Napa Green is an environmental certification program for vineyards and wineries. This program is one of the most comprehensive environmental accreditations in the wine industry, covering every step from soil to bottle and requiring continuous improvement to maintain our certifications. All of our land is certified Napa Green including our culinary garden. Reducing our carbon footprint and bring sustainable produce to you at the winery and into the Bay Area community is just one of the ways we share farm to table with you at home and at the winery. When you choose St. Supéry, you can be sure you are choosing a truly sustainable winery in Napa Valley.
“It takes Rutherford dust to grow great Cabernet.” -André Tchelistcheff
“After seeing Dollarhide, I’ve come to believe thatits distinct terrain and remarkable biodiversity make it one of the most unique estates in Northern California. There really is no other place like Dollarhide Ranch.” -Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier
St. Supéry’s Rutherford Estate Vineyard surrounds the winery in the celebrated Rutherford wine growing region along Highway 29. Thirty-five acres are planted with red Bordeaux varieties: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc. With three soil types and an elevation of 154 feet, Rutherford Estate Vineyard enjoys a Mediterranean climate of warm days, cool nights and a long, dry growing season. These conditions are ideal for our red Bordeaux varieties, which are used for our estate red blend, Élu, as well as St. Supéry’s Rutherford Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc — three of our exceptional single vineyard bottlings.
Rutherford Estate Vineyard is on the “Rutherford Bench” of mineral-rich alluvial soils of sandy clay loam from the Mayacamas Mountains. Deep, well-drained soils allow the grapevine’s root system to mine for nutrients and water, which yields complex and concentrated flavors in the fruit. cabernet sauvignon grown in Rutherford has tradition
Dollarhide:
Located in the northeastern hills of Napa Valley, our Dollarhide Estate Ranch is a valley within a valley and has 1,530-plus acres, 500 planted to the vineyard. The oldest vines at Dollarhide Estate, now more than 30 years old, produce the full-bodied, robust cabernet sauvignon and distinctive sauvignon blanc wines upon which St. Supéry’s reputation was built. Vineyard elevations ranging from 600 to 1,100 feet above sea level, seven different soil series, 13 soil variations and unique microclimates, combine at Dollarhide to create an especially accommodating growing environment for Bordeaux grape varieties.
Our winemaking and vineyard team have a broad selection of soils and topography to choose from when selecting ideal vineyard sites at Dollarhide. Each parcel is planted with fruit quality and distinct character in mind. These parcels are then farmed individually so that the vines will thrive in their distinctive locations. Our team is able to match the right soils with the optimum combination of rootstock, clone selection and cultivation practices. The diversity of terrain results in a wide selection of fruit characteristics with which our winemakers work in producing estate sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, estate blends and the Dollarhide Estate single vineyard wines.
The majority of the property thrives in its natural state with a diverse collection of flora and fauna including ducks, geese, cranes, egrets, jackrabbits, owls, bees, foxes, osprey, otters, bobcats and thousands of largemouth bass. The ranch is home to more than 1,200 heirloom fruit trees comprised of 190 varieties or 87 peach, 34 nectarine, 20 apple, 12 plum and 16 Pluot. A limited and seasonal release of the heirloom preserves is often available at the winery.
St. Supery Dollarhide Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot.
This Cabernet Sauvignon presents with deep, dark reds and purples. Aromas are opulent with ripe blackberry, black plum, cassis, chocolate, and toasted oak. A rich, dense profile follows with flavors of cassis and ripe black fruits, espresso, mocha, and molasses with subtle oak in influence. It is a deep, structured wine with excellent fine-grain tannin.
Review:
100% estate-grown single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the winery’s Dollarhide Ranch. The property is known for its steep rolling hills—reaching upwards of 1,100 feet—as well as some flatlands and seven lakes rife with wildlife. Aged for 20 months in 100% French oak (54% new), the wine offers a broad and generous mouthfeel with chewy tannins. The fruit is ripe and almost gobby, becoming more streamlined as it opens up. Dark berries are lush and sweet with hints of brown sugar. Acidity and chalky lift are well defined and have the mouth imploring for that next sip. Refined, elegant, polished, and poised
-Tasting Panels 96 Points
This 100% estate-grown single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the winery’s Dollarhide Ranch. The property is known for its steep rolling hills—reaching upwards of 1,100 feet—as well as some flatlands and seven lakes rife with wildlife. Aged for 20 months in 100% French oak (54% new), the wine offers a broad and generous mouthfeel with chewy tannins. The fruit is ripe and almost gobby, becoming more streamlined as it opens up. Dark berries are lush and sweet with hints of brown sugar. Acidity and chalky lift are well defined and have the mouth imploring for that next sip. Refined, elegant, polished, and poised.
-Somm Journal 96 Points
Vintners Dennis O’Neil and Steph Martin began development of Checkerboard Vineyards in 1999 and retained winemaker Martha McClellan to create a portfolio of wines reflecting the mountainside. The estate includes four vineyard sites of different elevation, exposure and soil composition, providing the foundation for a portfolio that includes Checkerboard Aurora Vineyard, Checkerboard Coyote Ridge Vineyard, Checkerboard Nash Creek Vineyard, Checkerboard Kings Row, Checkerboard Sauvignon Blanc, and Checkerboard Rose. Grapes are harvested at dawn in micro-lots and delivered steps away to the winery where clusters are sorted, discarding any blemished ones. Individual berries are hand-selected for vinification and transferred for fermentation, by hand, to Taransaud wooden tanks, stainless tanks, and individual wooden barrels.
Farming is based on long-term sustainability and includes water conservation and monitoring, permanent cover crops planted in alternating rows, and the use of entomology for pest control and the development of soils with good organic matter and microbiology. Checkerboard Vineyards is a member of Fish Friendly Farming which promotes environmentally-friendly land practices and water quality management. Aurora Vineyard is located in a small valley midway up Diamond Mountain and on a large knoll at an elevation of 1,200 feet. The knoll bulges outward, giving the vineyard full Southern exposure and open light from the East and West and protection from Napa Valley’s summer fog. Six acres are planted in the knoll’s rich, volcanic soils that are riddled with basalt cobble in a loamy red clay. The remaining six acres are planted in a deep gravely mix of volcanic ash and chips of decomposed Rhyolite that were washed down from the steep, rocky crags of Diamond Mountain above.
There's a fresh, sweet aroma to the 2016 Checkerboard Aurora Vineyard that builds excitement and anticipation for what's to come. On approach, the palate is juicy and expansive and explodes with flavors of blackberry, mulberry, dark cherry, caramel, leaf tobacco and green olive. The wine continues with a voluptuousness that's linear and constant yet lifted by natural acidity. The finish is showy, long and lingering with finely polished tannins. An exceptional vintage.
Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Shiraz .
Encompassing everything the Hill-Smith family stands for and the perfect representation of Yalumba’s history and ethos, The Signature is a sentimental favorite. A classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, the first vintage release of The Signature was in 1962. Since then, this outstanding wine has acknowledged more than 57 Signatories; people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba.
Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile.
Review:
A full-weighted, archetypal Aussie blend. Cabernet and shiraz, both from the Barossa. The top wines of Yalumba have undergone considerable refinement in recent years. The tannins, better managed; the fruit, more restrained; the oak, judicious. Here, an example. Fresh and lithe. Scents of anise, bay leaf and kirsch, with a nourishing core of beef bouillon. An expansive sweetness grows in trajectory, with a douse of menthol at the finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
-James Suckling 94 Points