Scherrer Winery

My friend has a new house, high on a hill in Santa Rosa. He’s a doctor and one of the smartest people I know. He knows a lot about everything and is now trying his hand at growing grapes. He is an utter wine snob. So, when he told me he wanted ME to plan our weekend vacation in Sonoma County, I got a little nervous. Fortunately, I had met Fred Scherrer a few years ago on another trip to the area when he was pouring his wines at Scopa restaurant. He and his wines impressed me so much, I made an appointment for a «tasting» with him (they are appt only). I was hoping he could teach my super smart friend a thing or two about growing grapes.
I put «tasting» in quotes because this was so much more. Yes we tasted TWELVE WINES over the course of two hours, but along the way, we learned so much about winemaking. From the scientific big word end, to the guts and plain know how end. My friend asked a ton of probing questions and Fred fielded them all like a pro. He knew everything about growing grapes, making wine, all the other wineries in the area, and climate, all down to the «How do you know when the grapes are ready?» His reply, «I pull some off, taste and FEEL them.» No fancy lab process, no brix analysis, just years of experience and being one with the grapes. Henceforth we referred to Fred as Obie-​Wine Kenobi. And my friend was Luke Winewalker. He was enthralled. When I asked what he thought of Fred he just replied, «I LOVE HIM!». Score one for me for impressing my hard to impress smartypants friend.
I guess it’s a bit superfluous to say that with all that great knowledge and experience comes amazing wine. Wine that has character and layers and personality, esp when you try 5 pinots back to back and can get a feel for the region and vintage of each grape. Subtle but so delicious. We tried everything from a Chard to a rose to Pinots and Grenache, and bought several of course as you can’t get them anywhere else.
In the end, I literally had to drag my friend out of there as we had a lunch reservation. Otherwise he’d still be sitting cross legged in front of Fred soaking it all in like a Grasshoppa. If you have the time… no…if FRED has the time, definitely get in to see him. He’s just a nice and unassuming guy that makes amazing wine. And he’s now the smartest person I know.

Found Scherrer a few years back and after several attempts, revisited last May. Since this is pretty much a one man operation with wife Judi, helping w/​appointments and orders, he is not always available for tasting. But if you are fortunate enough to schedule one in, I highly recommend it. Though I haven’t personally met Judi, our correspondence has been nothing but pleasant. Tasting is done at their unassuming warehouse, with wines laid out on his work desk. I’m not complaining though. The first time we tasted, he opened 12 bottles and second time, nine bottles, still way more than the average 4 – 6 bottle tasting one would expect. The tasting is that much more personal and flexible. I can tell he is very passionate about the art/​process of winemaking and takes pride in it. Instead of pretending to be an eloquent wine critic, I will just say that last time we tasted, he mentioned he held a tasting at Alinea! I don’t know how top restaurants select their tastings but I assume 9^th best restaurant in the world (per 2014 San Pellegrino’s 50 Best Restaurants list) would be somewhat selective. In fact, I happened to dine at Alinea the following June and was able to chat w/​one of the sommeliers. He remembered the tasting and complimented Fred’s wines. Not that this guarantees greatness of his wines but I feel the same way. and this is my review so there you have it!

What a wonderful experience! 2 friends and I were at the tasting with Erik (below review) and we agree with his review. It was a wonderful, unique, personalized experience resulting in some of the most elegant, delicious wines and a mixed case on the way to me as soon as the weather cools!

I have been tasting wine in Sonoma for 7 years and this was a great tasting. Get the appointment. Read on if you need more convincing.
Fred Scherrer is so unassuming, he seems to sell his wine as an afterthought. You need an appointment because he likes to focus on making wine. There is no sign and you will likely get lost on your way. When you get there you will probably try a few wrong doors as you try to enter his laboratory of viticultural creation.
The lineup of wines was at least 10 pours of Pinot, Zin, Syrah, Cab, a white, and a pink. He opened some 20 year old bottles to taste, but he didn’t have any to sell. Fred brought out a loaf of bread and the other people who scored the appointment and we brought out cheese, olives, nuts, and prosciutto. Bring food, because the range and complexity needs some palette adjusting. The wine is bold and usually pretty acidic with medium-​high tannins.
The pinots were ridiculous: 2008 Sonoma County for $ 36, 2010 Green Valley Hallberg Vineyard for $ 75, 2003 Cabernet Alexander Valley for $ 75 and 2 more pinots. I bought 8 bottles, which is 6 more than I have bought anywhere else. 6 of the ‘08s, 1 Hallberg and 1 cab. The 08s had that ⁰⁸⁄₀₉ Russian River velvety fruit. The Hallberg was complex and deep. The cab was medium-​bodied with a clean finish. I have not seen any 08s or 09s in the stores or online for more than two years. Oh, and he said the bottles were open since yesterday, so they will keep for 3 to 5 more years or you can rush them like lambs to slaughter.
Fred was the winemaker who put Dehlinger on the map. I mentioned his name to Tim at Portolupi and Tim raved that his family and Fred’s are some of the founding growers of the Sonoma wine region. He said Fred may be the best winemaker in Sonoma. Fred’s great grandparents are buried at the cemetery on Shiloh Road.
Fred does not charge a tasting fee.

Elegant, sophisticated, refined… These are a few words that come to mind when I describe Scherrer wines.
Not usually open to the public, our weekend getaway to Sebastopol happened to correspond to their Spring Open House so I emailed and made arrangements to stop in. Tasting was set up in their facility, which is a bit hard to find if you don’t know where you’re going. but we were provided a detailed map that was very helpful.
We came away with a few bottles of delicious Zin and Cab. Neither in the usual overpowering style. Such a refreshing change. The caterer who provided food for the event was also wonderful… Plenty of crostini with an array of intriguing toppings such as beef and chanterelle mushrooms or beans with romesco, ham cheese and morels, hay smoked duck and even elk tongue bourguinon. plus cured sea trout with smoked roe and carrot on cucumbers and other lovely bites. It was a delightful experience.
Casual, welcoming, generous… family-​run business… Not your over the top touristy spot. There was a real sense of sharing and kindness. We had a lovely time and will definitely return next time we’re in the area.

Excellent wines, from Pinots to Syrah. We sampled ten different wines and purchased several bottles.

I just attended their open house and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of the wines they had. I would give five stars but the place is lacking ambience. But if you are going for the wine you won’t be disappointed.

«Don’t judge a book by its cover.»
«No frills.»
These phrases/​descriptions took upon new meaning after meeting Frank Scherrer and sampling a number of his exceptional wines. My friends and I were in utter confusion about where the winery’s location even with a map when we finally noticed the beyond inconspicuous sign on the door behind old picnic chairs and machinery. Take one step in and you’re greeted with oak barrels as far as the eye can see with just as many cases of wine. A quick look around will further reveal buckets strewn about at random spots to catch water dripping through cracks in the ceiling.
As for the tasting experience itself, picture Frank standing by an office desk with a crate of glasses to his right and freshly opened bottles to his left. A fellow UC Davis alumnus, he shared his intriguing story of how he originally got into winemaking and the journey he’s taken to get to where he is now. He’s as down to earth as can be and could not have kept it more real. Those bottles I just mentioned? He graciously opened not one, not two, but EIGHT ranging from Chardonnay to a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon without so much as a second thought. The wines were all nicely executed (some more so than others) without any misses amongst the bunch.
It was a unanimous thought that this was one of the most uniquely awesome tasting experience I’ve had yet and probably, ever.

What an amazing winery. True this winery is far from flashy (the tasting table consisted of an old office desk inside his barrel warehouse), but the experience is still fantastic. Tastings are by appointment only and in addition to the tasting, Fred Scherrer takes great care in showing you the process of how he makes his fantastic wine. I truly admire people who are passionate about what they do, and you can tell Fred cares about and loves what he does so much, a sense of which you don’t normally get going to larger, more «upscale» wineries.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Make an appointment for a tasting here and you won’t be disappointed.

It’s only a matter of time before more people discover Fred Scherrer’s wines. He makes a range (e.g., Chard, Syrah, Pinot, Zin, Cab), but they are all tasty (the Zin is my favorite). He also believes deeply in bottle aging many of his wines a lot longer than what is typical. As an example, in July 2011 he was serving his 03 Cabernet. I’m astounded how he can still have competitive prices while having to hold his inventory so much longer than others, but his commitment to having his wines drunk at their peak is admirable.
The tasting experience, as others have mentioned, is also fantastic. Don’t expect fancy sights — you’ll pull up to a nondescript warehouse — but Fred basically will let you taste whatever you want, giving as much (or as little) commentary as you like. It’s truly a great way to quickly get a great exposure to a range of uniquely Sonoma wines (and unique wines at that).
As others have mentioned, you’ll be hard pressed to find these wines in a retail shop — they’re all gobbled up directly by devoted consumers on the mailing list or by great restaurants with saavy sommeliers, so it’s definitely worth making an appointment to try them out!

Fred, Fred, Fred…
I have known Fred for about 6 or 7 years now. I found him by mistake, thanks to Google. I was searching award winning Pinot Noir and found him since he had worked w Tom Dehlinger.
What a find!!! Fred makes a great Rose, fantastic Chard’s, tasty Zin’s, wonderful Pinot’s, and quality Cab’s. All of his wines are quality. No joking here. His open house events are paired w great food and he is so true to wine. He tends to not release his wines until they are ready, unlike most wineries to just get wine out the door. That is how I knew he was legit.
Anywhooooo. You must visit when you are in the Sonoma area. He is a wonderful man who is very generous with his tastings and is one heck of a wine MAKER!
Must visit if you are in the area.

If I could rate this place twice to give it a total of 10 stars, I would. Stellar experience with first-​rate, down-​to-​earth, Fred Sherrer whose personality and eye for high quality show in every wine we tasted. And we tasted FIFTEEN wines. Now, I’m scared to wine taste anywhere else since he set the bar so high!
While the environment is not «Mondavi», it’s definitely an unassuming, honest experience. We tasted all his wines in his warehouse, with some bottles that had been open for a few days (Sherrer’s recommendation — I believe it!). We started with a few chardonnays (light, not too buttery, different), moved into zinfindels *before* pinots (weird, but makes total sense once you taste the pinots), then hit the heavy syrahs and cabs. There were more than a few ’06 and ’07 vintages, as well as some that did not have a label yet; one from his family vineyard, and all had that Russian River «stamp» of taste. FIFTEEN wines tasted (for free!) in total, all exquisitely executed, even if many didn’t suit my exact taste. You WILL need the spill-​bucket with all these tastings.
His bottles are served at Slanted Door, Out the Door, and Boulevard restaurants in SF, if you can’t make the trek out to Sebastopol. It did take us a little while to actually locate the winery (we thought we were driving into someone’s house)… but we made it! With two other couples, it was a lovely, 90-​minute tasting that satiated my boyfriend and I for the rest of the day.
Please try out this winery. You will not regret it, and you’ll have a great afternoon!

Fantastic winery hidden in a building that appears to be an empty warehouse. The bottles ranged in price from ~$ 30-​$ 50 and consisted of some very delicious wine. Fred Sherrer was very easy going and seemed much more interested in the creating wine he likes than promoting a brand. The only problem was that we started our day of wine tasting here. None of the other wines we tried could compare.
Definitely worth visiting for a tasting!

Under the radar and I’m okay with that. Fred Sherrer makes amazing wines that only a few know about. He holds open houses a couple times a year. All small production and fantastic. His wines are well balanced, delicious, and mouthwatering. He is known for his Zinfandel, which is great, but I love his Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rose, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Well don’t take my word for it… look at all the five star reviews!

Never been to the winery.
Love the Sonoma county Pinot Noir. I buy it at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa for $ 28.
Smooth, rich, velvety, with cherry flavors galore.
I could drink this wine with almost any food. It’s that good!

I loves Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Syrah while I admire a good Cabernet or Chardonnay.
Fred Scherrer makes some of the most graceful, delicious, and just plain downright good Pinot Noir available at still modest prices for the extraordinary quality.
Scherrer Winery Zinfandel is made using the same methodology as Fred uses in Pinot Noir production yielding a wine with characteristics more like a fine Pinot than the Claret style so popular in California. And, it is another great buy for the price.
The Scherrer Winery Cabs and Chards are simply gorgeous wines, especially the Cabernet from Fred Scherrer’s dad’s vineyard and the Chardonnay from the Helfer vineyard.
All of the wines open up and evolve with a few years of bottle age, but if you can’t wait, there is a Library sale to those on the mailing list (
)every November.
There are many wines I love to drink, but my life is immeasurably richer with a Scherrer Winery wine in my glass.

One of the best wineries in Sonoma County, period. Has been a fantastic producer of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Rose for many years.
Why is he not yet famous? Because he is modest, self-​deprecating, and because he does NOT make huge, superripe wines. They are all balanced, elegant, understated and DELICIOUS.
Take my word for it – all of us in the wine industry are completely puzzled by the fact that Fred has not yet reached cult status. If you like wines that favor class and complexity over flash and pomposity, check Scherrer out.

Grandma Evelyn has her artwork for sale. We own several pieces and hang them proudly in our home.
Wonderful wines. Wish we could buy more! They’re pricey but we understand why they are.

Fred Scherrer and his family have been making their own great wine for about 16 years now, Fred used to work for Dehlinger. I have been loving them for about ten years now.
His Sonoma Coast Pinot is one of the best values out there and everything he make is outstanding. The fact that he produces most everything he makes in half bottles is pure bonus. He makes several Pinot Noirs, a couple of Chardonays, Cabernet Sauvignons and Zins and a lovely little blush. Everyone is all about great fruit and his wines show more minerality and delicate earthiness than most wines from our area. The wines are consistent and age quite well if you truly want to have something that is softer and more sophisticated.
The family is very nice and they have about three open houses a year to taste the new releases and visit with them and other friends. They have a great dog, but be nice and don’t feed him if the sign is on his back asking yo not too, it isn’t very good for his system.
You can find Fred’s wines all over, including some of our local restaurants and of course Traverso’s and Bottle Barn. I bought a six year Cab vertical from Fred two years ago and am about to have a serious dinner with some friends and bust ‘em open and see what happens!