Chimney Rock Winery
Single-vineyard Stags Leap Cabernet from Elizabeth Vianna, and for $125 you taste it out in the vines from a touring cart. Dogs and kids allowed, which up here is rare.
Why go
Vianna makes the wine and the Terlato family owns the estate.1 Everything is estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon off the Stags Leap District, which is the flattest, warmest good ground in this part of the valley.1 The Single Vineyard Tasting takes six people out into the estate in a touring cart for two hours, $125 with a cheese and charcuterie plate.1 On Thursdays at two there is a barrel tasting in the production area, $145.1 Everyone under 21 is welcome, and so are dogs.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Single Vineyard Tasting at $125, because it puts you in the vineyard the wine came off.1
- Order: Taste of Terroir at $75 if you want the shaded patio and an hour and a half. Walk-ins sometimes work.1
- Avoid: paying $195 for the Vineyard Odyssey expecting better wine. That money buys cheese and a private table.1
Good to know
- Hours: daily 10am to 5pm, by reservation.1
- Cancellation: tasting fees are non-refundable inside 48 hours.1
- Club: membership covers four guests here, and members of the Sanford and Rutherford Hill clubs get two.1
- Hygiene: not established. No inspection instrument for this county is on file here.
Verdict
could-visit — Elizabeth Vianna makes single-vineyard Cabernet off the Stags Leap District floor for the Terlato family, and the $125 tasting drives you out into the vines to drink it where it grew, which is the version worth paying for. The $75 patio pour is the sensible default and walk-ins sometimes work. It is also one of the few estates in this valley that welcomes children and dogs, and says so. No critic has been read on the wine and no single bottling is named, so the rung rests on the visit rather than on the glass.