Gorgeous building, three stories including a tower overlooking the vineyard. Comfortable couches, both inside and out. Nicely decorated. Definitely a winery kind of feel. Since it was stop one, I split the classic tasting with two others. Our server was friendly and super informative, pulling out a map every so often to tell us where the grapes of each wine came from.
Mi Sueno isn't your typical winery. It's located in an Industrial complex in the South of Napa and your tasting is in the chilled storage area of the warehouse. Despite the unconventional setting, the private tasting that I enjoyed here was extremely well done and informative. Jaime gave us a quick tour of the facility and we settled down at a grand wooden table and the pours began. Jaime is quite the story-teller, weaving together the story of the owner and the winery with the explanation for each of the wines. We tried 11 of their wines that day, with very very generous pours of each. My favorites were their 2009 Cab and the 2011 Valeria, a petit verdot, from their reserve line, Herrera, but I was also fond of the 2009 Chardonnay (not too oaky) and 2009 Pinot Noir. Give them a call or shoot them an email and make sure you stop and visit this place. A "Hidden Gem of Napa Valley"!
Situated in the rolling hills of eastern Napa Valley, Hestan Vineyards is a 56-acre tapestry of small, individually farmed blocks, planted to the five principle red Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The vineyard is named for owners Stanley and Helen Cheng, who purchased the property in 1996. Cheng is CEO of Meyer Corporation, the world’s second largest cookware company with brands including Anolon, Circulon, KitchenAid and Faberware. In 2005, the Chengs released their first wines from the property, the 2002 Hestan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and 2002 Meyer Cabernet Sauvignon; both made by consulting winemaker Mark Herold. The wines were a critical success and were followed in 2008 by the launch of Stephanie, a line of red Bordeaux blends made by consulting winemaker Jeff Gaffner.
Enjoy the laid-back vibe at our Napa Valley tasting room, located just off Highway 29 a mile south of the charming main street of downtown Calistoga. Surrounded by ornately landscaped gardens, our modern farmhouse-style tasting room opens onto a sun-filled courtyard framed by lush vineyards and views of the Calistoga foothills.
Calistoga is a sublime place to taste our Napa Valley/Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc alongside our expressive Pinot Noirs. Fun fact: Some of the fruit selected for the white varietal is from the adjacent estate vineyard.
Rooted deeply in the history, winegrowing, and agricultural heritage of Napa Valley, a visit to Spottswoode offers an intimate experience that highlights the winery’s dedication to producing exceptional wines that authentically reflect their time and place.
Estate Tasting
Spottswoode eagerly welcomes guests to experience their current release wines. Visits are available by appointment only, with tastings potentially held outdoors, weather permitting. Due to their use permit with the City of St. Helena, reservations are limited. It is recommended to inquire about availability as early as possible when planning a visit.
Wonderful view . You actually look down on Sterling, which people often rave about for its view. The wine is amazing too. I don't think Napa gets much better than this.
Bob Levy is the winemaker for Harlan Estate, and his wife is the winemaker for the Sloan Estate. Both of them have made wines that have scored perfect 100 point ratings. They bought a 6 acre lot in the Diamond Mountain area, and the case production for their 1st and 2nd vintages is 400 cases or less. Robert Parker gave their 1st vintage, the 2004 vintage a rating of 96-98 points, and their 2005 vintage a rating of 95-97 points. What a great way to start off. Their wines look to have excellent cellaring life. Their maximum estimated case production, given their current vineyard of 6 acres is around 500-600 cases at best. This is less then half the production of Harlan and about the same as Screaming Eagle. On average, Levy & McClellans case production will be less then that of Screaming Eagle. As of right now, there is no waiting list to get into Levy & McClellan. But, I will say this right now, given the great history of these 2 great winemakers, it will not take long for their list to fill up and a very long waiting list to form. The Wine Levy & McClellan produces the following wine varietals: Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Franc.
Tom Burgess established Burgess Cellars in 1972, but these Howell Mountain slopes were first planted in the 1870s by Italian-speaking immigrants from the Swiss canton of Ticino. The Poncetta & Rossini families, in the way of their Alpine homeland, cultivated vines on the rugged mountainside at extreme elevations. With the same ambition and imagination, Lee Stewart planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah grapes on Howell Mountain’s steep hillsides, naming his winery Souverain, meaning “sovereign.” Subsequent Napa Valley greats also saw the high promise of the land. Before starting the historic Stag’s Leap and Grgich wineries, Warren Winiarski and Mike Grgich each learned his trade at the Estate known today as Burgess.
Rudy Zuidema recently partnered with long time wine producer and genuinely nice guy Chris Klein for Chris’ new brand Phamus Wines. Phamus, a combination of his Vietnamese wife’s last name (Pham) and “us.” Chris says it can be pronounced with a long “a” as in “famous,” or a shortened vowel such as in “father”. Regardless of how one says it, though, the universal language of wine quality will be the same – and it is high. We will be working with Chris on providing opportunities to make some of his limited production wines available to CaCorks members. Quantities will be limited, but very enjoyable! California Corks is pleased to have Phamus Wines as part of our California Winery Directory and find Chris' wines to be one of those hard to find gems such as: The Pioneer (100% Cabernet Sauvignon), (blend-Cab Sauv,Petite Sirah and Syrah), and The Traveler (100 % Napa Chardonnay) our readers just might want to look into. Phamus offers 10% on all online orders to California Corks Winery Expweience members. (code provide to our members)*
Located in Rutherford at the heart of Napa Valley, Frog’s Leap was founded by John Williams in 1981 and is renowned for its commitment to farming. The winery has been certified organic since 1989 and has practiced dry farming since its inception. After forty years, the Williams family and their team continue to receive accolades for Frog’s Leap’s signature style: wines characterized by balance, restraint, and a profound respect for the natural expression of the vine. The estate features the historic Red Barn, constructed in 1884, along with certified organic culinary gardens and fruit orchards. Visitors are invited to experience the winery’s rich history, much of which is true, through engaging stories shared by the Wine Specialist team.
Appointments are necessary for all visits, including same-day reservations. Walk-ins are accommodated by making a same-day reservation online or in-person at the host stand.
