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Napa Valley Wine Tour August, 2006
Naturally I wanted to visit some wineries during our stay in the Napa Valley. I planned to see many of them, but work got in the way, as did RV repairs, etc. so I had about 5 weekday afternoons, and one Saturday, in which I visited 10 vineyards – and of course, tasted their wines. You'll find them listed below in alphabetical order with a brief comment on each. First a few general comments: Wine Prices: I enjoy drinking wine that tastes like $25 a bottle, but only paying $7 to $12 for it. You can’t do that in Napa Valley. I didn’t find any exceptional bargains. Some of the same wine is available in grocery stores and wine discount stores around the country for 1/2 the price. Typical prices at the vineyards were $18 to $40 for whites and $24 to $80+ for reds. There were very few exceptions on the lower end. Good Values: I did find what I believe were good values on some really great wines, many of which are not distributed at retail but must be purchased on site, or through the wine club, or in restaurants. Buying in quantity (often as little as 3 bottles) earned a discount, and joining the wine club gets you 15% to 20% off. The Wineries 1. August Briggs, Calistoga www.augustbriggswines.com
2. Bennett Lane, Calistoga www.bennettlane.com
The winemaker Ron Hunter dropped by, which was an unexpected treat and I enjoyed talking with him. He was formerly VP of Winemaking at Sterling Vineyards. Now, having made his mark on the wine world, he is focusing on family and great wine here at Bennett Lane. Their white wines are good, but their reds are really fantastic. Several have scored 90 to 93 in Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits. I tasted them all, including the Primus Cabernet (lucky for me, they had opened a bottle for a special group and had some left). They were all great, right down to the Maximus, a blended red which they call a "feasting wine". I enjoyed it as much as the more expensive ones. Yummy.
Bennett Lane winemaker Rob Hunter, tasting staff Stephanie & Myla -- I'm in back 3. Calistoga Cellars, Calistoga www.calistogacellars.com
4. Clos Pegase, Calistoga
http://www.clospegase.com
5. Conn Creek Winery, St. Helena http://www.conncreek.com
6. Cuvasion Estate, Calistoga http://www.cuvaison.com
7. Mondavi, Oakville http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com
8. Napa Wine Company, Oakville http://www.napawineco.com
9. Sterling Vineyards, Calistoga http://www.sterlingvineyards.com
The visit starts with a tram ride up to their hilltop location. You get a great view of the valley from the tram, and from the overlooks and decks of their winery and visitor center. There’s an informative self-guided tour with narration by the senior wine makers on wide screen TV’s at key locations. During harvest (in another month or so) you can watch the whole process from elevated observation areas. The tasting room, although crowded, was very well organized. It’s a seated tasting, and you can choose to sit inside, or outdoors. They also have a “club room” where you can taste their reserve wines, and it’s quite nice as well. There’s also a large gift shop. Check out all the photos I took, click on the one below and a new window will open. Also, take a look at their web site and do the virtual tour.
Entry to Sterling Winery -- Click photo for more 10. Summers/Villa Andriana, Calistoga http://www.sumwines.com
PHOTOS -- more pictures of Napa Valley Wineries are HERE
Visit my Wine Blog Page HERE
Here’s a link to find all the wineries in the Napa Valley. http://www.napavintners.com/wineries
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Highly
recommended if you’re in the area. It’s a smaller vineyard, wine tasting
is free, the staff is friendly and fun, and the wine is great but a little
expensive. Outdoor picnic tables right among the vines.
This
is my personal choice for "Best Overall". It’s a small vineyard, and
their magazine ad says they have the "Friendliest tasting room in Napa
Valley". I agree. They also have "Red Wine and Chocolate
Saturdays" combining two things I like. 
Most
of you have had a Mondavi wine at one time or another. They’re a giant
producer, and they make some very good wine. However, I was disappointed
with my visit. Yes, the grounds are beautiful, lots of art, etc. Yes the
wines are good. But it was such a circus and so impersonal with the big
crowd. I went on a Friday afternoon, so I’m sure it would be a
little better mid week, but even worse on a Saturday. You expect
this at a big tasting event, but not at a winery.