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Redmon Family Vineyards

Redmon Family Vineyards began with a very limited scope of producing wine “to share with friends and family.” It has since become a commercial (albeit small), producer located in the St Helena AVA.
The Redmon Family has lived in Napa Valley since 1979. They originally came “for the root beer,” opening an A&W restaurant on Highway 29 in the southern part of St Helena. In 1991, Tom Redmon bought a small vineyard and began the process of making handcrafted wines.
Redmon makes several small quantity bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Some grapes are grown on the family’s 3 acre estate property, and others are sourced from other premium quality vineyards in Napa Valley.

Cockerel Family Wine Estates

It began as a dream to produce a superb Sauvignon Blanc in the Napa Valley modeled on the best traditions of the incredible Bordeaux blancs of France. In 2005 we were fortunate to locate a beautiful estate vineyard in Calistoga which was planted over 50 years ago on St. George rootstock. Back dropped by the Palisades, the old vines thrive in this dry-farmed vineyard which has deep soil that is well suited to growing Sauvignon Blanc.

The result -- our first estate grown wine Terroir Coquerel, followed by Le Petit Coquerel, and in 2008 Cockerel Family estate grown late harvest Sauvignon Blanc, La Douce Revanche. Each wine is distinctive and delicious, reflecting individually the terroir of their original Calistoga vineyard and of the elegant flavors unique to Sauvignon Blanc.

Paloma Vineyards

Paloma Vineyard makes some of the best red wine in the world. It is a unique, small, family run winery up in Spring Mountain near St. Helena. If you are a serious wine drinker and love great Bordeaux or Napa red wines, then you will certainly want to visit. If you can't visit, then buy a bottle of their Merlot if you can find it. This is not your one dimensional, easy to drink, but easier to forget Merlot. It is a complex, layered, fascinating Merlot that is very different from your usual California Merlot regardless of price.

Castello Di Amorosa

This is one of Napa's most memorable wineries - and the newest. It took more than half a decade to build and involved hand masonry by Italian artisans. Why? Because Castello is truly a castle. A Medieval, stone castle.... with a moat!

Moss Creek Winery

I visited their small quaint tasting room once and a great time tasting its varieties. Moss Creek Winery and Moskowite Family Vineyards is located in Capell Valley in the eastern part of the Napa Valley AVA. In 1999, George and Ann Moskowite established Moss Creek Winery. They sell many of their grapes, but also produce a limited amount of estate wine. Winemaker Nils Venge handcrafts Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc.

St. Helena Winery

A moment of reflection under the shaded terrace is all it takes for you to feel the essence of why we feel so privileged to be a part of this exceptional vineyard in the Napa Valley. The manicured vineyards surround our oasis, shelter it from the crowds, and give voice to the historical echoes whispering through the trees as the afternoon breeze brings a welcome sip of cool coastal air to mix with the warmth of a summer day. A step forward here is a step back in time to a more relaxed time and place.

Dyer Vineyards

Dyer Vineyard is a small estate vineyard and winery in the Diamond Mountain District of the Napa Valley. The estate produces a limited bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is owned and operated by wine industry veterans, Bill and Dawnine Dyer.

Stony Hill Vineyard

This small, out-of-the-way winery, owned and run by a husband-and-wife team, specializes in (of all things!) white wines in Napa Valley, and they do a great job of it. There is a distinct nostalgic charm to Stony Hill. From the wonderful tour and tasting offered by Willinda, to the lovely, intimate setting and the purity of the wines, this winery offers an experience that cannot be found in most Napa Valley wineries. It is a reminder of the old days when tradition, culture, family and commitment meant more than chasing wine rating scores or optimizing profits.

Levendi Estates Winery

Levendi Estate Winery currently makes their wines at the popular Laird Estate just south of Yountville.Levendi concentrates on 100% varietal wines with the focus being Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon; in addition they typically will not blend multiple varietals into the same wine. They make two Chardonnays - the Red Hen Vineyard from the Wente clone which is known for its very small concentrated fruit and the other from Cold Creek on the Sonoma side of Carneros. Our two favorite wines from Levendi are the Symphonia and Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. Both are elegant wines which come from grapes that are grown in entirely different areas.

Falcor Wines

Certainly located in the least likely place you would imagine a wine tasting place to reside. Its oddly situated in an almost vacant business center, just a block away from the DMV, along with an exterior portraying anything but a winery.

We fortunately were pleasantly surprised to walk into an exceptional, cozy, secluded, classy atmosphere. Similar to the living and dining room of a fairly decent sized nice home. All equipped with two absolutely cute lab dogs named Thora and of course Falcor. Some might be taken back with the presence of dog's in a wine tasting room, however, being the dog lovers my friend and I both are, it was an added bonus. We were also given a quick tour of the small establishment and which Stacy explained to us how they actually hand press there grapes in the barrels which explains why they of course only develop smaller batches.

I'm glad we found Falcor, which was the height of our Napa trip. What a great selection of tasting wines! And what STRONG wines those were! We had:

2012 Trousseau Gris, Russian River Valley
A great opener. A crisp wine flavored with honeysuckle, pear and melon.

2008 Chardonnay, Los Carneros ($36)
A gentle butterscotch flavor with a toasty oakiness.

2007 Bilancia, Napa Valley ($37)
A blend of 48% Zinfandel, 26% Syrah, 21% Petit Sirah and 5% Charbono.

2006 Syrah, Napa Valley ($34)
A strong wine with blackberry, wild plum and dried currants.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($65)
A well-balanced wine that aged nicely! I enjoyed this one the most.

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