In Napa Valley, there are some wineries that are very famous for the quality of the wine they make and sometimes for the wine they used to make. Conn Creek may not be the most famous name in the valley, but we would say that it is definitely a winery worth visiting, for newbies and experienced tasters as well.
Conn Creek Winery. Photo courtesy of Yountville.com.
There are a number of reasons for saying this. Conn Creek was established in 1973, prior to the famous Judgment of Paris tasting that established northern California as a winemaking area worthy of international repute. These pioneering wineries, which include the more famous ones such as Stag’s Leap, Mondavi and Chateau Montelena, are worth knowing if only because of the accumulated expertise that only the decades can bring.
It is also one of the earliest environmentally sustainable wineries. They proudly assert that Conn Creek is certified as a “Napa Green” winery. Their website boasts that the original facility was built with 12-inch walls stuffed with 20,000 corks. (We’re not certain what those corks have to do with sustainability, but it’s an interesting factoid.)
Of course, the primary reason to visit is to taste their wines. Here Conn Creek’s philosophy of winemaking in Napa Valley comes into play. For openers, the house specialty is Cabernet Sauvignon, as is true of many wineries in the region. Conn Creek does grow some of their grapes on their own 2½ acres, which is not a lot. The rest of their production comes from sourced grapes from everywhere in the valley. And we do mean everywhere. In their tasting room you can compare and contrast Cabernet Sauvignons from Diamond Mountain, Stags Leap, Chiles Valley, St. Helena, Calistoga, Spring Mountain, Rutherford, Oakville, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder. What a tour!
What Conn Creek is proudest of is their premier wine, Anthology. This is a made from grapes from all over Napa Valley. Almost every year, it’s a blend, differing each year in the composition. For the most part, they make a Bordeaux blend, plus or minus one or two of the “official” grapes. In 2017 and 2018, they made Anthology from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, but even that was a blend of AVAs. Conn Creek tells us that they have returned to blends, but with fewer varietals.
Part of the display of the single vineyard versions of Cabernet Sauvignon
In the tasting room, there is a display explaining the way that Conn Creek approaches winemaking, with soil samples and explanations of the characteristics of the grapes from each vineyard they source from. Moreover, Conn Creek offers a very interesting course in an area adjoining the tasting room. They call it “The Barrel Blending Experience” (with a little registered trademark sign). After explaining and sampling the different single vineyard wines, the participants are given the chance to create their own blends. For one thing, it creates appreciation of what real winemakers do to get the perfect blend into a bottle. For another, everyone gets to take home his or her own version of Anthology.
For many years, we drove past Conn Creek as we were going somewhere else along the Silverado Trail or up in the mountains. Now we often make a point to stop and see what they have been making, and how their wines have evolved over time.