Scherrer Winery

I've had Scherrer pinot at Taste restaurant in Amador and really enjoyed it. Knowing I was going to be in the Sebastopol area, I wanted to buy some wine from Scherrer. Since Fred and Judi would not be at the winery on the day I wanted to pick up I was able to make some alternative pickup arrangements. Fred was very prompt and friendly getting back to me and I was able to collect my wine without a hitch. Looking forward to drinking it now!

For those folks like myself who did not know this winery's brilliant pinot noirs, zinfandels and chardonnays you are in for a big treat. All I can say is fantastic, with a depth, fruit and aging potential which I think is best in class. The winemaker educates you with his vast knowledge of terroir, aging and choice of the very best grapes - a key ingredient to make fine wines. The winery is nothing fancy but who cares - the art is in the wine!!

Fred Scherrer and his family produce phenomenal hand-crafted wines. This isn't a big "commercial" winery with a gaudy castle-like facade... this is just a drab building full of knowledgeable folks that know how to make the best wines in the region. We are always happy to break out our Scherrer wines for special occasions, and our friends are always happy too!

Elegant, sophisticated, refined... These are a few words that come to mind when I describe Scherrer wines.

Not usually open to the public, our weekend getaway to Sebastopol happened to correspond to their Spring Open House so I emailed and made arrangements to stop in. Tasting was set up in their facility, which is a bit hard to find if you don't know where you're going.. but we were provided a detailed map that was very helpful.

We came away with a few bottles of delicious Zin and Cab. Neither in the usual overpowering style. Such a refreshing change. The caterer who provided food for the event was also wonderful... Plenty of crostini with an array of intriguing toppings such as beef and chanterelle mushrooms or beans with romesco, ham cheese and morels, hay smoked duck and even elk tongue bourguinon.. plus cured sea trout with smoked roe and carrot on cucumbers and other lovely bites. It was a delightful experience.

Casual, welcoming, generous... family-run business... Not your over the top touristy spot. There was a real sense of sharing and kindness. We had a lovely time and will definitely return next time we're in the area.

My friend has a new house, high on a hill in Santa Rosa. He's a doctor and one of the smartest people I know. He knows a lot about everything and is now trying his hand at growing grapes. He is an utter wine snob. So, when he told me he wanted ME to plan our weekend vacation in Sonoma County, I got a little nervous. Fortunately, I had met Fred Scherrer a few years ago on another trip to the area when he was pouring his wines at Scopa restaurant. He and his wines impressed me so much, I made an appointment for a "tasting" with him (they are appt only). I was hoping he could teach my super smart friend a thing or two about growing grapes.

I put "tasting" in quotes because this was so much more. Yes we tasted TWELVE WINES over the course of two hours, but along the way, we learned so much about winemaking. From the scientific big word end, to the guts and plain know how end. My friend asked a ton of probing questions and Fred fielded them all like a pro. He knew everything about growing grapes, making wine, all the other wineries in the area, and climate, all down to the "How do you know when the grapes are ready?" His reply, "I pull some off, taste and FEEL them." No fancy lab process, no brix analysis, just years of experience and being one with the grapes. Henceforth we referred to Fred as Obie-Wine Kenobi. And my friend was Luke Winewalker. He was enthralled. When I asked what he thought of Fred he just replied, "I LOVE HIM!". Score one for me for impressing my hard to impress smartypants friend.

I guess it's a bit superfluous to say that with all that great knowledge and experience comes amazing wine. Wine that has character and layers and personality, esp when you try 5 pinots back to back and can get a feel for the region and vintage of each grape. Subtle but so delicious. We tried everything from a Chard to a rose to Pinots and Grenache, and bought several of course as you can't get them anywhere else.

In the end, I literally had to drag my friend out of there as we had a lunch reservation. Otherwise he'd still be sitting cross legged in front of Fred soaking it all in like a Grasshoppa. If you have the time....no....if FRED has the time, definitely get in to see him. He's just a nice and unassuming guy that makes amazing wine. And he's now the smartest person I know.

If you want to taste a large variety of delicious wine AND learn about every possible aspect of grape growing and winemaking be sure to take the time to set an appointment with Fred Scherrer owner and winemaker of Scherrer Winery (along with wife Judi).

What makes Fred so interesting is that his vast experience makes him the ideal person to ask about the winemaking process. You ask and Fred will take the time to give a thorough and expert answer.
Also unique is that Scherrer maks many different wine varietals. Where some wineries specialize in Pinot Noir or Chardonnay etc, Fred makes several different pinot noir, chardonnay, syrah, zinfandel, rose, cabernet sauvignon and grenache. A lot of variety and all are excellent.

Another way to sample and purchase Scherrer wines is to attend their Open House tastings which occur 3 times a year. The next Scherrer open house will be August 5, 6, and 7 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The line up includes zinfandel futures tasting, a chardonnay, two different pinot noirs, a syrah and a grenache. There will also be previously released wines available for purchase.
Your biggest problem is likely to be purchasing too much wine :)

I have been tasting wine in Sonoma for 7 years and this was a great tasting. Get the appointment. Read on if you need more convincing.

Fred Scherrer is so unassuming, he seems to sell his wine as an afterthought. You need an appointment because he likes to focus on making wine. There is no sign and you will likely get lost on your way. When you get there you will probably try a few wrong doors as you try to enter his laboratory of viticultural creation.

The lineup of wines was at least 10 pours of Pinot, Zin, Syrah, Cab, a white, and a pink. He opened some 20 year old bottles to taste, but he didn't have any to sell. Fred brought out a loaf of bread and the other people who scored the appointment and we brought out cheese, olives, nuts, and prosciutto. Bring food, because the range and complexity needs some palette adjusting. The wine is bold and usually pretty acidic with medium-high tannins.

The pinots were ridiculous: 2008 Sonoma County for $36, 2010 Green Valley Hallberg Vineyard for $75, 2003 Cabernet Alexander Valley for $75 and 2 more pinots. I bought 8 bottles, which is 6 more than I have bought anywhere else. 6 of the '08s, 1 Hallberg and 1 cab. The 08s had that 08/09 Russian River velvety fruit. The Hallberg was complex and deep. The cab was medium-bodied with a clean finish. I have not seen any 08s or 09s in the stores or online for more than two years. Oh, and he said the bottles were open since yesterday, so they will keep for 3 to 5 more years or you can rush them like lambs to slaughter.

Fred was the winemaker who put Dehlinger on the map. I mentioned his name to Tim at Portolupi and Tim raved that his family and Fred's are some of the founding growers of the Sonoma wine region. He said Fred may be the best winemaker in Sonoma. Fred's great grandparents are buried at the cemetery on Shiloh Road.

Fred does not charge a tasting fee.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"No frills."

These phrases/descriptions took upon new meaning after meeting Frank Scherrer and sampling a number of his exceptional wines. My friends and I were in utter confusion about where the winery's location even with a map when we finally noticed the beyond inconspicuous sign on the door behind old picnic chairs and machinery. Take one step in and you're greeted with oak barrels as far as the eye can see with just as many cases of wine. A quick look around will further reveal buckets strewn about at random spots to catch water dripping through cracks in the ceiling.

As for the tasting experience itself, picture Frank standing by an office desk with a crate of glasses to his right and freshly opened bottles to his left. A fellow UC Davis alumnus, he shared his intriguing story of how he originally got into winemaking and the journey he's taken to get to where he is now. He's as down to earth as can be and could not have kept it more real. Those bottles I just mentioned? He graciously opened not one, not two, but EIGHT ranging from Chardonnay to a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon without so much as a second thought. The wines were all nicely executed (some more so than others) without any misses amongst the bunch.

It was a unanimous thought that this was one of the most uniquely awesome tasting experience I've had yet and probably, ever.

Awesome! Been several times and always impressed. Only downside, unable to get tasting when Fred is making wine. But then this is a good thing as it means you get a private tasting with the wine maker. Or if you are especially lucky, his daughter.

If I could rate this place twice to give it a total of 10 stars, I would. Stellar experience with first-rate, down-to-earth, Fred Sherrer whose personality and eye for high quality show in every wine we tasted. And we tasted FIFTEEN wines. Now, I'm scared to wine taste anywhere else since he set the bar so high!

While the environment is not "Mondavi", it's definitely an unassuming, honest experience. We tasted all his wines in his warehouse, with some bottles that had been open for a few days (Sherrer's recommendation - I believe it!). We started with a few chardonnays (light, not too buttery, different), moved into zinfindels *before* pinots (weird, but makes total sense once you taste the pinots), then hit the heavy syrahs and cabs. There were more than a few '06 and '07 vintages, as well as some that did not have a label yet; one from his family vineyard, and all had that Russian River "stamp" of taste. FIFTEEN wines tasted (for free!) in total, all exquisitely executed, even if many didn't suit my exact taste. You WILL need the spill-bucket with all these tastings.

His bottles are served at Slanted Door, Out the Door, and Boulevard restaurants in SF, if you can't make the trek out to Sebastopol. It did take us a little while to actually locate the winery (we thought we were driving into someone's house)... but we made it! With two other couples, it was a lovely, 90-minute tasting that satiated my boyfriend and I for the rest of the day.

Please try out this winery. You will not regret it, and you'll have a great afternoon!