Best Winery in NAPA ??
 

We only have a couple of days - which wineries are the MUST SEES ??

Do you want to see them or sample great wine? Are you there to see the huge Disneyland mass production tourist traps or are you willing to discover some true gems? A rule of thumb for me is to stay off 128/29 as much as possible and head for the Silverado Trail and roads around there. Avoid places where you see buses and limos and you won't be treated like a dumb tourist who's there to get free drinks. Which are your favorite wines and find out who specializes in them, then map out a route. One stop I truly love in Napa is way off the beaten path, but spectacular is Hess. It has beautiful grounds and houses an amazing art gallery. I could spend hours there. Artesa is cool, too.

Hi-In February I went to Jarvis in Napa. Very interesting - the entire winery (except the grapes of course) is in a mountain side or cave-it's really cool (literally, too). The tour is $20 or $30 depending on how many wines you drink but it was definitely unique and a totally different experience from the other wineries. www.jarviswines.com

Thanks guys ! Our fav is Opus I - so I know we'll be going there - but we were looking for some out of the way hidden gems.

Prager Ports. Exceptional but a hole in the wall. Very few, if anymore, specializes in ports in the napa valley area. http://www.pragerport.com/

I am a big fan of the Silver Oak Winery along with Joseph Phelps and I love Rombauer..
Have a blast!

We love Joseph Phelps, it is off Silverado Trail and the views from the tasting area are lovely.

I also enjoy Steltzer Vineyards, more for the wine than anything else.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards has a nice facility and their Pinot Noir is just really outstanding.

Del Dotto was my favorite. My husband liked Far Niente the best and we all loved Venge Vineyards (way off the beaten bath), small vineyard, great wine.

My favs: Baldacci, Rombauer, Dutch Henry, Vincent Arroyo, Bennett Lane. The Bennett Lane Maximus is my newest discovery- it's YUMMY! Cliff Lede is an interesting stop- a bit crowded but some really quality wine. You must make a reservation for the tour at Opus WELL in advance, they only do one per day! Tour is free, tasting 25 bucks, but worth it. Gorgeous place, take your wine on their patio.

my favorite in napa is casa montelana.

Otto do you mean Chateau Montelena?

Also, if you do go to Del Dotto, definitely do the cave tour, it's pretty cool. They'll wave the $40 tasting/tour fee if you buy enough wine, which my husband always does. ;)

I am surprised they charge so much in Napa for wine tasting and tours. Most don't charge at all in Sonoma in the Russian River Valley (Healdsburg) area.

I am surprised they charge so much in Napa for wine tasting and tours. Most don't charge at all in Sonoma in the Russian River Valley (Healdsburg) area. ((b))

Oops - sorry for the double post. ((b))

I think I know why they do it. They're trying to discourage the amateurs who know nothing or care about wine, but who just want to drive around and get free drinks. If they charge a tasting fee, they eliminate that crowd.

The fact that they waive the fee if you buy some wine or belong to their wine club makes it OK with me, we were reimbursed for all or our tasting fees.

Some of the smaller wineries in Napa do not charge. And you're right, they do reimburse often. However, I agree that 40 bucks is ridiculous! Well, some of the wine prices are ridiculous too. You don't have to pay a fortune to enjoy great wines. I prefer Sonoma Valley too Budman.

I prefer Sonoma County, too.
:S-
R5

Russian River Valley produces some of the best reds! Yummmy...

We're doing our 3rd annual Wine tour (5 couples) this October, and we're going to expand our horizons to Russian River and Sonoma this year...so much wine, so little time....

Oh and whatever you do, don't bother going to Quintessa. Good wine but the people there have serious atitude problems. They should not be working in a job where they actually have to speak to people.