Rombauer (3.94)

http://www.rombauer.com/

Open 10:00am-5:00pm

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2011

Directions:

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Tasting:

I'd been to Rombauer many years ago and remembered them producing a couple of pretty solid wines, and so we stopped by on our most recent trip to Napa Valley to see how things currently operate. Rombauer is located on the Silverado Trail, just north of Deer Park Road. A large American flag marks the driveway, which leads visitors up a winding wooded path to the winery and tasting room.

Rombauer's tasting room is divided into four mini tasting bars, each of which can accommodate around 4 guests. On our visit, Rombauer offered two tasting options: a "Classic Flight" for $10, featuring a taste of Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel, and a "Proprietor Flight", offering tastes of five reserve wines. We decided to try the Proprietor Flight.

The first wine we tried was the 2005 Le Meilleur du Chai, which my mastery of the French language (or perhaps the tasting notes) tells me means "The Best of the Cellar". I thought this blended wine was okay, but not the best of the tasting, and certainly not the best of the cellar. We moved on to a 2004 Atlas Peak Cabernet and a 2005 Stags Leap Cabernet, both of which were good but not good enough to justify the $70 and $90 price tags. Next on the tasting sheet was the Rombauer Chardonnay. Wait a second...a Chardonnay after just tasting 2 Cabs? It wasn't a mistake, apparently. Nevertheless, I requested we sub in a taste of the 2007 Napa Cabernet from the Classic Flight, secretly hoping maybe we'd just try both. Sure enough, we had the Cab, but then our hostess suggested we try the Chardonnay since that is what Rombauer is best known for. We did, and the Chardonnay was quite good in the classic buttery Napa style. We finished the tasting with the 2009 Proprietary Zinfandel. This was the winner of the tasting, a delicious well-made fruit bomb, but at $60, I think there are comparable bottles available for a fraction of the price.

We took a quick loop through the Rombauer grounds after our tasting. Rombauer sports a metal Pegasus sculpture, at least two large ceramic cows (always a highlight for Chicagoans), as well as a series of winding paths through their forested grounds and picnic tables overlooking the valley. The grounds are really nice, and this would be a great picnic spot. As for the tasting, it was fine but generally unremarkable.

Recommended wine:The Proprietary Zinfandel was really good but not worth the price. The Chardonnay is widely distributed and not a bad option if you're in the mood for that type of wine.

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	4.00	TASTING ROOM	4.25
ATMOSPHERE	4.00	VALUE	3.50
OVERALL		3.94