Tor Kenward Family Wines is a small family owned winery that specializes in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Tor Kenward, a Napa Valley vintner for over three decades, is champion of single vineyard wines. "After making wines here for over thirty years I believe the vineyard is the real winemaker. My job is to nurture and stay out of the way of greatness," observes Tor.
Trinchero Family Estates (“TFE”) is wholly owned and operated by the Trinchero family, Napa Valley vintners since 1948. Over the years, the company expanded its portfolio by purchasing a magnitude of wineries including Terra d’Oro Winery in Amador County in 1988, Napa Valley’s Folie á Deux Winery in 2004 and Napa Cellars in 2006. In 2009, the family completed building Trinchero Napa Valley winery and hospitality center, located in northern St. Helena, California.
Pinot Noir, great personalized service, beautiful grounds, and good prices. This is the epitome of Carneros Pinot Noirs and they have several excellent vintages and labels to choose from. We went for an all Pinot tasting and I enjoyed each one tremendously. I have been told their whites are also good, but I will need to review those on a subsequent visit. Reservations are necessary, but not difficult to get. Please go to this place...you will NOT be disappointed!
Buccella, under the guidance of well-known winemaking consultant Celia Masyczek has fashioned brilliant Cabernet Sauvignons in both 2006 and 2007 and the 2008 continues their success. The 2008s are slightly more powerful, backward wines but they have enough structure as well as sensational concentration and depth to support the tannins. ROBERT PARKER RATING: 95
We tasted three pinot's a syrah and two cabs. The three pinot's were from the same vineyard in Sonoma but from three different blocks. Three distinctly different wines. All very Burgundian in crafting but with that amazing Sonoma Coast fruit. My favorite style...French winemaking but with CA fruit! The Syrah was amazing. Once again, very French. Northern Rhone in crafting but with Bennet Valley fruit. The Cabs...well, they were quite simply amazing. Two totally different wines from two different AVA's.
Crane offers some excellent reds in a beautiful, unassuming, and unpretentious format. Your proprietor, Tom Crane, a second generation owner/grower, will sit out on the lovely porch and describe each one of his wonderful wines. No pressure to buy here; the wines sell themselves. Tom offers a Cab, Merlot, a Bordeaux blend called Allison's cuvee (named after the winemaker), and a Port all at good prices. While the estate is small and lacks the flash and polish of larger operations, the hospitality and great wines more than made up for it. If you are the adventurous type and want to go off the beaten path for a warm Napa afternoon at a boutique winery, by all means give Tom a call.
Jason Moore is the winemaker and founding partner of Modus Operandi Cellars in Napa Valley. He believes that wine is one of those rare things that can evoke a wide range of feelings and emotions. Wine is enchanting and mysterious; it brings joy, confounds, and inspires. For many, these complexities spark a love that grows into a deep passion for wine. For Jason, this passion led to the creation of Modus Operandi Cellars.Modus Operandi Cellars puts out some truly fantastic wines and Jason is the perfect host for the tasting experience. We found him years ago almost at random, joined the club, and haven't looked back since. Both Jason's whites and reds are something special and still rank among my favorites of all time.
Vine Cliff Winery was established in 1871, when 500 acres were carved out of the George Yount estate. One of the first bonded wineries in the United States, and the first in Napa to plant Bordeaux varietals on a commercial scale, Vine Cliff was one of the region’s most successful wineries through the end of the 19th Century. A series of natural problems drove the winery under in the early 20th Century, with the land remaining fallow until it was purchased by Nell Sweeney for her family in 1985. Now, under the leadership of Rob Sweeney, the family’s oldest son, Vine Cliff has regained its position as a leader in the production of superior Napa Valley wines.
This little hidden gem is very easy to miss while whizzing past on Silverado Trail. But don't overlook this one. You won't be disappointed. Some of the best zinfandel and very good cabernet sauvignon. It is a great value wine that will hold its own against some higher priced wines. This is a very small winery with limited production and only offers a few wines. You won't find this in too many stores so you will need to make a trip out there of go on-line.
After an extensive and deliberate search for a vineyard property in Napa Valley, the Steffens family concluded their quest by acquiring a forty-acre estate atop Spring Mountain. Planted in the early 1980s with eight acres each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the property met the family’s rigorous standards for sustainably cultivating premium grapes, allowing them to craft wines that truly reflect their terroir.
Founded in 1999, Vineyard 7 & 8 was named to reflect proprietor Launny Steffens’s background in finance and his interest in numerology. The number seven symbolizes luck in Western culture, while eight represents prosperity and happiness in Eastern culture. Vineyard 7 & 8 captures the family’s dedication to producing fine wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, that showcase the unique character of their estate.
