Scharffenberger Cellars

Now owned by Roederer. A $ 3 tasting fee??? Unbelievable deal. The tasting room won’t blow you away — but for $ 3 you will feel like you got a great deal and sipped some very nice wines. Anderson Valley provides unbelievable values — and this is yet another great example. Forget uptight Napa and come here instead!

Nice sparkling wine selection, friendly staff, intimate tasting room. Less relaxed than other winery tasting rooms in the area, but worth a stop.

Our favorite stop of the day. Wines were delicious and the woman pouring for us was really nice and welcoming to our large group (which included 3 toddlers!). Their tasting menu even noted that they welcome kids and had both crayons and juice for their entertainment. Beautiful grounds and a nice picnic area as well.

After the winding, twisting, nauseating road into Anderson Valley, it was great to find some amazing wineries that totally made the trip worth it. Scharffenberger was one of our favorite stops. We rolled in with fresh sandwiches from Lemons Deli next door, looking for some bubbles and a picnic table. They did not disappoint.
We did a tasting of only the bubblies (at $ 3 a tasting, we didn’t mind skipping right to the good stuff), and even tho we liked them all, we both agreed on the Brut for our lunch. They have several picnic spots set up and initially on this warm day, we picked the shady spot, dubbing it the Germany of Scharffenberger. Germany soon became too chilly, as it will, so we packed up and moved into the dappled sunshine of the courtyard, calling it the Sicily of Scharffenberger. Surrounded by beautiful trees and roses, we soon decided the Sicily of Scharffenberger was our new high standard for picnic spots. We lingered and enjoyed two bottles of Brut before reluctantly leaving, but not before buying more Brut to go. At $ 19 a bottle, you can’t beat that price in the area.

We had a wonderful experience tasting sparking wines. The Vintner was knowledgable and had a lovely deameanor. The sparking wines were delicious and well priced. Worth the drive to Philo to check this place out!

I’ve been visiting the Anderson Valley since the early 1980s. Back then there was Navarro, Handley, Husch, and (once upon a time) Edmeades — a label long gone but still remembered.
Then Allan Green built Greenwood Ridge Winery/​Vineyards on the Ridge above Anderson Valley, and hosted for 30 years the California Wine Tasting Championships, which I entered many times as a «single» and several times with my wife, Brenda.
Then John Scharffenberger established his winery, with the tasting room in the same small cottage you find today. He made a name for himself and for the Anderson Valley as a viticultural area that could produce fine quality sparkling wines. I stopped there many times to savor the flavor notes and the soft, yeasty aroma of the wine.
John sold the business, and founded the chocolate company in Berkeley, which still bears his name. Scharffenberger Cellars became Pacific Echo — go figure. The wines were every bit as good, perhaps better.
We became members of the «Flying Cork Club», and I kept half a dozen bottles of Vintage Brut Reserve (if I remember correctly), and enjoyed them for special occasions and holidays.
Tex Sawyer has been the winemaker from the beginning (I believe), and continues to be the steady hand and studied taster who continues to oversee the making of the wines, now under the control of French corporate vintner, Maisons Marques and Domaines, whose most famous label is, of course Louis Roederer of Champagne, and the brand Cristal.
This story would not be complete without mentioning Roederer’s own Anderson Valley transplant, Roederer Estate just a bit West of Scharffenberger’s tiny building.
But Scharffenberger continues to have it’s own vineyards, and own unique tastes driven by Mr. Sawyer’s hand. I’ve been told the two organizations may share some resources, but ultimately they have individual tastes and «noses».
I’d be happy if Tex or someone else at Scharffenberger wants to correct some of my facts or suggest that my opinions may be a little wide of the mark.
Clearly, the Valley is a much different place than it once was. Sheep and apples dominated the farmland when I first began my regular visits. There are still apple orchards, or course, and some sheep, but vineyards and wineries are the dominant economic engine in the Anderson Valley today.

Today to my complete surprise, UPS delivered a box from Scharffenberger Cellars. Inside was a bottle of Pinot Noir AND a bottle of their Brut sparkling wine with a lovely letter from their Director of Hospitality and Tasting Room Operations. In my previous review, I had panned Scharffenberger Cellars for their lack of response. The negative review was not so much about the quality and taste of the wines, but primarily about the lack of acknowledgement to my note. I was delighted to receive the letter, but the wines exceeded my expectations! I applaud your customer service. My husband and I are looking forward to serving the new bottle of Pinot. Our heartfelt thanks.

We stopped in late last Monday afternoon. The setting was very pleasant and the young hostess who served us was a credit to the Cellars as she was both friendly and knowledgeable. The $ 3 tasting fee was very reasonable and we left with several bottles of Cremant.

The wondrous thing about Scharffenberger Cellars is that the tasting fee is only $ 3, for 4 sparkling and 3 still wines. Unheard of! Plus, they have a Unilocal check-​in offer for 2 free tastings. Incredible! But good luck getting cell phone reception here.
The tasting room is inside a charming old house, surrounded by gardens where you can sip a glass of bubbly after your tasting. Scharffenberger’s tasting experience is no frills — belly up to the bar, and they’ll start pouring. You’ll get some good information but very little small talk.
If you’re into bubbles, Scharffenberger is a worthy stop. More casual and low-​key than Roederer, with slightly sweeter «Californian style» bubbs.

Worse tasting experience. Stephanie was impersonable, did not tell us what we were tasting and tried to rush us through the process. I finally stopped the tasting, and asked why she was being rude to us and her reply was, «I have a toothache.» Unacceptable, inexcusable. If you have a bad toothache, you should take a sick day. It was too bad. I do not recommend this tasting room. If you happen to be in the area, keep driving.

Very pleasant atmosphere, lovely sparkleings and stills to choose from. Don’t miss out on the Cremant, which was our group’s hands down favorite. Lots of neat stuff to taste that aren’t on the mainstream distribution list. Pretty small tasting room, so be prepared to be patient.

Only tasted 3 sparkling wines here. It all began with the now defunct Berkeley chocolate store closing… Hershey’s decision, not theirs.
Then a NY Times article i read while in Manhattan about the Anderson Valley Pinots being wholly underrepresented. Then yet another accompanying about the bubbles around the area.
Which then led me here to taste their Cremant Brut during open house day. Fresh spanokopita, salmon cream cheese spread and water crackers, and bubbly tasting. Like their California style, less acidity, more full and sweet bubblies.
Pourer was affable and sweet. Easy to ask questions of. No snob anything here. Tastings held in a modified house, its living room doubled as a gallery parlor.
Bought one bottle of Cremant – $ 25. That and their extra dry brut were both very very good. Cremant is a mix of grapes and made with less PSI, resulting in finer bubbles and an extremely becoming silky smooth fullness in the middle of the sip. It is something remarkable, and will be saved for a special occasion!
Grounds were great… no grass but soft fine gravel with lots of tables. Picnic was had here, enjoying the music, shade, and perfect day.
PS Pssst!!! Very Frenchy Roederer just west of them purchased them not so long ago!

Back in high school… my sister gave me a bottle of sparkling wine and it had on this packaging «Cremant» from Scharffenberger Cellars and since then, I was hooked.
It was quite a shock to see how tiny their winery is… and since the sis isn’t a fan of theirs anymore… I literally walked into the tasting room… asked the lady if she had Cremant and she said the magic answer… Yes.
SOLD!
Bought three… had a taste of the infamous cremant and I was out… All in a matter of 10 minutes.
Me: «Damn… I must have looked like an alcoholic…» the sis said: «we’re in the wine country… everyone is an alcoholic.» Me: «oh.»
Folks, if you like sweet bubbly drinks that won’t break your budget and give you a nasty hang over the next day… this place is it!

If you haven’t tried a Scharffenberger sparkling wine before, go to the closest liquor store and pick up a bottle. Whether it’s a brut or rose, you don’t want to be missing out!
The BF and I have enjoyed several of their sparkling varietals over the years and never had a bad batch. We always knew they were «local» (meaning somewhere in the Bay Area vicinity), but never took the time to do our research until recently. Located in Anderson Valley and very close to several other wineries, a road trip over a long weekend was in order!
Yes, it takes a long time to get here from anywhere other than North Bay. Coming from the SF Peninsula, it was about 2 – 2 ½ hours over the Golden Gate and through the woods. But the drive itself is absolutely gorgeous… take your time and stop for a few photos in the wilderness.
Scharffenberger’s tasting room is located inside a cute, craftsman bungalow. When driving by I yelled, «I want to go to there.» Turns out that I really did since there was delicious wine waiting inside. This definitely used to be someone’s residence-​turned art gallery/​wine tasting room. Local art is in the front room/​entryway and in the middle is the bar. Tastings cost about $ 15 – 20 per person, but that includes at least 4 – 5 types of sparking wine as well as a few simple reds and whites.
It was nice to put a «face to a name» in a small way. Since there are so many other wineries/​tasting rooms in the area, make a day of it up north and see which vino you prefer.

I was very happy with my visit here. My family and I tried all of their wines, sparking and non sparkling. They do specialize in sparkling wine, so keep that in mind. The girl there was very attentive and incredibly knowledgable. We were very curious about a lot of things, and she was very enthusiastic about answering all of our questions, so bravo for choosing a personable and qualified staff.
The wines were very good, and my sister and I each purchased a bottle of sparkling wine. I wish I could have tried some of their other spirits, but we were on our way home from a small trip after all, and had a couple of other stops to make on our long way home.
I look forward to opening up that bottle at some special occasion! Cheers!

What else can I say but «eh»!

Scharffenberger was a great stop which I have repeated a few times on my trips through Anderson Valley — I enjoy their wines and the small tasting room has more of a retail/​customer feel than «in the weeds» winery feel. It’s cozy and refined — great chocolate tastes with the reds.

Scharffenberger Cellars was pretty good. There wasn’t a clear sign for the tasting room, or maybe we had the «tasters» mentality and just drove past it. We were greated by a nice woman who had been working there for 5 days. She was great, knowledgable and friendly. They had all of these little pieces that were made from the cage for the wine bottle. I usually make chairs and they had turtles and other fun stuff. we chatted about that, I made them my version of the chair, they put it up on display with the rest.
The wines are good. The place is simple and exactly what I thought an anderson Valley winery would be like. This was my first! :) Great place, love the Rose. They have a nice variety: sweet and brut. One of the only places that has a Cremont because they are harder to make, and sell. All good!

Free AGAIN. No fee. Screw Napa.
We stopped by here and tried 12 sparklies and amazingly, no headache.
Bought 2 bottles of the Cremant and 1 bottle of the Extra Dry Brut. Do keep in mind that super markets sell these bottles for 25% less, so in a sense, you are paying for the tasting fee. . in the prices!
We liked the tastings here better than Roederer and Cremant is our favorite bubbly so far.
Ambiance was kinda meh. The staff was nice but seemed to be less knowledgable than other wine enthusiasts.
Overall experience: 3 stars.

This place was a kick. But made that way specifically (for me) by Anthony, the AWESOME African-​American gentleman pouring my wine tastings today. He became my new best friend when he asked me if I was «of legal drinking age». I scrambled to pull my license out faster than I can usually get to my ringing cell phone. «Did you see the smile you put on her face?» the older gentleman to my right said to Anthony. Ah yes — to be carded!
The discovery that no, there is not an ounce of chocolate to be found in the Sharffenberger tasting room, burst a little bubble I had floating somewhere in the back of my head. But I suppose I wasn’t too surprised.
The wines were nice. I’m not usually a fan of sparklings but enjoyed the Cremant enough to buy a bottle to take home to Boyfriend. $ 3 to go through the tastings but free if you buy a bottle of wine. They poured something like 8 – 9 wines today (sneaking 2 still Rieslings in that weren’t on the printed list). As I snacked on crackers and [sadly] poured most of my sips into the bucket so that I could still get us safely to Mendocino, I realized that perhaps I like sparkling wines more than I thought. Especially these slightly sweeter «California style» ones (as opposed to the more French, less sweet ones over at Roederer).
The winery itself wasn’t fantastically aesthetic. At least not for the little bit of photography I wanted to do. Got some shots of the gorgeously blooming cherry blossom trees outside the tasting room — but that was about it. The tasting room was sparse and small, sitting behind what felt like a room previously known as a parlor — but now a small art gallery. It got crowded in there quickly but was still fun and friendly for all.
I’d stop again. RIGHT off 128 and definitely a good time if Anthony’s pouring!