{"id":588,"date":"2017-05-30T17:46:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T17:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=588"},"modified":"2017-05-30T18:06:39","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T18:06:39","slug":"chimney-rock-winery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=588","title":{"rendered":"Chimney Rock Winery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chimney Rock is nestled in the heart of Napa Valley\u2019s Stags Leap district, but it would feel right at home in Sonoma County as well.\u00a0 It\u2019s a welcoming sort of place, pretty but not overly grandiose, where the wine is first rate and the servers are real educators \u2013 unless there is a heavy weekend crush. We recommend you visit Chimney Rock while in Napa Valley but do so on a weekday if you can.<\/p>\n

The building looks like a cute Dutch cottage, veering to the point of cutesy.\u00a0 Still, it doesn\u2019t look much like anything anywhere else in Wine Country, South Africa excluded.\u00a0 It certainly isn\u2019t overwhelming, inside or out.\u00a0 The interior contains a U-shaped bar that can get rather crowded at times.\u00a0 There are also tastings held on the terrace, which isn\u2019t particularly ornate, either.\u00a0 All of which is to say that Chimney Rock is nicely appointed and cozy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Tastings are not inexpensive, starting at $50 for a simple stand-up tasting at the bar.\u00a0 They can be special enough that the fee is worth it.\u00a0 More than anything else, we have found that the term \u201cWine Educator\u201d on the servers\u2019 badges is well earned.\u00a0 Now, this is not universally the case.\u00a0 A young person pouring on a weekend doesn\u2019t have the knowledge or communication skills of someone with some grey hair on a normal weekday.\u00a0 So, choose carefully where you stand at the bar and if you\u2019re not getting the answers you want, move over a bit.<\/p>\n

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The wines you will be served fall into two categories: Cabernet Sauvignon and other.\u00a0 Your server will probably start you off with what they call Elevage Blanc, which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and the rarely encountered Sauvignon Gris.\u00a0 It\u2019s pleasant, maybe more than pleasant, but it\u2019s not the reason to visit Chimney Rock; the reds are the stars of the show.<\/p>\n

While Chimney Rock makes several single vineyard wines, you are most likely to be served their 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and their Elevage, which is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (no Malbec, just to say they have all five Bordeaux grapes).\u00a0 Often, you have the chance to taste a short vertical of either label or both.\u00a0 Just such a tasting as this, even without explanation, is a real education and with the expertise of the Wine Educator added can make for a unique wine tasting experience.<\/p>\n

Chimney Rock wines tend to get very high marks from the rating magazines, so be prepared to sip some beverages that experts (whatever that means) think highly of.\u00a0 Also, alas be prepared to spend a lot if you want to buy a few bottles.\u00a0 To that extent, Chimney Rock is very Napa Valley.<\/p>\n

Chimney Rock Winery is owned by the Terlato Wine Group, so you might also get a chance to taste some wines under the Terlato label.\u00a0 In our opinion, these are also rather god but not quite up to the Chimney Rock-branded wines.\u00a0 If you engage your Wine Educator with knowledgeable questions, you\u2019ll probably also be treated to some other specials that they keep below the bar.<\/p>\n

Some wineries, in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County, play up the architecture, the views, food pairings and other non-wine experiences.\u00a0 A visit to Chimney Rock is all about the wines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chimney Rock is nestled in the heart of Napa Valley\u2019s Stags Leap district, but it would feel right at home in Sonoma County as well.\u00a0 It\u2019s a welcoming sort of place, pretty but not overly grandiose, where the wine is first rate and the servers are real educators \u2013 unless there is a heavy weekend … Continue reading Chimney Rock Winery<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=588"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":603,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588\/revisions\/603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}