BEST CHARDONNAY AND BEST ROSÉ
M ACROSTIE WINERY & VINEYARDS
By Summer Young
I t is often said that great wine is made in the vineyards. “A vineyard with unique geographic and climatic influences is key,” says Heidi Bridenhagen, winemaker at MacRostie Winery & Vineyards. “It creates a specific expression and unique aromas and flavors. The next step for me is [to make] a clean and focused wine. I want to showcase what the vineyard site and growers have spent the whole season and sometimes a lifetime cultivating.” MacRostie Winery & Vineyards focuses on creating cool- climate pinot noir and chardonnay wines. For the last three decades, owner Steve MacRostie has forged trusted partnerships with the region’s finest growers, including more than 30 chardonnay vineyards and 15 pinot noir sites. Combined with MacRostie’s own vineyards, this provides access to a remarkable level of diversity. Macrostie makes several chardonnay wines, but the most popular remains its flagship Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. This wine has been produced since the winery’s founding in 1987 and is distributed throughout the United States and Canada. The wine
The Estate House offers a variety of indoor and outdoor options.
the grapes picked for the saignée portion are fruitier, richer and darker in color. The blending of these two techniques creates a beautiful pale pink rosé of pinot noir with fruity fresh strawberry and watermelon aromas and a crisp, bright refreshing palate. The careful consideration that goes into each wine has earned MacRostie the title of not only Best Chardonnay but also Best Rosé in this year’s readers’ poll. Beyond its first-place finishes, the winery has earned two second-place Gold awards, one in the Tasting Room category and head winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen received one in the Winemaker category. These two wines and many more can be enjoyed at the renowned MacRostie Winery Estate House in Healdsburg. Since opening a decade ago, the Estate House has earned acclaim as one of the most unforgettable wine destinations in Sonoma County and a benchmark for wine country hospitality. Located off Westside Road, the winery sits on a hill surrounded by picturesque views of MacRostie’s Thales vineyard. The Estate House offers a variety of indoor and outdoor seating options, all with idyllic views of the property. There, guests receive a personalized tasting based on what type of wines they most enjoy. Though every bottle is different, each captures a unique expression of time and place in the vineyard. v
is regarded for its style that appeals to all, even those who insist they do not like chardonnay. It is fruit forward with a foundation of lemon citrus and a lift of tropical fruits and floral orange blossoms. The palate has a crisp lemon entry with a built out mid-palate
that stays fresh and lifted. MacRostie makes one rosé each vintage, the Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir. Bridenhagen says that color is the most distinctive quality of a rosé, so she spends a considerable amount of time during harvest ensuring she gives the juice just the right amount. The rosé is produced with 50% direct-to-press method and 50% saignée method. The direct-to-press grapes are picked at a lower sugar and higher acid, while
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Best of the North Bay 2025
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