Hendry Winery | Chateau Montelena | Winery Tours

It is harvest time in the wine country and this is definitely the most exciting time to visit a winery and take a tour. We have booked two tours. On Thursday, we will visit with George Hendry of Hendry wines, and on Friday we have reserved a spot on the morning tour at Chateau Montelena.

Hendry Winery Tour

We meet George Hendry at 10:00 am and begin a two-hour tour of the vineyards and winemaking facility. George has managed these vineyards and directed the winemaking here for the past 40 years. Throughout the tour we are impressed by his attention to detail and his love of making fine wines.

For the first hour we are in the vineyard where George first explains how they graft varietals onto the rootstock. We get a quick but thorough explanation of why and how this is done, and we are able to see some examples of recently-grafted vines.

At the Petit Verdot vineyard, we get a lesson on how harvest time is determined. We are surprised that not all is scientific when it comes to determining when the grapes should be picked. George tastes the grapes and chews the seeds and declares these grapes have about another month or so before they are ready.

We peruse the various vineyards and George explains how over the past 40 years he has divided up his vineyards into various blocks. Each block has a different soil or climate factor that makes it conducive to growing particular varietals. He knows his vineyards so well that over the years some of the blocks have changed to triangles, trapezoids, and other shapes to get the best growing conditions for each varietal.

We move to the winery facilities where we are lucky to see winemaking in various stages. We see a whole cluster press crushing Pinot Gris grapes and the juice subsequently dropped to a fermenting tank below. At the fermenting tanks, we see Pinot Noir grapes fermenting. At this stage the grape leaves and seeds have risen to the top of the tank. George shows us the machine that is used to punch down the lees back into the fermenting tank.

Now it is time to sit down and taste the Hendry wines. The first flight is a comparison of the three Chardonnays. The first Chardonnay has been aged in stainless steel tanks. There is no oak to this wine, just the pure fruit flavors of the Chardonnay grape. It’s a soft and refreshing wine. The next two Chardonnays are from different blocks and aged in French oak barrels. The Hendry Chardonnays do not undergo a secondary fermentation, or which is called malolactic fermentation. As a result, these two Hendry wines are fruity, with just a hint of oak. They are medium bodied and will complement many types of food.

Our next flight compares three Zinfandel wines, one a Primitivo that is an Italian grape but has the same origin as the Zinfandel grape. We also taste and compare with the Primitivo, Zinfandels from a Block 7 and Block 28. We vote for the Block 7. All are delicious and fruity.

If you are interested in tasting or scheduling one of these very educational tours, contact the Hendry Winery to set up an appointment. Hendry does not have tasting room hours nor scheduled tours.

Chateau Montelena Winery Tour

The next morning we have booked a two-hour tour and wine tasting at the beautiful and historic Chateau Montelena. There is a fee of $25 per person for the tour and the tasting of seven wines. This includes a comparison of the 1998 and 2000 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignons.

The tour begins in a beautiful dining area off the main tasting room. Here, we start the tour with a taste of the Montelena Riesling. It’s very refreshing and crisp. This wine is made in small amounts and is available only at the winery. Following this refreshing experience, we walk out to the vineyards to look at Vineyard Block A. This is where the Montelena Estate Cabernet grapes are grown. Our tour guide explains the unique climate soil characteristics of this vineyard. It is located at the very northern end of the Napa Valley where the two mountain ranges meet. This is the hottest climate in the Napa Valley. The soil here is very distinctive. It consists of three different soil types, each adding a component to the complex structure of these grapes. This vineyard of Cabernet grapes is thinned so that the yield is a paltry 1.5 tons of grapes per acre. Fewer grapes on the vine mean more intense flavors in the remaining grapes.

We are fortunate that the winery has harvested Chardonnay grapes that day in the early hours of the morning. The grapes are now being sent to the whole cluster grape press. This machine rotates the grapes so that they gently crush themselves and the juice runs into a bin. This is called “free run” juices. It is only these juices that are used in the making of the Montelena Chardonnays.

The tour takes us back through the barrel aging room and up to a special tasting room. Here we taste Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and three Cabernets. The special treat of this tasting is comparing a 1998 Estate Cabernet to a 2000 Estate Cabernet. The 1998 is, as expected, more aromatic and richer in flavors. A great wine, as are all the Montelena wines.

To reserve an appointment for a tour, contact Chateau Montelena.

Lunch and Dinner Recommendations

We highly recommend the two places where we stopped to have our lunch and dinner on Thursday. The Bistro Don Giovanni is our choice for lunch on this very hot day. The patio is shaded and we each enjoy a delicious lunch. This is a terrific restaurant where many of locals choose to eat.

For dinner, we eat at one of our favorite restaurants in all of the wine country, the All Seasons Bistro and Wine Shop. We have never had anything but a superb meal here, and the service is always good.

For lunch the next day, we buy some deli goodies at the Palisades Market in Calistoga. This market has a great deli with all sorts of breads and other fabulous delights. It is a fun place to shop. We drive the Silverado Trail and decide to have our lunch at the Rutherford Hill Winery. Their picnic area is among olive trees with a beautiful view of the Napa Valley.