St. Supéry Dollarhide
St. Supéry Dollarhide ranch in the Napa Valley is among the most famous for its remarkable terroir.
Originating from the 1840s, the St. Supéry Dollarhide ranch was owned by Andrew Jackson Dollarhide.
He earned a lucrative living capturing wild horses and selling them to gold miners.More than a century later, Robert Skalli (scion of the French wine domestic and import business, Les Chais du Sud) discovered the 1,530 acre property, naturally endowed with rolling hills and lakes. Click here for the video.
Skalli made Dollarhide the centerpiece of his new St. Supéry Estate Winery.
With the Skalli capital behind the venture, 500 acres of St. Supéry Dollarhide transformed into vineyards.
Soon the St. Supéry Dollarhide ranch produced the quality fruit that made the winery famous.Today St. Supéry Dollarhide serves as a benchmark for quality grape growing in the Napa Valley.
St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyards produces essential fruit for the winery’s classic St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc, yet also the long-lived red wines, St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon and St. Supéry Merlot.
Location of St. Supéry Dollarhide
Located in the northeastern hills of Napa Valley about an hour from the St. Supéry Estate Winery, people refer to the St. Supéry Dollarhide as a valley within a valley.
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St. Supéry Dollarhide: Snapshot of a Moment In Time
Nearly a decade ago, I enjoyed the wonderful fortune to visit this iconic St. Supéry Dollarhide ranch.
(Note! You can too! Click here for the virtual experience).
I was in the Napa Valley to see historic vineyards.
St. Supéry CEO Emma Swain invited me for an “early morning” visit to the St. Supéry Dollarhide ranch.
And early morning it was.
At 4:30 am, I stood outside of my hotel, preparing for the St. Supéry Dollarhide experience.
Emma Swain’s car pulled to the front of the hotel, with the winery’s mascot dog, GG, in the back seat.
We quickly drove to Butter Cream Bakery, surprisingly active at this early hour.
Our mission was to bring 4 enormous boxes of donuts, sweet and warm from the oven, to the St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyards.
Though not yet dawn when we arrive at the ranch, the grape pickers have been working since 2am so they could harvest grapes in the cool night air.
This is one reason the St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc keeps such bright acidity.Upon our arrival, workers grab at the donuts and canine GG runs free through the St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyards.
Josh Anestey (then VP Vineyard Operations) greets me with a hearty handshake. Like his workers, he’s been up since 2am supervising the cutting of grapes – though often harvest starts at 10pm.
We walk through the St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyards.
Josh, a firm believer in sustainable farming, has worked diligently to achieve green certification (both Napa Green and California Sustainable) on every acre of St. Supéry Dollarhide and other vineyards.
“Now here’s the Sauvignon Blanc,” Josh says, taking us to another St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyard.
I taste a grape. In contrast to the fat, rich Semillon grape, the Sauvignon Blanc grape has something of a “sweet tart” taste. The acids jump out, sharp and focused.
Tasting these two famous white Bordeaux varieties side by side, the flavor profiles of these two grapes are distinct.Though I also pick grapes, the workers are far ahead of me. They need to have the designated vineyard rows picked before the first light of day.
St. Supéry Dollarhide…Later That Morning
After helping pick the St. Supéry Dollarhide Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes, Emma Swain, GG, and I jump into Josh’s battered up truck,
Our mission?
To tour the St. Supéry Dollarhide vineyards in higher elevations in the hills. These would feature the Bordeaux variety stars like St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
Once we bounce out of the truck, Josh gives me a lesson in Ampelography (the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines).
Josh is a fun teacher. He playfully turns a leaf upside down against his face to help explain why people call it “Monkey Face.”
On a more serious note, he explains that in contrast to the juicy, ripe Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small and tightly structured.
This is exactly the flavor profile that the team is looking for in the St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon grape, though picking harvest will not happen for a few more weeks.
With the door handle of the truck sticky with juice, we set off to the St. Supéry winery.
St. Supéry DollarhideToday
St. Supéry Dollarhide and the winery is now owned by Chanel, Inc.
Much has changed in the world since this initial visit, but St. Supéry Dollarhide continues to produce superior fruit.
The tasting experiences you will see below have given way to virtual experiences. These experiences allow everyone interested in St. Supéry Dollarhide to see the vineyard via video, hear about the winemaking techniques, and taste the wine via special shipped purchases as they do so.
St. Supéry Dollarhide Tasting Experiences
During my initial visit, an assortment of exciting tasting experiences were in place.
As the winery and virtual tastings change often, check the website for the latest options.
St. Supéry Dollarhide Virtual Tasting
St. Supéry Dollarhide wines are available to experience via a virtual tasting.
To relive my first genuine experience at St. Supéry Dollarhide, I selected one of the wine and food virtual experiences.
To do so, visit this page and see the program and date best suited to your needs.
Choose a date far enough in advance to order and receive the wines and (food packages) if desired.
I took part in the St. Supéry Dollarhide Virtual Tasting featuring the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and 2016 Merlot paired with an assortment of grilled vegetables and other items.
Structure of St. Supéry Dollarhide Virtual Tasting
The St. Supéry Dollarhide Virtual Tasting kicks off with CEO Emma Swain welcoming viewers with a glass of Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.In just a few minutes, they transport us viewers to the Dollarhide Vineyard, where a member of the vineyard team speaks about viticulture.
For those of us at home, we sip our St. Supéry
Sauvignon Blanc as we see the vineyard where the grapes grow.
We learn about shoot positioning and experience the shock of seeing some clusters cut. The reason is to reduce crop load, and thus, improve the fruit development and concentration of the eventual wine.
Next, viewers of the St. Supéry Tasting virtually meet Vice President Winemaking and Vineyards Michael Scholz.
Mr. Scholz holds a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and explains the winemaking process, including the fact that they aged the Sauvignon Blanc in French oak.
Soon it’s time for Chef Tod Kawachi to get into the act. Chef Tod has an extensive history at top Napa Valley restaurants, having first earned fame as the executive chef for Roy’s Kahana Bar & Grill in Maui.
St. Supéry Dollarhide Wines Paired with Food
At the time of my virtual wine and food tasting, fans could pre-order chef-chosen food packs from iGourmet.com with St. Supéry wine.
As Chef Tod cooked the food on his elaborate grill, he gave helpful hints about cooking practices, with a special accent on health.
Final Thoughts
St. Supéry ontinues to produce the best fruit in the valley for decades.
With each fresh challenge, the winery adapts.
Click here to be included in the latest experiences, virtual and otherwise, the winery has to offer.
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If you like this article you will like:
— Dominus Estate
— Chappellet Family Winery
— Hess Collection
— Frog’s Leap
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About Author Marisa D’Vari
D’Vari contributes to Forbes.com, Financial Times, World of Fine Wine, Quarterly Review of Wine, Decanter Robb Report, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, and more.
She holds the (WSET) diploma, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators … to see it all, please click on bio
