Grgich Hills Estate
Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Wineries [Edit]
1829 Saint Helena HwyRutherford, CA 94573 (707) 963-2784
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
8 reviews
Glen Ellen, CA
"Loxton is by far my favorite winery. We have even joined the wineclub so we can get their new releases (and the discount). I forgot to the…" read more »
30 Reviews for Grgich Hills Estate
Wow, while thinking of what I wanted to say in the review, the very first thing that came to mind was the Fume Blanc. Now it seems all the reviews already mention it! So I'm just adding another echo echo echo...
The other highlight is the chocolately Cabernet Sauvignon. Be sure to give it a shot. For $10 for the tasting of 5 excellent wines, this is a great place to stop and should be on your short list.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Um, *unlike* everyone else, I can't seem to recall the Fume, though this was our last stop on the trip and I think, despite our picnic lunch interlude, I was fairly inebriated by then.
Nonetheless, what stood out for me was Connor as a great tasting guide. He gave a fantastic history of Grgich, and its founder's seminal role in being one of the two first American winemakers to win a blind tasting over all other French wines in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.
And by this time I think my palate was ready for the earthier reds and we decided to walk off with the 2004 Estate Cabernet ($60).
What's also impressive about Grgich is that they are a fully certified organic, biodynamic farm that runs on solar power. In addition, all their grapes are sourced internally -- wholly from their own vineyards and estate -- a rare thing for a winery this size.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I will echo everyone else's statement, Fume Blanc=delicious.
This was the first place we stopped but I didn't buy any of their wines. Thankfully though, they do sell outside of the winery.
Minus one star- cause our pourer talked too much and did not pick up on our glazed over expressions and un-interest in what he talked about it. I got really good at saying, "Hmmmm...interesting...nice..." throughout the time we spent with him.
Our $10 tasting came with a Grgich wine glass. Not too shabby.
The best tip that I got was 2004 was a good year for grapes. When at a loss on what to buy, go 2004.
One of the few FAMILY OWNED bio dynamic wineries in the NV left. Wine club member and HUGE Mike Grgich fan for a very long time. Parties are a total blast, wine tasting area is jammed on weekends. Staff is patient answering questions from novices to folks like me. Take your time, this is not a track meet. Walk around, talk to the staff, they are extraordinarily knowledgeable about the wines. The pre 2000 cabs are some of the best wines available. Buy a case or two of the Fume Blanc and enjoy it all summer long. Buy some Chard for that special Thanksgiving or Easter dinner. The Grgich family does it right, the few and the proud family. Dudes, If Mike is wandering hold on to your wife or GF. Mike loves the ladies. He is so much fun to be around and so knowledgeable even at his age.
I'll add to the chorus re: the Fume Blanc here. We also really enjoyed the Zinfandel, which stood out for its velvety wonderfulness in its own right, but also stood out because we tasted so few purchase-worthy reds on this trip. Both are so smooth on the palate, and always remind me why I love wine in the first place. However, I haven't always found the same quality buying them here in Illinois. All the more reason to return to the winery!!
Our pourer was great; very low-key without being snobby. Gave us good information but mostly hung back and let us taste. Free glasses with the tasting, too!
The Yountville Estate Cab is good, but it'll set you back a few bucks. The Chard is always on hand at my place in case of a seafood emergency. As a member you get free tastings for 2 and they usually send invites for 2 additional. Four of us go up there once a month and have a great tasting of the full Grgich flight.
The staff is friendly and informative. I love the beret's Mike sports.
The only issue at all is the wine club shipment. The 2 bottle shipment can vary between $110 before Turkey Day and $200 before Christmas--little more unpredictable than I'd prefer.
The Fume Blanc is famous! Luckily I brought home some bottles of that and too my surprise, they do carry it at my local liquor superstore. I also loved their Merlot, actually, now that I think of it, I do not believe there was a wine I didn't like. The tastings are $10.00 and you get to keep your glass-which I recently just broke and wonder if they would send me a new one??
My pourer was friendly, extremely knowledgeable and courteous, even giving us some tastes of wines not on the tasting list, which, is my idea of a good sign of a great winery, breaks the rules! We were welcomed and received great attention and I wanted to go back the next day, but there wasn't time. He even gave us suggestions on dinner locations and who to ask for when we got there.
I suggest this winery to anyone and everyone who will listen, it is a must stop!
Went here 2 weeks ago... it feels more comfy than some of the other wineries in Napa and our pourer was super friendly/informative and answered all our questions...the FUME BLANC IS DELICIOUS!!!
Recommended if you're looking for an easy going, no frills winery.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
This was a nice little family winery owned by a family from Croatia. It seems to have gathered quite a bit of notoriety over the last few years. Their wine is a little pricey but very tasty/
This is one stop I always make when heading up to Napa. Every time I have been here I have been treated extremely well and they always seem to break out some wines that are not the usual wines they taste.
Another review said something about the old man...yeah I heard some stories too...
Who cares! They make some tasty vino.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
Here's a tip, sign up for their free newsletter and they'll send you a free tasting for two! I personally feel that this winery is the essense of why I drink wine. Their label always catches my eye in the supermarket because it looks like earthy vines with juicy budding grapes. What happened to pretty labels like this one? What's up with the mute colors and silver print I see on so many other bottles? Are square boxes and politically correct lines classy now? Put a little effort into labeling and the result might be more interesting people drinking your wine and Yelping on it. So, beyond the beautiful label... Trish and I did this wine tour in 1999 and almost got drunk before leaving. I would say it was generous. I would do the full tour if you can. Personally, wine tasting is always uncomfortable for me, kind of like asking girls to dance at the high school ball. "Uhm, can I try some of that Private Release blah blah blah, I'm fine.."..."Sir will you be buying something today?" Anyway, here I felt the usual discomfort but slightly less than at other wineries. Love the Violletta, a great after dinner treat. Their Chardonnay is a rightful award winner, very mellow and vibrant!!
The winery location is right off the railway where the popular wine train passes. A very humble group here, friendly and easy going. Trish and I have chosen this as our fav.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Oh cruel fate! I missed California wine ROYALTY by mere minutes, said the nice French man at the register in Grgich Hills' packed wine shop last Saturday. The tasting would have been only $20 but thankfully my father, who just can't help himself, signed up for the wine club and then proceeded to order about $500 of wine. The flight consisted of three whites and three reds, and of course the two stand outs were the 30th Anniversary Special Reserve Chardonnay (and I /don't/ like whites) and the reserve cab.
The sense of fun, and the informality really struck me about the showroom -- where you can buy a Grgich bobble-head doll and at the same time ship $1000 case of wine home (maybe next time, big money no whammy).
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
This wine is very overrated for the price you pay. Although some will disagree, as for the winery itself it's great. spacious and friendly.
The chardonnay is really good though.
Tastings are $10 and they hook you up with a wine glass that you can bring back for free tastings in the future. You get to taste about 5 wines, ask that the final cabernet be decanted for you.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
This was the first winery we hit that day. The girl that gave us our tastings talked a tad too much. Not really allowing a friend in our group to ask questions, (and when she did, they weren't answered.)
Tastings are $10 for 4, and you get to keep your glass, (Which they'll wrap for you.)
I might stop back if other people wanted too, but wouldn't go out of my way.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Mmmm...Fume Blanc. We liked the whites here especially, and the service was great even though we did walk in just before closing time. This place feels much less dauting and self-important than some of the other Napa wineries (you know who you are!)
One of my preferred wineries in Napa--the tasting room is small and personal and even though it gets busy on the weekends, I've always gotten personal service with a smile. No question asked is too trivial or silly to get answered by the knowledgeable people behind the counter (unlike the sometimes-pretentious staff at other vineyards).
I'll also have to agree that the fume blanc I tried was superb. Oh, and you do get to keep your tasting glass which makes for an affordable and useful Napa souvenir (if you crave such an item).
People thought this was:
Cool (2)
Usually I'm not much of a white wine gal, but the Chard and Fume Blanc were amazing. The Cabs's are great, super friendly staff with a lot of knowledge. The tasting's are $10 and you get to keep your glass. I love this winery and actually bought a bottle of white instead of red, which is saying a lot about the white.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
One of my favorite places to visit in Napa. Actually, it's one of my favorite places on earth- right up there with happy happy D-land. So, yeah, they charge for tasting, but you're pretty much going to want to buy something so if you're going, buy a bottle, you won't be sorry when you get home. The fume blanc is perhaps, one of the best wines ever made. I love it because it's the perfect compliment to seafood, chinese or all by itself on a summery afternoon. MMmmmm.
They have excellent wines all around, but the Fume is my favorite. If you're feeling daring, buy a box of those expensive Cabernet filled chocolates- I assure you you cannot get them anywhere else and they're little mouthfulls of heaven. We stock up everytime we go.
Super nice staff, expensive for wine, but hey- he's French and whadya expect in Napa?
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
The wines were decent--not as good as Chateau Montelena despite the marketing spiel that the pourers are supposed to give.
It wasn't so much that the fruitflies were attacking every square inch of me. It was that the pourer didn't acknowledge this....he said, "oh, this is typical for this time of year." No apology, nothing like that. He just gave us a little card to cover the wine with.
He had an air of snobbishness too, which I'm sure works for selling the wine to beginners, but it was a little annoying to me. I was polite about my lukewarm feelings, but he was quite pushy that they had these great wines.
Oh, and for the quality, the prices were outrageous.
I would skip this one.
Grgich Hills Chardonnay is all you need to try here. It is perhaps one of the best in the world. And of course, critically acclaimed. Originally created by an immigrant from Croatia (Mr. Grgich) a lo-o-ong time ago, this winery seems to be a very popular stop here in Rutherford- the favorable location does help to get some of that endless stream of tourists diverted to visit their tasting room... having visited dozens of wineries in the area, to me there is really nothing that special or outstanding about the winery itself... but I give them 4 stars for the super-Chard.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (3)
We head up to Yountville frequently, and have pretty much stopped doing the whole wine tasting thing (mostly eating & sleeping now). We do however, venture out for one place. You guessed it.
Grgich chardonnay is my favorite drink. Therefore, the winery is one of my favorite places to visit. I don't know how many Grgich glasses I have collected. Oh, and I have a t-shirt. Love it!
--------
5/14/07 I just love Grgich. Hank helped us out and directed us to some really great bottles. He's great! This guy knows everything! We probably went a little overboard, but yay, at least we have some Grgich Chardonnay to drink for the next month! Also I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Zin & Cab. We got some great additions to our wine rack. YAY!
If you can get a 2001 Chardonnay- do it!
I'd probably be willing to prostitute myself for a daily dose (dose as in 2 bottles, people) of Grgich Hills Chardonnay.
Grgich Hills makes an absolutely stellar Chardonnay. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is also quite beautiful. Their Fume Blanc though, is only so-so, but then again I'm not a huge fan of Fume Blanc.
Sadly, everybody knows that their wine is good, and the prices show. Still, if you come to this beautiful winery in Rutherford, you can pick up some nice bottles for your cellar at decent prices. Well, let's say that for what you'd pay to get a bottle of Grgich anywhere else, you can here get a special vintage.
If you taste wine here, it'll set you back $10 or $20, depending on whether you want the special wines or just the regular stuff we serve to try to sell you a few bottles. The nice thing, though, is that after having tasted some beautiful vintages, you get to keep the glass! We came here with about 20 people on an outing the day before my wedding and they all gave me their glasses... So now we have a set of 12 Grgich Hills Chardonnay glasses. Kewl!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I first came to Grgich Hills back in May of 2006. I made another visit this past Saturday 8/25/07 with my aunt and her friend from England. If you are a fan of Chardonnay, Fume Blanc and Zinfandel then this is the place to come.
Tasting fee is $10 and includes a logo glass. Right now is the 30th anniversary of the winery so the logo glass has a big "30" on it. We had the same guy help with pourings as my aunt and I did back in May of '06. This let us score the tastings and glasses for free. He even poured th '00 Cab as well as their '04 Chardonnay from Carneros (which is absolutely divine although the price tag is $73 which I think in homage to the '73 chardonnay from Chateau Montalena that was crafted by Mike Grgich while he worked there and who's chardonnay won the Paris tasting for the whites). If you can afford this wine, you will not be disappointed. It's going to be the wine I open up after I get my college degree. I plan to eat it with some seared scallops. My aunt bought a bottle of the jammy Zinfandel. The Fume Blanc was very nice and the regular Chardonnay is typical of Napa Valley Chardonnays (I'm a big fan of the Carneros region Chardonnays over Napa Valley Chardonnays).
They were going on about some movies being made based upon the historical novel "The Judgement of Paris" by George M. Taber. If you haven't read this and are interested in a very interesting tale of the 1976 Paris Tastings where some of the best Californian white and red wines competed against the top French Bordeaux and White Burgundies/Montrachets as well as the development of the Napa Valley, it is a must read. I'm very interested to see these movies when they come out.
A lovely family run, small production winery that makes great wines unlike the numerous corporate-owned monstrosities who sell sub-par wine at napa valley premiums. You will not be disappointed by visitng Grgich Hills.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
As with bars, so with wineries. Nothing is more of a turnoff than a 1-1/2 oz. measured pour. I mean, come on... You might lose an extra bottle or two by the end of the day, but you've spread good cheer, and by extension good publicity.
The last time I was at Grgich, my pourer was a friend of the owner who was helping out for the day. Unrelatedly, he was also an ex-pro bull rider with forearms like canned hams. After working our way through the basic slate of whites and reds, which were all very good, he announced "we're going to have some fun," and proceeded to crack a few bottles of top shelf reserve reds. These were all bang-on, rich, complex, and full-bodied. Needless to say, this was the only winery we made it to that day. After an easy 2/3 bottle each, my group came blinking back out into the light like happy moles, sure that we had stumbled out of the best winery in the Napa Valley.
Time fades even the best impressions, and while Grgich may not be the best, they are always gracious, always generous, and they serve unlimited quantities of great Croatian boiled crackers. Also, since they are close to the start of 29, they make a good first stop. Just watch that your first stop isn't also your last.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
I had heard about how great the wines at Grgich are, so I was really excited to go check them out. While I'll admit that the Chardonnay was amazing (if you have $75 to spend on Chard, spend it on the anniversary bottle here), I felt like our pourer would have been happier if he could have just hidden under the counter and avoided us entirely. I don't know if it was the three girls that intimidated him, or if he was new on the job, but he raced awkwardly through the tasting with ridiculously small pours and barely made eye contact with us. Four stars for the wine, but I'm knocking one off due to the service.
the tastings here are great, and you get to keep your glass. the fume blanc is particularly tasty here.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
$5 gets you a great tasting and a free wine glass. We've stopped here a few times with groups, it's always got that same funky smell (sulfur?) and the same lovely service. A great place to stop on your wine tour. I enjoy their chardonnay, because it's not overly buttery.
A nice touch:
They are biodynamic farmers so they don't use any pesticides and junk on their grapes.
The wine reflects his personality. Creepy old man Grgich.
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
Grgich is one of my favorite wineries, but we couldn't beat our latest experience. We dropped in for a tasting, which is now the standard $10 and includes the glass. There were about 5 wines on the tasting list, but if you have a good pourer, that's not a limitation. Our pourer, Hank, would give us a taste off the list, and then pull out something similar but amazing that's not on the list.
A good example was the zinfandel. The one off the list was a regular vintage from some 8 year old vines. Hank then brought out a special vintage that came from some 114 year old vines. Night and day aren't even that far apart.
The best part of our recent trip was getting the time to talk to Mike the owner. He talked to us about what he thinks makes a good wine, we got some pictures with him, and he even signed a couple of our bottles. Great place to enjoy wine!
Very nice wineries featuring a good selection of wines at a moderate price. The tasting room is right next to the barrels, and when we went they had sampling straight from the barrel.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Napa Wine Country
Here are the places we visited on our trip to Napa… -
Because I am a Wino--My…
My fiance and I love wine. We're planning our… -
Wine Country Jaunts
Different wineries and restaurants I have enjoyed… -
Beautiful California…
I wouldn't presume to call them the best, but…
Hot and New
- Ad Hoc - Fried Chicken Night
5 reviews
Yountville, CA
- Bouchon
244 reviews
Yountville, CA
- Martini House
77 reviews
Saint Helena, CA
- Ubuntu Restaurant and Yoga…
83 reviews
Napa, CA
- Opus One
33 reviews
Oakville, CA