Reynolds Family Winery

Reynolds Family Winery is a Stags Leap District estate that combines genuine appellation Cabernet with one of the valley's best interactive blending experiences, allowing visitors to learn the art of assemblage while creating their own bottle from the estate's reserve lots. Founded in 1999 by Steve Reynolds, a former dentist who traded the dental chair for the cellar, the estate occupies 15 acres of Stags Leap District land on the Silverado Trail. The blending experience, where guests work with individual varietal lots to create their own custom blend, has become one of the most popular hands-on activities in the valley.

The 15-acre vineyard sits on the volcanic soils of the Stags Leap District, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The district's volcanic terroir and thermal influence from the palisades produce Cabernet of the appellation's signature elegance and power. The Pinot Noir, unusual for the Stags Leap District, comes from a cooler section of the property. The vineyard's small scale allows Steve Reynolds to farm with personal attention and to reserve the best lots for the blending experience.

Steve Reynolds makes the wines himself, producing an estate Cabernet, a Pinot Noir, and a Chardonnay alongside the reserve lots that guests use in the blending sessions. The estate Cabernet is well-structured and shows genuine Stags Leap District character. The blending experience, which uses beakers and graduated cylinders to allow precise measurements, produces wines that are surprisingly good, demonstrating that the fundamentals of blending are accessible to anyone with a curious palate.

The tasting room on the Silverado Trail offers both standard tastings and the blending experience, with the latter taking approximately 90 minutes and producing a custom-labeled bottle that guests take home. The blending session is educational and entertaining, with Steve explaining the role that each variety plays in a finished blend. The standard tasting, at $55, includes the estate portfolio, while the blending experience is priced separately and requires advance booking.

Reynolds demonstrates that a tasting room can educate and entertain simultaneously. The blending experience gives visitors an appreciation for the winemaker's art that no amount of passive tasting can provide, and the Stags Leap District wines that anchor the portfolio ensure that the educational component is built on a foundation of genuine quality.