LOCAL Houston | The City Guide AUGUST 2015 | Page 71

Local August 2015_FINAL.qxp_002houston 7/27/15 12:19 PM Page 71

B CELLARS
Set in a beautiful new facility just outside the town of Yountville, B Cellars is an artisan producer
committed to presenting their sophisticated wines in a friendly, approachable way – so all tastings here include super-sized apps created by Chef Brian Michael Green to complement the
pours. Choose the 90-minute Oakville Trek ($55), during which you’ll tour the culinary garden,
crush pad production facility and wine caves, then enjoy a seated tasting in the cozy Hospitality
House. Or the 2-hour Chef’s Garden Pairing (starting at $125), presented in the garden or a private room, features seasonal bites paired with flagships and reserve wines. Appointments
required; www.bcellars.com.
PARTAKE BY K-J
Founded in the early-80s, family-owned Kendall-Jackson is one of the region’s most prolific and
noted winemakers (they’re credited with popularizing the California Chardonnay). To showcase some of their wines the way they should be enjoyed, the brand has opened Partake by KJ in the town of Healdsburg. Part tasting room (educational wine flights are available from 11am–
5pm), part shop (you can buy wine and related products), the storefront’s main event takes place
in the dining room, where the seasonal menus incorporate products from the Kendall-Jackson
farms and orchards, as well as local artisans and producers. Choose from an a la carte dinner
menu and by-the-glass (or bottle) wine list, or go for the guided tasting menu with chef-paired
food and wine. Prices vary; www.partakebykj.com.

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JORDAN WINERY
When Tom and Sally Jordan founded Jordan Winery in 1972, they took inspiration from the
great wine estates of France, for everything from the structure of their wines to the chateau style
of their main building. Today, their son John carries on the European vibe with a focus on elegant vintages and gracious hospitality. In place of a tasting room, the Estate Tour & Tasting moveable feast takes visitors on a guided tour to scenic parts of the estate (which is spread out over
1,200 lush acres), with tastings of current release wines, special vintages, Estate olive oil and
food pairings along the way. (Available by appointment from May–October; $120 for 3 hours.)
Jordan also hosts a number of lively pairing events throughout the year, including “Starlight
Suppers” (with four-course meals, live entertainment and expert-led stargazing), “Spring at
Jordan” (which celebrates the year’s new wine releases) and more. Even the shorter Library
Tastings ($30–$40) include gourmet bites from the in-house chef. A package including two
nights at the Hotel Healdsburg, tickets to the Estate Tour & Tasting, a four-course wine pairing dinner and more is available; see www.jordanwinery.com for more info.
HALL NAPA VALLEY
A driving force on the Napa wine scene, particularly in the area of sustainability, Hall Wines
has wineries in Rutherford and St. Helena. The latter, opened in 2014, features a stunning, stateof-the-art Visitor Center with glass-walled tasting room and museum-worthy art collection. There’s
also a demo/workshop kitchen where, one Sunday a month, noted Bay Area chefs cook up a
three-course seasonal meal to pair with new release HALL and WALT wines. The interactive,
two-hour Taste of Hall event encourages questions (both for the chefs and wine experts), and diners will take home links to recipes. Themes vary depending on the season, so you might find
tomato-focused dishes in late-summer and holiday-themed ones in the fall. $125; www.hallwines.com
ST. FRANCIS WINERY & VINEYARD
One of the places named among Northern California’s best restaurants isn’t actually a restaurant
at all. Founded over 40 years ago in the heart of Sonoma County, St. Francis is a certified sustainable, family-owned winery that produces beautiful estate and small-production artisan
wines (they farm over 400 sustainable acres in Sonoma and Russian River Valleys alone).
Guests can visit the mission-style winery to sample the goods in the Tasting Room, but the nobrainer is to reserve spots for the Wine & Food Pairing ($60), a multi-course, seated meal prepared by Executive Chef Br 典