Open: Sip Shoppe Thursday-Monday, 11:00am-4:00pm; Salon Tastings by appointment
Appt required? Recommended, but not always necessary for the Sip Shoppe. Required for Salon Tastings.
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 17, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
Swanson was highly recommended to me by a former colleague who was big into Napa wine. I was skeptical of the staggering $65 tasting fee, but I was assured it was worth it. I'll put it this way -- I'm glad I didn't pay for more than myself.
With the steep tasting fee, I expected an older, refined crowd, but upon arriving I was surprised to find a table of twenty-somethings seated and ready to go. My $65 got me 5 tastes of wine paired with 5 small bites of food to accompany the tasting. With expectations through the roof, we began.
My first wine was a palate cleansing 2011 Rosato ($24). This was light, fruit-forward and refreshing on a hot May day, but nothing that drastically distinguished it from other Valley Rosatos that seem to be popping up a lot these days. We then moved on to taste #2, the 2010 Chardonnay ($45) paired with a potato chip topped with crème fraîche and sturgeon caviar. The wine was quite good and not too oakey; the food a really interesting pairing.
We moved on to reds, with the 2008 Sangiovese ($75). This was paired with a fig cake. Neither the wine nor the fig cake left me overly wowed. Next up was the 2008 Merlot ($38), a good wine at a reasonable price, paired with Gruyere cheese.
Our hostess (or "Salonniere", as Swanson insists on calling them) Lin brought out a bonus wine for us at this point. The 2009 "Instant Napa" ($60) was a blend of five different Cabernets, which I just found to be so-so. I liked it slightly better to the next wine, though, Swanson's Alexis Cabernet ($75). This wine, along with the Merlot, are both distributed, but it's unlikely you'll find me purchasing either. The Cab was paired with a Bon Bon rolled in curry powder. Lastly, Salonniere Lin poured one more bonus wine, the 2006 Petite Sirah. Even 6 years in, this was still pretty tannic with hints of cherry. Decent, but not amazing.
Our tasting concluded, Lin passed out price sheets (I had no idea how much the wines were while I tasted). For the most part, I thought the wines were reasonably priced for the quality, which made me all the more shocked that the tasting was so expensive. I left feeling like Swanson had made a significant profit off of my tasting experience, and while that's their right, I'd prefer to give my business to wineries who view their tasting rooms as breaking even marketing tools for the wine rather than one more way to make a buck. There's no way I would spend $65 to taste here again, and no way I could recommend it to anyone. If you want to drop $60 on a tasting, go to Del Dotto! You'll drink better wine, try twice as many wines, and enjoy a delicious plate of charcuterie (and bread sticks!) at the end. If you're into food pairings, Vineyard 29 (FREE) and Williamson (FREE) both come to mind. Both pair food better with their wines (quite brilliantly in the case of Vineyard 29) and neither charges a penny for the experience. And guess what? I bet they sell more wine.
Overall, Swanson was a letdown, but that's what I'm here for...to drop $65 on a so-so tasting so you don't have to! Try it if you don't believe me, but recognize there are several better uses for your hard-earned cash.
With the steep tasting fee, I expected an older, refined crowd, but upon arriving I was surprised to find a table of twenty-somethings seated and ready to go. My $65 got me 5 tastes of wine paired with 5 small bites of food to accompany the tasting. With expectations through the roof, we began.
We moved on to reds, with the 2008 Sangiovese ($75). This was paired with a fig cake. Neither the wine nor the fig cake left me overly wowed. Next up was the 2008 Merlot ($38), a good wine at a reasonable price, paired with Gruyere cheese.
Our tasting concluded, Lin passed out price sheets (I had no idea how much the wines were while I tasted). For the most part, I thought the wines were reasonably priced for the quality, which made me all the more shocked that the tasting was so expensive. I left feeling like Swanson had made a significant profit off of my tasting experience, and while that's their right, I'd prefer to give my business to wineries who view their tasting rooms as breaking even marketing tools for the wine rather than one more way to make a buck. There's no way I would spend $65 to taste here again, and no way I could recommend it to anyone. If you want to drop $60 on a tasting, go to Del Dotto! You'll drink better wine, try twice as many wines, and enjoy a delicious plate of charcuterie (and bread sticks!) at the end. If you're into food pairings, Vineyard 29 (FREE) and Williamson (FREE) both come to mind. Both pair food better with their wines (quite brilliantly in the case of Vineyard 29) and neither charges a penny for the experience. And guess what? I bet they sell more wine.
Overall, Swanson was a letdown, but that's what I'm here for...to drop $65 on a so-so tasting so you don't have to! Try it if you don't believe me, but recognize there are several better uses for your hard-earned cash.
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| The highlight of the food pairings: Caviar Potato Chip |
Recommended wine: The Chardonnay and the Merlot were both okay, but neither worth a purchase.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.50 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 3.00 |
 OVERALL | 3.94 | ||
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