Range: 1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Tall, airy tasting room with back-lit bottle wall. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
www.etudewines.com
The first time I visited Etude Winery, they offered only a lecture-style tasting experience in a light-deprived conference room. Today, they offer a handsome, airy tasting bar with tall ceilings and big windows up high flooding the tasting room with natural light. Behind the tasting counter, wines offered for sale are neatly stacked against a backlit wall providing for a fascinating visual display.
Getting to Etude Winery involves a slight deviation off the main road. Traveling on highway 121 west from the main Napa highway south of town takes you through the Carneros district. One of the first left turns is Cuttings Wharf Road. Etude Winery is about ½ mile down Cuttings Wharf Road. There is a gated driveway that admits guests during normal business hours, after which the gate remains closed.
The wines poured included a Pinot Blanc, a Chardonnay, a number of Pinot Noirs, and a few styles of Cabernet Sauvignon. I tasted the Carneros and Heirloom Pinot Noirs, the Napa Valley Cabernet, and the St. Helena Cabernet. All of the wines feature good fruit and impeccable balance. The Heirloom is a richer style of Pinot Noir that never surrenders its elegance. This was my favorite wine of the day. On previous trips, I had the good fortune to taste the Rutherford Cabernet, which is my favorite of the wines produced at Etude.
Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 7 and the wines offered as a 8.
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