The Rutherford Trifecta

I've always been surprised by the number of wineries with "Rutherford" in the title. There are three of them and I had never heard anything about the wines. So we set out one day recently to check out these three "Rutherford" wineries. This is the order in which I would rate them:

If you take the entrance to Auberge du Soleil and keep driving past the front gate to the resort, you'll find yourself at a breathtaking plateau where Rutherford Hill Winery is located. Unfortunately, the views and the architecture of this Terlato-owned winery are the main highlights. But the Zinfandel Port paired with chocolate-covered blueberries was worth going inside the tasting room.

The wines at Rutherford Grove Winery were good, but what made it unique was the opportunity to buy a bottle and it enjoy it on the premise (this particular permit is not easy for a winery to obtain, as is the "picnic permit"). On the next perfect picnicking day, I would go to Rutherford Grove and purchase a bottle of the Quackenbush Zinfandel to enjoy on the lawn just outside the Tasting Room.

My favorite of the three was Rutherford Ranch Winery on the Silverado Trail. The wines were affordable and surprisingly smooth. The Rutherford appellation tends to produce lighter-bodied wines and the wines from here were no exception, but they were tasty and seemed very versatile in terms of food pairings. Especially for the price, the $18 Cabernet Sauvignon was great!