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After the olives
“Even with this new capacity, we'll still only be using 2-3 percent of the grapes we grow,” said Ryan Mac Donnell. Jorgen Gulliksen/Register | Buy photos
Round Pond opens a winery
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CommentMany Napa Valley wineries have added olive oil and vinegar to their product lines to add to their repertoire. Rutherford’s Round Pond Estate did just the opposite.
Although they were growing grapes and selling them from their 350 acres of vineyards, they built a modern olive oil mill or frantoio years before they completed their winery. They didn’t even introduce a wine made elsewhere until their oil and vineyards were already well established.
Although they were growing grapes and selling them from their 350 acres of vineyards, they built a modern olive oil mill or frantoio years before they completed their winery. They didn’t even introduce a wine made elsewhere until their oil and vineyards were already well established.
They’ve now completed their winery and tasting room on the property, and it’s a stunner.
It features an airy interior accented by an enormous skylight, a tasting room with dramatic 360-degree views of Rutherford vineyards, a modern wine bar, comfortable interior seating areas, a covered outdoor terrace and a versatile winery demonstration kitchen.
It features an airy interior accented by an enormous skylight, a tasting room with dramatic 360-degree views of Rutherford vineyards, a modern wine bar, comfortable interior seating areas, a covered outdoor terrace and a versatile winery demonstration kitchen.
The interior mixes solid pieces such as tables with intricate iron bases and heavy wood slab tops with a mix of textiles and modern colors that bring life and warmth to the space.
It features a rich color pallet of chocolate browns with orange and raspberry that accent the sophisticated furniture.
It features a rich color pallet of chocolate browns with orange and raspberry that accent the sophisticated furniture.
A modern wine bar wrapped in zinc with a textured re-claimed oak kick space dominates one side of the room and the seating in the bar suggests a comfortable living room with low-slung furniture and 1950s French oak chairs with sea grass platforms around low tables.
The tasting room opens onto an outdoor terrace with a large teak table and views of the Mayacamas Mountains.
The winery and tasting room is in contrast to the business-like olive mill across Rutherford Road. It is one of only two currently operating in the valley; the other is at Long Meadow Ranch.
The olive press is in a contemporary metal and glass building dominated by the impressive granite wheels of the olive mill and sophisticated stainless steel separators. It too, however, is open to visitors.
The winery, olive oil, citrus syrup and vinegar businesses are run by Ryan MacDonnell and Miles MacDonnell, the sister and brother proprietors of Round Pond Estates. Their parents, Bob and Jan MacDonnell, planted the vines and olive trees starting about 25 years ago, importing fully grown live olive trees from Spain as part of the process.
They now produce Italian and Spanish varietal olive oils, plus oils flavored with blood oranges and Meyer lemons.
They also produce vinegars made from cabernet and merlot wine, Sangiovese, nebbiolo and petit verdot plus blood orange and Meyer lemon citrus syrups, which are ideal for flavoring cocktails among other uses.
Round Pond — the name comes from a family property in the east — introduced olive oils from its own mill in 2003.
In 2005, the family released their first wine, the 2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon and now offers the 2003 cabernet sauvignon wine, of which it made under 1,000 cases. It also makes a very rare nebbiolo (50 cases). The winemaker is consultant Cary Gott, father of winemaker and entrepreneur Joel Gott and his brother Duncan, who own the Taylor’s Refreshers in St. Helena and San Francisco, and soon, in Napa.
Round Pond will be increasing production in the new winery initially to 3,500 cases, then grow slowly to the permitted 8,500.
That represents less than 1 percent of the production from the 300 planted acres on the estate, however. The rest is sold, and includes the five great Bordeaux varieties (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot), Sangiovese and syrah.
It also will make its first sauvignon blanc this year from new grape vines
The grapes and other crops are grown sustainably using old-world traditions and new-world innovations such as satellite imaging to pinpoint soil compositions.
The winery is available for tasting by appointment, group gatherings and cooking events/wine pairings in the kitchen.
The two MacDowell siblings grew up on the San Francisco peninsula. Miles was an accountant who moved to his family’s property after 9/11 and started learning about the wine business. His sister Ryan was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs and went to law school before the olive fly bit her. She lives in San Francisco.
Their parents have a grand Tuscan estate on the property, but it is not open to the public.
The olive mill and the winery are open to the public for tours and tastings.
The olive tours and tastings are $20, and the estate also offers an al fresco lunch for a minimum of four people for $45 each.
The winery is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment, and tastings cost $25, tours with tasting and matching appetizers, $35. A twilight tour, tasting and dinner under the stars is $175 the fourth Saturday of each month.
For additional information, visit www.roundpond.com
Call (877) 963-9364 for the olive and food business, and (888) 302-2575 for the winery.
The tasting room opens onto an outdoor terrace with a large teak table and views of the Mayacamas Mountains.
The winery and tasting room is in contrast to the business-like olive mill across Rutherford Road. It is one of only two currently operating in the valley; the other is at Long Meadow Ranch.
The olive press is in a contemporary metal and glass building dominated by the impressive granite wheels of the olive mill and sophisticated stainless steel separators. It too, however, is open to visitors.
The winery, olive oil, citrus syrup and vinegar businesses are run by Ryan MacDonnell and Miles MacDonnell, the sister and brother proprietors of Round Pond Estates. Their parents, Bob and Jan MacDonnell, planted the vines and olive trees starting about 25 years ago, importing fully grown live olive trees from Spain as part of the process.
They now produce Italian and Spanish varietal olive oils, plus oils flavored with blood oranges and Meyer lemons.
They also produce vinegars made from cabernet and merlot wine, Sangiovese, nebbiolo and petit verdot plus blood orange and Meyer lemon citrus syrups, which are ideal for flavoring cocktails among other uses.
Round Pond — the name comes from a family property in the east — introduced olive oils from its own mill in 2003.
In 2005, the family released their first wine, the 2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon and now offers the 2003 cabernet sauvignon wine, of which it made under 1,000 cases. It also makes a very rare nebbiolo (50 cases). The winemaker is consultant Cary Gott, father of winemaker and entrepreneur Joel Gott and his brother Duncan, who own the Taylor’s Refreshers in St. Helena and San Francisco, and soon, in Napa.
Round Pond will be increasing production in the new winery initially to 3,500 cases, then grow slowly to the permitted 8,500.
That represents less than 1 percent of the production from the 300 planted acres on the estate, however. The rest is sold, and includes the five great Bordeaux varieties (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot), Sangiovese and syrah.
It also will make its first sauvignon blanc this year from new grape vines
The grapes and other crops are grown sustainably using old-world traditions and new-world innovations such as satellite imaging to pinpoint soil compositions.
The winery is available for tasting by appointment, group gatherings and cooking events/wine pairings in the kitchen.
The two MacDowell siblings grew up on the San Francisco peninsula. Miles was an accountant who moved to his family’s property after 9/11 and started learning about the wine business. His sister Ryan was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs and went to law school before the olive fly bit her. She lives in San Francisco.
Their parents have a grand Tuscan estate on the property, but it is not open to the public.
The olive mill and the winery are open to the public for tours and tastings.
The olive tours and tastings are $20, and the estate also offers an al fresco lunch for a minimum of four people for $45 each.
The winery is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment, and tastings cost $25, tours with tasting and matching appetizers, $35. A twilight tour, tasting and dinner under the stars is $175 the fourth Saturday of each month.
For additional information, visit www.roundpond.com
Call (877) 963-9364 for the olive and food business, and (888) 302-2575 for the winery.
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