Conn Creek on Silverado Trail – Bordeaux Style Wines
Conn Creek on Silverado Trail is located in the Rutherford AVA area of the Napa Valley. We stopped in at Conn Creek this past Sunday to have a look around and do some wine tasting. A regular wine tasting is $20 for whatever is on the menu that day. We tasted five wines. The Conn Creek Chardonnay was very different, with a great deal of floral character mixed in with some oak. The main emphasis at Conn Creek is on Bordeaux-style wines and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Anthology is their flagship wine, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. It is a very lovely and complex wine, and the price is $55. The star of the day was the Conn Creek Napa Valley 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. This was our favorite wine of the tasting. It sells out of the Conn Creek Winery tasting room for $35. However, I have seen this wine at Trader Joe’s and other wine retailers for $19.99. That is quite a bargain for an excellent tasting Napa Valley Cabernet. One of the interesting activities that Conn Creek Winery has for their guests is a barrel blending event. A reservation is required and the cost is $90 per person for the two-hour event. It is an educational activity and it culminates with participants creating their own Bordeaux blend of wine. They bottle the wine and label it, then take it home to share with family and friends. Conn Creek is open daily from 10:30 to 4:30. Conn Creek is a one of the many wineries owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Just down the road, south of Conn Creek, is Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, also owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Other nearby wineries that are fun visits can be found on our Silverado Trail Wine Route.