Recommendations for Napa's 'must see' wineries

I have not been to the Napa Valley in 20 years but I expect to be there in the next week or so for 2 days. What are the current 'must see' wineries to visit and what old favorites are still worth a visit? I would really appreciate your recommendations to make my short trip as worthwhile as possible. 20+ years ago I remember wanting to turn around and leave halfway down some driveways and I don't want to do that again. Thank you in advance.

Jon,

I was in Sonoma (RRV) last summer. This was my first visit and I only had about 1/2 day so I rushed through 4 wineries. I know this in not Napa and this is hardly any kind of definitive list but here's what I visited:

Arista Winery (http://www.aristawinery.com/arista/index.jsp): small and out of the way (my first choice was closed for an event and I saw a sign for Arista, which I mistook for Artesa!). Great Pinor Noir, Gewurtz, and Syrah.

J Vineyards (http://www.jwine.com/): Fancy and upscale tasting room but great Pinor Noir and Pinor Gris. Their Pinotage was good also. This place is hard to find - I drove by the entrance about 3 times. Just follow the signs to Rodney Strong and you'll find it.

Foppiano (http://www.foppiano.com/): I visited based on recommendations from this board. Maybe I went on a bad day but it was awful. The server was drunk along with the other visitors. The wine tasted like dead cats had crawled into the barrels. They are supposed to make a good Petite Sirah but none was to be found. The only redeeming quality of the visit was there was no tasting fee; of course, you get what you pay for.

Ferrari-Carano (http://www.ferrari-carano.com/): Loved this place! From the beautiful grounds to the wine. The wine served upstairs was forgettable so head downstairs to the cellar room (I only found it when looking for the bathroom). Great Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Sangiovese. I was underwhelmed by the Cabernet (but I'm not a huge cab drinker).

After Ferrari-Carano, I drove down to Napa via Rt. 128 and 29 - beautiful drive. I was quite surprised that downtown Napa clears out after 5pm. I was hoping for a nice dinner.

Hope this helps - I'd love to get back there!

Dave

1. Sterling for the vistas alone if necessary. We like the wine too.

2. Howell Mountain. More vistas and some wonderful wineries such as Green & Red.

Thank you Dave and Carl. Dave - we should put together and offline when the weather gets warmer.

Chateau Montelena.

-Paul W.

Jon,
Are you looking for anything in specific there? If you're looking for Cabernet and you're interested in wines in the "classic" (i.e., ageworthy) mold, I'd suggest Corison (on 29, no appt needed), Clos du Val (Silverado, no appt) and Chateau Montelena (Calistoga, no appt). Of the three, Clos du Val is the value choice and Corison is my personal fave. Other worthwhile stops for me are Storybook Mountain (on 128 above Calistoga, by appt) for great Zinfandels from a family-run winery, Lagier-Meredith (atop Mt. Veeder, by appt) for great Syrah and Stony Hill (halfway up Spring Mtn in Bothe-Napa St Park, by appt) for ageworthy dry white wines (Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurz). Those last two you shouldn't visit unless you're cool with long, winding drives on mountain roads.

If, OTOH, you want an interesting tour and lots of wines to taste, Mondavi and Beringer would be my choices. Be prepared for crowds, though (not a problem with most of my earlier recommendations)

HTH
Mark Lipton

Are you looking for anything in specific there?

Tasting good wine is the first priority, Mark. The list you have presented looks real good and I will forward these suggestions, and others, to my contact in CA to have appointments made where necessary.
Thank you! JP

My favorite stop when I was there in 2002-2003 timeframe was Dutch Henry on the Silverado Trail. Its north but I don't recall how far, probably north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. We were the only folks there when we stopped and it was very friendly with good wines that then were on the more affordable side. I checked out the web site recently and the prices seemed to have gone up significantly since then.

BTW we ended up there because we kept asking at other wineries for someone new/small that we shoud visit and we were told repeatedly to go to Dutch Henry.

Tastings are expensive there, but I really enjoy Beaulieu's reserve tasting room. I have experienced no attitude or snobbery there (even when dressed in sweaty cycling clothes).

Other, more off the beaten track wineries that I enjoy quite a bit:

William Harrison (corner of Zinfandel Lane and Silverado Trail) Killer rich Cabs, Cab Franc that despite the richness have layers of flavor and even some intriguing funkyness that I (and many of my friends) really enjoy. Plus, the tasting room manager, Rob, is a hoot!

Signorello: Silverado Trail. Fantastic views, French (Corsican) winemaker, nice cabs that I've enjoyed for some time now. Good Pinot, too.

Cade...on Howell Mountain...apppointments "required" but they fit me in because I climbed the mountain on my bicycle. Very extracted and massive Howell Mountain cabs. Interesting Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc blend. Fantastic modernist "green" architecture and the view out the window is spectacular, to say the least (the winery is at 1800 feet elevation)

If you are in Yountville for dinner or lunch, walk down the street a bit to a newly discovered favorite's tasting room, Hope and Grace. Pleasant tasting room, great dog (Romeo) who is incredibly sweet but very shy, and some killer cabs and pinots.

Heitz Cellars. Hwy 29 in St Helena. free tasting. On weekend, they open reserve bottles that are sometimes ten to fifteen years old. They have a great American "Port" from Napa grapes. (As well as their famous cabs and a very crisp Chardonnay).

Michael Mondavi "Folio" Downtown Napa in the "Oxbow Marketplace" on First Street east of the river and in Carneros: huge lineup of wines with various labels...methinks he has a marketing background. Nonetheless, I thought some of the pourings were quite enjoyable...especially a Pinot made from grapes grown outside the back door of the Carneros facility.

Hess Not sure I am that impressed by their wines anymore, but what a facility, beautiful location, stunning building, great art collection. Redwood road immediately west of the City of Napa.

I'll second or third the trip to Montelena, but I would make a reservation for their library tasting (I think it's $40/person), but it is worth way more than that in terms of what you get to try, which is a combo of older and newer stuff, and it is done privately. When we last did it, it was my wife and I and the pourer, and we tasted and retasted. Beautiful setting.

I love visiting Chandon; no the sparkling wines aren't going to knock your socks off, but the facility is lovely and who doesn't like a glass or three of sparkling wine at lunch; they have a nice restaurant!

Cliff Lede is also a nice stop, with good cabs and a nice setting too.

I love Miner Family too. Great people and terrific wines.