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Napa winery recommendations

post #1 of 29
6/1/09 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
I'll be visiting Shafer, Duckhorn, Hess, Joseph Phelps, Grgich Hills and Cakebread. Any others you have enjoyed quality tastings at I'd like to know. Any of you guys have had negative experiences at the ones I mentioned, please let me know.

Cheers, a
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post #2 of 29
6/1/09 at 10:03pm
Will you be there during the week or on the weekend? I've heard that affects the experience greatly. Have fun. Sounds like a great trip!
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post #3 of 29
6/1/09 at 10:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks.

Midweek
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post #4 of 29
6/1/09 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophilia View Post
I'll be visiting Shafer, Duckhorn, Hess, Joseph Phelps, Grgich Hills and Cakebread. Any others you have enjoyed quality tastings at I'd like to know. Any of you guys have had negative experiences at the ones I mentioned, please let me know.

Cheers, a

The only one of the above I've visited in recent years, or at all if memory serves, is Hess. Beautiful grounds, view and interesting art collection; but the last time I found the tastings to be rather hum-drum. I haven't been to Duckhorn, but I have been to another of their properties, Goldeneye and it was lovely; both in terms of grounds and service.

As KW says, weekdays vs. weekends can make a huge difference. I'm guessing weekday if you plan to be in SF on the weekend fo the SF meetup

Also, with that list, I hope you are planning a few days to take them all in. Not only can the tastings add up with respect to driving, but just the time traveling from one to the next can also run over your expectations (weekends especially if that is the case). The main N-S road-- 29-- can be a major traffic jam, and Hess is a hike up a twisty-ass road. No way you could do that all in one day, but two, or better yet three.

Also, if during the week, and weather is permitting, have a lunch on the lawn at V. Sattui. Yes it's a terribly touristy thing to do, but if the crowd is sparse, it can be a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend mid-day.
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post #5 of 29
6/1/09 at 11:14pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, b.

I'll be in Napa for 5 days. Lots of time to take our time. 2 a day, a siesta then Bouchon one day, FL the next. Maybe Healdsburg if FL wait list does not come thru. Hopefully, the Audi conv comes through. Rt now, it's a Mustang GT conv
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post #6 of 29
6/1/09 at 11:17pm
Are you dead set on Napa or are you interested in checking out other areas too? There's some really good tasting rooms in Healdsburg (about an hour west of Napa) or Sonoma (about a half hour away), both would be much less busy than Napa but would still give you the wine country experience.
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post #7 of 29
6/1/09 at 11:19pm
Oh, you posted while I was still typing. You should check out Twomey and Williamson if you do go to Healdsburg. Both are very friendly with solid wines.
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post #8 of 29
6/1/09 at 11:19pm
Thread Starter 
Gotta be Napa, but may have time for Healdsburg. I've heard nothing but great things about Sonoma. Also, not really interested in restaurant, tour, view (except for some lovely drives to them), etc. Just want to taste (and buy) some fantastic wine.
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post #9 of 29
6/1/09 at 11:50pm
+1 on Shafer and Phelps. Those are two of my favorites in Napa Valley.

Hess wines are just OK IMO, but the art gallery is sort of cool.

I'm not a big fan of Opus One wine...but I recommend a visit if only for the view from their rooftop patio.

Mondavi has some nice "appointment only" tastings where you can taste some of their reserve wines. Check out their website. Despite Mondavi's mass commercial nature, I've always been a big fan of their reserve cabs.

A hidden gem (again, completely IMO) is Anderson's Conn Valley. They are located about 1-2 miles east of Silverado Trail...about a mile or so north of Phelps. Small family-owned place that is away from the hustle of St. Helena Hwy and Silverado Trail. Very relaxing place to visit. Nothing fancy at all. But, great scenery and fantastic reds. Their cabs is a great buy ($50-$60). Parker has been rating the cab around 94 or 95 the past few vintages. Their Eloge and Right Bank are also very nice if you like Bordeaux-style reds. Both of those have also been given high marks by Parker. They are very popular here in the Chicago area (but don't let that be negative factor!!).

Have fun.
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post #10 of 29
6/2/09 at 1:16am
Well if you do hit Healdsburg the Williamson tasting room is right in town and the folks that run it are very nice and the wines are excellent (the Shiraz is incredible) so I'd definitely recommend that one. Also, out on Dry Creek road (ask anybody in town and they'll point you in the right direction) are a lot of good wineries, but my favorite is Amphora. There wine is good and the owners are awesome! Super friendly, by far the best time I've had tasting. The guy was opening $150 dollar bottles of reserves on a Sunday afternoon and having us try everything. There's a few other tasting rooms next to theirs too so it's a nice opportunity to try a lot of wines without having to drive all over. Have fun!
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post #11 of 29
6/2/09 at 11:22am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, guys. Some great recs.
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post #12 of 29
6/2/09 at 11:54am
My $.02 after my wife and I went to Napa and Sonoma this past February. We spent a day and a half at each and went to Bouchon while we were there. We both cook a lot at home and this has been one of our favorite cookbooks to cook from. We had a great meal and it did not disappoint. We were talking to our server during the meal and mentioned her bf works at ad hoc which is down the road and supposed to be excellent as well. You might want to stop there for the fried chicken. We didn't get to go, but would have liked to eaten here as well. One winery recommendation for Napa I offer is Vincent Arroyo in Calistoga.

In Napa we were on our own, but when we were in Sonoma we met up with a friend of my wife's who took us to a few wineries. I was disappointed as it meant I didn't get to visit Peay, but we were introduced to a nice winery called Sapphire Hill. They have a tasting room on Front St. in Healdsburg.

These two wineries were definitely the stand outs of our trip and we have wine on the way from both.
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post #13 of 29
6/2/09 at 11:59am
I really like the Jessup outfit, and they make a killer Chardonnay. I'm not a white man myself, but their chardonnay is out of this world. They're also in Yountsville, just down the street from Bouchon and FL. The staff there is also incredibly friendly, and when I went there with my GF and little brother we ended up in their little cabana out back shooting the shit and drinking some of their best wines and eating chocolates.
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post #14 of 29
6/2/09 at 12:07pm
We went to a wedding at Clos Pegase, which was a pretty cool winery (and the grape juice isn't bad ) - a Michael Graves-designed temple to wine...

http://www.clospegase.com/aboutus.html
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post #15 of 29
6/2/09 at 3:18pm
If you're interested and have the time, there is "another wine country" about 1 1/2 hours or so southeast of Napa. It is Amador County, where you can visit a lot of small independent wineries you have never heard of and taste some really great wines, particularly the zins, for which Amador is best known. You will also get to meet the actual people who make the wine, not the sales people who are looking to get you to buy as much as possible and leave the tasting room as quickly as they can get you out.
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