07 Nov Napa Comes to Beverly Hills
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
At the heart of Beverly Hills is the famous Rodeo Drive, considered the intersection of luxury, fashion and entertainment. But now as people walk down the street shopping at the likes of Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Dior, Cartier and more, they can also stop for a Napa Valley wine experience in the heart of Beverly Hills at the St. Supéry pop-up tasting salon.
St. Supéry, purchased by Chanel 2015, is the sustainably farmed winery in Rutherford, the heart of the Napa Valley. The new pop-up tasting salon is on the ground floor of the building next door to the Chanel boutique. This magnificent, three-story building was previously the home of Lladro porcelain. The 1.000-square-foot space has large glass windows looking out onto Rodeo Drive, a high ceiling that covers the three-story building and a grandiose staircase in the center.
Decorated to evoke the feeling of a modern French parlor, the space is chic, elegant and contemporary with seating for 62 people. A large marble bar sits in the center of the room and bistro tables are placed throughout the space, including along the front windows.
Bottles of St. Supéry wines are displayed throughout the space. There are barrels that were brought down from the winery as well as soil samples from the winery’s Rutherford and Dollarhide Estate Vineyards.
Whether by walk-in or by appointment, guests are greeted at the door by a hostess who offers a glass of rosé. Guests are then taken to the seats, which can be at the central bar, a bistro table or one of the large wood-block tables for larger groups. I would opt for a seat at a bistro table along the windows so that I could watch the people walk by on Rodeo Drive. There really are no other places on Rodeo Drive where you can so easily, and blatantly, people-watch.
Once seated at your table, you receive a menu with different tasting experiences, the same of which can be found in their Napa tasting room. There is the featured flight, which combines white wines and red wines. There is an all-white wine flight and an all-red wine flight. There is also the five Bordeaux varietals and Your Five Senses tasting, which features the five Bordeaux wines paired with a selection of cheese from the The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills around the corner. Wines are also available by the glass and by the bottle. All tastings come with a wine educator who shares stories about St. Supéry and talks about the vineyards and the wines.
The St. Supéry Beverly Hills Tasting Salon is scheduled to be open for one year. They officially opened the doors of the pop-up tasting salon on Oct. 14, just as the fires were ravishing Napa. As Los Angelenos visited the new tasting lounge, they provided an outpouring of support and this past weekend, like the tasting room in Napa, the salon donated all the money from the tastings to the Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund.
The St. Supéry Tasting Salon is the first of its kind on Rodeo Drive. Fun and educational, wine tasting offers a break from shopping. This not only offers a different experience, it adds a touch of Napa to Beverly Hills. And for anyone walking down the street who does not stop in, they can just remember the famous line from “Pretty Woman” : “Big mistake. BIG mistake.”
St. Supéry Estate Tasting Salon, at 408 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, is open daily for tastings, bottle service and wine purchases. Hours are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
Read the original story in the Napa Valley Register.