Port

Port

Croze Wines

pouring a glass of wine - Pixaby

Croze Wines is operated by Gary Wooten, a long time resident in the Napa Valley. He has worked as winemaker with several smaller area wineries during their formative stages and helped them become established. He currently runs two labels; Croze wines which includes a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc and the second label, Smith Wooten featuring a 100% Cabernet Franc (he originally made a barrel of Cabernet Franc to use for blending purposes but after tasting, found this wine to be excellent as a stand along varietal and ended up bottling it) and a Syrah. Croze ages their wines longer than many area wineries and as a result the current vintages are typically several years older than what you usually find on the market. The barrel aging program usually runs up to 40+ months and all the wines are tasted during this time and are removed from barrel when they are ready, in other words the barrel aging program is not locked into a certain amount of time like you may find with some of the larger wineries.

Bell Wine Cellars

glass of red wine - Pixabay

Bell is an incredible winery in Yountville. If you can, book a private tour and tasting where you'll get the full story behind the single clone Cabernets and their winemaker Antony. If you're lucky, Maggie will do your tour. Brace yourself for the Clone 6!

D'Art Wines

red wine pouring into glass

Helen and Dave Dart started their dream as home winemakers with a passion for great wines. After winning several awards in that category, they decided to make small lot commercial wines to share with like-minded enthusiasts.

What does a Spanish dancer have to do with a winery that has a French name? Absolutely nothing and everything. It was one of the first artworks created by Dave around the same time he and Helen began making wine at home. This piece has served as the winery's logo since their days as garagistes. Their journey began when they took Best of Show at the Sacramento Home Winemakers wine competition with their very first wine, a 2000 Syrah, igniting their passion for winemaking. Although Helen has French heritage, the name Dart is purely English.

Now residing on their Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, where the winery is located, the tasting room is a feast for the eyes. Dave and Helen have adorned the space with Dave's photo art, reflecting their travels around the world. Most days, Helen is present in the tasting room, eager to share her special wine-pairing recipes and insights into winemaking.

Through the tasting room lies the barrel room, where Dave and his daughter, Jessie, handle the winemaking process. They divide their responsibilities, with Jessie managing fermentation and barrel aging while Dave focuses on master blending and bottling.

The d’Art team is their most valuable asset. Visitors are warmly welcomed in the tasting room, where the couple loves getting to know their customers.

Ripken Vineyards & Winery

Swirling glass of wine - saman teher - pixabay

We go down the road less traveled. We appeal to wine drinkers that wish to explore the joys of Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Carmine, Petit Verdot, Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, Graciano, Souzao, Touriga National, Grenace, Mourvedre, Montepulciano, Barbera, Dolcetto, or Corvina as blends or varietal wines.

Heitz Wine Cellar

clouds in the sky at sunset over the vineyard - Pixabay

A Napa Valley rarity, they have free tastings here. I went all the way to Anderson Valley and most of those places still charge $5. And it's not like Heitz is pouring low-priced wine. I tasted an $80 cab that was four years out of vintage which was a joy to drink. They also sell a decades worth of library vintages from both Trailside and Martha's Vineyards. If $75 to $150 cabs are too much, then pick-up a balanced bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for $20.

Rutherford Hill Winery

glasses of white wine on the patio - Pixabay

High on a hill, Rutherford Hill Winery commands a spectacular view of the Rutherford bench in Napa Valley. Drawing from a select handful of Napa's finest vineyards, Rutherford Hill continues its tradition of crafting legendary wines. In 1972, as the world was just beginning to recognize the potential of Napa Valley, Rutherford Hill's founders identified a unique opportunity. They saw that the valley's climate and soil, akin to those of Pomerol, were ideally suited to Merlot and became pioneers of what would become one of Napa's premier varietals.

In 1996, the Terlato family acquired the winery, bringing with them a legendary commitment to quality over quantity. Their pursuit of excellence started with a thorough review of the property, leading to significant enhancements that enriched the portfolio with wines of remarkable complexity and character.

Bill and John Terlato continue their father Anthony Terlato’s legacy by working closely with Rutherford Hill’s winemaker to tackle the challenges of consistently improving the wine, year after year. The exacting standards applied by the Terlato family to all their ventures were evident at Rutherford Hill from the moment of acquisition.

Building on Tradition To prioritize quality, Rutherford Hill created an environment where reserve wines could receive the time, care, and attention they deserved within the winery’s portfolio.

A new, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the production of reserve wines—a "winery within a winery"—began construction in the spring of 2000 and was operational by that year’s harvest. This $7 million, 5,100-square-foot addition features 24 fermentation tanks ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 gallons. It is fully self-contained, equipped with its own press, refrigeration capabilities (with tanks jacketed for both warming and cooling glycol), and a dedicated harvest crew.

Creating the Ideal Wine-Storage Environment Rutherford Hill pioneered the use of caves and a pallet-stacking system within those caves in Napa Valley. Year-round, 8,000 wine-filled French and American oak barrels age in an optimal storage environment of 59ºF and 90 percent humidity. This setup significantly reduces wine evaporation, leading to wines with lower alcohol concentrations. The improvements made to the caves since 1999 exemplify the Terlato family's broad vision and steadfast commitment to quality.

Glenlyon Vineyards & Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

In 1986, Squire and Suzy Fridell packed up their three-year old daughter and all their worldly goods to trade the freeways and the sand of Southern California for the back roads and fertile soil of Sonoma Valley. They purchased twenty-six acres of raw land, just north of the Village of Glen Ellen. The gentle rolling hills were covered with poison oak, oak trees, manzanita trees, madrone trees, bay trees, and a few redwoods. Glenlyon Vineyards & Winery does not have tours or tasting at GlenLyon.

Brice Station Vintners

grape cluster - Pixabay

During the late 1800s Brice Station was a popular stage stop on the way to Calaveras Big Trees. In 1993 the first vines were planted at Brice Station on the family ranch by Stuart Mast, a fifth generation California farmer and Dolores Quyle Mast. Guided by sustainable agricultural methods, the highest vineyard in the Sierra Nevada thrives in the mountain air and sunshine at an altitude of 3,300 ft. visit to the ranch today finds a tribute to the creativity of the Quyle family, featuring the rustic Brice Station Vintners tasting room, the Quyle pottery shop, the carefully tended Dolores Quyle Mast vineyards, and an assortment of sheep, geese, horses, and llamas. If you look around you will also discover several antique printing presses, as well as a blacksmith shop where Paul Quyle teaches one Saturday a month.

Charles R Vineyard

Sign to the winery

Charles R Vineyard is one of Livermore Valley's big wine secrets - well maybe that's not true with the number of reviews I have found. Charles R is a great little find, here's why: Great wines at decent prices: The Sauvignon Blanc that they just made is light, crisp and delicious and their cabs which are good too. Service with a smile: It doesn't matter how many people are packed into this little tasting room, they always have the nicest people helping visitors and who simply love to chat about wine. The Charles R Experience: From the sitting on their patio nibbling on food you brought while savoring a glass of their wine to tasting in their tasting room, the overall experience is so "laid-back Livermore".  

Zahtila Vineyards

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

We tasted: 2008 Dry Creek Zin - Old vine zinfandel, fruity with oak notes. I tasted pomegranate with some spice. Very enjoyable (too bad there isn't much left!) 2008 Oak Hill Estate Zin - I liked this zin. The grapes are grown on property. Hints of vanilla & caramel with the fruit upon first whif. Then a very silky mouth feel with plum and spice. We all agreed this would pair well with eggplant or other roasted/grilled veggies. 2008 Calistoga Cab Sauvignon - The bottle we tasted had been opened late the day before which helped soften the tannins. Hints of cherry on the palate. 2006 Napa Valley Cab - I liked this more than the 2008 from Calistoga. It was balanced acidity/fruit. 2010 Michael's Muse - Delicious tawny port style wine that they had just bottled! Complex fruit, not too over-poweringly sweet. I think it had zin & petite syrah grapes (I wasn't paying as much attention). Very good!

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