cordelli

In another thread somebody mentioned a couple of wineries that also happended to be a couple of my favorites, and I though it would be good to see what other people liked that I may not be familiar with (or anybody else)

No particular reasons, the way you were treated, the quality of the wine, the view, the food, the price, it's one of your fav wines, etc.

Mine, though the list will certainly grow if I spend more then a few mintues on it

Stags Leap
Sterling (love their wines)
Viansa (never been let down by their wines, love it when UPS brings me a couple bottles every month)
Chandon - A very pleasant surprise on a visit last year

hhonorman

V. Sattui is one of my favorites. I haven't been in a while so things may have changed, but the tasting was always free, they have a gourmet shop on the premises so we could buy some meats, cheeses, and fresh bread to go with a good bottle of wine, and then enjoy a picnic on the beautiful grounds using one of their picnic tables.

I also like Beringer, the grounds are quite nice.

Schramsburg is also a favorite. The caves are interesting, and I love their statue called "Riddler's Night Out."

Eastbay1K

Sattui is a nice stop, their wines aren't "all that" (although a few are consistently good), but its a pleasant place and a great place for a picnic. Prager is an interesting little place, with stuff that you just won't taste anywhere else, because of the family style of winemaking (right behind Sutter Home).

l etoile

My favorites are Kunde (cave tours as well as nice chardonnays) and Chateau St. Jean, most well known for their Cinq Cepages but they make some good chardonnays and sparkling wines if you can still find them, in Sonoma.

MIKESILV

Seems lots of people here have the same tastes as you.
We get the UPS box from Viansa evey month too, along with the spices, preserves, scone mixes etc.
kinda like a somewhat expensive surprise " gift box"
As far as wineries I find lately we now mostly visit the smaller ones on the Silverado Trail, places like ZD or Rombauer who have more limited productions and make generally better wines.
Because they are smaller you get to interact with the owners/winemakers etc on an individual basis and the tastings are generally a much more pleasant and personable experience.
That said its always nice to take the little cable car up the hill at Sterling, sit on the back patio and have them bring you some offerings. Its a shame Sterling no longer ships to individuals in Florida.
mike

edited to add that I found the tour at Domiane Chandon explaining how champagne, (sorry, CA sparkling wine) is made was by far the most informative of all Napa winery tours I have been to (been to a lot too).



[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited 05-31-2003).]

VPescado

Some good Sonoma ones:

Korbell (nice deli and nice tour)
Dry Creek
Simi
Rabbit Ridge
Clois Du Bois

cblaisd

Another option:


Wine ahoy!
By Susan Bayer Ward
CONTRA COSTA TIMES CORRESPONDENT

As our sleek white yacht motored smoothly up the Napa River, we learned two interesting facts: The Brits are the biggest consumers of champagne on the planet; and, when those early vintners -- monks -- produced a bad wine, they blamed it on the devil.

I smiled, took an appreciative sip of my Clos Pegase '97 Carneros Merlot and licked a morsel of baked brie from the corner of my mouth.

This yacht cruise along one of Northern California's "wine rivers" was a delight. Why hadn't anyone thought of it before?

Perhaps it's because these days everyone thinks big: big cruise ships; bulging activity rosters; long journeys on vast oceans; numerous ports of call.

But big is not always better. It took someone thinking small, exclusive and with just the right amount of ship-to-shore adventure to fashion this fetching experience.

American Safari Cruises cut its teeth on cozy, one-of-a-kind yacht cruises when it entered Alaska's crowded Inside Passage market in 1997.

Their small-ship cruises, serving 12 or 22 passengers, are now so popular that way-in-advance bookings are a must.

Now Safari Quest has dipped its stylish prow into warmer waters, initiating the only yacht cruises into California's fabled Napa, Sonoma and Carneros wine-growing districts.

In truth, these three- and four-night jaunts, which run up the Napa and Petaluma rivers, are possible only because the 120-foot yacht has an exceptionally shallow draft. Anything larger wouldn't make it.

What wasn't so small was the handsome black limousine that picked me up at San Francisco International Airport. All out-of-town wine tour guests are fetched and returned to the airport via limo......

Full article at
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/l...el/5984454.htm

killerbrew

For newbies, it might be nice to hit a larger winery first (like Mondavi) and take an informative tour to start.
The other wineries listed above are good choices. It's probably a good idea to hit one 'sparkling winery'.
Sattui was great; could buy some good cheese to go with the wine.
While Coppola might not have the best wine, I enjoyed going there.
There were a bunch of small wineries that I stopped into over the years. These typically are very friendly and much less commercialized. You can have pleasant conversation with the owners while sipping some wine. One was Newlan Wineries, which had great wine. I bought a mixed case of red.

pinniped

Chateau St. Jean is a wonderful place to end the day. Do the tasting and then buy a bottle of your favorite to enjoy on a sunny afternoon on their beautiful lawn!

My favorite is the Merlot.

TRRed

When touring several years ago, Rustridge was quaint and a bit off the beaten (Silverado) path, but it had good wines. A "rustic" winery if ever there was.

sixpack

Hi,

I have a really touristy question (I guess). But what would be the best choice for a nice overnight stay with some testing in a small winerie ?

I am going to san Francisco in Sep. and would love to do it but I am very strikt with drink and drive and we are only two people (and my girlfriend likes a good wine (or two) also

hhonorman

I've always loved the Roman Spa in Calistoga. www.romanspahotsprings.com/page-01.htm

The rooms are decent and each has a fridge. The hotel has a large outdoor thermal heated pool that is kept very warm, something like 92 degrees farenheit, so you'll feel like butter after soaking in it for a while. There is even a nice built in bench along the side of the pool so that you can relax in the warm soothing mineral water. They also have an outdoor jacuzzi that is hot, I think about 105F, and another larger, swimming pool sized jacuzzi indoor that is hot, but less so, only about 100F. The grounds of the hotel are well manicured and there are many flowers and palm trees. My favorite part about staying here is that just next to the pool are several hummingbird feeders. All day long, but especially at dusk, you can watch the birds feed while relaxing in or beside the pool.

Steve Fenton

Stay away from Kendall Jackson. I turned up with my wife casually dressed. We were surrounded by yuppies from San Francisco in suits, who all tried to speak with false English accents. The strange smell in the air we found was due to the fact most of them were talking out of the r-send.

I have travelled the length and breadth of Europe over the last 25 years tasting wine but never said anything, just joined in the tour.

I have never heard such a load of clap trap spoken in all my life as at this place.

When offered the proprietors reserve which was only served at presidential dinners, I nearly choked on it and then the guide nearly fell over when I asked how many grape varieties were used to produce this rubbish.

I appreciate people who try to produce good wine and admit that is what they try to do, but when they try to baffle you with bull it spoils the pleasure.

I found one really small vineyard (not wineary)owned by a German guy, who made some really great wine and he took time to ask about what foods we liked etc, so he could try and match what he produced to our tastes. Cant remember his name but we found several places like this and I would reccomend these over any of the big name ones.

Really enjoyed staying in Clear Lake and found this a lovely base to head out from each day for what ever we decided to do that day.

number_6

Cuvaison. Great wine and a nice picnic area. Sadly they now have an $8 tasting fee (but that is the way of the world, according to Napa). I get my revenge by not buying their wine in the winery and buy it on the internet instead (lower than the winery price).

suthurn

*I am always treated so well at Kenwood. They produce a wide range of wines, and I enjoy them as much as I enjoy visiting with the friendly folks behind the counter.
*Domaine Chandon is a stunningly beautiful place. Try the incredible pinot after the bubbly.
*Korbel has nice redwood trees and a great tour.
*St. Francis will pour their better wines paired with small delicious tastes of food for a few dollars more than the regular tasting.
*Ravenswood is the best place to try several styles of zinfandel. Cute buttons & bumper stickers too.
*Simi has a good tour and I stocked up on an incredible bargain in their shop.
*I do not like the costs or crowds at Robert Mondavi or Niebaum-Coppola, but I am willing to pay a modest tasting fee at other wineries.

I highly recommend "The Napa & Sonoma Book" by Tim Fish & Peg Melnick for their views on wineries, restaurants, hotels and much more. Click on Great Destinations at http://www.berkshirehouse.com

Joe SIXPACK: You can hire a limousine to drive you from one winery to the next. Here are phone numbers from the 1999 edition of the book named above.
Napa County
Antique Tours 707-226-9227
Evans Inc 707-255-1557
Executive Limousine 707-257-2949
Sonoma County
AAAA Pure Luxury Limousine 707-795-1615 or 800-626-5466
All Occasions Limousine 707-584-0701
Lon's Limo Scene 707-539-5466