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.

WOW...we just opened a bottle of Cuvaison Zin Larkmead Lane and now remembered why we bought a case of it (plus 2 of their Cabs) This wine is absolutely delicious, kind of makes you cry. It was only 28 a bottle, it tastes like a $90 bottle...my notes say there are only 4 cases left so LOOK and ASK for this! Cuvaison had really, really splendid wines.

Go to the town of Oakville just outside of Napa.

Stop at the Oakville grocery to get some picnic food.

There are lots of great wineries, our favorites are:
Cakebread
Robert Mondavi (take the tour)
Plumpjack
Francis Ford Coppala
Opus One (don't taste just look - it's $35 a taste, not worth it but the winery is beautiful).

On the way home stop in the quaint town of Sonoma for some shopping.

ooops - also don't forget Silver Oak also in Oakville.

Coppola is no longer there. It's now called Rubicon and they charge you 25 dollars to valet park and then pour the cheap Diamond series wines. What a ripoff. And Mondavi is packed with tourists.

Wow - what a great response from everyone - I'm printing all this advice and putting it in my folder for the trip !! Thanks

Valet parking? Ugh, bring on the airheads in stiletto heels and their sugar daddies...

Get ready for sticker shock at Opus One--$25 a couple of years ago.

One of my all-time favorite tours was Schramsburg. They make sparkling, so it will be different than a still-wine tour. They have been around forever and claim that Chinese labor helped build the caves in the early part of the century. Schramsburg has been served at a number of state dinners and it is the wine Nixon used to toast when he began diplomatic ties with China.

Anyway, it is a great tour and delicious wine. I seem to remember there was a $10 or so charge for a vertical tasting.

nina, chateau! thanks for the correction. i've bought a bottle or two locally, but none could compare to the '01 cabernet i brought back. i can't keep away from it!

Our favorites so far:

Hess for good wine at a fair price and an Art Museum

Coppola-Niebaum just because it's beautiful and has a Coppola film museum upstairs

Frogs Leap for the wine...my favorite Napa wine. It's small and you may need reservations; call first.

We went for the first time a few years ago and really enjoyed Sterling - the tram car ride up to the top of the hill is amazing. We also really liked Coppola, Luna, and Turnbull. The tour at Mondavi is very good - we didn't feel the need to go on any others after that. Have fun!

OK, On more time...
Niebaum-Coppola
NO LONGER EXISTS IN THE NAPA VALLEY, therefore it CANNOT be recommended as a winery to visit there.
[-X
In the same location where Niebaum-Coppola WAS is a winery named Rubicon and they charges $25 a head for tasting.
:-o
Niebaum-Coppola has moved to the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County if you must visit it.

Sonoma is a MUST SEE anyway..
((R)) ((R)) ((R))

R5

razzle, you're getting kind of fancy on us! Wow, I'm sipping on a White Oak (Alexander Valley) Syrah right now and it is suPERB mmmmmm

Rubicon Estates in Napa is still OWNED nd OPERATED by the same group that owned Niebaum-Coppola (i.e. Francis Ford Coppola, etc.). It still has one of the most beautiful grounds and chateau in Napa, the same one that Gustave Niebaum built and which the Copolla family bought and maintained. It also includes the same winery and film museums.

Rubicon Estate was renamed after the flagship wine of the Niebaum-Coppola vinters (i.e. Rubicon), which I assume would be their high-end single-estate label.

Peju Winery (Rutherford) - amazing wine, lovely gardens and a fun, good-time atmosphere (singing, yodeling, rap), also excellent chef and wine pairings.

Casa Nuestra - funky tasting room, the "people's winery", check out Tinto, their historical vineyard planted in the Tinto recipe

Silver Oak

Avoid the corporate places. Mondavi is like a cattle call, little personal attention or acknowledgement

So many wineries, so little time! :)

At the south end of Napa Valley, don't miss Artesa.

WAY over at the north end, don't miss Chateau Montelena and Clos Pegase.

In between, there are just too many to mention: St Supery, Grgich Hills, Trefethen - and these are just along 29 - if you skip over to the Silverado Trail, well, we'll probably not see you for another year or so!

And if you do decide to branch off over to Sonoma Valley - well, we'll probably NEVER see you again.

"It's rumored that JerseySue was imbibing and driving somewhere between the Russian River Valley and the Alexander Valley when last seen..."

Have a great time! Pay little - there's lots of great wines to enjoy without having to pay and arm and a leg for "tasting". Enjoy! :)

It's my understanding that Coppola bought Chateau Soverain, which is absolutely gorgeous and had a wonderful restaurant. We took friends there last year for lunch and a tour. The tour started in the vineyard and ended with barrel tasting. We paid for the tour, but it was one of the most interesting we ever took. Have no idea what, if any, changes have been made under the new ownership.

Frog's leap is amazing, small organic vineyard with a spicy zin.

schafer is a beautiful stop.

homewood in sonoma is an interesting change, a small tasting room attached to an RV where the winemaker lives, he'll admister the free tasting himself. an interesting view contrary to mondavi.

the tram ride at sterling is a bore for anyone who's ever skied before (my opinion)