The Contour of Luxury Spring/Summer 2018 | Page 142
Alexis Day
St. Supéry’s second estate, Rutherford Estate Vineyard, grows
Cabernet Sauvignon and is known for the “Rutherford Dust”
otherwise known as fine-grained tannins. How does this aid in
the great taste of your wines?
Emma Swain
Both of our Estate vineyards have uni que characteristics.
Rutherford is known for the beautiful fine grained tannins and
long elegant finish, while our Dollarhide Estate is a higher
elevation, with a variety of soils that bring more structure to the
wines. Whether as a single vineyard wine or a blend of the
characteristics of each vineyard, the wines are a taste of the
vineyards and deliver a unique expression of our property.
Alexis Day
St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery is known for putting a big
emphasis on sustainability and solar power energy. What steps
does St. Supéry take to make this a priority and how does this
help your vineyards?
Emma Swain
St. Supéry is Certified Napa Green Land and Winery. These
certifications are the most comprehensive and rigorous
programs in the industry and were designed to further protect
the environment in Napa Valley. Regulated at the local, state
and federal levels, continual improvement is required for each
certification renewal. At the winery, our rooftop solar array
collects energy from the sun, offsetting roughly 80% of our energy
bill. We recycle all winemaking, bottling and winery materials
and adhere to a strict purchasing policy for all items used at the
winery and in the vineyard. This includes, but is certainly not
limited to purchasing glass that is made from recycled goods,
ordering paper products that exceed 50% post-consumer
waste and the investment in new technology, like high pressure-
flow washers, that reduced our water use by half. Focused on
sustainable efforts in all facets, we planted a culinary garden in
2012 to support our farm-to-table commitment. We incorporate
fresh produce from our culinary and espalier gardens and fruit
from our Dollarhide Ranch at the winery in our food and wine
pairings and bring this experience to our neighbors through
selling to local restaurants and at seasonal Bay Area farmer’s
markets.
As stewards of the land, preservation is our responsibility and
we are continuously improving our commitment to sustainability,
biodiversity and resource conservation not only for the quality
of our wines, but for our community and generations to come.
Alexis Day
Please share with us what else can we look
forward to in the future from St. Supéry Estate
Vineyards?
Emma Swain
A lot! We find we are very compatible with the
Napa Green Certification program because it
requires continuous improvement which is part
of St. Supéry’s fundamental values. We are
expanding our efforts for energy and water
conservation commitments. We just released RU3
and the wine is outstanding and the packaging is
just beautiful. There is always a new experience
at the winery, a new vegetable pairing from the
garden, and another way to improve.