Rudd Estate

Rudd is a beautiful winery with premium wines in the Napa Valley. The property is as idyllic as any winery you can visit with a breathtaking, glass encased tasting room overlooking a pond. The wines were certainly premium and they taste a number of Cab's and blends, including from the library. Our host mentioned that they had a Cab Franc as well and when we expressed interest, she got some for us. Well worth the visit for the beautiful grounds and gorgeous wines

From the road the estate looks typical, but when you enter it is anything but! This is a little slice of paradise in Napa Valley! The Rudd family have created a wonderful winery! The grounds were thoughtfully laid out, the private tasting room overlooks a small pond with aquatic plants and water foul. The "workshop" is where the magic happens! This is a state of the art winery and no expense was spared. It is kept in immaculate condition. Jerome was a fantastic host and explained the history, the wine making process, and the flavor profiles of the wine. Thank you Jerome, we hope to see you again the next time we're in Napa!

Absolutely love Rudd! Fantastic wines and a wonderful tour of the grounds. Highly recommend this small family vineyard.

We took a chance on a small winery, based on a recommendation of a friend — and it did not disappoint. The property is beautiful, quaint, and lends to a personalized wine tasting experience. At Rudd, it was very evident that they care about the sustainability of their vineyard and the quality (not quantity) of their grape production. We did our tasting in the boat house, which was breathtaking. Jérôme (our guide) gave an excellent tour of the property grounds and overall experience was relaxing, professional, and quite informative. We look forward to making a visit to Rudd on our next trip to Napa. All the Best —J

A very special setting!!! UPDATE : 4/24/2025 Still a very special setting … For serious wine lovers that want a more intimate experience ! Jerome is an exceptional educator and has a great sense of humor ! Treated my clients like the royalty that they are to me … Highly recommended !

Great vineyard and beautiful cellar. Here they make great wine with full respect of nature around them. Wines were also outstanding 👍

Gorgeous grounds and architecture are the backdrop, while Jerome’s charming intellect guides you through the story of the Rudd Family Estate. Every person we met here was exceptional and truly made our experience to Napa unforgettable. A Heartfelt Thank You to the Rudd Team! Ps. Their wine is divine!!!

They only do private tours. The tour was very interesting, our guide was knowledgeable and very nice. Beautiful grounds, and excellent wine.

We had the best time exploring Rudd Estate with their incredible winemaker, Natalie. She is so impressive with her breadth of knowledge and is super relatable and down to earth! Our tour of the property was fantastic and the grounds and facilities were beautiful. The wines showed incredibly and this was definitely in our top 3 winery experiences of the trip!

Truly love everything about Rudd Estate, spectacular wines, they only make handful but everything is delicious. I got to try their wines on many occasions, the last 5 years or so, I really enjoy it. Gorgeous Estate, Vineyards located in Napa Valley's most celebrated Oakville appellation produce red Bordeaux varietals, and vineyards located on Mt. Veeder at a 1500-foot elevation produce Rudd's Sauvignon Blanc, Leslie's Blend, and Susan's Blanc. These wines are a unique expression of these varietals and a rarity in the Valley given hillsides are typically reserved solely for red varietals. After admiring the extensive gardens, you will see our state-of-the art workshop designed as a continuation of the winegrowing operations in the vineyard, complete with a barrel fermentation room, custom stainless steel fermentation vessels and our hand-made concrete tanks. We then get to see a secluded part of the estate for an outdoor tasting in the boathouse overlooking the lake, on the beautiful terrace overlooking the vineyard, surrounded by meticulously gardens, serene settings that will make you speechless, taking a deep breathe to let it all soak in! It's a legacy of the Rudd family has help and donate to countless nonprofit organizations around the world. Come visit for the wines, but stay for everything else on the Estate. They also own the Michelin Star Press Restaurant, check it out, 1 of the best in Napa Valley.

Beautiful property and they really put a lot of thought into the aesthetics of the tasting. We tasted in the boathouse and the set up and location was gorgeous I also liked that they gave us a tour of the property, explaining the history as we went along. So why the 3 stars? When we went to sit down and try the wines....they really fell flat. The cabs were very tannin forward which overpowered the palate, much much more so than many other cabs I've tried. At that price point it just didn't make sense. We had all been looking forward to their wines as the highlight of our trip and we left pretty disappointed...

Amazing property and fantastic wine The Samantha's wines are off the charts. Don't miss out

Absolutely Beautifully designed and detailed Winery. Every where you look there are special vignettes. The VIP tasting. Room is memorable and was perfection. The wine is glorious and very special. We will return!

This is the other side of Napa - the quaint, quiet, reserved, and sophisticated (but not 'stuffy') side. Here there are not limos of bridal parties and different levels of tasting tiers based on what you want to pay. Instead it's world class wines in a private setting along with an educational and informative tour of the grounds and a chance to sample the bounty of the Napa Valley. Danielle was a great host and I loved every minute of my time here. The Estate Red 2010 is big and bold yet elegant wine that matches the luxurious estate it is grown on.

We stopped in there for a tasting, almost on our way out of Napa. We had intended to go to a different one down the road, but it turns out they weren't open that early on a Sunday morning. Stop judging me, damn it. Anyhoo, we had passed by there a second beforehand and they had balloons on their sign, so we figured that they were open, and they were! We were seated by an exceptionally nice lady (name might have been BJ but I can't remember clearly) who explained some of their wines to us. All good wines, pleasant company and a learning experience. We ended up with a couple bottles of delicious wine and I'm looking forward to cracking them open soon enough!

Great stop- we headed up the Silverado Trail into Oakville for a tasting at Rudd Winery & Vineyards. Rudd is a beautiful property on the corner of Oakville Crossroad and Silverado Trail near such luminaries as Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle. Food and wine entrepreneur Leslie Rudd bought the property in 1996, bringing it to prominence with the help of famous names such as former winemaker David Ramey and consulting vineyard manager David Abreu. Thanks to Jeff and Kendall for treating us to an informal overview of Rudd's current releases. The Wines- -2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Mt. Veeder- 87% Sauv Blanc, 13% Semillon. Native yeasts, partial barrel fermentation. Straw and honeysuckle with citrus and tropical notes. Full but a bit soft. Nice finishing notes of stone fruit and apple---good to very good---$45. -2007 Chardonnay Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley- 50 year old vines. Native yeast, full malo, 15 months in French oak-57% new. Rich and gold. Opens with green apple and butterscotch with additional notes of caramel, stone fruit, and light minerals. Big and full style---good to very good---$65. -2006 Crossroads Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville- 76% Cab Sauv, 13% Cab Franc, 7% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Native yeast, 20 months in 83% new French oak. Inky and dense. Expressive black and red fruit with black tea, coffee, and herbs. Silky tannins and a long finish---excellent---$65. -2006 Oakville Estate Proprietary Red, Oakville- 80% Cab Sauv, 9% Cab Franc, 8% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. Native yeast, 20 months in 100% new Fine Grained French oak. Slightly lighter appearance than the Crossroads. Black fruit, vanilla- a little closed on the nose. Opened up into spice box, cigar box, black tea, coffee, and herbal notes with underlying soft black fruit. Tannins are spicy, firm, and long---excellent to stellar---needs 5 to 10 years to reach stellar potential---$125.

Beautiful estate and excellent wines! Beatrice was the perfect host. It's my favorite wine tasting experience!

I'd visited Rudd back in 2002 and loved my experience so much that I spent the next 11 years searching far and wine for a bottle of their ever-so-special Cabernet (their distribution is so minimal that I never found one) and keeping a return visit high on my list. This past weekend was that sacred return. I called weeks in advance to book my appointment and despite the $80/person tasting and tour fee, I gladly obliged. Passing up one of Napa's most boutiquey and small batch wineries wasn't an option. Cheryl, our host and guide, was super pleasant and educated us on all the notches on Leslie Rudd's well-established belt (he owns Dean & Deluca, he created Longhorn Steakhouse, owns Oakville Grocery, etc). The vineyard itself was beautiful, the caves were magnificent but the tasting fell a little short. On my previous visit, we got to enjoy the tasting in one of the caves, this time it was in a library/study-like room. Lovely it was, but transporting it wasn't. Also, the food and wine pairing was nice, but that too fell a little short of my hopes. There were 3 short pours and for the quite hefty price tag per person, I would have hoped for a little more. In fact, I definitely would have had no issue leaving with an order placed had I felt I got good value out of the experience. Cheryl was definitely the most redeeming part of our visit but sadly it wasn't what I was looking for. If you're after a glimpse into an exclusive, posh winery and prefer something private with just you and your +1 or posse, this might be the ticket though.

Personal tasting and tour was fantastic. Cheryl was very friendly and absolutely no pressure to buy. Which is one reason why we did buy. The wine was wonderful. I would recommend above any other we have gone to in Napa.

A perfect tasting and winery/vinyard experience. Very special wines, very special grounds, and the guides really know they're stuff. Leslie Rudd owns Dean and Deluca and all kinds of other stuff too. Very interesting character. Someone should make a movie in these caves. It looks like Dr. Evil's underground lair. I enjoyed the 2003 Bacigalupi Chardonnay very much.

What a lovely experience. Napa is my stomping grounds, having gone to UCD for veterinary school. I didn't have the opportunity to enjoy Rudd wines until the last 3 years, but never have I been so exceedingly impressed. We scheduled a private tasting, Cameron being our host. His graciousness, patience, and kindness surpassed all other hosts at tastings that we had enjoyed. And the wine... the wine, if only we could have seconds. It is really hard for me to enjoy wine at 11:00 am in the morning, but the wine at Rudd was OUTSTANDING. I come from a family where wine has been part of our daily life for the past 40+ years, and I challenge anyone to find a 2007 Cabernet rated 98+ under $200 (you can try Quilcelda Creek, but you have to be a member like me ;) Treat yourself and enjoy the winery, the wine, and Cameron. One of our most memorable experiences since we started visiting Napa over 2 decades ago. I have to say something about the price. You get what you pay for. If you want to pay $15 for something wet and red, stay away from Rudd. But if you want a special experience that will educate your palate and help you appreciate enology and viticulture, the price is more than reasonable given the quality of wine, the ambience, and the atmosphere.

This is a wonderful place for different wines. You must call to arrange an appt and do so at least a week or two in advance. The grounds are wonderful and the building is special. We got to see the caves which had cement containers for some of the wine. Bring your camera for great garden photos. I personally loved their Chardonnay and Cab. Our host Dick was wonderful, informative and funny.

Maybe I have been drinking too much swill lately and my judgement is warped. Perhaps the privacy and ambiance influenced me to a degree. However, it is hard to ignore the sudden and completely unexpected deluge of dopamine and memories that first whiff of their 2013 Samantha's Cab unleashed. I had a permanent fricken grin on my face and turned to my wife who had almost started tearing up from the same emotions I felt. She sat, transfixed on the glass, and whispered, "I was instantly brought back to the cedar forests of my youth. I'm eating wild berries and smelling wisps of wildflowers on the breeze." Moving on to the 2013 Estate Cab only reinforced these feelings and we both agreed that if wine could ever substitute for sex, we were both leaving satisfied. Now, my wife enjoyed the Susan's blanc but I found it to be average. On the other hand, the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc was definitely better than most whites I've tried. While I can't say you will have the same experience we had, I do suggest you make the effort to experience Rudd.

We had a delightful tour of the beautiful grounds and cellar and found that Kendall, our guide was extremely knowledgeable. What a cellar Leslie Rudd has! We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting and while a bit pricey, we thought it was worth it. We also loved the American flag waving proudly on the grounds.

Very disappointing. The reds exhibited some very rough tannins on finish. Having tasted the cream of the crop earlier on this purchasing and tasting tour (Heidi Barrett's/David Abreu - Kenzo) along with premier wineries such Altamura, Terra Valentine, Revana, Behrens and Hitchcock, and Merus, the RUDD wines could not cross the finish line on the best day. The tour guide was way too busy reminding us that the Foley Family has been on a major acquistion frenzy. Foley family needs to learn a lesson and concentrate on improving the quality of RUDD and less on making the buck.

Not impressed, wines are not so great, to me...not worth 50 dollars a person for this tour . The host started late, 30 minutes while we were standing in the foyer, she saw us and never told us she was our host....then she apologized and gave us wine glasses that we would carry around for, oh, an hour before we actually got any wine to taste. I did expect more from this very exclusive winery., she actually got up and disappeared from us for about 5 minutes.... did I mention that they never offered water... it was 95 degrees outside. Never again..

You'll have a memorable visit, for sure. A beautiful garden, magnificent buildings, gorgeous wines. As good as it gets in Napa. A fantastic Oakville estate.

I loved this winery! Some wonderful wine and lovely grounds. A friend of the family worked here so we had the after-hours VIP tour. It is a really special place. I'll be sure to go back next time I'm in Napa.

I have been collecting wines for 35 years and have over 400 bottles in my cellar ranging from Mouton to Ornellaia. I have toured Mouton, Margaux, La Tour and drank from the barriques at La Conseillante. I have never been more impressed with a wine making operation than I have with Leslie Rudd's. I am also equally impressed with his wine. I tasted his '07 Oakville Proprietary wine immediately after having tasted the Phelps Insignia and Bacchus. I now have a favorite California wine. Sorry Shafer.

Great wine, great experience, great host. Kenny sincerely seemed to enjoy his time with us, and was very gracious every step of the way. It's hard not to like the wine, but the experience at the winery itself made us instant fans and brand ambassadors. Thanks Kenny.