Gamble Family Vineyards
Unlike most of his neighbors, third-generation farmer Tom Gamble doesn't trumpet his boutique winery's tasting room with a sign along St. Helena Highway. When confirming guests' (required) appointments, hosts describe the mailbox to look for. The low-key branding is among the clues that a visit here is less about flash and more about substance. Gamble, whose family settled in Oakville more than a century ago, sells grapes to A-list wineries, reserving a portion for single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, a Bordeaux-style blend or two, and a knockout Sauvignon Blanc. The collector-quality reds, meticulously crafted, remarkably restrained, and reminiscent of Napa's Judgment of Paris heyday, are poured in a 2013 structure whose design pays tribute to 19th-century Napa Valley farmhouses. When he's around, the amiable Gamble often drops by tastings to say hi.