Souverain

Souverain has a 120-year-old Estate Vineyard in the northern part of the Alexander Valley is the primary source of grapes for the illustrious portfolio of Souverain wines. Souverain Winemaker Ed Killian consistently produces outstanding wines that represent the best of Alexander Valley.

The history of Souverain began in the Napa Valley in 1944 when J. Leland “Lee” Stewart harvested his first crop of wine grapes from his Howell Mountain property in the northern part of the valley. At the suggestion of his young daughter, Stewart named his winery “Souverain” (taken from the French word for “sovereign” or “supreme”).

Planted in the 1880’s by the early pioneers of the valley, the original vineyard mostly consisted of varietals such as Petite Sirah, Carignane and Zinfandel. Over the years the vineyards were replanted with varietals better suited to the site. The modern planting of the Souverain Estate Vineyard took place in the late 1980’s when the majority of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc went in. Today, there are about 280 planted acres, mostly of rolling benchland.

In 2006, Souverain built a state-of-the-art winemaking facility surrounded by the 120-year-old Souverain Estate Vineyards in the Alexander Valley, near Cloverdale, where Winemaker Ed Killian has long been sourcing the grapes for his award-winning Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

The tasting room is located on the Plaza in Healdsburg. The attractive tasting room has tile bar and wood floors.  In addition to their popular distributed wines are limited production wines that are available only in the tasting room.

There are three tasting options to experience – New Releases Flight is $10, Chateau Label Flight is $10, Wine and Cheese pairing is $10 (each includes five wines paired with five cheeses).