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.
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.
Tedeschi Family Winery is a great boutique winery to visit and tour. Tedeschi produces approx. 2,000 cases each year. At the time of adding the winery to our California Winery Directory we learned from Stephanie Trotter- Zacaria the Directory or Sales and Marketing that Tedeschi Family Winery took some recent medals for their wines. Congradulations to Emil Tedeschi, vintner & the winery owner, to Emilio Tedeschi the Winery's General Manager and not for forget Mario Tedeschi winemaker. We will be updating the winery in the future and getting a better picture assigned to the listing soon *
Hours:
By Appointment Only
Stopped by in the Fall to do a little tasting on our way up to the hot springs. I first went to this winery about 13 years ago and was a member for years. They have excellent red wines and fun harvest parties - complete with grape stomping! It's a quaint winery away from the crowds in Napa and couple of my favorites were the 2003 Cabernet Bosche and Zinfandel.
The building that now houses Napa Wine Company is actually a culmination of two historic winery properties. In 1877 the first Brun & Chaix Nouveau Médoc Winery was built in Oakville, it was the 9th bonded winery in California. The oldest building was a tiny cellar; 20 by 34 feet. In 1880 the building was expanded to 160 by 34 feet and another building 40 by 45 feet was built nearby. The property passed through various hands in the 20th century. Eventually the properties were expanded to support large-scale production of generic wines, starting with the Betsy Ross wine brand in the 1940s. In 1977 the two buildings were united, and later in the 1980s, production was expanded further still to support the growing Inglenook brand. In 1993, the winery was purchased by the Pelissa family who converted the former Inglenook facility from a mass production winery into a state-of-the-art custom crush facility. In 1997, three of the top ten Wine Spectator best wines of the year were produced at Napa Wine Company. The following year, The tasting room on the property was opened to the public.
Chateau Montelena is a Napa Valley winery most famous for winning the white wine section of the historic "Judgement of Paris" wine competition. I had high expectations coming into this experience after the depth of history. From the time you walk up to Chateau Montelena, the grounds are extremely well kept and there's a feeling of serenity.
We decided to opt for the Library Tasting, which I'd highly recommend. We sampled the estate wine, which exudes a much more complex taste than the standard Chateau line of wine. After sampling several vintages ranging from 2005 to 2011, I was completely sold on the hype. It probably also helped that Sean was extremely accommodating and his passion for wine as well as working at Chateau Montelena is apparent. If you book this tasting, be sure to ask for Sean. Did you see "Bottle Shock"?
For Chris and Gino Bartalotti, winemaking at Bartalotti Wine Company is a family tradition that originated centuries ago in Italy and continues today in the Napa Valley. The brothers saw wine on the table each day. Most of the wine was made by family and friends where good food and wine had always been a pleasant part of daily life. In 1994 Chris went to Italy and worked in the family wine business. He studied age-old winemaking techniques. There was even a bit of the unexpected - carrying lugs of grapes on top of a Fiat through narrow hillside trails. Chris came home and, wanting to carry on the tradition, found a willing partner in his brother Gino. ~
German-born Manfred Esser began his career as a salesman for a large European winery; in 1974, he came to the United States. Esser joined Napa Valley's Cuvaison Winery as President in 1986 and, in a little over 10 years, made it one of the most successful estates in the industry. His unique approach to converting customers into "company ambassadors" has set an industry standard for client relations. Having achieved success at Cuvaison, Esser sold his partnership in 1998, fueled by the desire to begin a project of his own.
Years of preparation went into the development of the Esser Vineyards brand. Working closely with Manfred Esser is renowned consulting winemaker Paul Moser, whose style received praise for eight consecutive years from Robert Parker as a "breath of fresh air" in the California wine market.
The first vintage of Tom Eddy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was 1991, but Tom’s experience in the wine industry goes back farther than that. He earned the U.C. Davis degree in 1974, did his requisite stint in a few big wineries, then settled into the North Coast as general manager and winemaker at Souverain Winery in Geyserville.
The accolades for his wines started to follow, for everything from North Coast French Colombard to Sonoma County Zinfandel.
Long Vineyards is located in what is probably the best terroir in Napa Valley not to have a sub appellation designation. This is in what the locals call, Pritchard Hill located in the eastern hills above the Napa Valley. The Long Family along with Chappelet winery were the first two "modern day" wine families to take root in this area. High end winery neighbors also include Bryant and Colgin. The winery dates from 1977. Today there are a number of small wineries and producing vineyards in the area. Once more people started finding out about Pritchard Hill and the benefits of growing vineyards on this specific terroir - coupled with the dot com boom in the late 1990's, other vintners rushed in to plant. However, vines have been planted in this vicinity since the late 1880's by Italian American Vintners. A tasting here is is for the serious wine enthusiast; the tastings are always held at the Long home as the actual wine is made at Hall Winery St. Helena on the valley floor. Your tasting will be with either Bob or his wife Pat. Weather permitting the tasting is held outdoors under their vine covered trellis with great views overlooking the hills and Lake Hennessey in the distance. The Longs specialize in 100% varietals and have made a number of wines throughout their history. In 1978 they produced one of Napa's first barrel fermented chardonnays and until several years ago they made a wonderful 'botrytis' Riesling. After producing in the range of 3000 to 4000 cases annually, the Longs have downsized and now produce merely several hundred cases each year.
