Winery - 6 / Wines - 7
Range: 1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Small, intimate hillside winery. Cabernets, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah.
www.macauleyvineyard.com
In stark contrast to Opus One Winery, Macualey Vineyards welcomes guests warmly in what was once a hillside ranch house. The winey tasting room is actually part of the Hunnicutt winery property and was formerly used by Hunnicutt. To find the winery on the Sliverado Trail, you will need to watch for the Hunnicutt winery sign and driveway. Macauley had only begun operating out of this tasting room within the past two months, so they are still imparting their style on the place. Shortly after sitting down to begin my tasting, a fellow by the name of Mac sat down to join us and listen to my opinions as I tasted the wines. Mac’s last name is Macauley and he operates the winery.
The hillside house is decorated in very dark neutral colors, which not only makes the experience more intimate, it makes the hillside view out the picture window pop. Tasting takes place on a very comfortable leather sofa situated in front of a coffee table to set down your glass. Though clearly just getting started with establishing a décor for the place, the most noticeable décor are the animal trophy heads displayed on the wall, one of which is so large that it practically accompanies you at the sofa. The room is tastefully decorated in a minimal style.
If the décor is minimal, the wines are not. The tasting started off with a 2009 Chardonnay, followed by a 2009 Zinfandel, a 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from the famed Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard, and a 2009 Petite Sirah. The tasting finished with a late-harvest Botrytis Semillon. My favorite wine was the 2008 Napa Valley for its richness, terrific fruit, and good balance, although all of the wines were terrific.
Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as a 7.
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