Rombauer is so strongly associated with it’s incredibly popular Chardonnay that it’s easy to overlook that the winery’s Zinfandels are its second most popular wines. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc all are hugely popular, too, but Zin in particular has been a key player at Rombauer since the winery’s early days.
Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their family to Napa Valley in the 1970’s and started making their own Chardonnay in a custom facility in 1980. Emphasizing a house style known for opulent fruitiness that garnered wide critical praise, the Rombauers soon built their own winery, gained a huge following, and went on to become one of Napa Valley’s all-time success stories. The “Joy of wine” became an addendum to Koerner’s great aunt Irma’s cookbook, The Joy of Cooking. Not bad for a former military and commercial pilot and wine-marketing mom. Koerner and Joan have since passed but the family has built on its success – extending now into the second – and even the third generation of family members, with a stable of prime vineyards from Calistoga to St. Helena to Carneros, to the Foothills.
The original Rombauer winery is perched on a hilltop above Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail north of St. Helena. Enjoy a guided tasting of a selection of their latest wines, or relax with a glass or even share a bottle while taking in one of the great views of Napa Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains.
