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Michel-Schlumberger Winery
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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"I had such a lovely experience here! I was with Michelle W. and a few others while Nancy walked us through the entire wine making process.…" read more »
37 reviews for Michel-Schlumberger Winery
This is one of the most beautiful wineries in the valley. There are many hilltops and valleys on the property, which you'll see on the tour. They use sustainable practices and are committed to a small environmental footprint. The babydoll sheep strolling in between the vines mean they don't have to use pesticides or chemicals to keep the weeds down.
The tasting room is a nice cool room with tables for four. If they aren't busy you can ask them to pour a lot of different things depending on your tastes. Our very small tour group happened to include a buyer on a trip to CA so they broke out the very best stuff that isn't even available for sale.
Because the road going in is very narrow, they are not zoned to have an open tasting room, so it is technically "by appointment". Well worth calling ahead and making the trip.
Their website has a calendar of interesting events including a stargazing dinner, petanque tournaments (like bocce), jazz bands, and other fun events. Include it in your tour!
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Wines are very mediocre and their high-end cab was especially disappointing. Very surprised at how under-whelming this place was given the families and amount of money involved in this place. The view was great and the grounds are pretty nice, but the wines were overpriced and the people were quite rude. The tour was nice, but they should definitely give each person a taste at the beginning of it. It's ridiculous to go on a winery/vineyard tour for an hour with nothing in your hand. Particularly since it wasn't free...I cannot possibly recommend this place to anyone. There are much better wineries, wine and tours to do, even in Dry Creek.
Deux Terres was good. Nice outdoor seating area
Michel-Schlumberger is my favorite winery in Sonoma County to bring out of town guests to. Not only is the winery one of the most gorgeous places in Healdsburg, the staff is some of the most knowledgeable, friendly and entertaining tasting room employees I have encountered. An added bonus, the wine is amazing. They specialize in Bordeaux blends and happen to be the only winery in Dry Creek Valley that makes a pinot noir from this appellation and it is one my personal favorites.
It is a great place to get lost in the view for hours, have a picnic and even take one of their tours to see the gorgeous views and sheep grazing in the vineyards. This winery is one I recommend to anyone thinking about coming out to Sonoma County, you will not be disappointed.
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Yet another stop on our barrel tasting tour. I enjoyed tasting their futures in their barrel room (which is not a cave as we had been told), but it could have been brighter (the candles set up were pretty, but I saw a giant fire hazzard). The staff was really nice and knew the wines very well (which is not always true during barrel tasting).
I would also beware of their "sale wines" we tasted a few and it was pretty clear why they didn't sell. But, I'm not sure if that is a regulat event or just for barrel tasting.
The best aspect is their beautiful lawn area and the grounds in general. It was a popular lunch spot. They could use more tables around there, but it was still nice to sit and enjoy the view.
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I really enjoyed this stop on our barrel tasting tour of Dry Creek Valley. I appreciated getting to taste their futures in their barrel room, but think it could have been a bit brighter (windows work better than candles). The staff pouring tastes were really nice, and gave us great information.
I didn't buy any wines, but they were having a great sale on some of their overstocked wines (read: the stuff that didn't sell so well) and many people were taking advantage of that. Not sure if it's a regular thing though.
After tasting, we enjoyed lunch on their beautiful lawn. Seemed to be a popular lunch spot, so I'd recommend they get some more tables. Also, the fountain area (pictured in profile) was very serene, I would have liked to enjoy a glass of wine looking out over it.
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Not sure which way to go. My wife thinks the tasting room guy was passionate and knowledgeable. I though he was more verging on arrogant and pretentious. As always, she wins.
Good Bordeaux style Cabernets which can age and improve over many years. As maybe I'm an Alsatian whine snob, their Alsatian style Riesling was da bomb.
Other wines were good, but maybe not beaconing for us to part with $45+. Grounds were very nice: a mission style hacienda. They seat you at separate tables instead of forcing everyone to jockey for position in front of the bar.
Another has commented that they are by appointment only. The winery map give away around town said open everyday.
By the by, the are related to those Schlumbergers, the energy services company.
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A good friend took me to MS during Barrel Tasting this year and it was FANTASTIC. (So much so, we went two days in a row!) The staff on-site was very friendly and of course, knowledgeable. Even the president, Judd Wallenbrock, was on hand to give us a tour and all the great tastings you'd expect from a winery of that caliber. (Their Deux Terres was my favorite wine of the day!! A must-taste for any wine lover/connoisseur.) Above all, the ground on which this winery sits are extraordinary...beautiful views, architecture, and landscaping. A perfect place for a picnic and a glass of vino. I'd recommend this winery to anyone, and trust me, it will be the first of many visits!
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One of the coolest things about this place is that it's by appointment only. That may seem kind of elitist, but rolling up to the gate, having to ring the call button for them to let you in - well, it makes you feel like you are in on some sort of secret. Since we were only in the wine country for a couple days, up from SoCal, we decided to forgo just a regular tasting and go with the Friday Tasting, pairing their wines with local cheeses.
Once through the gate, we were greeted at the door by own host (who's name, I sadly can't remember, I think it was Joe, but ...) We seated in a nice dining room, next to a courtyard with a fountain, the only two doing the Friday Tasting. "Joe" took us through 4 pairing of Michel-Schlumberger (pronounce like French, not German) Wine with local cheese. It was a relaxed tasting, with long discussions about the cheeses, the wines, the wine making techniques and the history of the vineyard. It was an excellent cap to our Dry Creek weekend. We found the cheeses to be excellent and the wines to be well paired and good, though none stood out as outstanding. If and when we return to Dry Creek, I think Michel-Schlumberger will be on the list again.
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The grounds are beautiful and the staff is incredibly nice. I highly recommend making an appointment and strolling the grounds. You taste in the cute little kitchen of the house - it is very provincial. The wine is quite lovely as well.
This place is one of my favorites in Dry Creek along with A.Rafinelli.
Mind you, you need an appointment for both of these places but you can usually call from your cell when you drive up.
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We visited 7 wineries in the area, mostly Yelp suggestions, and liked this one the most. Most importantly, the wines were consistently good. We had 10 tastes and liked 9 of them, and the pourer was not even enthusiastic about the 10th, the 2002 Pinot Noir. Typically, I find organic wine to be poor value but not the case here. The Pinot Blanc was refreshing on a hot summer day, the Chardonnay unlike most in the area (not so oaky), the Cab bursting in my mouth with wonderful flavor, and so many other nice tastes. They had a great sale on some inventory they were dumping and it was to our great benefit that we got a case of the Nez D'Or for $100. Unreal. The pourers were friendly and knowledgeable, letting us taste just about anything we wanted. Did not charge an annoying fee like so many other wineries do even if you buy their wine. The setting, outside on the patio, was a great way to spend a couple hours to relax and enjoy the way one should while wine tasting without having to compete for counter space.
What a delight! I have been to Schlumberger once or twice in the past, and always admired the facility itself.
This past year, I have had the opportunity to really get to know the wines and the winery staff, and I have to say that this is now a must stop location every time I am in Dry Creek.
The wines are mainly Bordeaux, but they also produce Rhone varietals. One thing that is really impressive is that they actually produce a stellar Dry Creek Pinot Noir, due to the microclimate in thier location.
The best part about Michel-Schlumberger is that they are only open to the public on special event days. The rest of the year, they are appointment only, which means that you will basically have the place to your self.
Check it out the next time you are in Dry Creek! YUM!
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Grand home that resembles an early California mission (with belfry) turned into a winery. One of the best tours you will see in wine country as they cover all aspects of the wine making process.
Tours are at 11 and 2. Beautiful home and grounds. entry with large pond and fountain. This was the summer home of the founder. He is from Sweden, and buddies with Tom Jordan (of Jordan winery fame).
The cabs here are some of the best in both Napa and Sonoma valleys. Great complexity, with rich and robust taste, and long finish. Simply wonderful.
A great stop in Dry Creek Valley
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This is my default winery to take any guests in town to visit wine country. I'm a wine bench member, and proud of it. Fred Payne the winemaker is really quite cool--brutha engineer, he was a ChemE. And he definitely knows what he's doing.
The estate is like my dream house--beautiful house with courtyard. You have to make appts ahead of time, I think the tours/tastings are at 11 and 2. Very intimate tour, and well, the wine's are very well crafted in general. They take you around the beautiful estate, to see the view, and they tell you about their sustainable farming practices, importing hawks and owls, bluebirds, and good bugs. If you're lucky in the wintertime, you can see the "lawn mowers" at work--little babydoll sheep that they lease, along with a great little sheepdog. If you're lucky, Jerry, the Sales/Marketing VP will lead you on the tour. He's quite a character, so chat him up!
Their cab is a thing of beauty. It was the first red that I actually liked, when I was acquiring my tastes for wine. And you know what they say about first loves... ;) To this day, my wine rack is mostly stocked with Michel cabs.
Go. Drink the wine. Love it. :)
If it's available, ask to try their olive oil. It's got some serious kick to it, and is quite tasty in its own right. I always use it for special occasion dishes that need a little bit of olive oil drizzled on top.
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Just awesome.
I had never been to Sonoma's wine country before so I surrendered my agenda to Nish "SF party boy" N and Michael "T-shirt Guy" E and I was very happy I did. Nish suggested we try this place out as it was barrel tasting season and hey, I love barrels. What are the odds?!
Anyway, we cruised in and were immediately greeted by a very sweet hostess who got us all set up. From there we walked into the place and found two chaps offering up tastings of next year's goods. And good it was, along with informative and if that wasn't enough, one of them played guitar, so really could it have been any better?
Once into the really cool tasting room we met Jerry Craven. He's the VP of Wine Relations and he is one cool dude! He walked us through the different varietals and offered us really tasty cheeses and breads to pair with the grapetastic goodness. After our official tasting ended, we had a really awesome chat with Jerry and the personality that he paired with this wine tasting experience will have me coming back without question.
Great wine, beautiful facility and damn cool people! :)
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Wow, this winery is amazing. I had never heard of it until my husband took me up there for a weekend away. We had a 2pm appointment to tour the winery. It was gorgeous rolling hills and with a pond in the middle. The winery is very sustainable and organic, their process was amazing. Our tour guide Tracy was awesome. She explained everything to us and answered our rookie questions without making us feel dumb.
After the tour we did the tasting and wow the wines were excellent. It was an ideal afternoon on the back patio in the sunshine. The wines were so good that we ended up joining the wine club. Can't wait to go back to this gem of a winery and pick up our wine.
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If you want an actual tour of a working winery and not just a tasting room stop, go here. You really get to check out how the wine is made. If you are extra lucky and take a tour with Jacques, the owner, you can really nerd out on the sciency stuff.
Tours are at 11 and 2pm, they ask that you make appts but you can usually do it at the gate. The wine bench club is super too. I look forward to those letters from Jerry.
To be honest, much like Gabe S I do have personal ties to this spot but even if I didn't I would still go and I would still drink the wine.
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The vineyards are beautiful and it's WONDERFUL that they encourage you to walk around through them. On the other hand, the wine is really second rate and over-priced.
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Some of my favorite wine, in Sonoma or otherwise. You need to make an appointment, but it's worth it. We actually were up for a barrel tasting, but the bottle tasting we did afterwards was equally rewarding.
The staff is friendly and generous in their pours, and very ready to offer up suggestions on other wineries to visit.
You can book private events here (did that once for a lunch for about 30 people one Saturday), and I'd sign up for their mailing list, since they have some fun events over the year.
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One of my favorite wineries in Healdsburg. My mom is a wine club member and has taken us to many events, tours and tastings. Everyone who works there is super nice and very welcoming.
The Friday night music nights are fabulous - bring some cheese and crackers, friends or a loved one, and listen to some great tunes in the courtyard, wine in hand.
If you are a wine club member, you have access to private tasting for friends and family. Sit out back on the deck, sip your wine, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Upon my request, Vine Rover Tour secured an 11am private tour with Schlumberger's VP of Wine Relations, Jerry.
We loved the mission style estate, which once served as Schlumberger's home, but now houses the winemaking facilities.
Jerry was very charming as he took us up the hill and rolling vineyards of cabernet grapes. We asked many questions which he answered in-depth and you could tell he was enthused. The view from the top of our small hike was spectacular. Sonoma County is gorgeous in the fall -- you can see gold, orange and greenery stretching for miles. Jerry pointed out the different appalachia, such as St. Helena Mtn. and Alexander Valley. He took us back down to the Schlumberger house so that we could see the wine tanks and white French oak barrels. He explained to us in detail the process for both making the wine as well as storing it in barrels.
We returned to the Schlumberger kitchen to do some wine tasting. The Chardonnay and Syrah were excellent, and we bought quite a few bottles. A family of 6 joined us for the tasting only. We were secretly delighted we had gotten the personal tour with Jerry, as a wine tasting alone simply doesn't give you the perspective you get on the tour. We definitely appreciated the wine much more!
The olive is very peppery, so watch out -- don't let it hit the back of your throat first. Otherwise, it's very tasty and different.
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The word that comes to mind upon first reviewing this winery is scenic. The winery greets you with a wonderful fountain and courtyard that would be perfect for a small wedding or event. We were welcomed quickly and the interior of the tasting room was very comfortable and there was no bar. Instead, we are able to relax and sit down and actually enjoy the tasting. We tasted four wines and I enjoyed all three. I purchased my favorite and could not have been more pleased with the experience. We were also able to take some great photos of the area and I posted one in the photo section. I would most definitely go back!
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This winery was highly recommended to me by a friend. I called ahead and booked a tasting. The process was easy. The staff was very courteous & accommodative. The tour was pleasant and informative. These people take their wines and grounds very seriously.
One star deducted because I didn't like any of the wines they poured. The Cab Sauv tasted like it had been recently bottled. The whites were enjoyable but didn't match my expectations at that price point.
A beautiful spot! I love the mission style home. I had never heard of Michel-Schlumberger (amazingly enough - I love spending time up in the Russian RIver/Dry Creek area wine tasting) but found they do a wine and cheese pairing on the weekends. Had my girls visiting from back east and wanted to show them how to wine tasting right.
The winery already had an event going on - Bastille Day Brunch, so we were the only ones for the pairing. What a great way to learn about wine and food (well, cheese) pairing - delicious wines and local artisan cheeses. Our host, Tom, informed us that Doralice at The Cheese Shop in Healdsburg picks and supplies the cheese.
Kudos to both The Cheese Shop and Michel-Schlumberger for making us very happy. Now I have a few bottles of their wine and a good idea of what type of cheese to eat with it!
Looks like I will need to head back again soon for the tour.
Unlike most vineyards, Michel-Schlumberger actually goes to the effort of teaching you about their wine, their vineyard and their process. It definitely shows that the owners love wine and to share their passion with others. The tour takes about an hour, and unfortunately the day we visited it was 106 degrees and we all (voluntarily) decided to skip the trek to the top of the hill and walk through the vineyards.
The winery produces a variety of different wines for the Dry Creek Valley, my favorite was their 2002 Merlot. It had a strong smoky flavor and made the trek safely home to Chicago. The setting is beautiful, the staff is pleasant, friendly and knowledgeable and the best vineyard to visit in the Healdsburg area.
They do private tours at 11 & 2 p.m., and you must call and make an appointment.
Beautiful winery. The wines were nice but not memorable, good but not great. Nothing stood out for me enough to want to retry. On the other hand, I drank no bad wine.
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After a very uneventful day of wine tasting in Sonoma, Michel-Schlumberger Winery was our last stop. Boy, am I glad we stopped! We had an appointment for the $25 library Cab reserve tasting and it was worth every penny. We started off a bit rough, as their computers were down and they were not set up for us. No worries, they poured us a nice glass of the 2002 reserve and proceeded to set up. The women who served us was very friendly and generous and we ended up buying 6 bottles. If they were located a bit closer, I would have joined the wine club. Great selection of older bottles and a beautiful property. I highly recommend a tasting here!
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Going on my winery to-do list.
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One of the few pinot noir producers in Dry Creek. Drank a bottle of the 2005 today and it was awesome. This winery has a reputation of being snooty, kinda like Bella, but the wine's pretty good. It's not really my style though, not bold enough, more delicate and sophisticated... except for the pinot. It's pretty huge.
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Don't be fooled by the coincidental similarities amongst our names. This place is graced with spectacular wines (best left in the bottle for 7-10 years to allow them to gain proper civility) and a charming setting. Tours are frequently led by a charming older gentleman who claims some sort of paternalistic affilitation to me, and his dog, who likes everyone willing to pay her any mind.
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I recently joined the wine club at Michel Schlumberger. Their wines are wonderful, their process truly amazing, the grounds are gorgeous, and the tours (by appointment) are the most amazing tours I have been on anywhere...anywhere...not just of a vineyard...anywhere. Book a tour and you'll see what I mean.
My boyfriend has his work holiday party there last year and it was unbelievable. The room we had it in was totally magical (cheesy word, I know). The food was great and the wine was obviously phenominal. Definitely a great venue for a private party or a wedding!
Simply Superb!!! On all levels. Gorgeous setting, personal attention, great winery tour and (yet of course) most important wine to die for. Need I say more? Are you booking your trip to Healdsburg as you read this? While you are at it stay at the Grape Leaf Inn.
Excellent wines made in a traditional "food friendly" style and capable of aging. Hospitality is graceous and friendly. Beautiful grounds. Don't miss this winery.
This place offers some great unique options for experiencing wines and the winery 'experience' in sonoma county. The tours include walking through vineyards (on foot), hearing about the appellation of Dry Creek Valley and the uniqueness of this particular winery in this Valley, and a tasting of great wines in or outdoors depending on when you stop in. everything on the list is between $20-$40 (I'm confused about the last post......)except one super-reserve I saw . I agree about their Alsatian style Pinot blanc (they do not make a reisling but I wish they did......) which is wonderfully crisp, clean, and refreshing. For the style of winemaking, size of the winery and the amount of barrel aging this place is amazingly well priced. they also have very cool events........ I'm heading to their Fete de la Musique this Saturday night
not my favorite wines, but they have a beautiful setting and a damn tasty 04 merlot
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this place is really nice, and we did the tasting in a dining room-like setting. the host stayed w/ us the whole time and explained all the wines in great detail. i didn't end up buying anything, but my friend got a bottle of cab.
