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Steltzner Vineyards
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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8 reviews for Steltzner Vineyards
This is my favorite vineyard along Silverado Trail. The people in the tasting room are great, the wines are tasty and there's a ton of history in this place that you wouldn't even know about until you start listening and asking questions. Unlike most Stags Leap vineyards, they're not pretentious or stingy when it comes to sharing their wine. Every time I've visited (4), I've had something random and fun happen that makes me want to go back.
They're basically a Red Only winery and almost everything is estate grown. I've really come to appreciate the vineyards that grow the grapes and make the wine in the same place. You really get a sense of the area this way. There's just something about estate wines that make them a little more special than the "Napa Valley" wines that many vineyards make.
Chances are if you like red wines, you'll find one that you enjoy, and if nothing else, you'll have a good time working through a very generous tasting with ample opportunities to "revisit" if you ask nicely. My personal favorite is their Malbec, but there's really not a wine on their list that I don't like. No matter how hard I try, it's pretty tough to leave there with just a bottle.
I love this place, I really do. Last Saturday was my second visit and it was great. They are a small producer so I recommend that if you like something BUY IT. Tasting fee is $10.00.
My favorites are the 2005 Pinotage and the 2005 Malbec. Both of which have found a place in my wine chiller. My mom left with a bottle of the Cabernet which was again, excellent.
The grounds are beautiful, the staff is friendly and I even bought a refrigerator magnet for my mamma to remember her visit. I am a great daughter.
$320 for 8 bottles of wine? Having excellent taste CAN be a curse.
Sitting in the bright sunlight, breathing air only barely tinted by smoke, and trading stories with the guy pouring the wine for an hour was more than worth the price.
Wine-soaked revelation: you know that phrase "wherever you go, there you are"? Not true. And not just in a hyper-technical, quantum mechanical sense. If the saying was true, I couldn't drive to Napa to escape from myself. And yet, in combination with escaping a foggy, smoky, dirty city, that was the point of my trip. [Listen, anyone who has ever spent time with me can understand the need to get away from me. So, let's have some sympathy here: I have to spend almost all my time with myself. I needed the vacation.] And I was successful: I managed to avoid myself almost the entire time.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/27/2007
Reviewing wineries presents a bit of a conundrum. On one hand, whether or not you like the wine is… Read more »
We had an excellent tour of the winery, caves, etc. by Aaron. He's VERY knowledgeable and friendly. And we ended up with wines at decent prices considering it's Stage Leap District.
I enjoyed our tasting at Steltzner but nothing jumped out at me. As with most wineries in the Stags Leap district, their cabernet sauvignon was the best.
Date: April 8, 2006
Tasting: walk-in
Tasting Fee: ??
Chardonnay was about the only bright spot here...
2004 Chardonnay
Ripe fig with mineral and star fruit. A bit sharper acid than the Reynolds Family bottling, but still enjoyable. This Chardonnay didn't see any new oak.
Worth a shot.
2005 Allison Rose
2003 Claret
Sour cherry, touch green, jalapeno...insert your own green notes here.
Not a chance.
2004 Malbec
Very floral nose with light cranberries ad cherries. Another no go.
Not a chance.
2004 Sangiovese Riserva
Floral nose again, high acid and high tone red fruit.
Not a chance.
2002 Merlot
Green, sour red fruits. Grilled asparagus. I am beginning to sense a commone theme in these reds...
Not a chance.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Bing cherries, light, no mid-palate. We are now thinking all these reds are using oak chips...
Not a chance.
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon
There is a good reason they are discounting these magnums.
Not a chance.
Steltzner is decent enough. Friendly folks, fine wine, but nothing stellar. The big drawback for me is that it tends to draw in the limo crowds and the small-ish tasting room can get packed FAST. Go early or prepare to wait.
In response to a prior comment re: appointments, the county licensing for serving alcohol is varied, and certain wineries can only serve alcohol according to the conditions of that particular type of license. The "fill out a card" or "fill out this tourist register" thing is fairly common throughout the valley because, yes...by law, you can't have "drop-in" appointments. Groth Winery is another one who does this (that's the first that comes to mind...I think Baldacci does it, too). The by-appointment thing is not to hassle you. It's a county law that attempts to restrict traffic to certain areas of the valley.
Was just there the other day and the wines were awesome! Super friendly staff and very knowledgable. Started with the Allison Rose of Syrah, for $10 a bottle this is the best Rose I've had in a long time. Almost all the wines are Estate grown and you can really see the consistency. The 06 Malbec was probably the highlight, though at $40 a bottle the Cab is the best deal in the Stags Leap District. I've been up and down the Trail for years without stopping here, it will now be a must for any future visits
