Etude Winery

Etude was founded in 1982 with the production of a single Pinot Noir by well-regarded vintner Tony Soter. Soter’s career is a compelling one spanning more than 4 decades in the wine industry. He was never formally trained as a wine maker when starting his career in the wine industry; his undergraduate degree was in Philosophy from Pomona College. He began in 1975 working in the cellar at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars merely 3 years after that iconic winery began operations and ultimately worked with some of Napa’s biggest winery names in the 1980s and 1990s including Araujo (now Eisele Vineyard) Chappellet, Dalla Valle, Shafer, Spottswood and Viader Winery among others. Tony was also a mentor to a number of prominent Napa Valley based winemakers including Greg Brown and Mia Klein.

Currently associated with both the Napa and Sonoma sides of Carneros, Tony’s first Etude wines were actually made at a winery off of Big Ranch Road in what is now the Oak Knoll District just north of the city of Napa. That winery was the home of Lewis Cellars for many years and is owned by the Corley family of Monticello Winery. The first Etude Pinot Noir in 1982 was purchased from a vineyard grown near what is now Silenus Winery (the old Koves-Newland property). And Lee Hudson’s Carneros Vineyard played a prominent role in their early Pinot Noir wines.

Tony sold Etude in 2000 and today Etude Winery is a part of Treasury Wine Estates, one of the world’s largest wine companies. Treasury is based in Melbourne, Australia with a focus on wine making and wine distribution owning wineries in select parts of the world including a number in Napa Valley – see our notes at the bottom of this review for more details.

When Tony sold, the wise decision was made to keep him on board for a period of time during the transition after the purchase of the winery; he ended up remaining in a consulting role until 2007. In the 35+ years since Etude was founded, the winery has only had two winemakers – Tony Soter and currently Jon Priest. It is remarkable the growth that this winery has experienced over the years, both in terms of production, vineyards sources, winery expansion and the number of employees – compared to the first 10+ years when only Tony and at times one or two other people were involved and they did not yet own a physical winery.

Tony founded Soter Vineyards in 1997, moved to Oregon’s Willamette Valley; he was born in Portland and his wife Michelle is from Oregon, (she died in October 2019) where he now focuses on Pinot Noir and operates a winery and a tasting room and is crafting some of the finest Pinot Noir we have tried from the state of Oregon. The Soter Winery sits on top of a hill in a scenic location on their 240-acre Mineral Springs Ranch with a small but beautiful hospitality center for guests to enjoy tastings inside during inclement weather or outside weather permitting (see our photographs of this winery at the end of this review).

Etude means “study” in French and with a direct correlation to classical music – it refers to a musical composition often created to provide a practice piece for working on a particular musical skill.

And some fascinating history: the site of Etude’s winery and hospitality center used to be the home to RMS Brandy Distillery, a joint venture between Remy-Martin and Schramsberg Vineyards that was founded in 1982. Supposedly this was the first distillery built in California since prohibition. Ultimately the venture did not work out and they closed in 2002. One of their brandy’s was judged as the best brandy in the world at the 2002 International Wine and Spirits Competition. The good news is Etude acquired their collection of brandy after they closed and as of our last visit to the winery, some of these older brandy’s are still available for sale in the tasting room. Because of permitting, guests cannot taste the brandy, but can smell them and certainly buy bottles.

The tasting room is located among several historical looking grey-stone orange tiled buildings. The Barrel Still House building was somewhat damaged in the August 2014 Napa centered earthquake; due to this earthquake, it was partially renovated and received a new roof in late 2017. This building is used for special events.

As guests enter the property, one needs to drive all the way to either the side or back of the winery to reach the visitor’s entrance to the tasting room.

Vineyards
Etude’s focus is on two types of wine, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, although they do make other varieties produced in very small quantities. In fact, they have almost 20 different Pinot Noir clones planted on site. Their vineyards are somewhat unique in the Carneros appellation. The reason being is the soils are volcanic in origin rather than the soils found in the rest of the Carneros area which are mostly clay, originally soils formed from marine sediments.

Etude has conducted extensive soils analysis on their Carneros property and planted their clones in small blocks based on the soil types. The soil types vary even by small distances so as a result they have a number of very small blocks planted to specific clones. Also of note is their bird defense program around harvest time. They use trained falconers to keep the hungry flocks of starlings away; these birds can be fairly common in parts of Napa’s Carneros region.

Grace Benoist (pronounced ben wah) Ranch, a sizable property is located on the Sonoma side of Carneros (bordering part of the famous Durrell Vineyard) and is the source for a number of Etude’s wines. During several stops at this vineyard in the spring we have seen sheep grazing among the vines. While still in Carneros the temperatures at this vineyard are heavily influenced by the coast – specifically from air blowing through the nearby Petaluma gap. Several earthquake fault lines either run through the property or nearby – including the Bennett Valley Fault (underneath their property) and the nearby Rogers Creek Fault (which actually runs through Santa Rosa) and is a likely source of the ‘next big quake’ in Sonoma County. And fortuitously named, one of their Pinot Noir’s is called the Temblor.

A small block of very unusual for Napa varieties are planted in several rows next to their primary vineyard near the parking lot on the west side of the tasting room. It is worth taking a short walk over to this section of the vineyard especially if it is late summer or into fall when the grapes are ripe. Varieties growing here include Chenin Blanc, Folle Blanche, Muscat, Palomino and Ugni Blanc. These were varieties used by RMS Brandy Distillery.

Select Wines
Whites
We don’t see much Pinot Gris growing in Napa Valley and its always a treat when we taste wines from this variety. In France the variety is referred to as Pinot Gris and in Italy as Pinot Grigio. Two men are responsible for introducing wines from this variety to the U.S. market. Often called the ‘father of Pinot Grigio” Anthony Terlato playing an important role in introducing many American consumers to this variety for the first time. Although separately, David Taub of Taub Family/Palm Bay International, arguably was also responsible heling bringing Pinot Grigio to the American market. And both of their families own wineries/brands in Napa Valley.

The 2019 Etude Pinot Gris, Carneros appellation is medium gold in color; we sampled this wine five years post vintage and the aromatics are still very much fresh and fruity. These include scents of pomelo, pineapple, guava, honeysuckle, star jasmine, mango and a vanilla/caramel character; perhaps this has become more accentuated with time in the bottle. Bright, refreshing and mouth watering across the palate, this wine delivers flavors of pineapple, pear, red apple, apricot, yellow nectarines and dried mango. It is showing in a sweet spot at this age. The flavors are complemented by a lightly viscous and slightly creamy texture. The finish is rich, engaging and continues to persist for some time. While tasting this at 545am our first thought was to pair it with a dish of spicy stir-fried Thai basil clams.

The 2015 Etude Pinot Gris simply smells inviting with aromas of honeysuckle, mandarin and citrus blossom. It is balanced on the palate with a noticeable crispness. Young and lively this wine reveals flavors of lime, grapefruit and hints of apricot. It features bright acidity and a clean finish. The grapes were sourced entirely from the Sonoma side of Carneros including from both the Grace Benoist Ranch and the well-regarded Cold Creek Vineyard.

The 2022 Etude Pinot Blanc Carneros, Grace Benoist Ranch is pale to medium yellow in color; the bouquet offers heady and fruit-forward aromas of pineapple, quince, yellow orchard fruits and yellow apples accompanied by sweet aromatic threads including caramel and vanilla. The bouquet is highly attractive. Balanced but with an intensity of flavor, the palate showcases yellow peach, apricot, pineapple, yellow nectarine, mango and ripe cantaloupe. While not a technical description, this wine falls into the category of ‘crowd pleaser’. Its easy and enjoyable to drink and from personal experience is consumed far too quickly. That’s a good thing. We would love to see this accompany a fresh garden salad sprinkled lightly with blue cheese crumble, salt and pepper and a light vinaigrette and olive oil dressing. We wish there was more Pinot Blanc produced by Napa Valley wineries.

Reds
The 2022 Etude Pinot Noir Rosé, Grace Benoist Ranch Carneros is light copper in color; the bouquet is delicately scented with notes of raspberry, white peach and watermelon. The palate is minerally, clean and bright with flavors of raspberry, kumquat, kiwi and red cherry. The mouth feel sports a light creamy or saline texture and complements the acidity nicely. Bright but not bracing acidity. The finish is refreshing finish and begs another sip. Beautifully done. This wine was aged in stainless steel for 8 months and is a blend of three clones including Martini, Pommard and Dijon 115. Pair with shellfish, perhaps oysters. We recommend taking a trip down to the nearby Cuttings Wharf and enjoying oysters by the water purchased to go from Hog Island Oysters in Oxbow Public market in downtown Napa.

The 2021 Etude Fiddlestix Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Santa Barbara is medium ruby; the bouquet is opened knitted and highly attractive featuring aromas of red cherry, dried rose petals, dark raspberry accompanied by a vanilla and assorted sweet baking spices. Gentle upon the entry and across the palate, this wine features a supple and rounded texture. It offers flavors of red cherry, red currant, raspberry and red licorice. The seamless tannins are subtly felt more on the front of the palate rather than the back. Lingers brightly with red berry fruits and a very light accompanying darker spice character. This wine was aged for 12 months in 100% French oak barrels of which 25% were new. A diverse mix of clones includes 667, 777, 113, 115 and Pommard 4 & 5.

The 2021 Etude Estate Pinot Noir, Grace Benoist Ranch Carneros is medium ruby; the bouquet offers aromas of dried cranberries, currant, pomegranate, tea leaf, white pepper and a hint of old cedar box. This is an easy drinking bottling of this variety, with more delicate flavors including red plum, red cherry and currant and cranberry. The tannins are lightly grainy. Lingers bright, with a note of dried herbs and the mouthwatering freshness of higher toned red berries. Medium acidity. Not tart. It is made from clones 667, 777, 113, 114, 115, 459, Pommard and Martini. This wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels and is nationally distributed. Over 10,000 cases were produced.

The 2019 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is 100% varietal. This wine is deep ruby; dark fruited and a bit floral, the bouquet sports scents of plum, blackberry, boysenberry, lavender, sage, violets, old cedar box and as the wine evolves, a note of dark chocolate. Fresh, lively and bright across the palate, it features flavors of dark cherry, plum, blackberry, boysenberry and mulberry. Lingers with gravely, gripping and ‘dusty coated’ tannins with a persistent drying character. We tasted this wine 5 years post vintage; it still has loads of life ahead of it with the proper cellaring. And this wine was listed as number 68 in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World list published in 2022.

The 2020 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is 100% varietal. This wine is deep ruby and nearly opaque; the bouquet is darker fruited with aromas of plum, blackberry and boysenberry, cocoa powder, milk chocolate and a light note of red chili spice. The palate is focused on its fruit and closely mirrors the bouquet with dark cherry, blackberry, dark raspberry and a note of Graham cracker. The palate shows as ripe as the bouquet. The bright finish offers a persistent dusty grip of grainy textured tannins and a note of crushed pepper. Both fruit and tannins parallel each other on the extended finish with the dryness of tannins finally pulling ahead. This wine was aged for 20 months in 100% French oak barrels of which 75% were new. It was crafted from clones 4, 6 and 7.

Etude has or currently works with some of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed vineyard sites including Morisoli in Rutherford and Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville and Meteor Vineyards in Coombsville, all for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hospitality
Walk-in guests without prior appointments can choose from two tasting flights. As of our latest visit, the Etude Tasting features current release wines including some of their much larger distributed wines and the Collector’s Flight (reservations recommended especially for busier times such as summer and fall weekends) and includes limited production wines (often just several hundred cases) usually from specific appellations. If not too crowded, outside seating is also available in the outdoor plaza which was unveiled for the first time to the general public on June 2, 2024.

During some of our visits, we have seen a number of bicycles parked in front as the Etude tasting room is on the radar of several local bike rental companies including Backroads, a tour operator based in Berkeley, California. Backroads often makes a stop here to treat their guests to lunch paired with Etude wines.

Guests can also make appointments for The Study of Pinot Noir, their popular sit down tasting and examination of this variety. This was our first introduction to Etude many years ago; we recall winemaker Jon Priest stopped in to say hello. Many wineries in Carneros produce Pinot Noir but not many go in depth with this variety like in this particular tasting.

The room where they hold this tasting has changed since our first visit; today it is held in the Heirloom Room located across from the main tasting bar and features a number of maps on the walls. Your host will discuss how terroir effects various characteristics of the wine including the aroma, taste and structure. This tasting is a unique opportunity to try Pinot Noir from a variety of regions including Carneros, Santa Barbara, Sonoma Coast and Willamette Valley. Out of our hundreds of Napa Valley winery tastings we have participated in over the years, this tasting had the most wine glasses on a single table that we had ever seen for a consumer tasting.

In early 2018, Etude rolled out the Cabernet Focus tasting – highlighting several of their Cabernet Sauvignon wines from unique sites – each wine represents a specific sub appellation within Napa Valley. This tasting is semi-private, held in their Angels’ Loft above the winery – and also includes a food pairing and a short tour of the winery.

Etude is also on the radar of Japanese visitors; an image of an older bottle of Etude wine is depicted in a popular comic styled Japanese series with 439 chapters spanning 44 volumes about wine called Kami no Shizuku or “Drops of God”. An image of Etude’s 2000 Pinot Noir is shown in one of the chapters with a mention of Tony Soter and his role in consulting for many famous Napa wineries (see our image of this page below).

And while not open to visitors, next to one section of their parking lot is the Etude Wellness Garden, with produce from its bounty donated to the Napa Food Bank.

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Treasury Wine Estates
Accordingly to a list published in 2024 by the Wine International Association, Treasury Wine Estates is currently the 3rd largest wine company on the planet. Treasury was formerly the wine division of the Australian based Foster’s Group and was founded in 2011, although its roots can be traced back to the mid 1990s when Foster’s began to build out their wine division.

Treasury Wine Estates owns or manages some 22,000+ acres of vineyards in Australia and New Zealand and throughout Treasury Americas, a division of Treasury Wine Estates, nearly 10,000 acres of vineyards in the USA, primarily in Napa Valley, Sonoma County and California’s central coast.

As of our latest update to this review they are the largest controlling entity of vineyards in Napa Valley primarily through leased land. They own several of Napa Valley’s most iconic, historical and storied producers including the following six wineries: Beaulieu Vineyard, Beringer Vineyards, Etude, Frank Family, Stags’ Leap Winery and Sterling. And of the other brands under their ownership, Penfolds in the Barossa Valley, Australia is arguably the most famous.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia the company also maintains regional offices in Napa (Treasury Americas), United Kingdom (Treasury Europe, Middle East & Africa), Singapore (South East Asia) and China (North Asia). In 2019 the company moved its headquarters to one of the uppermost floors in one of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings, the T&G Building located on Collins Street a few minutes’ walk from the Flinders Street Railway Station.

The T&G building, named after the T&G Mutual Life Assurance Society was built in 1928 and features a gorgeous atrium like setting and high-end retail shops on the ground floor as well as 10 floors of office space. This was one of Melbourne’s first large scale office buildings. Despite being one of Melbourne’s prominent and historical buildings, Treasury Wine Estates keeps a very low profile and has no signage.

In 2022 Treasury unveiled a significant winery located in the Barossa Valley with an annual capacity of producing nearly 26.5 million gallons of wine. The property and winery are located next to Wolf Blass Visitor Center in Nuriootpa (Wolf Blass is also owned by Treasury).

In 2023 Treasury purchased Paso Robles based Dao Vineyards for nearly $1 billion USD.

Solar power. Also in 2023, it was announced that every Treasury Americas winery will generate more than 50% of its electrical needs from on-site solar power. Critical to obtaining this goal, approximately 13,000 solar panels were installed as part of more than 29,000 solar modules installed at its properties across the globe. By 2024, Treasury Americas was 100% powered by renewal energy.

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Total annual production as of our last update is around 32,000 cases. For more information, to purchase wine, to schedule a tasting and or to join one of their wine clubs, visit: www.etudewines.com