Foley-Johnson is a small family owned Estate winery located right off of Northbound St. Helena Highway in the Rutherford appellation. By small, we mean small - just a handful of employees means they all wear many hats. Foley Johnson is owned by William Foley II, who owns a number of wineries in northern and central California, including several in Napa.
Foley-Johnson doesn't sit right on Highway 29 as some of the other nearby wineries do so keep a close look out when you get close (they are the next winery south of Peju Winery). The wood surrounded tasting room is located in an old 1930's totally renovated wooden "barn" and 50 acres of estate vineyards are planted on the property which surround the barn. Sawyer concentrates their wine making efforts on merely several specific wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, a red Meritage blend and Sauvignon Blanc. For the amount of detail and wine craftsmanship that goes into their wines, the prices are really quite affordable.
We tried the 2006 Estate Sauvignon Blanc. The nose on this followed by the palate might lead you to believe you are drinking Chardonnay. Not so amigo. This is a somewhat unusual Sauvignon Blanc in the Napa Valley in that it was aged in Oak Sur Lie for 8 months, which means is has a creaminess and weight in the mid palate you don't normally find in Napa produced Sauvignon Blancs. Rather than the cut grass and herbaceous flavors you sometimes find with Sauvignon Blancs, this wine is robust with its nutty aromas, almost caramel like which turn to pineapple after the bouquet opens up. This is followed by a smooth palate of pear and apricot flavors with some very nice mineralities. The 2004 Estate Merlot is 100% varietal well balanced wine. Note the hint of oak and spices especially towards the finish. Our pick is their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 vintage. The nose hints at a fruit forward wine with elegant well integrated aromas of blackberry, and cherry with a palate that also contains hints of vanilla. The finish is smooth and long.
They also make what they call the "fun wine" in very small quantities. Its a Rose of Merlot with nice wild strawberry and raspberry flavors on a light to medium bodied palate but with a rather intense finish. This is a good pool and patio sipping wine on hot days. Note that Sawyer tends to age their wines longer than many area wineries, especially in bottle, so by the time it reaches the consumer it already has an extra year of bottle age. Not a bad thing at all! Very friendly, knowledgeable & sincere wine pourers are on site. This is a tasting room that "cares" and that is big in our books.
Be sure to also pop your head in the one of a kind bathroom as they have gone creative with corks. Judging by the names on the corks, they tend to drink a lot of wine and most of it is from Napa! Tastings are by appointment only but if you are there during a slow time you may be able to schedule something that day (the regular tasting). Sawyer also offers a unique "winemaker for the day" event in which you create your own blends and at the end of the seminar, you take home a case of your "own wine". Lunch is included after the blending. As of press time they offer three tastings, the regular tasting, tasting combined with tour, and tasting, tour and barrel sampling.
The barrel room is underground located just behind the main tasting room. Should you happen to be here during harvest you might even be put to work for a few minutes on on their sorting table, sorting jacks (grape stems) and other debris that don't belong in wine! Total production is relatively small at just over 4000 cases. Check their website for pricing, tasting specials and or discounts. Visit: www.foleywines.com
NOTE. This winery was Sawyer Cellars - now owned by Foley Estates. We will update this review accordingly over time.
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Open to Public: No
Appointments: Yes
Regular Tours: No
Hours: 10-5 by app
Phone: 963-1980
Address: 8350 St. Helena Highway
 Winery Photos Winery Website
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