<a href='http://bachtobacchus.blogspot.com/'>Bach to Bacchus: Schweiger Vineyards and Winery</a>

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Schweiger Vineyards and Winery

Schweiger Vineyards and Winery is another small premium Spring Mountain winery that offers some excellent wines. The first 53 acres were purchased by the Schweiger family in 1960 with an additional 8 acres added in 1961. The vineyards were planted in 1981 and the first harvest was 1984. A public tasting room was completed in 2011. The property is located at an elevation of 2,000 feet and has volcanic soils and unique microclimates. A total of 35 acres are now in production, with about 5,000 cases being produced annually.

Outside Schweiger Tasting Room

Tastings are available by appointment which can be made easily by email or telephone. A regular tasting is $20 and a tasting plus tour is $35. Wine club members receive a 20% discount with opportunities to purchase very limited release wines that are not available to the general public (such as a Petite Sirah). They are in the Napa Neighbor Program. In addition to a gorgeous view of the valley, Schweiger has a very charming winery with a lovely modern tasting room and exceptionally friendly service. You will certainly enjoy visiting them.

Schweiger Tasting Room

Our tasting began with the Schweiger 2009 Chardonnay at $30. It is aged sur lie with no malolactic conversion and 20% new French Oak. This wine has a nice nose with apple and lemon on the palate. I liked it very much. We then had the Schweiger 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon that sells for $65. It had a good nose, good fruit, mostly boysenberry and a lovely finish. Even better to my taste was the Schweiger 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon with nice fruit, mostly ripe cherry, integrated smooth tannins, a full round mouth feel and a good finish. This was $58. The Schweiger 2007 Dedication (Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec) was $85 and slightly better with some blackberry and chocolate on the palate. For the money, though, we both liked the $58 Cab and bought several bottles along with some of the Chardonnay.

Addendum 9/19/2012: We shared a bottle of the Schweiger 2009 Chardonnay. It is a good wine, but I prefer the two Cabs. I did try a bottle of the Schweiger 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and it was just as I remember it at the winery. I rather regret not purchasing a bottle of the Dedication. Both Cabs are highly recommended.

Stained Glass Window

All of four of the wines we tasted at Schweiger were quite interesting and very good. Although I have always associated Spring Mountain wineries with Cabs, I have recently been amazed at how good some of their white wines are, including Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings and Gewürztraminers. In addition to the very nice Chardonnay, Schweiger makes a Sauvignon Blanc which I really wanted to try, but they were sold out. From our discussion with the wine educator, it sounds like a Sauvignon Blanc I’d really like. Schweiger is one of those wineries we plan to return to so perhaps they will have some next time.