We were staying at Auberge du Soleil mainly for relaxation and we literally hadn’t planned any wine tasting, but Rutherford Hill is basically right next to Auberge. We literally could have walked there in 5 minutes. There were a few options including an ATV ride up to the peak, the Skyloft, View of the Valley, all of which normally would have been quite enjoyable on a clear, warm, sunny day, but since it’s been quite cloudy/foggy in the mornings, I just went with the cave tour which is typically something we enjoy.
We were greeted at the outside reception area and met with our guide Steven. He poured us the rosé to start and later the sauv blanc. We were largely left on our own, but we were outside and it was quite cool (low 40s) while we waited. In the end, I think this was because there were a couple other groups that had come before us so they were staggering us so we could get our individually tour without being bunched up with the other groups.
Our guide gave us a brief overview of the main building, the tasting areas, the steel tanks and the entrace to the cave which is quite striking due to all the wood structures, previously used in railroads, nestled in the trees. Once inside the cave area, it was not very much of a tour. We pretty much walked through with just a couple quick stops along the way with our primary destination being the tasting room.
We tasted a variety of wines, a pinot from their sister winery Terlato (the other property being Chimney Rock.I think they did this partially to introduce us to the idea that joining the club meant you had access at all of their wineries, but we were primarily tasting their wines. This included the Carneros Merlot, AJT Cab, and the Heaven’s Peak cab/merlot blend which was our favorite. He also gave us a pour of the Stags Leap Merlot which he said was his favorite and we also liked. There was a supplemental cost to get a small pour of their flagship wine, Episode, a bordeaux style red blend so we did one pour of that and ended up liking it. We ended up purchasing both merlots, a couple bottles of the Heaven’s Peak and a couple of Episodes.
We returned back to the welcoming area which is also the wine pickup area. We happened to chat with another couple about food. He was a chef that hosts a supper club in Foster City so we signed up looking forward to joining one of their events in the future.
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