St. Supery Estate, RutherfordI recently received samples of a couple of white wines from St. Supery to review and was ready to pop the tops and get to sipping. I visited St. Supery in Rutherford, Napa Valley in 2009 and really enjoyed it. They have a gorgeous estate situated just off St. Helena Highway, and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon lunch outdoors while taking in the scenery.
The estate was purchased in the 1980s by Robert Skalli, whose family has made wine in France for several generations. They now own over 1500 acres of Napa vineyards and produce some world class California wines. Here are the two that I sampled:
2009 St. Supery Oak Free Chardonnay ($22). This wine is made up of
mostly Chardonnay, with 1% Sauvignon Blanc added. It has very good tropical and grannie smith apple aroma and flavor, plus decent acidity. There is a small detection of both minerality and spice, most like white pepper. The flavor is a bit dull on the finish and does not last long. A decent wine, though I can find better Chardonnay for the price. (82 WG).
2009 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc ($23). I've always loved St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, especially from Dollarhide Vineyard, and this one does not disappoint. They've always resembled New Zealand with zesty grapefruit and no oak treatment, and that's definitely my style. This one exhibits bright lime, kiwi, loads of grapefruit, excellent acidity, and a touch of caper berry to finish off the greenness of the wine. Awesome with seafood dishes or sushi. Highly recommended. (91 WG).
I hope to try more St. Supery wines and let you know what I think. They not only make some very good white wines, but the reds are just as good if not better. If you make the trip to Napa, be sure to stop in, and tell 'em the Windy City Wine Guy told ya!
