Established in 1972, it produces 36,000 cases of wine annually—each with its own story. So when you visit, give yourself extra time to take in your surroundings and enjoy the winery and area history as well as, of course, its wine. Open to the public daily without an appointment, a $10 tasting fee is waived with purchase; for $20 (also waived with purchase), you can take an estate tour, available on weekdays by appointment. I highly recommend this if you have the time (it takes about 90 minutes total for the tour and tasting). And for an even more complete experience, you can go for the culinary tour (available by appointment three times per week), which I’ll explain in further detail shortly.

Chalk Hill Estate encompasses 1,477 acres, 320 of which are currently planted with vineyards (with plans for a total of 350 by 2012). It has 13 different soil types and 60 distinct vineyard blocks, and none of the grapes are sold to other wineries, nor are any purchased from outside growers. EVP of Vineyard Operations Mark Lingenfelder has been there from the start, and Director of Winemaking Jordan Fiorentini has been with Chalk Hill since 2007. The estate is entirely sustainably farmed, has its own fire truck (a converted Hummer), a service and gas station for all company vehicles, 60 nesting boxes for falcons and owls, as well as hawk perches and eagles’ nests, four guest houses, its own Mission-style church (in memory of Megan, daughter of proprietor Fred Furth, a class action attorney), an Olympic-caliber equestrian center for dressage horses (other “family pets” include two Texas longhorns and six bison—oh yes and some dogs), nine irrigation lakes and wildlife including coyotes, deer, wild pigs and beyond. You get the picture: There’s a lot to see.

But the really exciting part is, the staff is determined to show you something you’ve never seen before—whatever that might be. For me, it started during the culinary tour, when gardener Brad Agerter introduced us to the intricacies of micro greens (for example, French sorrel has a lemon flavor; society garlic is a small purple flower that really tastes like garlic) and vegetables I’d never seen, such as kermit eggplant—yes, it’s small and green. Brad explained his “minimalist” farming practices (using flowers to encourage beneficial insects, using homemade pepper spray and garlic oil spray as pest deterrents) and had us taste several fresh vegetables and fruits.  

Any tour you choose starts in the tasting room (when I was there, we started with Sauvignon Blanc—crisp with a long finish due to barrel fermentation) and then includes the winery facilities (at harvest time, the workers were hand-sorting grapes), the culinary garden (only the culinary tour stops there), the vineyards (with explanations of what’s planted where and why), amazing views of the property and beyond, a visit to the ridge-top park that features an outdoor kitchen and enough space for large events, a glimpse of the equestrian center, the Furth family home and the Pavilion, which is an architectural masterpiece featuring an Olympic-sized dressage area and a two-story hospitality center that can seat up to 100 (120 with a squeeze). It has picture windows and a patio that offer panoramic views, artwork collected from around the world, a 21-foot fireplace and plush seating for entertaining—and even an African war drum.   

Those who choose a culinary tour will stop here for a sit-down wine tasting including pairings of several garden-inspired small plates prepared by Estate Executive Chef Didier Ageorges, who visibly loves his job. A native of France, he’s worked on the Mediterranean coast, French Guiana and in San Francisco at the Ritz Carlton (where he met the Furths). When we visited, Tasting Room Concierge Paul McQuaid and Estate Maitre d’ Sophie Williams hosted us with grace and expertise, including detailed descriptions of the wines and the dishes that were created to pair with them.

Our first course was a spicy Thai coconut soup, served with a 2006 North Slope Pinot Gris (floral nose, citrus, full bodied). The soup had a building heat and included day boat sea scallops, onions and kermit eggplant (which is about the size of a large cherry tomato and actually added a cooling effect).

Next was a pan seared wild Pacific blue nose sea bass, served skin-on (descaled) for a bit of crunch, accented by a caramelized sunchoke, brussels sprouts, an agro dolce sauce of pomegranate, molasses, orange juice and port, topped with fried leeks. This dish was accompanied by the estate’s flagship wine, the 2006 Estate Bottled Chardonnay (vanilla nose, orange blossom, good balance of butter/oak/acid and fruit elements, lush mouthfeel). It, like all wines the estate produces, is unfined and unfiltered.

Next was a spring lamb tagine (clay pot cooking style), spiced with cinnamon and cumin with baby eggplant, preserved lemon, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and topped with fresh cilantro. It was paired with the 2006 Estate Bottled Merlot (cedar, chocolate, ripe dark fruit), which is a wine blended with a small amount of Malbec. It brought out the smoky, earthy elements of the dish and the flavor profiles of both items were ideally matched.

After such a delightful and personal experience, it was back to the winery’s tasting room, where we ended with a taste of the Botrytised Semillon, a dessert wine that’s only been made here five times in the 20 years since it’s been growing—since it’s up to Mother Nature whether or not the right circumstances will take place to bring the natural botrytis process on in just the right way. And that, in a nutshell, summarizes the Chalk Hill experience: It’s all about quality, not quantity. The point is to enjoy yourself.

Members only

Chalk Hill has four levels of wine club membership, so there’s something for everyone. All receive complimentary tastings and regular wine shipments, with discounts ranging from 10 to 20 percent, depending on membership level. Members of the Chairman’s Club, which is the top tier, are rewarded with a “points” program. Points are redeemable for things like the culinary tour, luncheons, a stay in a guest house or dinner with the proprietor, winery principal and/or winemaker.

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