Shayla B.
Yelp
A very charming estate with some fine wines to boot. Elizabeth Spencer embodies a more intimate Napa Valley wine tasting experience. Their adorable tasting room is located right off of highway 29 in the small town of Rutherford. Their indoor tasting bar is quaint and cozy with a nice display of their wine cellar. They've got a cute patio space, both covered and uncovered. Their estate appears to be small, but they actually have a large recreational area that is used for weddings and special events. The winery was recently sold to JCB, so some upgrades to the recreational space are in the works.
My friends and I enjoyed their signature wine flight and were hosted by Nate. So let me tell you... this man Nate really knows his wine! Personable, fun, knowledgeable, and talkative. These are all of the qualities that I love in a great sommelier, and Nate embodies them all! We also got to learn a little more about him personally which was nice. He was super fun to taste with, and we loved learning about the husband and wife team (Spencer and Elizabeth) who created the winery. They've been in the industry for over 20+ years, and you can definitely taste it in their wines.
I have to say, there wasn't one wine that I didn't like. All of them were drinkable, but my faves were their Sparkling Brut, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet. It's not often that I find a sparkling brut that I actually really love. Me and bubbles have a love hate relationship. Sometimes, bruts are just too bubbly or too dry for me. But this one had light bubbles and tasted kind of juicy. Not sure if that's the best descriptor for it, but I enjoyed it so much that I purchased it (I rarely buy sparkling wine to take home to drink). This is a sparkling that you could enjoy during brunch or on the patio on a warm day. Loved it.
Their Pinot Noir is a Burgundian style; luscious and fruit forward with some nice jam. This is my favorite kind of Pinot, so I knew that I would enjoy it when Nate starts to describe the tasting notes. Finally, the Cab was bad ass! Smooooth like butta! Soft tannins that change when paired with the right meats. My friend purchase this Cab and we ended up having it a few weeks later at a steakhouse in San Francisco. It went perfectly with our filet mignons. Just a beautiful cab. We also shared a delicious wine and charcuterie plate, and everything on it tasted scrumptious.
As the day went on, the tasting room got busier and service from Nate slowed down quite a bit. He did acknowledge this and apologize, and we understood that he was busy. I would suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to taste here as you can easily spend a good 2-3 hours here if you want to. We had another reservation and didn't time things right, but next time we will definitely allot for more time. All in all, we had a wonderful first visit at Elizabeth Spencer. I would highly recommend a visit if you're looking for an intimate wine tasting experience in Napa Valley.