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Robert Pepi Winery

Cardinale Estate is an ultra premium wine estate located off of Highway 29 on top of a small natural hill. This is the site of the old Robert Pepi winery and after selling his Pepi Winery Robert is now running his own boutique label called Eponymous which we have reviewed here. Cardinale is visible from the main highway. The stone building is classy and elegant with great views of the Napa Valley from its hillside location. This is a high end winery specializing in merely one wine each year, a Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition, this location serves as a hub for tasting some of the Jackson Family's high end Napa labels, all of which we have reviewed.

Turnbull Wine Cellars

his is the perfect small-scale vineyard with just the right amount of unique character that makes wine tasting so charming and fun. Art, history, and vino. This is a triple threat of a vineyard. The tasting room is very simple but certainly warm and welcoming with lovely artwork on the walls and big french doors opening onto the winery with rows of grapes as far as you can see. The moment you pull in, you face a huge, regal barn and immediately feel welcomed by the beautiful grounds.

Rob and Amanda led our tasting and both were very friendly and down to earth. Rob was very generous with his pours, giving a taste of the Cabernet Franc to both of us at the mere mention of the wine - the Cab Franc was a wine on the reserve tasting list, which was not the list we were tasting from.

Levy & Mcclellan

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.

Groth Vineyards & Winery

Groth Vineyards & Winery is a family-owned and operated winery producing Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon for the past 30 years.
Groth Vineyards and Winery was founded by Dennis and Judy Groth in 1982. They became famous for their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon after Robert Parker awarded their 1985 Reserve a perfect 100 points. It was the first time Parker awarded a perfect score to any California wine. Even today Wine Enthusiast magazine designated the 2009 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as one of the "Best of the Year 2012," referring to it as "incredibly lush and delicious."

Marston Family Vineyards

The vineyard has an interesting history that includes Clark Gable spending his honeymoon there. The Marston family purchased the vineyard in 1969 and use to sell their grapes to other wineries but began offering their own first commercial release in 1998. But an interesting history, warm hospitality and lovely setting are only part of the attraction. Marston Family Vineyard makes very limited releases of some outstanding, handcrafted wines.

Boyd Family Vineyards

This wine is outstanding. I had a chance to visit this vineyard and sample their most fabulous wine. The Boyd's are a fantastic pair and make such fantastic wine. We drank with the owner. He shared his great story with us on how he got into the business. I am sure glad he did. His wines were the some of the best we drank the while we were in Napa.

Whitehall Lane Winery

Whitehall makes some great wine! We were surprised by the mostly empty parking lot and even considered turning away before entering. Did an empty parking lot mean bad wine? Everything we sampled, from white to red was great. Easy drinking and definitely well priced. Come summer time it can be very busy at times. Well worth a visit.

Arns Winery

Arns Winery is definite Must Try and Buy wine and winery stop while in the Saint Helena area of the Napa Valley, CA. I arrived at the winery and was met by John, Sandi and Kathi as well as their lovable yellow lab. I tried their 2008 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, and their 2008 Syrah (Melanson Vineyard). The Cab is full bodied, with luscious chocolate n black cherry, tiny bit of pepper, and has one of the most lingering, long lasting finishes I can remember.

William Cole Vineyards

When William and Jane Ballentine bought a nineteenth century ghost winery in St. Helena in 1999, little did they know it would take them three years to acquire a permit to open its doors which had been shuttered since Prohibition. The reason: county laws prohibited restoration of abandoned wineries with less than ten acres and the young couple only owned five. After several years working with the county, the Ballentines received a special historic winery ordinance that allowed them to reopen the 1873 winery.

Tor Kenward Family Wines

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.

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