Louisa M.
Yelp
Axr Winery came highly recommended from our friends who work in the tasting room at Mending Wall. They raved about it so much that we called up to book an appointment. Luckily the winery was able to host us on a Monday afternoon for a tour and seated tasting.
As soon as we pulled up, our hostess Anna came cheerfully bounding down the stairs with two ice-cold glasses of Sauvignon Blanc in her hand. This was Anna's ninth day working at the winery but you wouldn't have known it. She was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable, and I felt an instant rapport with her.
We started off our brief tour with a history of the property, including the cellar, barrel room, old barn, and the highlight: a natural fairy circle made of trees. It was super cool that along the way, little wine bottles were hidden and chilled in ice, so we got to sample several whites along the private tour.
After the tour we were guided to a private parlor room that was set up just for us. We had very nice crystal Riedel wine glasses, water glasses, and a massive plate of kettle cooked potato chips with a hearty portion of cheese shredded on top. (Yes, these chips were absolutely incredible, so simple yet so tasty, and proved to be the ideal palate cleanser for the huge reds that were soon to follow).
The room was elegant and modern, decorated in soothing grey, red, and white tones, with soft music playing. We took a brief peek around the inside of the house too, but we were the only party at the time. I truly felt like a VIP with this quiet, personalized tasting experience.
Anna perfectly poured a tasting flight and guided us through the list of wines we tried (I lost count but we had at least 8 wines, including two very special barrel samples of a future bottling)! The glossy brochure at each of our place settings had a personalized welcome sheet, a list of the wines and vintages we were going to try, and a clear price list with order form. Interestingly enough, the winemaker's tasting notes were buried in the back -- which was quite refreshing because it gave us plenty of time to make up our own minds about the wine.
Considering we had never heard of this new winery until the day before, we were blown away by how incredible the wines were. Both the whites and reds were big, bold, and totally in your face, just like we like our wines to be! It was difficult to pick a favorite because they all suited our palates.
We had a nice chat about the wines and the wine club, which Anna brought up at an appropriate time. We ended up joining because, while there aren't any significant benefits (with the exception of complimentary tastings when you visit), the wine is only available for purchase directly through the winery -- and club members get first crack at any allocation. We placed an order for a few bottles of futures (something we've only done twice before, ever) and a few more of our favorites we tried that day. I can't wait to get the wines at home and try them away from the winery because I feel like that's the true way to evaluate a bottle. Our tasting fees were waived as well, which I appreciated.
These aren't wimpy wines, so make sure your palate can face the music. It's also far from inexpensive, with an entry level white (Sauv Blanc) priced at $28 and the highest end red (axr Napa Valley) priced at $250. The majority of the reds hover in the $125 price range (which is still a steal for how fantastic these wines are).
Axr is a phenomenal new winery and is a must-visit for anyone who is a fan of adventurous, fruit forward whites and reds.