Stewart Cellars

Stewart Cellars is a small family owned and operated premium producer; they were founded in 2000 by Michael and Anne Stewart of Houston, Texas. Michael was the founder of Texas MicroSystems, Inc., a company that produced personal computers and servers for the telecommunication industry (he sold the company in 2002). He was also a founding partner of Santa Rosa based Vintage Wine Estates.

Michael and Anne discovered German wines, then Super Tuscans and before long their wine vacations were a bit closer to their Houston home…in Napa Valley. In 1999 they entered the wine business for the first time and purchased a majority interest in the Juliana Vineyard (Pope Valley – eastern Napa County); this nearly 300-acre vineyard has since been purchased by Terlato Wines. A number of varieties grow here including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and even some Grenache. This vineyard initially provided some of the grapes used for their Stewart Cabernet Sauvignon as well as continues to provide fruit to a number of a Napa Valley wineries.

Their two children James and Caroline have been an integral part of their success over the years, although James has since taken a much reduced role in the operations. James (who we originally met with) left his fast-paced life in Los Angeles creating sound tracks for film and working for reality TV and for many years was the General Manager for Stewart Cellars. His sister Caroline has made wine for a number of years and along with her husband Blair, are their current winemakers. Paul Hobbs was their original winemaker (1st vintage 2000) and later was their consulting winemaker. Paul has his own winery in Sonoma County and creates wine in Mendoza, Argentina under the Vina Cobos label. Stewart’s wines are very much hand-crafted, letting indigenous yeasts conduct the fermentation and their level of cleanliness in the winery is such that they do not need to fine or filter their wines.

In mid 2022 Stewart Cellars purchased the 51-acre Montecillo Vineyard in the Mayacamas mountain range above Sonoma Valley in neighboring Sonoma County from Kaarin Lee. The Montecillo Vineyard is located adjacent to Sugarloaf State Park in the Moon Mountain appellation, just west of Napa Valley’s Mt. Veeder appellation. This hillside site features iron rich soils and due to its elevation (around 1,700 feet) receives plenty of breezes. It is located a very short distance below the Napa County line.

Chuy Ordaz, grape grower and founder of Palo Alto Vineyard Management Company planted part of this vineyard and has long been associated with managing its vines. One block on the property contains some of the oldest vines of this variety in Sonoma County, having been planted in 1968. The site is both dry and organically farmed and is highly sought after with fruit going or having gone to both Napa and Sonoma producers including DuMol, Arnot-Roberts, Carlisle, Di Costanzo and Turley, among others.

Select Wines
Their early focus was on producing two wines each year, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and a Pinot Noir from the Russian River region in neighboring Sonoma County. The Stewart Cellars portfolio has since grown and also includes a second brand, Slingshot. The 2005 Nomad Cabernet Sauvignon was the first Reserve wine bottled under Stewart Cellars.

They currently source from several premium vineyards in Napa for their Stewart Cabernet Sauvignon including Stagecoach (high on Atlas Peak) and Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. Their contracts are long term, and they are able to source from the same vineyard blocks each year bringing a consistency of terroir into their wines which is not always the case when exclusively sourcing grapes – when vineyards and blocks within the vineyards may change.

Whites
The 2023 Stewart Cellars Oakville, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is medium gold in color; the first aromatic hit we noted was of honeycomb along with lanolin, a light petrol character, orange blossom and white nectarine and white peach. The palate offers a light tangy character with flavors of lemon curd, unripe pineapple, not fully ripe guava, lime juice, green apple and kaffir lime leaf. We always enjoy tasting mid Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc that showcases its inherent varietal characteristics of ripe grapes, rather than over ripe grapes which show a completely different expression of this variety. Finishes lively with zippy and mouth watering acidity. These grapes are harvested at 20 brix from a vineyard off of Money Road surrounded by Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. This wine doesn’t go through malolactic fermentation; it sees a small amount of battonage using a pump while aging in stainless steel.

The 2019 Stewart Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is 100% varietal and was fermented in both stainless steel tank and neutral oak barrels. The wine is pale to medium yellow in color; it is highly aromatic offering notes of white pineapple, ruby grapefruit, freshly mowed grass, and a lemon zest. Riper Sauvignon Blancs from Napa Valley often show a distinctive honeysuckle note – that nuance is here but more in the background rather than dominating the bouquet. An intensity of fruit runs the length of the palate, primarily citrus driven with flavors of mandarin and lime and some tropical notes including lychee and pineapple. Features a very pleasing finish with just the right amount of tartness with having any edgy acidity.

Reds
The 2021 Stewart Cellars Yountville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby with purplish tinges on the rim; the bouquet offers some floral influences including lilacs and lavender with fruited notes of plum, dark cherry, blackberry, and Persian mulberry, a layer of dried sage, cedar box and a tobacco spice. Mouthwatering and juicy with a cracking acidity, this wine is a refreshing take on contemporary California Cabernet Sauvignon. Elegant and pretty are not usually two adjectives we use to describe wines from Napa Valley from this variety, but perfectly describes the cadence of this wine. The palate is red fruited with flavors of currant, cherry, plum and not fully ripe boysenberry. The finish lingers savory with assorted dried herbs, a persistent dusty character and grainy tannins which outpace the fruit. This wine has loads of life ahead of it. We would love to pair this with pork shoulder and a BBQ. The idea behind this wine is to get the grapes as ripe as possible but without losing freshness.

The Tartan is a red blend in which the percentages and the varieties often change year to year. This wine is made in honor of the Stewart family’s Scottish heritage; every vintage features a different plaid tartan on the front label, from tartans actually worn by relatives in the Stewart clan. The 2019 Stewart Cellars Tartan is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 7% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot> Medium to dark purple in the glass; the bouquet is highly aromatic with more darker fruits showing than red fruits. Features a nice interplay of both ripe fruit and dessert spice notes including plum, blackberry and five-spice powder with clove being the prominent spice note. This wine also offers aromas of cedar and dark chocolate. The finish features medium bodied long-lasting earthy tannins complemented with a brightness of fruit, cedar and a darker pepper spice note.

The 2013 Stewart Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in the glass; it shows bright aromatics including floral notes (lavender), black fig and cedar box notes. The bouquet is ‘bright and ripe’ but not overly ripe. As the wine opens hints of mocha appear, but more as subtle undertones. Aromatically, this is a very appealing bouquet. The entry is rounded with a nice juiciness of fruit showing on the palate including spicy plum and blackberry. Earthy (both wood and grape tannins) with a medium bodied structure, leads to a long finish (interestingly, the tannins show more on the front and sides of the palate than on the back).

The 2005 Stewart Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal. The wine is very dark in the glass. The showy nose is deep, inviting and elegant. Certainly, it will continue to develop as it evolves but there are complexities in the bouquet right out of the bottle before this wine has even had a chance to open. Layers of spices, dried herbs, cedar, black currant, blackberry and just a touch of white pepper are on the nose. The palate is surprisingly soft upon entry. The body quickly gains in complexity from middle to the finish. It is juicy, ripe and shows red and dark fruits. This wine finishes with both intense fruit and broadly grained tannins with a pleasant lingering taste of vanilla, toasted oak and dark fruit.

Guthrie
Blair and Caroline Guthrie produce a diversity of affordable and exciting wines, bottled under Guthrie Family Wines. All their wines are made from organically farmed vineyards and are produced with no additives other than a minimal amount of sulfites. These wines are clean, bright and fresh expressions of the varieties.

The 2023 Guthrie Faux, Lodi Picpoul Blanc is pale straw in color; the highly aromatic bouquet immediately brings us to the middle of spring with its white florals including honeysuckle and star jasmine along with notes of pineapple guava, Bosc pear, pina colada, green apple skin and honey crisp apple. Its aromatics have both a sweet and lightly herbal note. Bright and balanced; we often start our descriptors with these two adjectives to quickly summarize appealing white wines like this one. On the palate there are flavors of lime and lemon juice, green apple, green pineapple, and pina colada. The lightly fleshy mouth feel offers a saline and briny character. Lively and zippy, the refreshing bright and ‘wake me up’ acidity lingers with a mouth watering sensation on the finish. Pair with shellfish please. These grapes are harvested early and fermented slow and cold to capture the inherent aromatics of this variety. Nicely done.

The 2023 Guthrie Heirloom Mendocino County Grenache is deep pink in color; the bouquet offers aromas of strawberry, toffee, watermelon hard candy and a hint of cinnamon. This wine in particular needs time for the bouquet to open. The brightly lit palate offers flavors of red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, currant and cranberry. And a subtle attribute that reminded us of Campari – probably what we are picking up on is a bitter orange peel character. Lingers with a bright red-fruited character. The tannins are felt as lightly grainy and linger with a subtle but persistent drying note. The grapes for this wine are from head-trained dry and organically farmed vines. The grapes are delivered whole-cluster into tank where they undergo full carbonic fermentation.

Slingshot
The Slingshot wines are priced extremely affordably (by Napa standards) and for the quality/price ratio are good buys. It is always hard to find a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for under $30 from an artisan producer; their Slingshot Cabernet delivers in this regard. Both the Slingshot Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from their own Juliana Vineyard. As James told us, “a great wine should go well with a great pizza”. These are the everyday wines you can drink while you are waiting for the Stewart Cellar wines to age. After spending much time and effort on deciding a name for the wine and even hiring a branding agency James happened upon one of his favorite jazz tunes called “Slingshot” on his iPod. Sometimes inspiration comes from the simplest of efforts.

The 2006 Slingshot Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby in color in the glass. The bouquet is all about the bright fruit and floral aromatics – red fruit, cranberry, raspberry and red currant show. The wine has good acidity and balance with medium to full bodied structure. The finish shows a hint of vanilla and tannins, but not in a harsh way. This wine is ready to drink now; it is your “pop the cork without reservation for the occasion” wine available at a price that won’t set you back to far.

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In late August 2016, Stewart Cellars opened a small collection of buildings focused on food and wine in the north part of Yountville (NoYo) between Ciccio Restaurant and Jessup Cellars. Three stone buildings are centered around a heritage oak tree and a courtyard. Gather Café was originally located in the space closest to Washington Street and was open for both light breakfast and lunch items. In late 2017 Southside Café opened in this space focusing on California cuisine with a Latin twist – open for breakfast and lunch. Southside Café also maintains their original location off of Old Sonoma Road in Browns Valley (city of Napa) in the Carneros Center and another space in the South Napa Century Shopping Center. All locations feature both indoor and outdoor spaces for dining. NOTE: Southside Café moved out of this location in late 2022; we keep our notes here for historical reference. By early 2023 Madeleine’s Macarons is now occupying this space.

The kitchen adjoins the café, and the exterior doors rotate on sliders to fully open creating a nice ambiance between interior and exterior – weather permitting. Note the counter – it is made from old hardware store boxes, each sized differently for a previous use of holding nails.

The Tasting Hall is furnished simply – centered around a horseshoe shaped bar. Note the metal windmill that hangs above one side of the tasting bar – it was purchased in Petaluma and was in use outdoors – you can see several bullet holes in some of the blades (in other words, this was not made special for the tasting room)!

The Nomad Heritage Library is a beautifully decorated room focusing on private “Nomad” tastings. Nomad tastings are strictly by appointment. Entering here, one feels like entering the home of a person who travels extensively and brings back mementos from his or her trips. The theme of the room is somewhat nomadic with a model ship, travelers’ trunk and other items indicating a nomadic lifestyle. Several library wines are included with a tasting here. While there are parking spots in front of the tasting room – a driveway on the north side of the property leads to a reasonably sized private parking lot in the back of the buildings.

At the time of this review, their wines are selectively distributed in 20 plus states, and you can find their wines locally at a number of fine restaurants and wine stops including ACME Wine Shop in St. Helena. For more information visit: www.stewartcellars.com or www.slingshotwines.com

Exterior

Tasting Hall

Nomad Heritage Library

Madeleine’s Macarons

Southside Café, Yountville NOTE: Southside vacated this location in late 2022.

Southside Cafe, Carneros Center, Napa NOTE: this closed in mid 2023.

Southside Cafe, South Napa Century Shopping Center This is their remaining location.