Napa

Napa

Scarecrow Winery

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Scarecrow Caberent Sauvignon does not have a long, fabled history like many of the most expensive California wines. In fact, they are one of the few recent cult wine phenomena to have taken off over the past few years. That says a lot about Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon and its popularity with wine lovers as the Cult wine craze has largely fallen by the way side. Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon made their debut California wine in 2003. While the winery is new, the vineyard has a long history dating all the way back to the end of World War 2. That was the year that John Daniel, Jr, (the original owner of the vineyards now used by Dominus,) convinced his friend J. Cohn, to plant 80 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. Those vines became the backbone of all the legendary vintages for Inglenook that Cohn helped produce. Scarecrow wine, Caberent Sauvignon is the brain child of Cohn’s grandson, Bret Lopez and Celia Masyczek. The best fruit comes from their oldest vines in the Rutherford vineyards. This small production wine is difficult to find and expensive. But it is a unique, tactile style of California Cabernet Sauvignon that is worth the effort to seek out. The entire production of Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon is sold through a mailing list.

Domaine Carneros

glasses of white wine - Pixabay

Pull up the impressive drive and you will have left Sonoma behind for a little piece of France. The winery is owned by Tattinger and the owners hold this visitor center up to the same standards as their famed winery in Champagne. Pull up the impressive drive and you will have left Sonoma behind for a little piece of France. The winery is owned by Tattinger and the owners hold this visitor center up to the same standards as their famed winery in Champagne.

Parrallel Wines

grape clusters in the vineyard - pixabay

Parallel Wines was founded by a close knit group of friends, all extremely passionate in their love of life. The label represents a facet of that passion: this group of friends love of skiing inspired them to create a label which captures the first tracks of the day cut into fresh powder. These friends and their love of fine wine inspired them to collaborate with Philippe Melka to create Parallel Napa Valley. Parallel Wines is the pride and joy of eight friends from Park City, Utah, who tapped into their combined passion of skiing and fine wine and their 30+ years of friendship to create this unique brand.

Del Dotto Vineyards

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

The beautiful, incredibly ornate and Victorian/ Baroque style tasting room coupled with the very friendly service makes this a great place to take out-of-towners. Barrel tasting after barrel tasting, we truly learned a lot. The final tasting was complimented by an immaculate tray of cheese, cured meats, and bread/crackers (which, let's say, we definitely needed. . .and loved).

Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery

red wine pours into wine glass - Pixabay

Smith Madrone makes only three wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Riesling. In each case, the wine's mountain roots shine through. The chardonnay is leaner and tighter than most examples from the area, despite full ML and all new oak. This tightly structured wine needs time, and is built for it. The current release Cabernet is the 2006...how's that for integrity? The Smith brothers hold back their Cabs until they feel they're ready. While not a tannic monster, this wine has strong bones, to be sure, and needs time as well, though it wouldn't be out of place with a hearty red meat dish right now.

Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon were initially planted in 1972. Cabernet Franc and Merlot were added in 1998. Petite Verdot was added in 2007. Pinot Noir was planted in 1972 but grafted over to Chardonnay in 1986.

Boeschen Vineyards

grape cluster - Pixabay

Boeschen Vineyards

What a hidden gem! They only make four types of wine: sauvignon blanc, rosé, cabernet sauvignon, and a blend. Normally after you wine taste, you would just buy your favorite wines and leave the winery, right? Well, Doug, the vintner and now tour guide, then took us for a tour outside the wine cave and showed us the estate's 200+ year old rose, the extensive car collection residing in a renovated barn, and the fully restored functioning green house.

The wines of Boeschen Vineyards celebrate the land and traditions of Napa Valley. On an estate founded in 1880, our family farms the 11-acre vineyard and crafts the wine from barrel to bottle. Experience a taste of how Napa used to be – and still is at Boeschen Vineyards. 

Lamborn Family Vineyards

pouring red wine in to the glass - Pixabay

Lamborn Family Vineyards Cabernet and Zinfandel are only available for purchase here on our website by our Exclusive Winery Club Members via a password protected online shopping cart. Lamborn wines have extremely limited distribution beyond their Membership and can be very hard to find retail. Vintner's Collective is the first of it's kind in Napa Valley, a multi-winery tasting room that is home to twenty of the most experienced and talented winemakers in the Valley. The man behind Vintner's Collective is Garret Murphy, who dreamed of creating a place where wine lovers could taste the wines of some of the best winemakers in Napa Valley, and where smaller wineries without their own tasting room could showcase their wines and introduce them to consumers. With a little Irish luck and good intuition, the location for Vintner's Collective in the landmark Pfeiffer building made the idea a reality, and current changes and growth in downtown Napa made for good timing. Vintner's Collective is open daily, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Vintners Collective 1245 Main St. Napa, CA 94559

Far Niente Winery

glass of wine - Pixabay

Great wines. Immaculate grounds. Great wines. Affable, extremely knowledgeable, and unpretentious tour guide. Unbelievably awesome garage housing Rolls Royces, Ferraris, Bentleys, a Shelby Mustang, and a Formula One car.

Girard Winery

wine and cheese - Pixabay

After a day of trekking around Yountville and St Helena I wound up at Girard Winery. Girard stays open till 7, very smart move I must say as they get the overflow of folks looking for a place to continue their wine tasting adventures or a place to grab drinks before heading off to a nice dinner. It's not a showy vineyard or winery so if you are looking for the fluff you will not find it (although it is a nice tasting room). What you will find are some REALLY GREAT WINES.

Macauley Vineyards

glass of red wine _ Pixabay

The MACAULEY VINEYARD label was established in St. Helena in the early 1980s by Ann Macauley Watson, who, with the assistance of renowned winemaker Ric Forman, produced a highly regarded late harvest Sauvignon Blanc for several years.

In late summer of 2000, Ann's son Mac began working at Rudd Estate in Oakville. His experience and education there inspired him to revive the family label. Collaborating with winemaker and childhood friend Kirk Venge, Mac crushed his first grapes in October 2001.

Mac and Kirk share a singular goal: to source the highest quality fruit from Napa Valley and create wines of exceptional depth and personality. The grapes they select highlight the terroir of the vineyards, resulting in a remarkable wine-drinking experience.

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