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Scott Tracy

…. So the Saturday St. Supery experience is all about the special programs the team has developed at St. Supery to give guests the total “St. Supery Experience”

The most important thing you should know is that the winery recently remodeled their kitchen and added several exciting new entertaining areas so they will be able to better customize the guest experience.

Chris Parker, hospitality manager, spoke to me extensively about the various programs St. Supery offers.  For example, people who want to quickly taste their way through the Napa Valley may prefer the sunny tasting room, with its friendly servers and outdoor terrace. Others who prefer a more sophisticated and intimate tasting with top St. Supery wines may prefer the gorgeously seductive second floor. Still others would like the option to book a table for two in the middle of the vineyard. Others may want to create a dinner party and private tour and tasting with their wine loving friends.  The design of the new hospitality space and the flexibility of the St. Supery team allows you to create the experience you wish.

Today, as I was waiting to meet with Scott Tracy, I enjoyed sitting under the sun on the first floor tasting area, impressed by the way a server entertained a group of friends with his friendly banter and knowledge about the wines.

So far, so good!

Yet for a modest fee above the tasting room fee, you can choose a variety of customized experiences, some of which give you access to F. Scott Tracy, whose official title is “Guest Experience Manager” yet who is a very well educated sommelier and food/wine pairing expert who has worked with some of the best chefs in America.

For example, Scott Tracy – a very dapper dresser who also drives an incredible vintage white Mercedes – is an educator who created and leads a variety of classes for couples and groups.  Contact the winery if you can request him specifically as he is now training others in this role.

One of the first classes I take from Scott is called “Vineyard in a glass.”  No matter how many times you have been to Napa, there is always more to learn about the soil and the vines.

In this seminar, Scott pours you and your guests a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and takes you into the vineyard adjacent to the St. Supery winery to talk about the soil and the vines. What is interesting is that the information is always interesting and refreshing regardless of the level of your wine knowledge.

Another class Scott has created is a wine and cheese pairing.  This class takes place on the second floor which is elegantly decorated and quiet in comparison to the tasting room.

Cheese pairing

In this wine and cheese seminar, guests are presented with four wines and four cheeses (actually, cheese ‘presentations’) which Scott has put together based on his vast experience with wine and food.

What differentiates Scott’s view on wine and cheese pairing from others who give this sort of presentation is that his “inner chef” adds a “bridge” element to the pairing, such as quince paste on top of a certain cheese or a specific type of cracker holding the cheese.

For example, in this pairing I had a 2011 St. Supery Napa Estate Sauvignon Blanc paired with a goat cheese … specifically Laura Chenel’s Cabecou’s goat cheese (though this may be different when you arrive). I was told to taste the wine, then the cheese, then the wine again … and finally, taste the goat cheese with the thinly sliced apple that had been provided. Scott’s thought – and he’s right – was that the apple combined with the goat cheese really adds that bridge to bring out the most  from the already delicious wine.

The next pairing is the 2007 St. Supery Napa Valley Estate Malbec paired with Beemster Aged Gouda (20 months) from Holland. The “bridging elements” in this pairing were toasted almonds and a croccantini cracker.

My notes from this tasting match the memory of my palate – an INCREDIBLE St. Supery Malbec, very elegant and structured, with this magical pairing of this incredible cheese. As before, Scott asked me to taste the wine, then the cheese, then also add the almond element which provided the bridge. An excellent pairing.

The third pairing was the 2008 St. Supery Napa Valley Estate Elu {a red Bordeaux type blend) paired with Explorateur cow’s mill triple creamed cheese from France. As is the case in all of Scott’s pairings, the ‘secret’ bridge element as the dab of quince paste, which really brought this together.

The final pairing was the 2011 St. Supery Napa Valley Estate Moscato (a young white offdry wine) paired with St. Agur cow’s milk double cream blue cheese from France, dabbed with more quince paste and on a special Carr’s whole wheat cracker. Many guests have told Scott that the cracker reminds them of an English digestive biscuit .. a bit sweet to match the sweetness of the Moscato.

When you book a cheese and wine pairing class your wines and cheeses may vary in terms of the season and what is available, yet you can be sure of an incredible experience.

Another option guests can enjoy at St. Supery is what is called the “Aromatherapy with a Corkscrew” class with Scott – or another individual he may have trained.
The presentation of this class is quite intriguing.  Each student has four to five glasses if St. Supery wines in front of them, and on the side, numerous bottles containing the essence of core flavors.

The objective is, for example, a guest to taste a Sauvignon Blanc, and then identify the grapefruit, lemon, or citrus aromas from the bottled essence flavors.  This class is a fun learning experience that really helps guests learn to focus on the aromas and flavors they smell and taste in St. Supery wines. Above is a bottle of cassis, which Scott uses to showcase the cassis flavors you will find in St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc.

Guests can also arrange to book an Estate Portfolio tasting at St. Supery. In this tasting, Scott will select the best wines and offer little bites … it could be cheese or another pairing depending on the circumstance. Here is your opportunity to taste the best wines St. Supery has to offer.

I really enjoyed my time with the executives at St. Supery. It was a unique opportunity to see the entire winemaking experience from the gorgeous Dollarhide vineyard where I watched the grapes being harvested, then to the winery where I saw them crushed and tasted their fermenting juice. And finally, I saw and tasted the finished project and the many ways guests can enhance their tasting experienced through the programs St. Supery currently offers and described above, or which you can create. Visit the St. Supery website for more information.

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