Your
guide to the best of St. Helena
Charles
Krug Winery - The Charles Krug Winery, first in
the Napa Valley and established in 1861, is owned and operated
by the Peter Mondavi Family. Since 1943, three generations of
the Peter Mondavi Family have been pioneers and innovators in
the Napa Valley wine industry. Today the family continues their
stewardship of 850 acres of estate land with organic and sustainable
farming practices and state-of-the art winemaking techniques.
Located one-and-a-half miles north of St. Helena, the Charles
Krug Winery focuses production on lush red Bordeaux style blends,
New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc and classically crafted Chardonnay
and Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
PUBLIC TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE TOURS (707)
967-2200 DIRECTIONS
Chase
Cellars - At S. E. Chase Family Cellars, we have
a deep appreciation for old vines. Planted in 1903, the vines
are head pruned, dry-farmed and are planted on St. George rootstock.
The gravely soil combined with a slight slope consistently produces
the most exuberant and expressive Zinfandel grapes in the Napa
Valley . These unique grapes create one of the most robust Zinfandels
from the Napa Valley region. Our vineyard side tasting area
allows you to enjoy our outstanding views while enjoying our
latest releases. Sit under 135 year-old olive trees and enjoy
the breeze. Bring along a picnic if you wish. We are open by
appointment only so be sure to call or email first to arrange
your vineyard tour and tasting.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE (707)
963-8716 DIRECTIONS
Girard
Winery -The narrow, winding road up Sage Canyon
leads a traveler to one of Napa Valley's best kept secrets:
Pritchard Hill, where mountain wineries such as Bryant Family,
Colgin and Chappellet have carved a niche into the steep slopes.
It's here that you will also find Girard Winery, founded 32
years ago at the dawn of New Age winemaking in California. Today,
Girard farms 40 acres of vines, 18 of which are located on Pritchard
Hill. The picturesque vineyards surround a newley renovated
winery, where visitors can experience refined flavors inside
the rustic elegance of Girard's mountaintop cellars and tasting
room. On hillsides high above Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
is king. And Girard winemaker Marco DiGiulio lets terroir -
or the vineyard - determine his choice of varietals. It's no
wonder Girard's Cabernet ripens well on this rugged terrain,
with views that stretch clear across the valley.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE CAVES TOURS (707)
968-9297 DIRECTIONS
Howell
Mountain Vineyards - Howell Mountain is located
northeast of St. Helena, above the Silverado Trail, with the
Napa Valley to the west and Pope Valley to the east. With its
high elevations, the mountain avoids the influence of fog that
blankets the valley floor beneath, creating a climate that is
cooler than most of Napa Valley during the day, but warmer at
night. Because of this, Howell Mountain grapes have a character
distinct from those grown on the Napa Valley floor, and have
led to the region being recognized in 1983 as Napa Valley's
first sub-appellation. The appellation encompasses around 14,000
acres, yet only 600 acres are planted due, in part, to the rugged
nature of the region. The soils of this area are mostly well-drained
tuff and volcanic rock. Water retention is poor, producing vines
with low vigor and deep roots. These conditions are ideal for
growing grapes that are small, tightly clustered and powerfully
concentrated, for intense fruit flavors in the wines.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE (707)
967-9676 DIRECTIONS
Joseph
Phelps Vineyards - Founded in 1972, Joseph Phelps
Vineyards is an independent, estate-based winery located outside
of St. Helena. Perched on a knoll in bucolic Spring Valley,
the graceful redwood winery overlooks vineyard-studded hills,
the town of St. Helena and the Mayacamas Mountains to the west.
After years of studying the complex relationship between wine
quality and place, and understanding the importance of "terroir,"
Phelps has developed estate-owned vineyards in the premiere
growing regions of Stag's Leap, Rutherford, Oakville, Oak Knoll
and the eastern foothills of Napa. In Sonoma County, an ambitious
project was undertaken in 1999 to purchase land and develop
vineyards along the western frontier of the Sonoma Coast, and
today Phelps has 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay
planted in Freestone. A small winery in the midst of the Freestone
vineyards is currently under construction.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE (707)
963-2745 DIRECTIONS
Juslyn
Vineyards - Developing our vineyards in the rocky
soils of Spring Mountain proved that wine was truly our labor
of love. Using a field blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon with
small amounts of merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot (for
color), we finally achieved our first Estate Cabernet release
in 2000. Due to our small yields, we produced only a limited
amount that, much to our delight, sold immediately. In 2001,
we were able to increase the production to 170 cases of wine
that displays elegance in the style of premier cru Bordeaux.
Without the hard work of our team of wine and grape specialists
we never could have made our dreams reality. Heading up work
in the vineyards is famed Vineyard Manager Oscar Renteria, who
has produced outstanding grapes for many prestigious Napa Valley
vineyards. With his help, we have been able to select the most
appropriate varieties for our vineyards and consistently farm
the highest quality fruit.
PRIVATE ORDER
ONLINE (888)
875-9096 DIRECTIONS
Livingston-Moffett
Wines - Lured by its small town character and lovely
setting, we came to St. Helena in 1976 to raise a family of
six children. Unlike many others who have arrived in the past
25 years, there was no forethought of our ever joining in the
wine business. Little did we suspect that the decision to move
to the Napa Valley was the first step in doing just that. And
looking back we must have been clueless not to recognize the
seeds of this life change all around us. First, our new address
was in fact Cabernet Lane. Also, unbeknownst to us, the land
we had purchased happened to be located on the Rutherford Bench
– Napa’s prized Cabernet growing district. The property
included five acres planted with old, dry-farmed Cabernet vines
on St. George rootstock that had escaped the ravages of phylloxera.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE CAVES TOURS (707)
963-2120 DIRECTIONS
Markham
Vineyards - Bruce Markham arrived in the Napa Valley
almost 100 years after Laurent, also looking to start a winery.
Markham bought the Yountville vineyard in 1975, the Calistoga
vineyard in 1976, the old Laurent Winery in 1977 and the Oak
Knoll vineyard in 1978. With almost 225 planted acres and a
winery, Bruce Markham founded Markham Vineyards in 1978 and
the old Laurent Winery was reborn. Markham focused on Cabernet
Sauvignon in its early days and introduced the Markham Merlot
with the 1980 vintage. Between 1978 to 1988 the winery's production
increased from 3,500 cases to 20,000 The wine quality and praise
from wine critics and consumers increased as well.
PUBLIC TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE TOURS (707)
963-5292 DIRECTIONS
Neyers
Vineyards - Neyers Vineyards sits in the heart
of the Napa Valley but Ehren’s experience as a winemaker
in France and Bruce’s experience with French wine importer
Kermit Lynch have had an undeniable influence on our work. Many
French wine producers farm organically, make their wines naturally
without use of cultured yeast or laboratory designed malo-lactic
starters, and bottle their wines without fining or filtration.
We like their results and utilize many of their ideas. The production
of outstanding wine is invariably accompanied by some degree
of risk. Our barrels are made in France, to our specifications,
from wood that we buy at auction and air dry for three years,
a year longer than normal. All of our grapes are picked by hand,
into half-ton bins, then laboriously hand sorted at the winery.
Grapes that require a drive of more than thirty minutes to our
winery are delivered in refrigerated trucks.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE (707)
963-8840 DIRECTIONS
Spottswoode
Winery - Our annual vertical tastings are something
that all of us at the winery relish every year, as they provide
us with a focused opportunity to re-visit our now two decades
worth of Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon. Fascinating, as we
never know quite what to anticipate from each vintage –
it seems that we have all learned to toss out our expectations,
and tasting the wines blind allows for objectivity and consistently
results in lots of surprises. Whenever these tastings are mentioned
in public situations they tend to elicit dreamy-eyed reactions
and sighs from wine fans, who wish that they might also have
annual opportunities to taste all of our vintages together.
We feel lucky indeed!
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE TOURS (707)
963-0134 DIRECTIONS
Seavey
Vineyard - From its 40 acre hillside vineyard,
surrounded by several hundred acres of wilderness, Seavey Vineyard
handcrafts two styles of Cabernet Sauvignon plus small lots
of Merlot and Chardonnay. Yields are less than two tons per
acre leading to wonderfully rich concentrated wines, all 100%
estate grown, produced and bottled. A visit to Seavey Vineyard,
four miles east of Saint Helena in the Napa Valley, is not only
about tasting award winning wines produced in the finest classic
tradition, but also a rare opportunity to experience a vineyard
and winery whose traditions mirror images of the original “Napa
Valley".
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE CAVES TOURS (707)
963-8339 DIRECTIONS
Amici
Cellars - Amici was born out of a belief that good
wine and good friends make natural partners. In 1991, Jeff Hansen
and a group of friends from all over the country crushed a few
tons of grapes in the Napa Valley for their personal cellars.
The resulting wines received such outstanding accolades that
Hansen and the group started producing wine the very next year
to share with the public. In the 14 vintages since the inception
of Amici Cellars, our wines have gained stature as some of the
finest reds in America. Because our concern is quality, not
quantity, our wines are hand crafted and highly allocated.
PRIVATE ORDER
ONLINE (707) 967-9560
DIRECTIONS
Anderson's
Conn Valley Vineyards - Anderson's Conn Valley
Vineyards are located just east of St. Helena in the Napa Valley
where Conn Creek flows out of Howell Mountain. Twenty-six acres
of vineyards, divided into nine blocks, along with a fifteen
acre-foot resevour are the heart of this 40-acre grape-growing
paradise. Separated from the Napa Valley floor by a north/south
running ridge, the world-renowned wineries of Joseph Heitz and
Joseph Phelps are located on the west side of this ridge and
the Anderson's Estate Vineyards are on the east side at a perfect
elevation of 400 feet.
BY APPOINTMENT TASTINGS
ORDER ONLINE (707)
963-8600 DIRECTIONS
Anomaly
Vineyards - Anomaly Vineyards is located at the
base of the western hills of California's Napa Valley in the
town of St. Helena. Anomaly specializes in the production of
the highest-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. The first vintage of
Anomaly, harvested in 1997, is currently available only for
charity auctions. Buoyed by the success of the 1997 vintage,
we embarked on the journey of obtaining a permit to produce
estate cabernet by building a small winery adjacent to the vineyard.
In the fall of 2000, a hard-fought battle was won and a permit
secured to build a stone winery and 2000 square foot underground
cave on the premises. Construction commenced in Spring 2001
and was completed in time for Harvest 2002.
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