This post follows my attendance at the 10^th annual Wine Blogger’s Conference. Before the formal conference programming took place there were pre-excursions, and the one that I signed up for was led by Treasury Wine Estates to visit two of their wineries: Stags’ Leap and Etude.

Chateau St. Jean was originally scheduled as part of our visit, however we were re-routed after the winery sustained minor damage to an out-building, with cosmetic and landscaping damage, from the recent wildfires. I was honestly a bit bummed, as I had only visited one other Sonoma winery before, and I have been told that Chateau St. Jean is beautiful, popular with visitors, and one of the wineries that helped to pioneer Sonoma Valley vineyard designation. Founded in 1973, it was the first Sonoma winery to be awarded the prestigious “Wine of the Year” award from Wine Spectator.

The winemaker is a renowned Sonoma woman, Margo Van Staaveren. 2017 was her 37th harvest at Chateau St Jean. She was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast in 2008. I wanted to meet an amazing woman like this, and was keen to try her much-lauded wines.

Chateau St. Jean “To Go”

Instead of Chateau St. Jean, our group was enroute to Stags’ Leap in Napa Valley.

Hosted by Treasury Estates PR manager Tamara Stanfill, and Treasury’s Prestige Manager for California Rob Ord, we were bussed from Sonoma to Napa. On the one-hour-ride, since we were not able to visit, Rob and Tamara offered us tastes of two Chateau St. Jean wines.

My bus seat-mate was Christine Campbell of Girls Go Grape, and to say that we were excited by this idea was an understatement. We definitely ‘squee’d!

Durrell Vineyard Sonoma Country Chardonnay 2015

The rolling of the bus and unconventional tasting environment did not prevent the tropical fruit and butterscotch aromas to rise from the Go-Vino, making way for a crisp entry to the palate, then a rounder, richer, mouthfeel; the result of barrel fermentation, malolactic treatment and 15 months in 100% French oak barrels (45% new). I uncovered flavours of baked apple & pineapple, and a long, warm finish. Absolutely delicious & lushly balanced. Tasted like ‘more, please’.

Cinq Cépages Sonoma County Red Wine 2014

This is the flagship wine of Chateau St. Jean. Each year, winemaker Margo Van Staaveren aims to assemble a wine blend that will showcase the best of Sonoma County, and the primary grape sources for the 2014 vintage are from some of the finest appellations throughout Sonoma County. The 2014 Cinq Cépages (“five varieties”) is a blend of classic Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Merlot (8%), Malbec (3%), and Petit Verdot (3%). All lots are made separately before the blend is assembled. Before blending, each component is aged separately for twenty-three months exclusively in French oak, with just over half of all the barrels as new.

On the nose I caught black fruit, white pepper and floral notes, but I suspect if we were not on a bus I would have been able to uncover more. A wine like this has many layers to it, and the winemaker’s notes state aromas that include black currant, cassis, delicate notes of perfumed violet, and savoury tobacco leaves. Secondary aromas of roasted espresso, nuanced notes of Earl Gray tea, and sweet spices like cinnamon and clove add to the complexity.

On the palate, fruit: plush plum, black raspberry and dark chocolate. This full-bodied wine has well-integrated, silky tannins, which give the wine an appealing structure and layers of complexity. Even on the rolling bus we could taste that this is an elegant wine. Very enjoyable now, and can definitely age.

I am making myself the promise that next time I am in Sonoma I will seek out these vineyards that went into these wines, to see where these storied grapes are growing.

Go visit Chateau St. Jean

I am definitely going to add Chateau St. Jean to my next visit. At the time of this post, Chateau St. Jean is re-opened to the public. The winery team very much would like you to visit – hours on their website. They are #sonomastrong and ready for you.

Disclosure: I paid a small fee for this excursion, and most aspects of the trip was hosted.