Rombauer Vineyards

Contacts

Address:
3522 Silverado Trail North, Saint Helena, CA 94574
Get directions

Website:
rombauer.com

Phone number:
+1 866-280-2582

Categories:
Establishment   Food  

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Reviews about Rombauer Vineyards

• Matthew Gudenius

  May, 03 2018
  ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
  Don't let my 3-star rating completely dissuade you; this is not a bad winery, it's just that it used to be BETTER.
  
  1) The location, atop a hill in the upvalley region between St. Helena and Calistoga, is beautiful. They have a porch where you can sip your wines with a wonderful vista, as well as a little meandering garden that is nice to roam.
  
  2) The wines are pretty good. They are known primarily for two varietals: chardonnay and zinfandel. I have always been particularly fond of their zin -- in fact, we joined their special "zin only" wine club just to receive a case of 12 zins every year in the winter.
  
  3) HOWEVER, this newest vintage of zin (2015) is a disappointment. It used to be so rich, with a silky/velvety mouthfeel, perfect body, and incredible aromatics from the oak. That was true of both the 2013 and 2014 vintages.
  
  This newest vintage is a bit thin and biting, with a weird sort of slightly effervescent acidity, tartness, and alcohol heat not there in the past. Not a fan. :-( I regret buying a case of these Rombauer zins (and that's the first time I have ever said that in my life.)
  
  4) Bigger problem is that the winery visit experience itself has gotten a little out of hand... as members, we used to be able to pop in (at least on a weekday) -- then they got too popular for their own good, and now reservations are a must (and actually not so easy to get!)
  
  The tasting room itself is quite bland and dated... still looks and feels like something from the late 70's, and is far too small to comfortably accommodate the groups of people they get there... so, it's pretty cramped during the tasting. On top of that, the pourers here seem pretty blase and apathetic about the experience... not a lot of pride or excitement going on. Feels a bit like a cattle call. They should probably set up a little tasting bar somewhere in the garden, which would be a beautiful location as well as relieving the crowds up at the main room and porch.
  
  So, we quit the club membership. I will probably give each new vintage of zin a try, and if it returns to the quality of the last couple of years (which was like nectar of the gods), I will stock up...
  
  But as it is... there ya go. There are just too many things that could be more enjoyable for me to go ahead and give this 3 stars (winery is still better than average for Napa Valley visits, so I was going to give them 4 stars, until I tasted the disappointing new vintage of zinfandel. It's hard to tell whether it is just the grapes/terroir or if winemaking process is to blame...)

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