We were told about this place from another tasting room; it was said we just have to try it so we did! Oscar was a very gracious host and told us all kinds of facts about the wines, which were great. We ended up with the barrel chaser, nice! A bit pricey for tastings, about $20 for 4, but worth it especially if you buy a bottle. A must try for beginners and winos alike.
Brookdale Vineyards is one of those small Napa producers you may not have heard about due to their very limited production and historical lack of a tasting room in the Napa area. However the good news is that you can now taste their wines at Silenus Vintners, a collective tasting room located just south of Yountville. Silenus is somewhat unique in that all the wines they taste in their tasting room are from wineries who make their wine on site, rather than being a collective which operates without a physical winery.
This is a Famly business run by four Brothers, all native residents of Napa, and all grew up making wine in their garage as kids.... Needless to say they produce some outstanding wine! The brothers take turns conducting private tours at a cave winery in the southeastern hills of the Napa Valley. It's a great tour and a REAL Napa Winemaking experience.
Named for the traditional practice of toasting barrel heads and staves to impart a mellow, toasted flavor to barrel-aged wines, Toasted Head began making hand-crafted wines at our vineyards in the Dunnigan Hills of Yolo County, California in 1995. Toast Head is widely distributed in grocery, BevMo etc.
Vasco Urbano Wine Company was created to showcase the exceptional Rhone style wines that are being grown and produced here in the Livermore Valley. Their mission is simple, produce exceptional Rhone style wines that best express finest vineyards in the Livermore Valley.
Some of the best pinots you will ever taste. It's not a huge winery but it definitely is about quality over quantity.
When Winemaker Christopher Carpenter envisions each new vintage of Cardinale, he becomes a composer to each of our esteemed Napa Valley mountain vineyards. Together, the Cardinale vineyards create a perfect composition in a remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon.
They offer both a bar-tasting with no reservation needed, or a reservation-only ($30) educational sit-down tasting in a private room with 6-10 individuals. As far as wines go I have never had a bad wine at Caymus' tasting room. The Wagner family has created some wonderful wines. Although the tasting room is quite small the wines are wonderful as well as the staff.
Burgess is a fantastic local independent winery that puts out some amazing wines without the backing of the majors that most of the more well-known wineries in the area have. Their wines are definitely worth seeking out and asking for. I'm sure you will be most pleasantly surprised.
Toad Hall Cellars is owned by John Komes and his family; if the last name rings a bell it is because this family is also synonymous with Flora Springs Winery. They produced their first vintage in 1984 which was merely 10 cases of a Chardonnay...talk about scraping the bottom of a wine barrel! Today, production runs about 1200 cases (still relatively small) and focuses on three wines; two Pinot noirs and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Toad Hall was started by John as a side project to his family's Flora Springs Cellars. Toad Hall owns several vineyards; their original vineyard is 6 acres just off of Highway 29 in Rutherford planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and they also have a 10-acre vineyard in the Carneros region planted to Pinot noir.
