CONN CREEK WINERY

by Danae Blythe Rubenstein
The grapes of Conn Creek Winery struggle to come to fruition.  The term “distinctive” does not do this terroir justice. The soil found in Conn Creek’s estate vineyards is one that is known to only .2% of the Napa Valley. Imbedded with rock, this resistant earth once required such extremes as dynamite to break up. The yield is imitable wine, with delicate, yet matured complexity and balance that is praised by wine magazines, judges and wine collectors vintage after vintage. 
The facilities are intimate much like the atmosphere; Conn Creek is truly nothing short of a diamond in the rough. It must be to Ann Salazar, who has managed the tasting room for 19 years and can’t seem to muster up an answer as to why she would ever leave.  The wine club is like family to her, and she’d prefer to keep it that way. With an exclusive group of one hundred and fifty in the wine club, each member has input and opinions that Conn Creek take very seriously.  Winemaker Jeff McBride has built family like relationships with his wine club, as they are the individuals who have supported him and grown with him throughout the years.  And there is no shortage of appreciation felt in return. Wine club members are VIPs, inundated with royal treatment. But you don’t have to be a VIP to get a taste the good stuff.  On any given afternoon you will find three different 2002 single- vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons poured side by side that retail for approximately $45 a bottle. Such releases are available strictly at the winery and a few exclusive restaurants. Something you’re dying to taste? Ask and you shall receive. If you’re really interested in a particular vintage or varietal, Anne and her staff will be pleased to open a bottle for tasting at your request.
Producing around 20,000 cases a year, the placement of Conn Creek’s wine is certainly an intricate process. There is however, Conn Creek wine that will never be found or sold to the public. These are the bottles that Conn Creek wine club members and select winery guests blend themselves on special occasions. They will blend, bottle and label (with crayons) their own blend from barrels of sub-appellation Napa Valley vineyards and take it home that evening, complimentary.  A benefit to a wine club that is almost as scarce today as Conn Creek’s soil. This uniqueness to Conn Creek has built a renowned reputation through out the valley, this niche boutique winery that would be a travesty to pass by.
Conn Creek Winery is open 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The winery is located at 8711 Silverado Trail in St. Helena. For more information, call (707) 963-9100 or go to the website at www.conncreek.com.

Related Information

• Conn Creek Winery