Tour and Tasting at V Sattui

After a wonderful breakfast at the B&B, we were on our way to St Helena so Brett could go on his first winery tour.  I've been a member at Sattui for a number of years but just a few years ago, became a gold member which is a lifetime membership (buying 5 cases of wine at one time).  Doesn't seem like much now but back then, it was the most I had ever bought!  I was still a bottle or two buyer back in those days (still living in Vegas was part of it).  With the gold membership, you are entitled to private tastings if you set it up ahead of time and I wanted Chris to do our tour and Jay to do a private tasting.  There was a bit of a mix up and it didn't get scheduled but we had an awesome time anyways! 

Chris did his technical tour which I love hearing about the intricate process of making wine and then we headed down into the cellar club to not only taste all their great wines, but to sample their new White Riesling which isn't available yet!  It was made with a strain of yeast from the Mosul River area in Germany which is by the Rhine - where Brett and I just visited when I was out in Dec/January! Brett kept track of all the wine we were tasting and in what order and by the time we were done, we had sampled 19 different wines! LOL.

  YIKES!  Jay, who I love to try and visit regularly (lots of pics of him in my other wine country blogs) ran upstairs and brought us some cheeses to try with the various wines.  Brett has the list but I know we had Havarti, a wonderful Gouda, and the most incredible one was Piave Vecchio. OMG! It was like a Parmesan Reggiano and OMG....it was incredible.  The last cheese was some type of truffle type but will have to update when I get the list from Brett! LOL. 

I think Brett ended up loving all their wines just as much as I do and we talked to Chris about purchasing futures that would be available this next weekend at the Barrel Tasting party!  There is a Howell Mountain Zinfanfel that is available to Gold Members only and expected to sell out at the event.

  The price had not been released yet but we are getting a case of that as well as a case of the White Riesling when it is released.  I managed to get Brett hooked on their dessert wines which are incredible - the Angelica is like a muscat fortified with Brandy and the Madeira has Brandy as well.  Jay found a shipper box so Brett could take a bottle of each back to the NL with him but something tells me they are going to remain here with me for the time being...hee hee. 

Time flew and it was already headed past 2pm! We had been there most of the day which is what I figured would happen.  I wanted Jay to take a pic of Brett and I in the Gold room where the lights form a heart when you take a photo but figures, one of the lights was out and the heart was not visible.

  Still took a pic against the backdrop anyways!  I showed Brett around the Gold room a bit more, checking out some of the incredible old vintages in the slots.  We took a number of pictures of wines that are probably worth a lot of money and would be amazing to try. 

After playing around a bit more in the cellar club, we said our goodbyes, we headed upstairs to the main tasting room and deli where we could get his magnet! :D  After dealing with that chaos, we headed off towards Calistoga so Brett could tour the Castle where the Sattui Harvest Ball is now held.  I've managed to talk him into coming back out for that in September..formal ball which means he will be in a tux.  Hee Hee.