About Herzog Wine Cellars

The Herzog family has been producing wine for an incredible nine generations, six of which took place in the family’s native Czechoslovakia (now called the Czech Republic). The family enjoyed much acclaim, and their wines were even beloved by royalty.

According to the Herzog Wine Cellars’ website, “Emperor Franz Joseph, familiar with the Herzog family’s wines, made Phillip Herzog a baron and asked him to produce wine for the royal court.”

The family remained in Czechoslovakia until 1948 when they were forced to flee the Nazis in their European homeland.

The Herzog’s stayed in New York, where they emigrated to, until 1985, when they moved their wine importing business to sunny California. Today, the family owns and operates a 77,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art winery and produces eight brands of wine under the Herzog Wine Cellars imprint.

Herzog Wines Cellars is the largest producer of kosher wines in the United States. It’s also worth noting that Herzog offers daily self-guided tours that guests may take free of charge. This includes walking through the expansive barrel aging rooms.

Tierra Sur Restaurant

Tierra Sur restaurant is located within the Herzog Wine Cellars winery, museum, and operations space and is one of the most highly rated restaurants in Oxnard, California. It has a near-perfect OpenTable score and has been voted one of the best restaurants on OpenTable several times.

Under the leadership of Executive Chef Gabriel Garcia, whose experience includes stints at Noma (previously the #1 rated restaurant in the world) and at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, Tierra Sur takes a modern approach to kosher cuisine. The dishes reflect a focus on seasonal ingredients and bold plating and presentation. Chef Garcia also prioritizes dairy-free menu items.

We were extremely impressed with the food at Tierra Sur. The Ribeye Steak, Eggplant Osso Bucco, Pan-seared Salmon, and Tagliatelle Alla Carbonara were all excellent.

The restaurant itself is massive, with plenty of inside and outside seating. We get the impression that the space also hosts a lot of large, private events because we also noticed a large outdoor smoker and BBQ area that looked perfect for entertaining. 

The Wines

In addition to taking the free museum tour and enjoying lunch at the restaurant, we also decided to book a wine tasting, which included a nice selection of wines from across the Herzog Cellars portfolio. This is a good place to mention that Herzog has four, yes, four winemakers. With so many brands, it makes sense there are that many winemakers working with the grapes.

Joe Hurliman is the Winemaker Emeritus. David Galzignato is the Director of Winemaking Operations. Barry Henderson oversees the Baron Herzog label, and Alicia Wilbur is the winemaker for Jeunesse and Variations.

Here is a breakdown of our thoughts on the wines of Herzog Cellars.

Baron Herzog 2020, Chenin Blanc, California

The nose has a demi-sec quality and sings with sweet melon and crisp slate. Nice acidity on the palate, with more melon characteristics, and a zip of lemon, tropical pineapple, and refreshing yellow apple. A decent wine for the price. 

Herzog Lineage Series Chardonnay, Clarksburg 2020

We found this full-bodied Chardonnay from Clarksburg to be ‘okay.’ The nose is a little unusual for a Chard; we picked up cedar and apple cider. The palate had a more traditional California palate profile with butterscotch, vanilla, and butter jumping out. 

Lineage Series 2021, Pinot Noir, Clarksburg

Clarksburg is a cool climate AVA known for its fertile, water-retaining soils. That the water does not easily drain through the soil contributes to the region’s reputation for high-yielding vineyards whose fruit lacks the intensity of vines with more tempered productivity.

This is an ‘acceptable’ bottling, whose nose has an essence of strawberry jam and ripe black cherry. The palate contains more cherry overtones, baking spices, and noticeable oak. There are a lot of tannins going on in the glass, which makes this wine overly structured. 

Weinstock Cellar Select 2020, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Ripe aromas of black fruit and tobacco fill the nose of this wine. The palate has light notes of chocolate, black fruit, predominantly blackberry, as well as tobacco, and subtle hints of leather. This Cabernet is one of the better wines in the bunch we sampled.

Herzog Limited Edition Baroque Series 2017

The Herzog Baroque Series was a limited edition run of wines, which is a shame because this was one of our favorite wines of the tasting. This Cabernet Franc was made with grapes sourced from the cooler North Coast climate, and the aromatics on the nose presented a lovely bouquet of classic Cab Franc characteristics: cedar, tobacco, juicy black currant, ripe blackberry, and vanilla.

The palate was similarly structured. Soft chocolate, oak, sumptuous vanilla, and tart raspberry. The tannins were on the higher side, but we imagine the bottle was decanted. This would mellow out a bit. A good wine.

Herzog Special Reserve. 2020, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake County

As winemakers trying to craft everyday wines are priced out of Napa and Sonoma, we see more and more grapes sourced from Lake County, like Thai Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s a lot of quality in this cool climate, Cabernet. The nose is soft and earthy, with wet moss, sandalwood, and robust black cherry. Black cherry, worn leather, and smooth chocolate are nicely featured.

Final Thoughts

The history of Herzog Cellars is fascinating. And to think that the family embarked on their journey to the US with little more than their winemaking skills and have grown their business into what it is today just incredible. While the wines were a little hit or miss for us, some were really good. Others were just ‘okay.’ The restaurant was great. If you happen to be in Oxnard, do check it out.