X Winery is the only Napa Valley winery with a tasting room to start with an X in their name. They opened their new conveniently located corner tasting room in the city of Napa in mid July, 2007 and we were their first "official" client to arrive for a tasting. What a unique honor! This winery originated from an MBA Business plan at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (which also happens to be our alma mater). Another company had its origins in the same way from Cal Poly, think Jamba Juice. X Winery was just the placeholder name in the business plan for a to be named winery later. However with a name like this, it is easily remembered and the name stuck. The goal of X Winery is to produce quality wine using new technologies which lower production costs which in turn lowers the cost of the actual wine. They have been very successful with this strategy; the owner and most of the employees are in their 20's and 30's (a young anomaly in the Napa wine scene where most new winery owners are much older or have come from previously acquired wealth). As of press time their wine is distributed in 28 states and they are producing about 20,000 cases.
You can enjoy your tastings at the wine bar (made from staves from old wine barrels) as well as on stools next to the main window. X has a wide variety of wines separated into 3 flights priced from $5 to $15. Their Syrahtica (priced under $15) has already been a big hit; it is a blend of cool & warm weather Syrah. This wine really catches your eye because of its label. Its a series of red/yellow flames running up the side of the bottle, but if you turn the bottle upside down (don't forget to put the cork back in) it becomes an erotic expression of a female body. Ingenious. Have you been looking for a Napa Cabernet but cannot seem to find one under $45? Well try their smooth Napa Cab which prices out under $25. Its not just the price, this is a very good Napa Cabernet. Their Red X is also worth a try and is priced very reasonably. It is by far their most produced wine and is a 5-varietal blend.
X Winery continues to incorporate sustainable winemaking practices both from vineyard to bottle. They recently started using only natural corks made with material certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance. In addition all bottles they use are made from 75% recycled materials, they source fruit from growers who practise sustainable farming and donate their wine wastes to a bio ethanol company.
Amicus is their high end label which contains only Napa Valley Bordeaux based varietals. Each Amicus label is produced in quantities of several hundred cases or less and a portion of the sales of this wine are donated to local charities. Be sure to also try the wine creatively named "special blend"! There's a real good vibe among those who work here and you certainly will not have a "stuffy" tasting experience. Also check out their "wine quote of the day" on the eraser board and ask about their double hooped portable basketball set. Removable "X Winery" tattoos also available! Visit: www.xwinery.com
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Open to Public: No
Appointments: Yes
Regular Tours: No
Hours: M-F
Phone: 204-9522
Address: 1405 2nd Street, Napa
 Winery Photos Winery Website
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