PlumpJack Estate Winery

We just visited Plump Jack, the wines are awesome, a very authentic winery. Tom is an amazing presenter, he told us all the stories about the winery, the wines and the region, we felt like chatting with an old friend. The cheese, salami and cracker is really good. Highly recommended!

A friend's recommendation led us to this winery, and we were thoroughly impressed. Previously unfamiliar with this establishment, we found its 2022 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to be exceptional. The hospitality was outstanding, and the relaxed, rustic outdoor seating area, situated just ten feet from the vines, added to the experience.

This tasting was one of the best I’ve had since being in the valley! They use different glasses for the appropriate wines! Tom was incredible. He took the best care of us. Made a deal we could not decline. Great wine. Great views. This was a recommendation that I am SO GLAD that we listed too. Add this to your must visit list! Ask for Tom, and tell him Rachel from Indiana sent you!

Tom was our wine connoisseur. He explained a lot about the wines that others don’t explain as well. We had a blast with our tasting, and the views were nothing short of gorgeous. I actually ended up buying bottles from this winery. You MUST stop by for a taste and enjoy the chill environment. This place is underrated. Just go!!!

Tom is amazing! Request him. Great conversation and of course the wine is fantastic! Strongly recommend! The experience is one of the best I’ve had because it’s so personable.

This was super amazing - the one and only place to visit. Tom is spectacular and has a personal and phenomenal knowledge of wine. The wines are fantastic and have real depth and character

Visited PlumpJack after doing some work there. Very nice tasting area, with room for inside tasting or outside picnic lounge tasting. Made a quick purchase before I left. In the warehouse where they make the wine, had this “oh your at a winery smell” and it smelled so good. I promised myself after the job was complete, I needed a bottle for my collection. They had no available Cab Franc so I settled on a 2022 Odette Cab Sauvignon. There are some interesting facts about their corking system. My wife and I will have to go back for an official tasting. The pic is what’s up in the water tower. Hasn’t seen daylight at least since 1965! Pretty Cool!!!😎

This place is AMAZING!!! Gorgeous setting. Tom the host is THEE best wine host ever. Magical experience. Go here!!!

We had the BEST time with Tom at our tasting! Stumbled onto Plumpjack recently but love it even more now!!! You have to stop in and see Tom!!!

PlumpJack Winery - Incredible Wines, Unforgettable Hospitality We've always loved PlumpJack's iconic Cabernet Sauvignons, so we knew the wines would be amazing -- and they absolutely were. But what truly elevated our visit and made it a memorable afternoon was the outstanding hospitality we received from Jamie. From the moment we arrived, Jamie made us feel genuinely welcomed. She spent quality time with us at our table, sharing her knowledge, warmth, and a wonderful energy that turned a great wine tasting into something truly special. It's rare to feel such a personal connection during a winery visit, and Jamie made that happen with ease and authenticity. Because of her, we decided to join the wine club -- not only to receive PlumpJack's incredible wines at home, but also because we're excited about coming back to the tasting room to see Jamie again and enjoy more time in wine country. Now that we are part of the family, we will see you very soon again! Thank you, Jamie and the PlumpJack team, for such a delightful and memorable experience!

We have been members for many years and continue to enjoy their wines. Always a fun tasting experience. One of the spots to stop if you're in the area! Great cheese and wine tasting, if weather is decent try sitting out by the vineyard. Very chill, pretty scenery, music, birds chirping, heat lamps....no complaints. Nothing fancy to their tasting room but employees are very friendly, clean bathrooms, plenty of parking and delicious wines. Our current favorite is their 2021 Cabernet, very nice

I went to this winery, and then realized it was our horrible governors vineyard. The wine was as sour as he is. I prefer Trump winery over this. I will never ever come to a gruesome Newsome winery. #Patriot

This vineyard is excellent. The wine is terrific. Tom, is sensational. He's informed. He's kind and he creates exactly the ambiance you want. Can't wait to come back.

No good. Terribly over priced and very snooty. Wine is no good and just spews corporate greed. The servers and bussers were nice though.

Yes. There are no frills here. PJ doesn't have the fancy entrance, parking, tasting room or chairs. In fact, nothing seems to have changed since my last visit 8 years ago. But our party enjoyed the wine and experience. And I think the old school style was part of it because it was reminiscent of Napa before everything went super commercial and professional--which isn't a bad thing per se, but things can get cookie cutter. We did the bottle option and were given tastes of several wines to help us narrow down to a PJ Merlot. We sat in the back porch and enjoyed the view and laidback atmosphere.

I saw this place as we were driving by and decided to drop in. It took a while to get seated and when we finally did, the service was really slow. My daughters noticed that white people we being greeted then served almost immediately. When I went to the men's room, I noticed an employee of the place exit the toilet stall then walk out without washing his hands. That was when I gathered my family and left. Disgusting!

There was no option to elect no stars. As someone who grew up on the authentic Silverado Trail of the mid to late 80s, this establishment fails, just like the politicks of the state. The employees were mindless and rude. The wine is subpar at best. As far as ambiance...the tacky wood pieces, stripped, worn teak, and no real flow to property. It's just cheap.

Cute setting, fantastic hospitality, and world class Cabernet Sauvignon! One of my favorite places to visit in Napa!

We had a great experience at PlumpJacks. We walked up and were warmly greeted. Tim was a great host. Informative and friendly. The grounds are lovely. The Chardonnay was very good.

I went into a tasting here based off a recommendation and wow did it not disappoint. After doing several days of tastings across Napa at some of the most famous wineries, PlumpJack stands defiantly at the top of my list. The quality of wine here is outstanding and you can taste the passion they pour into each bottle. The Cabernet is a highlight, but every varietal they offer is fantastic especially the Merlot and Syrah. Highly recommend a stop here to try it out for yourself. Family owned with a very pleasant and knowledgeable staff.

Horrible place. Horrible service. Horrible people. Horrible food. Horrible ambiance. Horrible wine.

Wines are overpriced for quality Tastings are ok but would purchase bottles elsewhere

I was in Napa for business and decided to try a walk in tasting at PlumpJack. I was greeted by Serafin and offered a tasting of their flights. My experience was phenomenal, Serafin was an amazing host. His knowledge of all the wines/ wineries owned by PlumpJack was exceptional. The wines on their flight were just as great. Probably one of the best Merlots I've had in the Napa valley, and I've had a lot. Their Estate Cabernet was offered with a side by side tasting of their sister wine, Odette Cabernet, both were excellent, but the Estate Cabernet was over the top delicious. I highly recommend visiting PlumpJack and talking with Serafin, I'll definitely make a trip back!

Beautiful laid back winery with some really great wine! Outstanding and attentive service that was pleasantly educational and fun! Setting is stunning and so comfortable, we can't wait to go back!

Really disappointed . I was hoping to visit a clean and safe winery. The employees inside are covering and seem clean and covid safe. But, if you look behind the scenes totally different, no hand washing , no social distancing and wearing the classic chin mask look. Sorry not returning

It's a smallish winery and the servers are quite attentive. Wine is decent but it's not like it's a difficult reservation to book. They had a decently heavy pour, as was feeling a bit buzzed by the end of our tasting. Views were nice. They don't serve food here, so appears to have a decent amount of fake reviews since the winery is owned by Gavin Newsom's group

We visited Plumpjack winery yesterday and had a good experience enjoying their wonderful wines. Our hostess Taylor was very attentive and made us feel extremely welcome.

Okay, so I really enjoyed my visit to Plumpjack winery. Can I just start with, they have great red wine! My visit was an impromptu weekday visit, whilst looking at real estate. We walked into a quiet tasting area. There was one other group of folks from Minnesota. It started off quiet, as did the gentlemen pouring our tastings. I see the reviews mentioning "attitudes." I sensed a bit of a nonchalant attitude at first, but folks, perhaps this is because these people are bombarded with tourists and drunk people wine tasting from all over the damn world LOL. We struck up a conversation with the gentleman helping us and he was great. Maybe, just maybe you have to be personable to get a engaged response- people are so "me, me, me" these days. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Anywho, my tasting experience was great. The wine is fab. We picked up a bottle of the 2017 Cade Estate Cab,Howell Mountain and what a fabulous bottle of wine! I will most definitely return to Plumpjack. I look forward to my next visit.

So listen, I haven't written a post about anything in quite some time. I'm at Plumpjack winery, Gavin Newsom's winery. And I have to tell you, the wine here is exceptionally good. The staff here very knowledgeable very friendly. The ambience is wonderful. Don't believe any negative hype about the winery, this winery is one of the better wineries that I've been to in quite some time. It's a smaller winery off the beaten path but like I said, it's very soothing and relaxing. Don't sleep on this winery, if you're Napa come through.

I've came here during the CVD outbreak. First, the positive point; this place is always open even when many wineries are closed! The staff works very hard because they were open through the entire pandemic. The negative, the wine does not taste great, it tastes bitter and a lot like hypocrisy. Also, the wine was pretty expensive... One other post indicated they can't come here anymore in lieu of college tuition! I spoke with some customers at the winery and they said that it cost them their jobs!

Overrated and underwhelming. So many better wineries in Napa. I was very disappointed with the quality of their wine.

Plumpjack is an excellent wine! Amazing staff! Nice quite little place to taste! Heavy earthy cabs! Amazing 100% merlot. Insider: 1. By appointment only "usually". Sometime if you stop I in they will squeeze you in. Make sure you buy some Wine if they do. 2.they operate hotels (Check out Squaw Valley) awesome restaurant 3. Par of Cade and Odette

I am usually very easygoing when it comes to going out. I work in the industry so I like to give places the benefit of the doubt. This place had the worst service I've ever experienced, and on top of that the wine was subpar. It was a collective rudeness and coldness from all the workers. I felt very uncomfortable. The Syrah that I try tasted like it had been open months. I highly recommend you do not go there and waste your time and money.

This was a good wine in the past. My parents told be to pass by and don't even bother when the had absolute horrible service and the wine seems to be downgraded. So I did go check it out and wished I can get that time and money back. They were right the service was down right horrible and very lack of care of any new customers experiencing the location. The wine tasting was as good as drinking vinegar penzoil from your local gas station. I was very disappointed with the service and the quality of the wine.

This was my first winery in Napa that I have ever visited. Its a small winery with about 15 seats in the wine tasting bar area and a larger sitting area outside. A little hard to find, because you can't really see the building from the road. But just pay attention to the small signs of where to go. If this was the only one we visited then I would've for sure given them 5 stars. It was excellent. The wines were good. The person talking about them (Lindsey) was very good. We had 4 wines including a chardonnay, a merlot, and 2 cabernet sauvignons. Lindsey even gave us another pour of a different wine and re-poured our most favorite wine, which for me was the chardonnay. Unfortunately all they gave us to eat was bread sticks. They were good, but I wish I had more to munch on while drinking those wines. I also didn't like how eqch of the wines were served in the same glass without being rinsed out. I don't know much about wines, but I would think that the flavors would mix. Maybe not... After going to BV winery though, I had to drop one star because of the overall feel of the place. But the wines though were really good. Flavors were different. But I really enjoyed each one. Lindsey was easy to speak to. Conversational, a little mechanical but was very informative with each wine. A great place in Napa. Even bought myself a bottle of chardonnay to take home!!!

There are so many amazing wineries in Sonoma county. This one is not! Save your money and go to the good ones!!!

Why the rough reviews? Great wine and a great host, Rick. The property is appropriately whimsical. Visit.

The wife and I were on a road trip and visited several wineries around Napa. We decided to try this place out. Their wines are nothing to rave about. I would stick to other wineries around Sonoma county and skip Plumpjack.

I'm floored at the string of negative reviews for Plumpjack Winery! I have been a die-hard fan (and my hubby and I have been wine club members) for many years and it's still one of my favorite places to visit whenever I travel to Napa Valley (which is about 4 times per year). Now that they've recently decided to become a reservation only winery, I would expect visitor experiences to become much more positive. In the past this was a drop-in spot and the cramped tasting room would sometimes become unbearably crowded, especially at the end of the day when the rowdy limo crowd would show up. I always would make a reservation but now you have to if you want to visit -- so take note! I feel this is a positive step for the better and should lead to more personal attention. My preferred spot is at one of the comfy round tables on the shaded back patio. I appreciate that the tasting room staff knows this and always has us set up outside. My hubby loves to sip and swing in the oversized porch swing and the view of the golden hills and rows of lovingly tended vines is just fantastic. If you get a reservation in the late afternoon, you'll even be treated to the beginning of one of Napa's stellar sunsets! The entrance to the property is beautiful too, with gorgeous dense landscaping. There's this laid back, almost bohemian vibe to the place that has always made me feel so relaxed and right at home. That's what's so puzzling about Plumpjack: the winery has such an easygoing, unhurried atmosphere, yet it tends to attract some elitist, designer brand loving, downright obnoxious wine snobs. My advice is if you're tasting next to some of those entitled know-it-alls and you didn't reserve a table, just move on down to the other end of the bar! We have never had bad service at this winery, but we do have our favorite hosts. Savvy is THE very best at what she does; friendly, personable, well spoken and a true expert on the wines; we always, always try to book our experience with her. Even when she has been unavailable to host us, we've been taken care of by an equally wonderful staff member. Never once have I been talked down to or treated like anything less than a valued patron. I love how we're treated like true VIPs. It means a lot to me, especially when we bring visitors to the winery. (We visited in June with my mom and aunt and we seriously had 5 star service). Whenever we are in town and walk in the doors, we get huge smiles and a hearty welcome like we are seeing old friends. I know this is part of the job and even if it is just for show, they've never once spoiled the illusion for me! During my last visit (which was 2 days ago), I had a special request to try the new release of the Adaptation Cabernet (my weekly go-to wine that I've been drinking since its inaugural 2012 vintage, and one that I've purchased at least 5 or 6 cases of in total over the years). None was open in the tasting room but Savvy made it happen so we could sample it. That's fantastic customer service, and I greatly appreciated her go-getter attitude. (And of course we purchased half a case of the wine because it was as delicious as ever). Although this is a solid five star Yelp review, I do need to point out what Plumpjack doesn't do well. The biggest negative here is something that I just can't sugar coat: it's expensive, folks. The wines are not cheap and the tasting fee has now ballooned to $65 per person (I remember the days when it was $15 and that was considered pricey)! As with all of the Plumpjack Group properties (including CADE and Odette), your tasting fee is NONREFUNDABLE even if you purchase wine. Yes, it rubbed me the wrong way when, years ago, I purchased a case of $100 per bottle wine and I was still charged a tasting fee -- and that's honestly something I will never forget. But just know this going in and you won't get a credit card surprise. I would really, really like to ask these wineries to reconsider their policy on refusing to waive the very expensive tasting fee even with a purchase, but it is what it is. Those of us who are wine club members receive complimentary tastings which is wonderful (but we DO pay a fee just to be a member of the wine club). A few more huge positives: They have handicap accessible, gender neutral restrooms. If you like shopping, there's a cute little gift shop on site that sells some beautiful wine country related goods. And while they only occasionally have wines from the other related wineries on the tasting menu, you can almost always purchase any wines from the CADE and Odette portfolio too. I'm a firm believer in the old adage that you get what you pay for, and Plumpjack wines are consistently of a very high quality. They craft a fabulous chardonnay but the majority of the wines are very big, very bold reds. This is not the place to come if you are into very light wines or white wines. If you are into huge Napa wines that will instantly make an impression, this is your place!

Worst service ever!! The management and the staff are so rude!!! They don't know anything about the wine and if you ask something, be prepared to receive an attitude.

Very informal tasting, no reservation required and it was quite delicious! We shared a tasting at Plumpjack and at times I wish we hadn't... haha! I really enjoy the wines here and love the fact that you can not only taste PlumpJack but Cade as well. If you're a fan of Cade wines, you should do your tasting here because it's cheaper and you get to try more than you would there. The boyfriend found a very nice long sleeve shirt that was super soft for like $25 here and so that probably topped it off to a 5 star. Overall the tasting room was small but the wine and hosts are quite nice. We left with 6 bottles. :)

Seeing all these reviews about the Governor and "terrible wine" is ridiculous and literally has nothing to do with the people who work there or the wines themselves and a lot of people have too much time on their hands and love to whine and moan. The people who work here don't deserve to be harassed on a daily basis just because you have your own personal political issues. I have been coming here for 7 years and every time I do come, it is as special as the very first time I was introduced to it. PlumpJack is the reason I love Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay and Heavy Oakville Cab. I would recommend making a reservation as I believe they are by appointment only. Rick and Taylor are my two favorite hosts both equally different fun styles that will make you fall in love with the story of the winery and the wines (and also make you fall in love with them!).

Here at PlumpJack Winery you can experience 3 labels at one stop...They have Plumpjack, Cade, and Odette. All 3 great unique wines. PlumpJack Winery is highly regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Where in the world did the name come from you may ask...well Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty established PlumpJack Winery in 1995, inspired by one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters, Sir John "PlumpJack" Falstaff. Small cozy rustic charmed winery with pretty ok wines...they do have a awesome wine carrier to check on a plane...The host was knowledgeable and fun. I tried the 2011 Plumpjack Estate Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon...which is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petite Verdot. A red wine, very clean on the nose with subtle aromas of blackberries and dark chocolate. It is dry on the palate and full bodied. Overall, the grounds and winery have a Shakespearean, whimsical theme. I would say you can pop in for a few.

When I first came to Napa, PlumpJack was one of my first winery experiences with some friends&colleagues. At the time, Gavin Newsom was still mayor of San Francisco, and they had a short film running in continuous loop in the tasting room about the winery's history- https://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/californias-lieutenant-governor-blends-politics-and-napa-wine PlumpJack IS a little off the beaten path, it's certainly a picturesque one at the Oakville Cross Road. One gets a taste of both worlds with views of the stark Vaca Mountains to the East and the redwood covered Mayacamas Mountains to the West. While it's a small winery with an equally small tasting room, it makes up for it with breathtaking views. You drink in the views along with the wine. They have friendly, excellent, curated service talking you through the wines and going at a leisurely pace. The gift shop is shockingly unpretentious. Back in the day, PlumpJack allowed drop-ins (now reservations are required) and the tasting fees have gone from $40 to $65 (in the early 2000s, it was about $15-20). They have an underrated Chardonnay, and make strong, hearty Cabernet Sauvignons. Shakespearean drama in a glass.

I wish I never bought their wine. I had high expectations going in and had immediate regret upon my first sip. I recommend visiting other wineries in the area. This one wasn't worth my time or money, and I hope this will help you utilize yours better than I did.

Trash that's all I can say sorry not sorry I wouldn't even recommend this winery to people I don't like! Horrible service and even worse wine I don't leave reviews unless it's a really good or really bad experience

This place is not good. Poor wine selection and not to mention they sell turned wine. Rather cough up money and get Justin or opus one than come to this place. Rude customer service and disrespectful "owners." Won't be coming back here. And you shouldn't waste your time either.

Going in, PlumpJack had a mythical standing in my mind. When Lori C and I were planning our dream Napa winetasting honeymoon, I wanted PlumpJack to be our first stop. The setting didn't disappoint. The storybook feel and interesting outdoor area in front of the tasting room really set a mood. Once inside, that melted away and it became a pretty normal, if not pedestrian, experience. There was only one other couple in the tasting room and there were several employees yet we didn't get much information on the wine and the engagement level was about zero. It wasn't rude or cold but I felt like we were tasting wine in a really nice retail store. I'm giving PJW 3 stars and much of that is on the strength of the wine itself. It's 5 star wine (PlumpJack and Cade) in a 4 star facility poured to create a 2 star experience. I came in there ready to be intoxicated by PJW and was predisposed to joining a wine club and I walked out not knowing if they even had one. Talk to me about wine. Talk to me about Gav. Tell me why you love working there or what makes this place unique. Pouring wine while saying "this is our cab" is just wasting everything that was done well before we stepped up to the counter. We'll be back because I gotta believe it was just an off day.

During my first visit to Napa, I ended up at PlumpJack a little by accident - I planned to go to Round Pond, but they couldn't accommodate me. I am happy that happened though! PlumpJack is quiet and lovely - on the smaller side. There were only a few other people there when I visited. I was able to spend good time with Nicole, who was super nice, told me all about their wines of course, and answered all of my questions. PlumpJack is partnered with Cade winery, so you can try both and get 2-for-1 perks. Definitely a great place to visit if you're looking for something a little quieter.

The best winery in Napa area. We've gone twice to this place. We love how relaxing the environment is and the wine is exquisite. The service is top notch too.

If I could give no stars I would!! Do not waste your precious time and memories in the Napa valley with PlumpJack. My Husband and I are frequent visitors to the Napa Valley. We have multiple wine memberships at neighbor wineries to PlumpJack. We had high hopes but were greatly disappointed. After tasting we agreed we will NEVER BE BACK. A STANDING tasting is $50. We gave it a shot and it only lasted 15 minutes. A wine tasting should NEVER last 15 minutes, let alone a $50 tasting!! The pours were extremely small and we left feeling like we got taken advantage of. They want to charge Napa prices without showing the Napa hospitality. It should be an experience and all we took away from it was feeling ripped off! There are great wineries nearby DO NOT waste a wine tasting opportunity here!! If you are looking for some good cabs go literally next door to Silver Oak, Groth, or Caymus. They will give you the experience that Cabernet rightly deserves!

Giving it a 4 star because they were the only ones who wouldn't wave the tasting fee even if you bought a certain amount of wine. Poor customer service if you ask me. We ended up only buying 3 bottles but would have bought at least 6 if they would have waved the fee. Other than that great wine but will order from the website.

I'm not sure why there's so many bad reviews recently but my wife and I had a great experience! The wine was exceptional, and our server was good company and informative. I only give 4 stars because $60 is a lot of money for a tasting of 4 or 5 wines. The views aren't anything special for Napa, but I would recommend trying this place for a few good wines. It's also dog friendly!

A fairly rustic, nice relaxed atmosphere in a shaded area overlooking the vineyards, but there are many, many more beautiful tasting areas in the valley, places where you are treated like a guest, not just a consumer. Our host was friendly enough but fairly mechanical, his spiel seemed canned and memorized, and there didn't seem to be much effort put into individualizing the experience. Glasses were brought to the table without bottles; I like to see the bottles and the pour when I am tasting. Wines were okay, but not special by any means for Napa, and overpriced for the quality. We did taste a small amount of the Cade Howell Mountain Cab, which was an improvement over the PlumpJack wines. The $80 per person tasting fee is not waived or offset by any purchases unless you spend $1500 per couple. I find this insulting; I don't expect a complete waiver if I only buy a small amount of wine, but there should be some offset if you are buying a decent amount, especially when you are buying at winery retail pricing. We have been to at least 50 wineries throughout California (we live in the north part of Napa Valley), but we will not return to this one. We took our out-of state friends to four wineries over four days; this was the least attractive and least fun of the four, with the most uninteresting wines, yet it ended up being the most expensive tasting. (Everywhere else, tasting fees were waived or offset with wine purchases.) As a result, we bought by far the fewest bottles of wine there, something the owners might keep in mind.

Great location, wonderful wines. However service left much to be desired. Would have been nice to provide more background on the wines - I understand that we reserved for a larger group, (and paid a higher fee) but the service was sub-par. In addition would be nice to have an option to add a cheese plate or a similar option to the tasting (vs. bread sticks) Far better experiences at other wineries

Came here to buy a bottle of wine with a gift card that was given to me by a family member because I was a fan of the wine. I was told that I couldn't use my gift card because they don't accept gift cards and that was only their San Francisco location. (I live in LA and the gift card was purchased at the winery). After going back and forth about using the gift card, the girls working there were rude and extremely unhelpful and unwilling to compromise. Really disappointing and embarrassing to be treated like that. They offered to give us a 50$ wine tasting but refused to discount a bottle of wine to $50 to match the gift card. Never going back again.

Horrible Winery!! These people do not know how to make a good wine! Making a good wine takes good knowledge of a good sommelier, they have no idea what they are doing, do not waste your money and time. If l could give them 0 stars l would! It is very unsanitary, to say the least as l too found part of a roach in my food! They need to have a visit from the cdc as they could seriously make someone sick.