Baldacci Family Vineyards is located in a beautiful section of the Napa Valley just off of the Silverado Trail (west side) right near the Yountville Cross Road. It is very quiet here and the winery is nestled among the hills. The property was purchased by the current owners Tom & Brenda Baldacci in 1997 and was then replanted; their first release was in 2003. Tom has a background in real estate development and planned on fixing up the property to sell - even putting in a cave. However, you are in the Stag's Leap District, one of Napa's most highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon producing sub appellations and fortunately Tom had the foresight to build the winery rather than selling the property. In addition his family heritage probably had something to do with this, being the grandson of Italian immigrants, who made their own wine.
The tasting is relaxed and is held in a small house or weather permitting, is conducted outside on their patio. A glorious warm spring day with vineyards full of golden mustard is a perfect time to visit this winery! Ask for a tour if they have enough staff in the tasting room - this is one of the highlights of visiting Baldacci. You will take your wine glass with you and the pourer takes a bottle. They have several thousand square feet of tunnel blasted caves - parts of the caves are set in almost solid rock and as a result took significantly longer to install the caves than originally anticipated. A visit here is a very personalized experience especially during the tour - and the staff is quite knowledgeable as evidenced during our first visit when we peppered the wine guide with a plethora of questions above and beyond what most tourists will ask (barrel aging, toasts, coopers, French/American Oak...you name it)!
It is always neat to see how the "vintage" shapes a wine and can create such a completely different wine from year to year. Such is the case with their 2006 and 2005 Elizabeth Pinot Noirs from the Carneros region. The 2006 is lighter in color and body. It is a pleasing wine easily consumed with great floral and lavender aromas on the bouquet and just a hint of earthiness. The fruit is truly the backbone of this wine, strawberries and raspberry with mild tannins and a light finish. The 2005 on the other hand is much darker and the backbone of this wine are the spices both in aroma and on the palate. In addition, this is a very earthy wine with notes of black pepper and other spices among the strawberry and raspberry flavors.
Being located in the famous Stag's Leap district means you would have to be blind to ignore this great Cabernet Sauvignon appellation. Stag's Leap is all about the Cabernet and Baldacci's estate Cabernet does not disappoint with a bouquet of blackberry, black cherry and fig leading to a full bodied palate layered in more fruit. We tried the 2005 IV Sons, named after the owners 4 children. This is a wine that will age very well - if you can't wait 5-7 years and you drink it early consider pairing this with food - especially something tomato based which will cut through the tannins and help smooth out the wine. We also tried the 2005 Allwin Syrah, named after Tom's grandmother. The grapes for this wine come from the Coombsville area just east of the town of Napa which is a cooler growing region than on site. This is a very aromatic wine with vanilla, cherry and a hint of mocha on the nose leading to a full body with notes of blackberry and pomegranate. Additional wines are made in extremely small quantities and are typically available only at the winery and through the wine club called "Reunion". Visit: www.baldaccivineyards.com
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Open to Public: No
Appointments: Yes
Regular Tours: No
Hours: 10-5pm
Phone: 944-9261
Address: 6236 Silverado Trail, Yountville
 Winery Photos Winery Website
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