Mike C.
Yelp
PSA: because Covid restrictions are lifting, Napa Vally, the wineries and tasting rooms are all packed. I highly recommend making reservations 1-2 weeks in advance or you may not to get into the winery of your choice.
Took a Covid break with friends for a trip to Napa Valley for some much needed wine time. My wife had made reservations for us here and it was as good thing, as we could not get any other reservations/seats at any other wineries or tasting rooms on this particular Saturday.
First Impressions: Driving up the road to the top of the vineyard where the tasting room and barrel room is was scenic, but not a wow. The vines were young vines and the buildings commercial. Parking lot was dirt and the check in area was busy.
After checking in and seated, it was a nice experience to be in the barrel room. Once seated you could remove your mask. The tables were well spaced and the staff wore their masks the whole time. Unlike some of the other popular wineries, they are a small batch producer that you don't find in the bib box wine stores or membership stores.
Now for the wine: It was a 4 flight mid level tasting we reserved. 2 reds and 2 whites. It was a nice treat to have a warm up glass of sauvignon blanc to get things started. I am no a white wine type of guy, but their Chardonnay was better than the others we tried this weekend. For me the standout was a Pinot that had a very similar bouquet and taste of a Cabernet Sauvignon. I was able to compare their pinot side by side to their reserve Cab to confirm what my taste buds told me. But my favorite, as was my wife and friends, was their estate cab. Full body, nice bouquet with a great smooth finish. This may be my favorite Cab, but at $135/bottle my fav special occasion Cab.
The Experience: The wine can only get you so far. While the wine was good, and better than most other wines we had this weekend, they were what was expected for the area. What made our visit here the BEST EVER, was our wine guide Rishann. She was THE BEST EVER, not the trip, EVER,. She not only knew her facts: like the concrete egg fermenting process vs the steel vs the Oak, she could tell us what wines were fermented in clean oak vs aged oak and if the wine was aged in a combination. She was personable, informative and held a conversation very well accommodating my boisterous personality. I am a self proclaimed wine snob and she went toe to toe with me--I loved it! She was good enough to where my friend and I both needed to commend her to manager, Kelly. Kelly was gracious and friendly as well and very accommodating of this guy.
If you visit, see if you can get Rishann to take care of you. You will not be disappointed with her service and hospitality. And the wine is good too :).