Stuart Cellars - Temecula

Stuart Cellars is, for us, what made Temecula worth our return visits. The first time we drove down here we stopped at Churon first, and I thought “this is going to be a very long day...” Our next stop was Stuart, and we were so blown away we joined their wine club on the spot.

To be honest, the first time we went here they were a little stand-offish to us. Perhaps it was because we always have our two kids in tow, or the fact that we used a coupon from their website (hey, if you don’t want people to use coupons, don’t give them out!). Not sure what it was, but they weren’t overly friendly. After we joined the wine club, their attitude changed completely and they became positively wonderful to deal with.

Every time we show up at Stuart we are greeted kindly, they remember us when we walk in the door and generally have our wine club shipments ready for us. Going there is now a joy, and based on the interaction with other customers it seems that our first impression was a bit of an anomaly.

On to the wines: Stuart really shines with their reds. Their Zinfandel is one of the best, their Cabernet a worth addition to the tradition of California cabs, and their Meritage (dubbed Tatria) is simply fantastic. In addition, Stuart is one of the few wineries that can make a truly great Malbec, a grape that I am particularly fond of. I haven’t been blown away by their ports, but I think that is because I am such a fan of the ports being produced by Fenestra.

This is, by far, the best winery in Temecula in our opinion. We always enjoy stopping there and tasting their wines. Don’t miss these guys.

Joel

http://www.stuartcellars.com