Just across the street from the famous Rutherford Grill is a small winery named Elizabeth Spencer. The winery, located in Napa's Rutherford AVA, takes its name from its owners, Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham. Both Elizabeth and Spencer had worked in the wine industry before taking their love of wine to the next level by founding the winery in 1998.
When first entering the tasting room, you'll notice it is a small, historic-looking, brick building. At one time, the building was a post office. After a few other incarnations, the building became the home of Elizabeth Spencer Winery. The winery has an indoor tasting bar and retail area but also has a large, outdoor patio and a very large - and green - back yard. What a great space for an event! For the winter months, and located just outside the tasting room, is a heated tent with roughly eight tables to further enhance your tasting experience. There are bottles on display in the tasting room include sizes all the way up to a nebuchadnezzar! (WOW!)
We didn't have a reservation on the day of our visit and were pleasantly surprised at how we were spoiled by our gracious and talented host, Kathy. Kathy has a deep passion for wine and took every opportunity to go above and beyond for us.
Once we were settled in, Kathy started us with the chardonnay. We moved on to grenache, something we were excited to try as Napa is not known for grenache (the grapes are actually grown in Mendocino). This was a delicious wine with so much flavor! The wine showed notes of plum and raspberry on the palate with a delightfully light finish. After that, we moved on to the cabernet franc, the cabernet sauvignon and finished with the syrah; all were delectable.
The Elizabeth Spencer wine clubs offer discounts on all wines and access to winery-exclusive wines. Members also receive invitations to winery events and complimentary tasting for up to three guests. Another interesting benefit of the club is that once you've been a member for two years, you'll receive 50% savings on all shipping costs.
Elizabeth Spencer is a wonderful winery for tasting, relaxing with a glass, or hosting a beautiful event!
