With over 400 wineries and 90 urban tasting rooms in the Napa Valley, a visitor is understandably overwhelmed with choices. Some of these wineries are household names, while others fly well below the radar.
As seasoned wine industry veteran Allison Negron says;
“Visiting a family-owned and operated winery gives you the unique opportunity to experience first-hand the labor of love behind viticulture and winemaking. It is not uncommon when visiting a family winery to have the opportunity to interact directly with the owner, farmer or winemaker on an intimate and personal level that is not always possible with a larger corporation. Visiting these small hidden gems truly captures the passion of our incredible wine industry and reminds us that every vintage of wine is finite and fleeting, an accumulation of hours of meticulous labor, both physically and creatively.”
“Boutique wineries often produce limited-production and exclusive wines unavailable in stores or restaurants.”
– Napa Valley Aloft
While there are plenty of outstanding wines made by large wineries, small wineries allow the taster to focus on the dance of land, climate, and craftsmanship in a way that is impossible with a winery that produces tens of thousands of cases of each wine. In large production winemaking, the goal is often consistency: to make every vintage taste as close to every other vintage as possible.
With small, artisanal winemaking, the focus is on trying to capture the particular place and season of each vintage. A dry winter will produce fewer berries, which will draw more from the vines. This will result in a more concentrated wine. We relish this sort of difference in our wines. The fact that the wine from each vintage will be unique is a major factor in artisanal winemaking. The personality that arises in each of these wines is an enormous part of the attraction to this type of winemaking.
While these sorts of exciting wines can be made in any sort of facility, visitors often want to experience the in the sort of scenic settings that make the Napa Valley famous. When considering joining a premium wine club in the Napa Valley, the quality of the visiting experience is as important as the quality of the wine. Fortunately, there are many beautiful small wineries to visit.
“Napa Valley is chock-full of small production, family-owned, boutique-style wineries. In fact, over 95% of Napa Valley w ineries are family owned. If you seek a truly personalized experience, then be sure to explore the many wineries of Napa Valley”
– Jennifer Dadesho, Visit Napa Valley
Sitting on a hilly 42-acre vineyard in the Stag’s Leap AVA is a dazzling example of the work of the Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. With its undulating lines, colorful mosaics and a classic Austrian onion dome, the building at Quixote Winery is simply stunning, matched only by the exquisite setting of the winery and the outstanding wines produced there. Warm hospitality and a knowledgeable staff round out your visit to Quixote Winery.
Quixote specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, all estate grown on the rolling hills right around the winery. Open by appointment 7 days a week from 10am to the final seating at 3pm, Quixote Winery offers a variety of levels of tasting experience.
Moving from the Stag’s Leap District down to the cooler Coombsville AVA we reach Porter Family Vineyards. With unique northward views of the Napa Valley in a gorgeous hill country setting, Porter Family Vineyards offers tours and tastings in their well-appointed cave winery. The experience is heightened by exceptional hospitality and out of this world wines.
Porter Family Vineyards makes chardonnay, a sparkling wine, Syrah as well as Bordeaux varietal wines. They also make two solera wines, which is unusual for the Napa Valley. Contact them directly for hours and appointment availability.
Heading back north to the St. Helena AVA we find Corison Winery. Located just south of the City of St. Helena, Corison boasts stunning views of the vineyards, with the Mayacamas Mountains providing a breath-taking backdrop. Corison focuses primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon, with single vineyard estate wines that highlight the reason that the Napa Valley is the world-class wine region it is. Corison’s hospitality is top-notch, with a staff that is welcoming and extremely knowledgeable.
Corison Winery is open daily by appointment from 10am to 5pm. They offer a curated tasting, a library tasting and a members’ tasting. Contact them for more details.
In a gorgeous setting on the flank of Howell Mountain, sporting a historic farmhouse and caves sits the Bremer Family Winery. The idyllic setting is a perfect backdrop for tasting their splendid Howell Mountain, Napa Valley and Rutherford wines. The winery sits on a cool, shaded hillside next to a charming creek, a setting that matches the outstanding hospitality and quality wines poured.
Bremer Family Winery is open by appointment from 10 am to 5 pm. Contact them for more details.
Coming back down the valley, a stone’s throw south of Yountville, we find the tree-lined private way that takes us into the hills. Perched on the top of the Napa benchlands is Keever Vineyards. Family owned and operated since 1999, Keever’s sunny hillside winery offers staggering views coupled with extraordinary wines. From their floral Sauvignon Blanc to their deep, luxurious Cabernet Sauvignon, the visitor will be wowed by mesmerizing flavors in an enchanting setting. The warm hospitality at Keever lives up to the wines and the setting as well.
Keever Vineyards is open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 2:30 pm by appointment only. Please contact them for more details.
Right down the hill from Keever Vineyards is the Hill Family Estate Winery. Located just south of the Town of Yountville, the Hill Family Estate Winery hosts guests on its stylish patio featuring breathtaking views of the Mayacamas Mountains, Yountville benchland vineyards and the California State Veterans’ Home. In case of inclement weather guests are hosted right in the fermentation room, kept cozy by efficient heaters, with the same sweeping views through the enormous open wooden doors of the winery. Few Napa Valley winery experiences are as dramatic as sipping superb wine in comfort while watching a storm raging over the vineyards.
While Hill Family Estate has been producing its own wines since 2001, founder Doug Hill has been farming grapes in the Napa Valley since 1979. The strength of Hill Family Estate wines rests on the twin foundations of high-quality fruit and exceptional winemaking. Focusing on the deep exploration of wine flavors and aromas, Hill Family Estate hosts offer intriguing nibbles to go along with the wines. During summer, the hosts add samples from The Secret Garden, an organic culinary garden that grows produce for restaurants such as The French Laundry, Press, Bouchon, and Ad Hoc (note that Hill Family Estate offers tours of the Secret Garden during the summer growing season).
At Hill Family Estate Winery, skilled hosts offer world-class hospitality to their guests in a private or semi-private setting, an appropriate way to experience their many top-notch wines. For visitors looking for a picnic facility, Hill Family Estate allows bookings of their picnic site, a beautiful table under two magnificent valley oak trees. The picnic site, down a charming path from the main winery, is surrounded by vineyards and boasts the same fantastic views as the main winery. Two seatings a day are offered by appointment.
The Hill Family Estate Winery is open by appointment only seven days a week. The first seating is at 10am. Please contact them for more information.