Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon ($40-$60)  

My favorite? Far Niente’s 2022 Chardonnay, which opens with a light butterscotch and lemon zest bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied balanced by bright acidity for a long lingering crisp finish. This Chardonnay pairs well with a fresh salad and lobster bisque. If you are a collector, Far Niente Estate Chardonnay is age-worthy as much as their Cabernet Sauvignon. 

It’s getting chilly in California, but you can hardly tell with the hat, sunglasses and sunshine over here in Napa Valley.

Behind me is the iconic palm tree-lined entrance leading to Round Pound Estate. Palm trees along the vineyard definitely sets my mood for a relaxing tasting experience. While the estate was constructed in 2007, the MacDonnell family has been in the wine business since the 1980s. After selling their grapes to some of the region’s most impressive wineries, they decided to construct their own and Round Pond Estate was born. The name “round pond” comes from Bob MacDonnell’s memories of Round Pond, West Point in New York where he used to camp and fish every summer. 

We enjoyed a tasting on their outdoor patio located on their second floor, which looks out on the panoramic view of the Mayacamas Mountains. Set in the Rutherford Valley region, Round Pond is famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon with all the fruit sustainably farmed and hand harvested. We enjoyed a tasting of their 2021 Cabernets: 

1. 2021 Estate, $85 
2. 2021 Bovet Reserve, Oakville, $150 
3. 2021 Bovet Reserve, Rutherford, $128 
4. 2021 Gravel, 100% Cab, Scholars Gate, $200
5. 2021 Gravel, 100% Cab, The Vow, $225 

The Gravel series are by membership allocation only. The Bovet Series Cabernets were my favorite. Two different Cabernets from the same vintage with the same production methods only differing from each other by block: Rutherford and Oakville. Rutherford had the classic “Rutherford dust” which lends the wine an earthy structure while maintaining the perfect balance of black fruits, mocha and spice. With the Oakville similar in structure sans “dust”. Round Pond offers a diversity of tasting experiences ranging from a 30-minute portfolio tasting to niche tastings (what we had). They are also expert producers of olive oils and vinegars so you can also do an oil and vinegar flight.

With Thanksgiving this week, there’s a lot of feasting involve so what wines to pair with your meal? As a general rule, lighter and lower-alcohol wines go better with the traditional Thanksgiving feast than heavier ones. Think cool climate, minimal oak, modest alcohol and vibrant flavors such as a Sauvignon Blanc. My other go-to wines: Pinot Noir, Merlot and Riesling. Big, hearty reds like Cabernet will overpower classic Thanksgiving fare and better to save for your Christmas roast. If you haven’t done your wine shopping for Thursday’s feast, Matanzas Creek has an affordable line-up of Merlot, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc ranging from $20-$50 a bottle. #foodwinepairing 

I had a chance to visit Matanzas Creek Winery in early November and in one word: breathtaking views! Located in the Bennett Valley AVA in Santa Rosa, Matanzas Creek Winery made its name producing Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, which is fairly unique in Sonoma County. In fact, they were an early pioneer in Sauvignon Blanc, and stands today as a varietal expert. Their SB wine taste light and layered with notes of citrus, basil and lavender! Within the sprawling grounds of the winery is a lavender field where they actually make soaps and home products from each harvest. Since the winery is located between three mountains, the terroir is blessed with slightly volcanic soil that is well-drained, lush and fertile favorable for growing grapes and cultivating lavender. We sat at the top of the hill under clear blue skies gazing down at the fields of lavender— a perfect spot for tasting wine (and a photo)! The Matanzas Creek Winery has a party on the third weekend of every June called “Days of Wine and Lavender,” an open house celebrating the lavender harvest with outdoor music and dishes infused with lavender seasonings prepared by top California chefs for their food wine pairing. 

Happy International Merlot Day! While Cabernet Sauvignon gets more attention in Napa, you can find great Merlots in the region with Duckhorn and Beringer Vineyards! #merlotday #halloween2023 

Behind me is the iconic Rhine House, a breathtaking Victorian 17-room mansion constructed in 1884 as an homage to the Beringer brothers’ childhood home along the Rhine River in Germany. In 1972, the Rhine House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As the longest running winery since 1876, Beringer remained in operations through Prohibition. Jacob Beringer, Jr. pivoted the winery to produce sacramental wines for the churches. For 147 years, Beringer has had only nine winemakers including Jacob’s great-great grandson Mark Beringer. Fun fact: Mark Beringer was also the winemaker at Duckhorn. Of the many wineries I’ve visited, Beringer Winery is one I often recommend. Not only is it an iconic beautiful winery, it covers a range of palette and price points from affordable to collectible. In fact, Beringer produces some of the finest reserve and single vineyard wines in the world. We enjoyed a veranda tasting of reserve and low production wines: 

1. 2018 Bancroft Ranch Merlot, Howell Mountain, $90
2. 2018 Bancroft Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, $150 
3. 2020 Lampyridae Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt. Vedeer, $150
4. 2018 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $175
5. 2019 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $175 
6. 2016 Nightingale, Botrytised Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc, $50 (the first winery to produce botryised wine in the U.S.). 

We were fortunate to have Michael as our host. He was informative, knowledgeable, and friendly— the epitome of the ideal wine host! For a young Cabernet Sauvignon, their wines were wonderfully balanced with bold, highly aromatic nose, ripe yet elegant with lots dark intense fruit, good acidity and plush tannins from start to finish. Another fun fact: with the announcement of Daou Vineyards being acquired for $1 billion on October 31, 2023, Daou is the sister winery to Beringer Vineyards, which is also owned by Treasury Wine Estates.

 If you’re just beginning your wine journey and want to go deeper into the style you like, try horizontal and vertical tastings. The difference between the two: 

1. Horizontal tasting compares wines from the same year and region/style. In this format, tasters look at differences between producers. 
2. Vertical tasting compares wine from the winery across different vintages. This enables you to see how wine develops over time by the influence of climate and winery’s practice. Dressed as wine vampires, we enjoyed a vertical tasting at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.

Coincidentally, our host, Stuart, previously owned and sold his winery called “True Blood” before joining Stag’s Leap! On theme with our costumes, we toured the wine caves and saw a Foucault pendulum swinging in the underground room, which marks the passing of time and the aging of wine. The caves cover 34,000 square feet of tunnels and house 6,000 barrels. We had a chance to explore how a wine develops over time with a vertical tasting of their iconic Cabernet Sauvignons— all 100% varietal and aged in 100% new French oak: 

1. 2018 FAY Hillside, $155 
2. 2019 HEART of FAY, $155 
3. 2020 FAY, $155 
4. 2020 S.L.V., $200 
5. 2020 CASK 23, $305 

Founded in 1970 and considered as Napa Valley's first-growths, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars brought global recognition to California winemaking when their 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous 1976 Paris Tasting. Their estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignons each express bold richness balanced by elegant restraint often refer to as “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” It’s interesting to note that the terroir of the FAY and S.L.V. vineyards are very different. The differences in these two terroirs come together in the Cask 23, which is a blend of the most exceptional fruit from both the vineyards. While sipping, we enjoyed a vineyard view of FAY (named for pioneering cabernet grape grower Nathan Fay). A display case with the original letter and scoring sheets from the Judgment of Paris is mounted on the wall. My favorite from the tasting? The 2020 FAY! I definitely made sure to pack some bottles back home. #napacabernetsauvignon

For our last winery stop on Halloween, we visited Heitz Cellars. #halloween2023 

The term “icon” is a bit overused these days when it comes to wine, but the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that Heitz Wine Cellars produce from “Martha’s Vineyard” is truly iconic. Martha’s Vineyard in Napa has no connection to the island of the same name off the coast of Massachusetts. Martha’s Vineyard is located west of Route 29 in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, just south of the town of Oakville. The vineyard gets the morning sun, which keeps it cooler than its neighbors to the east.  Yields are kept low resulting in complex, intense grapes with concentrated flavors and natural acidity. If you are a collector, their Cabernets age beautifully. 

To this day, Heitz Wine Cellars still buys all of Martha’s Vineyards’ grapes, which is organically farmed even though Heitz has chosen not to use the term on its labels. In 2018, the winery changed ownership focusing more on hospitality with a redesigned tasting salon, which opened in 2022. The salon is located a few miles away from the old stone cellar. We had a chance to enjoy a line-up of their state-grown 100% Cabernet Sauvignon overlooking the vineyards. We tasted: 

1. 2017, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Martha’s Vineyard, $325
2. 2017, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Trailside Vineyard, $175 
3. 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Linda Falls Vineyard, $221 

Every bottle taste smooth and supple with ripe dark cherry and blackberry. Tannins are polished, firm with an enduring finish. The 1968 Martha’s Vineyard is arguably the greatest vintage produced. Heitz Cellar wines are best served at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and pair with all types of meat dishes: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, grilled dishes and Asian dishes!