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Rutherford Hill Winery
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- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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32 reviews for Rutherford Hill Winery
I've always had first class treatment at this cozy winery what with chocolate pieces to try with the port, extra wines to try, intelligent conversation, chocolate pieces, chocolate pieces, and oh yes, chocolate pieces.
Their Scott Valley Chardonnay is the best I have always had. So good in fact that I signed up for the wine club and checked "whites only" just for that wine. It's got a very feral taste to it. Insanely. Good.
My very first visit to Rutherford Hill Winery was exactly 10 years ago when I was still way too underage to do any wine tasting (legally). Ever since then I had taken a few out of town friends here.
The winery was beautiful but as breathtaking as many others. The wine were only so so. However, I would highly recommend their tour and tasting package to any first timers. The tour was fun and educational even for people not into wine tasting.
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This review is based on their grounds, picnic area and facilities. We didn't taste the wine here since by the time we arrived here, we already did tasting at 5 wineries and the temperature had soared to 100 degrees. With that kind of heat, I didn't feel like drinking.
The drive here was nice. It's perched above Silverado Trail on a hill top. The view of Napa Valley was nice. The view of the valley was similar to Sterlings, but not quite as spectacular. The winery was filled with olive trees with several sizable picnic areas scattered through the property. A few of them were located right on the hillside. The picnic areas were rustic and not at all manicured, but the view is nice.
The tasting room was modern but very small. And it's nicely air conditioned. I will have to come back to try their wine next time.
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Medium to high end wine, beautiful property .defiantly worth a visit. Great picnic area
Had a great time at Rutherford Hill. The wines were excellent the staff friendly and knowledgeable and the tour informative and fun!
Oh yea....the chocolate covered blueberries were amazing! Very nice grounds.
This is a great first winery for someone to go to. They offer a great tour and tasting package for $20.
You get to see the barrelling process, the distilling process and a tour of the caves. The tour ends at the bar where you get tastings of their fantastic wines. I definitely suggest the tour to all wine newbies and veterans alike.
The draw at Rutherford Hill for me is the big picnic area. Since eating and drinking outdoors is restricted in Napa, it's useful to know I can setup a tasty meal in a stunning setting overlooking the valley.
I tend to like their wines. The pours were all nice and a couple were exceptional. They offer quite a few wines and tasting options in the tasting room. Our group opted for the basic level (4 tastes for $15, keep the glass). We tasted their "Peak series" of Bordeaux blends, a Merlot, 2 Cab Sauvs, a Malbec, Petite Verdot, Chardonnay, Cab Franc, and a Syrah. I'd say their bottles average about $35 each. Because it was 90+ degrees outside, we opted for a bottle of the Rose which was very nice and appropriate in the heat of the afternoon.
My main gripe was with the service. The woman who initially served us essentially abandoned us mid-flight. When I'm paying a premium for bottles and tastings I would expect that excellent service would be part of my experience. Unfortunately, as with many Napa wineries, the poor service and attitudes of the pourers often lead to an empty and heartless experience.
3.5
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Another bathroom stop... for me at least. A few of the people in our group did a few tastings and even purchased a bottle of red for our limo ride back to the city. To be honest, I should know what varietal but it was hot out and I tend to stick with chilled whites on a warm day especially while I have to hold a beverage in a moving vehicle.
Like every other winery we visited today, Rutherford Hill was having a special event for their wine club members. A little annoying since every winery, literally, had something going (a little crowded) but hey we are in a recession so I understand that they need to take care of their VIPs and entice them to come out and drink. Makes sense.
***I know you aren't "supposed" to chill reds but my "konomi" (word for preference in Japanese) for reds on a hot day = slightly chilled (though I know it may affect the actual texture and aroma of the wine that he wine maker intended). Actually some wine makers may suggest pouring wines at a slightly "different" temperature to enhance the flavor/experience of the wine and its potential.
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This place is breathtakingly beautiful...I mean the views and the winery. We went on the tour which was completely worth the $20 per person simply because of the caves! I have never seen wine caves before and it was so amazing. Also, the price for tasting alone is $20 per person so it makes perfect sense to pay $5 more and go on the 20 minute tour. The staff is so kind. We had Robert and he was simply the very best wine educator I have ever had on a trip to Napa. He gave us a taste of their Port and gave us some chocolate and it was so good. Also, he gave us the glasses we tasted from; it could have been because we bought a bottle of their sauvignon blanc, which goes exceptionally well with blue cheese.
I will be going back as soon as I can to have a picnic on their tables to enjoy their views and the wine... Fabulous!
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Ugh. Why am I always like 5 minutes too late for their stupid cave tour? I'll never get to take this tour. Bah!
I don't really care for their wine, but hey, you get to keep your wine glass after your tasting. Um, yay?
Killing time between lunch and a scheduled tasting at Honig we drove just a half mile up the hill from Auberge du Soleil to Rutherford Hill. Nice little wraparound tasting bar. Played the Honeymoon card and got free tastings. Nothing too memorable other than the rarely encountered petit verdot, and some good blends. Even walked away with free glasses with a purchase of that petit verdot.
This place is kind of expensive, but really cool. Take the tour of the wine cave if you get a chance. It's definitely one of my favorite wineries to visit when in Napa Valley.
Rutherford Hill was enjoyable for:
- The 2007 Rose, my favorite wine of my trip!
- A tour with a variety of things to see, from the refrigerator room to the caves
- Pretty picnic areas (you have to buy a bottle of wine to sit there though)
Our private tour and special tasting menu was $30 a person. Overall, this winery was pleasant and enjoyable, but not super duper either. Our group had a good time picnicking, tasting, and touring at Rutherford Hill!
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I am a marketing junkie. I believe in the power of the customer experience. Hence the 5 stars. Create a memorable customer experience, and we will become your strongest salespeople.
Rutherford was an awesome experience. So much so that we went back. See Slice in the tasting room. He was so awesome. We paid 15 dollars for 5 tastings, but ended up tasting so much more! He even gave us tastings of the Episode, which is their highest end wine that beat out the bigger wineries in blind taste tests. That ish runs at $150 a bottle and $10 a tasting. He was just awesome and also had great stories to tell, and they only got better as the drinking progressed.
The wine was flowing, we were all laughing and have a grand ol' time. When we went back we took the cave tour and then tasted again. Again, we got more than we paid for and had a great time.
My favorite was the Port which we paired with chocolate covered blueberries. Yum! I know you can all tell that I am a wine newbie, so don't hate. I embrace that fact completely.
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They have a nice tasting area outside under a canopy. Great for a nice sunny day. The two older gentleman were really nice and friendly - especially considering we were a gaggle of girls on a bachelorette weekend who already had much champagne to drink.
Because we only wanted to sample the wine so we could buy some for lunch, we wanted to share just a couple of flights between 8 girls. The servers gave us all glasses then said to just tell them what we wanted to taste instead of worrying about flights. So that part was nice. What wasn't so cool was that at the end they hadn't kept track of what they had poured so asked us how many flights we thought we had drunk. After all that pooh pahing over initially purchasing flights and just pouring us what we wanted. Not so professional.
The wine was okay. We purchased some and had dinner in the picnic area across the parking lot. They were nice and let us take all the glasses with us for lunch as long as we returned them afterwards - they didn't make a big deal about it when we asked (you're only allowed to keep 1 glass per flight).
The picnic area was nicely shaded and the picnic tables were clean. My only complaint is that they are on dusty dirt instead of grass so anything you put on the ground gets covered in brown dust.
For some reason, while we were there the bathrooms inside really stank. They even stank up the inside tasting room. But there is a "secret" bathroom outside around the corner.
Rutherford Hill has a nice picnic area that you can eat in if you buy a bottle of wine, so we did. It was a nice and relaxing area for our large group of 14 people. We also got a private tour which was great because we could all hear and see everything. Our tour guide was full of lots of interesting facts. It was also fun to go into the caves.
The wines were nice, especially the Rose and Port. I would go back again to try some of the wines on the normal tasting list.
Cost was $30 for a private tour and private tasting of 6 wines. Plus you get to keep the glass.
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we tried to take a walk around auberge du soleil but their super snotty staff forbade us access saying that we werent house guests and that dogs werent allowed anyways. so we drove up the hill and ended up at rutherfod hill winery. we didnt plan on taking the tour but the timing ended up just right so we were the only ones being lead around by roger. he was super informative. he even grows his own grapes!
we ended up joining the club. when you join the club you can get bottles mailed to you of course. you get discounts. but you also can have them reserve picnic tables for you. and since this place shares the same view as auberge, picnicing here would be great!
we did end up picnicing here and it was so nice. it wasnt too hot. i think the only thing is that its dirt so wearing sandals mean dirty feet. the girl who helped us out was very nice. she brought us water. etc. you arent allowed to drink anything except rutherford wines here.
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My husband joined their wine club the first time he visited with his friends, so I am a little biased. Essentially, for the wine club, they ship you two bottles every two months. The wine costs about $35, but the shipping is where they get you. The total cost bi-monthly is about $55. Now, we can pick up two bottles of pretty good wine for $55, but oh well.
With the wine club, you get up to four tastings/tours for FREE! As the tasting is $15 and the tour another $5, for four people, you just saved $80. Technically, with the tastings, you get five different wines, but both times I've gone, the person pouring generously let us try more (actually made us). You can do the tastings inside or outside.
The tastings all culminate with the Zinfandel port. First, they make you take a sip of the port. Then they give you these yummy chocolate covered blueberries. Then you taste the port again. The chocolate covered blueberries bring out the flavors of the port, and it becomes much more tasty. We have several bottles of the port because it is so delicious.
The wine tour is pretty standard. Once you do a couple, they all pretty much sound the same. It wasn't too short nor too long. The view of Rutherford is beautiful, though. Going into the cool wine cave is such a nice contrast from the heat. But it does smell like basement.
Another one of the nice things about Rutherford Hills is the picnic tables. You can have a nice lunch overlooking Rutherford. And, if you are a club member and call a day in advance, they'll reserve a picnic table for you. They put a nice white table cloth on it and a little sign that says reserved for... I felt so special :-)
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I was here for a private "Blend Your Own Merlot" event. Stacy, their event coordinator was awesome. Sal, her assistant was also very friendly and helpful. The event itself was a little pricey, but it was well worth it. The group had a lot of fun, learned a lot about how to taste wine, and got to bring home a custom bottle made by themselves. Site also has great picnic area for hanging out.
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These folks are a class act. We toured wine caves, and had some tasty tasty wines. We paid $20 for the tour and tastings, and got to keep our glass. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and I felt like we got our money's worth.
The tasting room is supposed to only give you 5 tastings, but no one really paid attention and everyone in our party tried everything there. The 2002 Cab was awesome, so was the Sauvignon Blanc and the Port. I don't usually buy much, but I bought all three of those.
The guide said you could use their picnic area for free if you wanted, which seems pretty cool. Great views, nice winery, lovely grounds, friendly people. I'll go back sometime for sure.
This is my first review on Yelp and am giving 5 stars. Why? Simply b/c great experience is meant to be shared!!! Rutherford Hill offers an unique "wine & tasting" tour to the CAVE for wine lovers. The tour costs $25 per person and I got to taste about 8 different types of wine (of course all in tasting portion). The wine educator Jack was very knowledgeable and fun to listen to. BTW, the winery is located in a more exclusive area which is a big PLUS to me.
dude, this lady that was pouring for us. AWESOME. i swear we had 10, 15 different wines. she seemed really nice and probably was intrigued that some scrubby looking asian dude that literally just rolled out of bed that morning could pick out subtle aromas and flavors.
bitches, i can be clazzied when needs be.
i really liked their 2002 reserve merlot... yes i drank fucking merlot. 2004 reserve merlot looks like a keeper also.
ANGELS PEAK terlato...... WOW i lub it. picked up two bottles, ones gone already.
we are degenerates, we cant keep good wines for more than a few weeks.
hopefully i can keep this angels peak for a couple years in the cellar... yeah right.
episode? oh my god, my dick gets hard just thinking about it. over priced? yeah. but hey, whats good is good.
signed up papasan for the wine club. the reds that come out of here is totally his style. membership costs nothing, the one i chose was the reds only. you get two bottle four times a year at members price, 20% off. also if you call ahead, theyll set up a white linen picnic table. membership also includes free tasting for members and friends (up to four). come on. why the hell not. im sure the pourers get some sort of spiff from signing people up to so its win win.
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Very nice time had at this winery. I know they are not the epitomy of classy wines (in fact I didn't really like any of their wine), but they have nice grounds, friendly attendants, generous tastings and a really cool tour (with about 7-8 wines included) for $20 with no reservations required. And you get to keep the wine glass. If you want amazing wine that is only sold at the vineyard, go to V. Sattui. If you want a nice tour explaining the wine making process and a look at a cool wine cave, come here.
Let me cut to the chase. This place is pretty lame.
First, they charge $15 p.p. for a very measly tasting. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but if a customer makes a trip all the way to your winery to pay to taste your product, don't you think you should give them more than a tiny sip? Boo. Also, the only wine that was memorable was the Port.
Second, the place feels like a stuffy, midwestern country club. Two older gentlemen were pouring. They offered little in the way of personality.
Third, I was carded before I was allowed to taste (further solidifying the stuffy feel). This is the only place I had been all day that carded me.
The best thing about this place is the view from the parking lot down at Napa Valley, but don't bother driving up just for that. There are plenty of other spots to get your view on.
The great thing about Rutherford is that it is very easy to get into the tour... many of the wineries we contacted were fully booked (we went during the busy labor day weekend). Just arrive a few minutes before the tour starts and you are in. It is also a great deal... $15 includes the tour, tasting of 5 wines and the wine glass souvenir.
The tour is very interesting, our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the wine making process and the caves were beautiful. It was very interesting indeed.
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The people who work there are super kind and chatty and gave us more than the 5 standard pours. The picnic area is clean and serene. We got to keep our glasses. The port was very tasty *hic.*
Unfortunately, the rest of the wines were not too interesting.
This was our second stop on our Platypus Tour. It's up on a hill thus the name and it has a breathtaking view ! it was the perfect setting for our delicious picnic lunch. We did not go on the tour but tasted a few wines in the tasting room. Very friendly staff. We also tried a sample of some nice sesame mustard and took some great photos. The view is definitely worth making a stop here.
Rutherford Hill has apparently among the most extensive wine-aging cave systems in America, which look super cool. Unfortunately, we didn't visit them. We just tasted the wines, which I do not necessarily recommend. The service was adequate and the tasting room had some paintings displayed, which was cool, but otherwise it was a little kitschy. The winery was pleasantly located atop a hill with a view, with nice picnic grounds overlooking the winery. Nowhere to buy food if you haven't brought it, though. Take a look at Rutherford Grove!
gorgeous views and great wine sounds very cliche..but i don't own a thesaurus so i'm running out of fancy words to best describe my napa experience. stunning views...there, that works!
what sets one gorgeous winery apart from another is location, location, location and rutherford hill has some primo space. you can find it off the silverado trail just above auberge du soleil.
tasting: $10 = 5 tastes + a signature glass
my favorite: ANGELS PEAK (the taster was kind enough to give us a taste of the $150/bottle 'episode'..but my novice wine-buds still preferred this one.
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UPDATE.05.21.07: went back over the weekend and love this place even more now. they re-did the tasting room a bit and now have a large marble tasting counter.
This was my second time going to Rutherford Hill and sadly I was less impressed this time.
The first time I came I thought the tour of the tunnels was amazing and very Phantom of the Opera. There are all these spooky cobweb-covered barrels and chandeliers. It was quite thrilling like being in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Sadly I was too young at the time to drink the libations Rutherford Hill had to offer.
Recently I came back to this old haunt (pun intended) and found the same tunnels with the same tour. This second time I wasn't quite impressed like I had remembered, I guess because I had seen it all before. The only thing that was different was this time I could taste their wines like a grownup.
I really enjoyed their reds, especially the two they have on their tasting menu right now, Angel's Peak and Devil's Peak (both Terlato family). We actually bought an Angel's Peak but sadly when we got home we noticed that there was something wrong with the cork (leakage). We contacted them and so far they haven't done anything for us (like a reimbursement) which makes me kind of bitter since the bottle cost so much. This is partially why I only give Rutherford Hill three stars instead of four.
All in all they are a very good winery and they have a great tour for those who have not been on it before.
ALWAYS CHECK THE CORK!!!!
Grounds are beautiful; wines are blah. Come for a picnic and skip the wines.
The chardonnay is actively bad. Sangiovese was decent. Devil's Peak (cab-franc blend) ok but not worth $50. Petit Verdot was bad--really bad.. Reserve Merlot was nice, but not worth $92. Zinfandel port was not at all good, in my opinion.
please try their Port. please please please try their Port.
