Chateau St. Jean

California Wine, Sonoma Valley

About Chateau St. Jean Wines

Now considered a classic in Sonoma Valley, Chateau St. Jean Winery and Vineyards is always embarking on something new. The most recent example is its exciting and informative private tastings and wine seminars. The Terroir & History Tour is a complimentary guided tour of Chateau St. Jean’s stunning estate, where guests learn firsthand why terroir means “sense of place.” Wine education classes offer novices and aficionados alike wine appreciation techniques as well as food and wine pairing skills. For the connoisseur, the Cinq Cépages Blending Seminar tests guests on each component of Chateau St. Jean’s flagship wine. Using all five Bordeaux varietals, guests then blend and bottle their own wine to take home.

Located at the base of Sugarloaf Ridge in Sonoma Valley, Chateau St. Jean features beautiful Mediterranean-style gardens, where wine tourers leisurely stroll before heading to the new Visitor Center to taste wines and order a gourmet picnic from the Charcuterie. In the Vineyard Room, located in the historic 1920s Chateau, guests sample the highly concentrated Reserve and limited production wines of Chateau St. Jean.

Putting together the final blend for the acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages and for the Reserve wines is one of many joys of Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren. A pioneer of vineyard designated wines—numerous lots of grapes kept separate throughout the winemaking process that are bottled and labeled with the vineyard name—Chateau St. Jean has been practicing this method since the early 1970s. “Since no two vintages are alike,” says Margo, “it gives us the opportunity to carefully search for the vineyard lots that offer the biggest fruit expression and the ability to age in order to create a wine that truly captures the best of the vintage.”

A reasonably good value is the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma, which reveals aromas and flavors of cedar, roasted herbs, black cherries, and spice. Medium-bodied with deep fruit, it is meant to be consumed over the next 4-5 years - Wine Spectator

Inviting aromas of sweet pear and apple along with tropical notes and a touch of toasty vanilla mingle on the nose of this classic Sonoma County Chardonnay. Refreshing and balanced, the wine has vibrant acidity with pleasing flavors of pear, honeysuckle and roasted almonds that lead to a clean finish.