Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery

8555 Sonoma Hwy. (Hwy. 12), (800) 543-7572, (707) 833-4134. Tasting daily 10-5; tour at 11, 2. No dogs.

chateau building at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery in Kenwood, California

Tucked up against a hillside, the Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery is reached via a long and scenic vineyard-lined driveway. Though the interior of the 1920s château is not available for viewing, visitors can view sumptuous gardens featuring some unusual species and an area with redwood-tree-sheltered picnic tables and a bocce ball court is provided. Some deli items are sold in the tasting room. Though there is no basic guided tour, visitors are welcome to stroll the grounds on their own--don’t miss the signature 100-year-old Canary Island palm, or the charming walled rose garden filled with antique varieties.

garden overview at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery in Kenwood, California

picnic tables and bocce ball court at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

Canary Island palm at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

demonstration vineyard at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

Among the special experiences here is The Chef’s Table, which begins with a tour of the gardens (while enjoying the first wine) followed by a paired tasting prepared by the on-site chef. When I enjoyed this elegant experience, it began with a glass of Presecco-style Brut Cuvee. We strolled the gardens, hearing stories about the days when the chateau was a private summer home, and viewed the small demonstration vineyard. We then moved inside for a food pairing. The first course brought in by smiling chef Skyler Spitz was a clutch of crispy maitake and shitake mushrooms with a cannellini bean puree. It was paired with a crisp, minerally Durell Vineyard Chardonnay. Then came a plate with two items. A crispy, delicate version of mac and cheese paired nicely with a tasty 2015 Cinq Cepages blend of reds, and grilled beef tenderloin enhanced with a lemon yogurt sauce was paired with a unique 2016 Eighty-Five Fifty Five red blend that celebrates the winery’s 45 years of winemaking. The tasting concluded with a little round of lemon-pudding cake paired with a Late Harvest Riesling, which gets sweeter with time and ages into a honey color. A wine-themed escape room experience is also an option.