St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery in Rutherford in Napa Valley

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery’s claims to fame are its 100 percent estate-grown, certified Napa Green wines and expertise with Bordeaux varietals, particularly Sauvignon Blanc. A lesser-known yet intriguing fact is that the esteemed French luxury brand CHANEL acquired the Rutherford winery in 2015, marking St. Supéry as the fashion house’s first and only winery acquisition outside France.

This addition to CHANEL’s wine portfolio, which includes other esteemed wineries such as Château Canon, Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Berliquet, and Domaine de l’Ile, underscores the exceptional quality of St. Supéry wine and its French-approved expertise with France’s Bordeaux varietals.

Tasting Experiences

St. Supéry offers seasonal tasting experiences in addition to its standards, which cater to different wine and food preferences and tastes. The Cabernet Collection focuses on the winery’s expertise with Cabernet Sauvignon, with horizontal flights highlighting the differences in wine from vineyards on the valley floor and its 1,500-acre Dollarhide Ranch on Howell Mountain and vertical flights showing the wine’s evolution over the years.

The Five Bordeaux Varietals experience is an educational journey through the different Bordeaux varietals grown at the estate, and the White Wine Flight is a seasonal exploration of St. Supéry’s extensive Sauvignon Blanc and other white wine selections. 

The winery excels at wine and food pairings. In a tasting dubbed “From Grape to Garden,” vegetarians have a particular tasting option from the Estate Culinary Garden, focusing on a singular vegetable paired multiple ways with each wine. Additionally, the “Taste of the Estate” experience offers seasonally inspired dishes, pairing tips and more. Both tastings explore four estate wines with innovative food pairings straight from the garden. 

Historic Estate and Art Gallery

Upon entering the estate, a picturesque tree-lined entrance leads to a 19th-century historic landmark, the Atkinson House with a corkscrew sculpture, along with winery’s tasting room. St. Supéry has quite a history in Napa Valley, even before CHANEL purchased it. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places, and one of its original owners was a French winemaker, Edward St. Supéry. 

An exquisite art gallery covers the winery’s second floor, with revolving exhibitions and two permanent exhibits: Keith Blodgett’s “Coastal Access: Sightings from the Edge” and Sally Seymour’s “The Fruits of Dollarhide Ranch.” Blodgett is a fine arts photographer who presents distinctive black-and-white photographs of the Pacific and surrounding communities. Seymour is a fine arts photographer who presents dramatic color portraits of fruits harvested from the extensive orchards of Dollarhide Ranch.

Sustainability

The winery’s Dollarhide Estate property boasts over 1200 heirloom fruit trees, including peach, apricot, plum, pluot, and nectarine, and St. Supéry’s agricultural aspect underscores its dedication to sustainable farming. Under CEO Emma Swain and Australian Winemaker Michael Scholz’s stewardship, in 2024, the winery achieved Silver Level Membership status in International Wineries for Climate Action organization and, in 2018, received the California Green Medal for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Award, in addition to being certified Napa Green Vineyard and Winery in all three of the winery’s estate vineyards.

A veteran of almost 30 years at St. Supéry, Scholz has played a pivotal role in shaping the winery’s style and expertise. Upon joining, he initiated replanting of the estate vineyards, matching the terroir to the most suitable grape varieties, block by block, and primarily focusing on Bordeaux varieties. St. Supéry produces estate-grown wines, maintaining control of every aspect of the winemaking process. The choices Scholz and team have made helped shape the St. Supéry style and expertise in crafting exquisite Bordeaux varieties. 

Its glamorous luxury brand connection, sustainable practices, art gallery, and Bordeaux variety expertise are enough reasons to visit this Rutherford destination. But for Sauvignon Blanc lovers, it is a must-stop. St. Supéry has taken Sauvignon Blanc to a new level in Napa Valley. Based on Napa Valley’s annual Agricultural Crop Report listing bearing and non-bearing acres planted by variety, St. Supéry grows close to 10 percent of the region’s Sauvignon Blanc.