H. Posert & Son as the name suggests is run by a father son duo. This is one of the smallest wineries you will find in the Napa Valley as their entire vineyard is just under 1/2 an acre! The vineyard is located in the St. Helena appellation on the valley floor and is farmed organically. With a vineyard this size, great deal of attention and care can be given to the vines and Harvey Jr., the "son" in the H. Posert is involved in this aspect. It is mainly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of the vines being Merlot. The well-known Harvey Posert, often called "the dean of wine public relations" has a very long history in the wine industry dating back to the mid 1960's. He was in charge of the Robert Mondavi Winery public relations for many years and today has his own PR consulting firm with most of his winery clients based in the Napa Valley. In addition he is the author of "Spinning the Bottle" a PR how to book for those in the wine industry. Their first vintage was in 2001 and all their vintages are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvey Jr. has also been involved in the wine business for many years. He describes the style of their wine as fruit driven, with good acidity and not overly tannic on the finish. His philosophy regarding wine is simple yet refreshing, "when you put it in your mouth you either like it or not" - and then goes on to say "we hope that you enjoy our wine". The wine is made at a winery in Napa and is often in the 100 to 120 case range. As a result this wine has very limited availability and if you are interested in purchasing, it is best to phone direct. They have a mailing list which you can request to be put on when you call; they also hold back a certain number of their older vintages for sale. We have a bottle of the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - only 160+ cases of this wine was produced. We are back logged with quite a few bottles that still need to be tasted - but its harvest time so we are taking a break from to many new reviews. We will provide detailed tasting notes here by the end of October 2008. Site under construction. Visit: www.hposert.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 253-1642 Address: P.O. Box 3766, Yountville Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hagafen Cellars Hagafen Cellars has been producing excellent award winning wines since 1979 - their first vintage was merely a barrel of wine or about 24 cases! Today they are still considered boutique and produce about 8000 cases. "Hagafen" in Hebrew literally means "the vine". This is a Kosher winery which in part means that no animal products are used during the making of the wine including egg whites, which are often used during the fining process in winemaking. They are located just south of the Stag's Leap District along the Silverado Trail and their own estate vineyards which surround the winery are all planted in Cabernet Sauvignon. The entrance is on a gravel road right through the vineyards. Drive slow, grape vines do not like dust! Original owners. They have one tour each day at 11am but you need to make an appointment ahead of time. This tour starts in the vineyards, tours their production facilities and usually lasts about 20 minutes. It is one of the shorter tours in the valley but is a good basic introduction to a small winery. We can't say enough about the quality of their wines as well as the variety. When we visited they had 17 wines listed on their tasting sheet of which you pick 5. The tasting room is small, relaxed and intimate. Some wines are only available through their tasting room and starred wines on the tasting sheet are their "highly recommended wines"! Their wines have a long history of being served at Presidential State dinners and other White House functions dating back to President Reagan and White House Presidential dinner menu's line the walls. Like a sweet German style Riesling - the 2007 Napa Valley Riesling has 4% Residual Sugar and originates from vineyards in Yountville. It is next to impossible to find a Napa grown Riesling due to the small acreage planted in the valley but if you like sweet wines it is an excellent choice. There are wonderful fruit aromas which carry directly onto the palate including pineapple, apricot and peach. For a complete contrast in Rieslings compare theirs to nearby Van Der Heyden's very dry Riesling. Hagafen is one of only a handful of wineries in the Napa Valley who has produced a sparkling wine - during one of our visits we tried their delightful Brut Cuvee. As of press time, they produce two Pinot Noirs including a deep colored rich Pinot Noir from vineyards in Yountville. Also of note is their Zinfandel (great fruity nose with nice spices about mid palate), and their Reserve (Black label) Cabernet Sauvignon with its chocolate aromas and rich fruit flavors. It is very rare to find a late harvest Chardonnay in the Napa Valley and Hagafen's is one of the best we have tried. Right - we could go on about the wines here indefinitely but we have limited space! Friendly pourers help complete your tasting experience. Don Ernesto is a second label featuring "fun" and lighter wines - some of these wines you can taste on site. Visit www.hagafen.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: No Regular Tours: No, One each day at 11am, Appointment necessary Hours: 11-4pm Phone: 252-0781 Address: 4160 Silverado Trail - Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hagen Heights produced their first vintage of wine in 2000. The owners used to vacation in the Napa Valley and fell in love with the area. Unlike many older folks who have fell under the "allure" of Napa, moved to the area after a previous career and started producing wine in their later years, the owners of Hagen Heights are building a winery when they are in the middle of their careers. They have approximately 8 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is planted with a UC Davis produced Cabernet Sauvignon clone 8 and the more common French Bordeaux clone 337. Unlike many vineyard managers in the Napa area, their vineyard manager is also a winemaker and has worked at Buehler Vineyards for a number of years. Hagen's vineyard is located about 9 miles from the San Pablo Bay so they have a cooler climate than up valley. This means longer hang time for the grapes, a slower more moderate ripening climate which means they typically pick the grapes several weeks later then in the northern part of the Napa Valley. Their vineyards are located in the still to be designated "Coombsville" AVA just north east of the town of Napa. They are a small producer, typically producing about 550 cases each year. All their wine is made at a small winery just south of Yountville and their winemaker has a long history of winemaking at Robert Mondavi Winery. The owners really enjoy Cabernet Franc and their winemaker blends a good amount of this varietal into the wine each year. We tried their 2004 Vintage. It is a very bright wine which has hints of spiciness and a little smokiness on the palate. They go very easy on the oak aging with a percentage of neutral/1x used barrels which contributes only a slight spiciness - the wine is certainly not "oaky". It is very well balanced and pairs well with a variety of foods. It has great flavors on the palate with an intriguing mix of ripe blackberries and cherries. These flavors are well managed, and not as intense as you have in some of the "fruit bombs" i.e., the higher alcohol more fruit driven wines. As a result of their growing climate and preferred winemaking style, this wine is more Bordeaux in style rather than the "California fruity". Nice scores in the low 90's for their first vintages certainly have not hurt this winery! You can find their wine locally at the wine shop at Del Dotto Vineyards and also at the St. Helena Wine Merchants. Visit: www.hagenheights.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 226-2634 Address: Calistoga Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hall Winery Rutherford is located towards the end of a private road off the main road that leads to the well known Auberge du Soleil Resort. Only a select number of Napa wineries have more than one physical winery location and Hall is one of these. This location is for their high end reserve and estate single vineyard wines; these are wines that are produced in very limited quantities, some of which you can only find by visiting the winery. A visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts. The wine is of very high quality and the estate and views are out of this world. This winery is run by Kathryn and Craig Hall - Kathryn is a former USA Ambassador to Austria and her husband Craig runs a successful investment business in Texas. Both collect works of art from relatively unknown artists and you will see some of these in front of the winery as you drive in including two beautiful Monarch butterflies perched on top of a tall pole. Kathryn has a number of butterfly works of art and was asked, "why butterflies?". The answer was simply "who doesn't like butterflies" ...perfect! Allow 60 to 90 minutes for a visit here. The tour starts in the main upstairs part of the winery - outdoor terraces and a large window give you excellent views of the valley floor and the Mayacamas mountains to the west. The tank room contains all custom made tanks. Attention to detail is paramount here. Harvest often takes significant time as they do not harvest the entire vineyard at once, rather they separate the picking down to individual vines and blocks which are then fermented apart from one another. From the tank room you proceed into the 14,000 square foot elegant caves; these are definitely one of the tour highlights. The cavern roof is lined with handmade Austrian brick, each of which contains a family crest. Alcoves throughout the cave contain modern works of art which are displayed on a rotating basis. Your tour ends in the tasting room. This is no ordinary room - an amazing Chandelier which contains hundreds of Swarovski crystals hangs from the ceiling and its shape is supposed to represent grape roots as you would see them in soil. A massive mahogany table with inlaid white onyx is in the center of this room (this onyx changes color with a turn of a knob controlling the sunken lights). A tasting typically includes 4 wines including their one white, a Sauvignon Blanc. Two amazing wines are the following. The 2004 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant European styled Bordeaux blend with seductive aromas including cigar, blackberry and cedar and some hints of currant as the wine opens up - with lots of fruit on the mid palate. This is a well balanced wine with a complexity of flavors including plum and nuances of roasted coffee. As a side note this pairs wonderfully with blue cheese. A spectacular wine is their 2005 Diamond Mountain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which incidentally is their first release and is only available at the winery. This is a big yet totally restrained wine with incredible depths of flavor and a mouth feel that you can only have with such a well balanced wine. The nose is full of exotic spices, the palate is full of chocolate and cherry which lead to smooth refined tannins on the finish. For the elegant ambience combined with art and world class wine, a visit to Hall Rutherford is hard to beat. Also of note: their St. Helena winery is in the midst of a huge construction project which includes the building of the only Northern California Frank Gehry designed building (architect for the amazing Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain & the Disney Hall, Los Angeles). This new "wicker basket" looking winery will be a magnet for visitors to the valley as it will be a one of a kind building. Visit: www.hallwines.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-5pm Phone: 967-0700 Address: Rutherford Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hall Winery St Helena is owned by Craig and Kathryn Hall - Kathryn used to be Ambassador to Austria and Craig has a successful financial business in Texas. In fact he has written several very well-known books about entrepreneurial practices which are available for sale in the tasting room. Very friendly pourers behind the counter - good conversation and good wine all makes for a wonderful visit. To enter, you walk down a dirt pathway to the door under the red awning. Note, sexy models walked down this same pathway for a photo which landed Hall Winery on the front cover of the well distributed Wine Country This Week magazine. Notice the very interesting purple glass "rain drop" sculptures hanging from the ceiling. The owners often collect elective and upbeat works of art from artists who are typically not well known. Hall Winery is in the middle of one of the most amazing construction projects the Napa Valley has seen in which a new winery, tasting room & visitor's center will be built, to open by the end of 2010, as well as restoring the historical buildings on the grounds. Currently much of the grounds for the new winery somewhat hidden from Highway 29 buy buildings as construction continues in the back(although you can get some glimpses of the progress as you drive by). This complex was designed by the world famous Frank Gehry, who also designed the undulating Bilbao Museum in Spain and the Walt Disney Center in Los Angeles. Expect great things from this new center! Hall concentrates on growing Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc which form what they call The Napa Valley Collection. For more artisan, boutique hand crafted wines, read our Hall Winery, Rutherford review directly below. Also check out their popular wine club - many high-end benefits are offered. If you purchase some wine ask for their "Hall Pass" - a tasting card with either a complimentary tasting or a two for one tasting. Also note Hall winery used to be home of one of the two locations for the old Napa Co-Op and the original winery building here dates from 1885. Before wines became as popular as they are today, vintners used to sell their grapes to the Co-Op and they used to take turns being the winemaker each year. Visit: www.hallwines.com. Project updates, videos, and a project camera are available here: www.hallwines.com/site/gehry-project We will most certainly be visiting their new winery when it opens - the hard part is in the waiting!

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-4:30pm Phone: 967-2620 Address: 401 St. Helena Highway South - St. Helena Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Harris Estate Vineyards are located on the edge of Diamond Mountain in the hills Northwest of the town of Calistoga on the site of an old private boy's school. Their nearby vineyard neighbor, Grgich Hills has farmed this area for many years and some of the fruit from his vineyard was used in the 1973 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel (same year but different varietal than what won at the Paris Tasting of 1976). Harris has 3 uniquely different vineyards, the Trevas, Lakeview and Jake's Creek. Each vineyard is mostly planted with the same clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Trevas is a hillside location with red very rocky soil reminiscent of the soil types you might find across the valley on Howell Mountain. The wines produced from this vineyard are often high in fruit flavors with higher alcohol i.e. California "cult wines". The Lakeview vineyard is situated in very chalky soil and produces wines that have alot of spices on the palate. The Jakes Creek Vineyard (named after their dog Jake), produces a Bordeaux style wine with tight acidity; it is this wine of their three vineyards that has the longest aging potential. For small production and small acreage the drastically different vineyards really make this winery unique. Because of the soil types, these vineyards are a classic example of how different teroirs can provide wines with completely different flavors and structure. After walking the vineyards for the first time their winemaker said "If I can't make great wine from this fruit, you should fire me!" Harris Estate uses a 100% new French Oak program using the same Cooperage, and for the most part all three vineyard's wines are treated the same. Generally speaking, there are three factors that make great wines, the vineyard location, the winemaker, and the particular vintage. Harris has definitely nailed the first two factors which is all you can ask of a high end winery. The estate's first commercial Vintage was in 2002. Right out of the gate they earned a 94 rating from Robert Parker for their Trevas vineyard produced wine. What a way to start off with a bang! The owner Mike Harris has only one employee and he is personally involved in all aspects of the vineyard management including dropping fruit, canopy management, trellising as well as harvest and final blending decisions. Harris Estate currently produces about 1000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. We will provide tasting notes by early/mid 2008 as we have yet to taste these wines. You can find their wine locally at Dean and DeLuca Wine shop & ACME wine shop in Saint Helena, and on the wine list at Brix Restaurant. Visit: www.harrisestatevineyards.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 942-1513 Address: Calistoga Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hartwell Vineyards is a gated winery located on the West side of Silverado Trail just north of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. You can drive by many times and you will never see the gate open. That is because you must make an appointment for either a tasting or a tour and a tasting. Tours are small, exclusive (only offered at set times on certain days) and very personalized - no more than 8 people at a time. Punch in the wineries' gate code, enter and drive through the cypress lined driveway until your waiting wine concierge greets you at the top of the hill in front of the actual winery. Perhaps on your short drive in you might see some long horned, long haired Highland Cattle. These are huge majestic creatures from Scotland and are the only Napa winery to have these on site. Hartwell's first vintage dates from 1990 from a clone that was given to him by Dick Grace of well known Napa winery, Grace Family Vineyards. Hartwell makes one white, a Sauvignon Blanc - but their specialty is really estate grown Cabernet and Merlot - and they are very good at hand-crafting both of these types of wines. Their grape production is lower than many wineries as they actually heavily thin back the vines to produce smaller quantities of grapes, resulting in higher quality fruit. All red wines produced come from their hillside estate and their Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from property they own in the cooler Carneros region to the south. This is a small family owned winery and you may get to meet the actual winemaker on your tour. The owner, Bob Hartwell has an aerospace background and you will see several aerospace air filters within the wine caves. You won't see these in any other Napa Wine caves! After you spend some time in the caves you will reach the "tasting grotto", their dimly lit VIP room with a romantic table set for eight people. Here you can really taste the quality of the wines - their Estate Cabernet is awesome - we tried the 2004 vintage. Unlike previous versions which were entirely Cabernet Sauvignon this vintage was blended slightly with Petite Verdot. There is great depth of flavor in this wine - it is very dark in color with layered flavors of ripe blueberry and blackberry. The finish is anchored with smooth tannins and just a bit of dustiness representing their unique terroir. The Miste Hill 2004 is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend - it is softer than the Cabernet Sauvignon we tried but with great acidity, this also has some ageability of ahead of it. This is perhaps the softest of their red wines. Have a sweet heart who likes sweet wine? Try the 2004 SweetHart - as in the Hart of Hartwell. This is a rare Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Late Harvest dessert wine. There is only one other winery in Napa we are aware of making this type of wine on a regular basis - lets hope Hartwell repeats the 2004 which is their first commercial vintage. Older vintages are also available for purchase. Also of note is the blending master Michel Rolland is their consulting winemaker. We read somewhere that Michel tastes between 30,000 and 35,000 different wines a year. Now that is amazing! Hartwell also offers special gourmet cheese wine pairings. Inquire as to availability. On your tour, you might also try a barrel sample paired with a gourmet truffle (the truffles are available for purchase). Ask about their exclusive wine club. Visit: www.hartwellvineyards.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes, Private tours are held on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm Regular Tours: No Hours: 8:30-5:00pm Phone: 255-4269 Address: 5795 Silverado Trail, Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Havens Wine Cellars is located just off of Highway 29 on peaceful Hoffman Lane just south of Yountville. Drive past part of the 7.5 acres of Syrah planted on the estate to the parking lot. This winery dates from 1984 and their first crush was in the bed of a flatbed truck. This fairly modern looking tile roof building sits under many oak trees. If there are not too many people in the small tasting room the pourer will pour you the wines straight from the counter. This winery focuses on wines from the cooler Carneros region - located to the south of the winery. If you are somewhat familiar with the Napa Valley area, when you hear of the Carneros region typical varietals that immediately pop into mind are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as these two varietals are grown in great abundance in this cooler growing climate. However the Havens were trying to find a growing region similar to parts of Bordeaux and the Northern Rhone in France and the Carneros in their minds was a very close equivalent. As a result of their vision for growing Merlots, Syrahs, and Cabernet Franc in this area, today they are looked upon as pioneers. In later years during visits to Spain they noticed a certain wine being served at many of the restaurants. This was Albarino, a varietal you will not typically find in the Napa Valley. Out of 500+ Napa wineries visited to date, this is only one of two wineries that we've come across this varietal. The owners secured some bud wood from where it is commonly grown in Spain & Portugal and planted it in their Carneros Vineyards. Havens was the first winery in the United States to grow and make wine from this varietal. They have since planted additional acreage of Albarino in the Carneros region. It has natural acidity and some great fruit flavors including Lychee as well as minimal overtones of honey. Their Merlot's, Cabernets, and Syrah's all exhibit great fruit characteristics with good structure on the palate - these are all food friendly wines. In addition, their prices are quite reasonable for Napa standards. Haven's Estate Cabernet sauvignon is produced in such low quantities that it can only be purchased from the winery. Some of their wine has been featured in notable restaurants including the nearby French Laundry and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Havens has also participates in several charity events. Visit: www.havenswine.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-4:30pm Phone: 261-2000 Address: 2055 Hoffman Lane, Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

HdV is located on the northern fringes of the city of Napa just west of the Silverado Trail. This winery was founded in 2000 and is a partnership between two families - the Hydes who are based in the Napa Valley and the de Villaines who are based in Burgundy, France. Larry Hyde's wine making family history dates back to the early 1800's making him a part of one of California's oldest winemaking families. Larry manages the fairly well known Hyde Vineyard in the Carneros region (since 1979), which is the single source for their entire line of wines. The Hyde Vineyard also supplies fruit to a number of other well-known Napa & Sonoma wineries. This is very much a working winery and as soon as you step inside the main building you will find yourself surrounded by wine barrels and several tanks. Their approach to winemaking is somewhat minimal in nature as much of the work that goes into making these high end wines starts and ends in the vineyards. They handle the fruit as minimally and gently as possible although once its picked they have a rigorous sorting program in place which only allows the finest fruit to be used. Gravity flow is used as much as possible rather than pumps - each of the barrel lots is carefully followed throughout its aging and only the "top" barrels are used for their final blends. The tastings are always conducted with the winemaker or assistant winemaker. You will taste the wine at two wine barrels which are setup in the middle of the main barrel room. They produce three types of wine including two Chardonnays (the HdV and the de la Guerra) - one from older vines and one from younger vines. Throw out any preconceived notions you have about Malolactic Fermentation and Chardonnay when you try these. These wines undergo 100% ML with neutral bacteria but are wines that are not characterized by the usual things when discussing ML (I.E. buttery, viscous etc). Their Chardonnays are rather crisp as the acidity plays a big part in this - they are well balanced delicious wines. Their Syrah is non blended with great floral & berry aromas. We tried the same Syrah from a barrel containing a vintage one year older than the bottle (their Syrahs are aged in large oak barrels). The differences between the two wines were very pronounced in the aromas and flavors and really gives one perspective of how quickly a Syrah can "come around" during its aging. One last interesting note is they have donated a barrel of wine to the well-known Auction Napa Valley each year for the past few years. The unique part of this is their barrel was the only white wine out of 100+ barrels of red wines that were donated by Napa wineries! What is great is that their wine has typically been in the top 10 highest receiving bids at this auction. Because this is a small winery and they do receive a number of requests for tastings, you should schedule appointments well in advance. As with other small area wineries, they have more time constraints during harvest in September and October. Visit: www.hdvwines.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-5pm Phone: 251-9978 Address: 588 Trancas St., Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Heitz Wine Cellars tasting room is located almost directly across from Hall Winery on St. Helena Highway and was founded in 1961. This makes it one of the older wineries in Napa Valley as when they were founded there were less than 20 wineries in operation. It certainly took a while for the Napa Valley to recover from Prohibition - today more than 70 years after the end of Prohibition there are now more than 700 business in the Napa area making commercial wine. The tasting room is in a classy formal small concrete building - the pourers are well dressed. The tasting room is small compared to the size of the vineyards they own. Heitz actually owns a large variety of acreage in different locations within the Napa Valley ranging from property near Joseph Phelps winery in the eastern hills to acreage on the valley floor to hillside vineyards on the other side of Howell Mountain. Their actual winery is in the hills and they still use the old stone cellar building for aging some of their wines. Complimentary tasting is of their Cabernets (which they are most known for) and a port wine or two. Our choice by far is their Single Vineyard Martha's Cabernet Sauvignon with its minty/herbal characteristics. Out of the several different ports they make, our favorite is the Grignolino Port. This varietal is mostly grown in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. Of all the wineries we have visited to date in the Napa area this is the only winery we are aware of that produces this varietal. They make a 100% varietal of this wine and also a pink colored Grignolino Rose. Note, there is no "sampling" to just taste one or two of their wines - they will pour you their entire flight! The Heitz second generation is currently running the winery as this is very much a family business. A funny incident happened when the famed wine critic Robert Parker said one of their wines was lacking in aromatics. Joe Heitz, the original owner then sent him a box of handkerchiefs insinuating that Parker had a cold when he tasted this wine! Their head winemaker is the original owners son and he has been making wine for Heitz for over 30 years. In today's Napa wine scene, that length of time winemaking for one winery is almost unheard of. Sometimes they offer International cruise trips as well - inquire for more details. Visit: www.heitzcellar.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: 11-4:30pm Phone: 963-3542 Address: 436 St. Helena Highway South Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Helena View Johnston . We always love visiting the north part of Napa Valley and as you drive north of Calistoga the wineries become more spread out, the hills start narrowing into the valley and it is less populated and touristy. Helena View Johnston is one of the most northerly located wineries in Napa Valley and a visit here does not disappoint. A tasting at the winery is for the serious wine enthusiasts and because of its northerly location it is a good winery to either start or finish your days tasting. Weekend tastings are recommended for tasting with the owner/winemaker as he does have a full time day job but you can schedule a tasting for any time of the week. Margarit Mondavi helped with the creation of the wineries name - of course Helena View is for the great views of nearby Mt. St. Helena and Johnston is the owners last name. The winery was built in 1988 and their first vintages came out in the early 1990's. Helena View has a very nice philosophy on farming and conservation. Their estate vineyards are entirely dry farmed and are 100% certified organic both CCOF (Federally), as well as being Internationally certified. Not many Napa Wineries are certified organic and to be certified internationally shows a true dedication to environmentally conscious farming. In addition they purchase re-sterilized wine bottles for use - the cost is not that much different from buying new bottles; it would be great if more wineries would do this. Helena has three labels, their Helena View Estate, Helena View sourced fruit from local vineyards and an affordably priced Moon Mountain Bordeaux blended style wine. Their on site vineyards are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We tasted a large variety of early and mid 1990 vintages starting off with a 92' Cabernet Franc. Helena View's wines age considerably well especially the wines that undergo extended maceration in which the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the post fermentation wine for up to several months. This elegant Cabernet Franc had lost a bit of its color but who cares after 15 years when all its flavor is there. Another wine we thoroughly enjoyed was their estate 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a very full bodied well balanced wine that has still retained its excellent fruit characteristics. Helena View tries to make their wine in such a way that they reflect the location in which they were grown. The owner/winemaker often experiments with different types of yeasts and varietals. Their unique labels are created by hand by Edward Rooks. Visit their website and or join their mailing list for the latest updates. www.helenaview.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-5pm M-Sat Phone: 942-4956 Address: 3500 Highway 128, Calistoga Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hendricks Wines is located in the Beard Plaza shopping area on the East side of Washington Street in Yountville and opened for tasting in early 2007. Their wine label is called Hope & Grace. Yountville is not a big town and their central location puts them within walking distance of the French Laundry, Bouchon and other well-known area restaurants. Hendricks is owned by the winemaker Charles Hendricks whose wine making history in the Napa area dates back to the early 1980's. Since his initial start in the valley he has consulted for a number of high end well known area wineries including Viader, Barnett Vineyards and Regusci. His philosophy with wine making is to conduct minimal intervention in the wine cellar, and as he says, "if we leave nature completely on its own, we would be in the vinegar business." Good point! This is one of only two wineries we know of in Napa Valley that has combined wine tasting with selling antiques! (the other being Hill Family Estates also in Yountville - see below). They specialize in serving Hope & Grace Wines - named after the winemaker's two daughters. Typically four wines will be on the tasting list - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and their Cabernet Sauvignon. As of press time most of their wines are sourced from high end vineyards in the Napa Valley - they do source fruit for their Pinot's from Monterrey and Sonoma Counties. We loved their 2006 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir - the fruit comes from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. This wine has a great mouth feel and fruitiness with earthy and subtle floral aromas on the nose. Be sure to also try their 100% Malbec - very few Napa wineries produce a straight varietal Malbec (think Mendoza Argentina - typically used for blending in the Napa area) and this wine does not disappoint. The 2005 vintage is from Oakville You may find some some raspberry and with pepper along with vanilla and a hint of oak on the palate. The fruit for their Cabernet Sauvignon comes from an excellent location in the upper Napa Valley - great nose; the good acidity, weight and tannin structure will allow this wine to age gracefully for many years. Note their artistic label - it was taken from one of Charles' favorite paintings which hangs on the wall behind the actual tasting counter. Visit: www.hendrickswines.com and www.hopeandgracewines.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Appointments: Regular Tours: Hours: 10:30-5pm M-Sat Phone: 944-2500 Address: 6540 Washington Street, Yountville, Beard Plaza Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hendry Ranch has been in the family since 1939. Their wine tour and tasting is among the longest and most informative of any Napa tour we've taken. We spent about 2.5 hours with George Hendry the owner and winemaker. This is the typical amount of time to set aside for a visit here. If possible request George for your tour as there are several people who do give the tours. George is in his 70's now and has a lifetime of experience including some trial and error in the wine industry. You can tell a true farmer by looking at their hands. If they are spotless they are not a farmer - just before our tour, George had come in from the fields with dirty hands and scuffed up jeans. His tour mostly takes place in the actual vineyards and includes a lot of viticulture information you won't pick up from other wine tours. His vineyard sits right on the Carneros region border; the property has several different soil types and micro climates. As a result all parts of their vineyards are block designated based on these characteristics. This allows Hendry to really micromanage their wines and produce the type of wine best suited to the block's specific characteristics. There is plenty of time for questions and George welcomes these. After the vineyard explanations you will make your way to their fairly new 22,000 square foot gravity flow winery. What is neat here is how the 2nd story is designed. The second floor wraps around openings for the tops of the steel tanks. The tanks are built right into the design of the winery - rather than having climb ladders to get to the top of the tanks or needing catwalks. We could have taken home any of their bottles - the tasting is reserved for the end of the tour. Borrowing from wine terminology George holds three "blocks" dear when making wine, keep the alcohol under control, produce dry wines - not sweet, and do not allow oak to take control of the flavors. You will typically try 10 different wines. Unlike all tastings we've been to where someone pours the wine George passed the bottle around the table and we doled out our own small portions. Some of the highlights here are their Pinot Gris, Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (definitely among the top Napa area Chardonnay's we've tasted), their Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and their Primitivo which can be paired well with desserts. All their wines are reasonably priced for Napa standards. Visit: www.hendrywines.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: 9-4pm Phone: 226-8320 Address: 3104 Redwood Road, Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Herb Lamb Vineyards is located on a secluded hillside growing region on mountain slopes below the Howell Mountain appellation. From the vineyards you have spectacular views overlooking mostly rural hillsides far below and in the distance. The Lambs, Jennifer and Herb purchased a small piece of property here in 1987, cleared and then planted about 5 acres of vines in 1988. A common thread runs through some of the small boutique wineries in the Napa area. The owners moved to the county with no plans to become grape growers much less winemakers! However, the Napa Allure is strong and soon they began selling grapes to other wineries. One winery, Karl Laurence started using some of their fruit for his "new blend" in the early 1990's which would end up becoming very popular among collectors. In addition, the cult winery Colgin Estate discovered the Lamb's vineyard and sourced fruit for many years. Well after seeing your grapes being used in high end wines such as these it is only natural you start getting the "itch" to make your own wine! Mike Trujillo has been their winemaker since day one which was in 1997 when they released their first vintage. The produce several wines each year - their high end HL Cabernet Sauvignon comes from specific rows each year - after 10+ years they know the 'sweet' spots in their vineyard. This wine is much coveted as it is fairly hard to acquire. Due to the limited quantities of these high quality grapes only several barrels are fermented and aged each year resulting in approximately 100 cases totally. A certain number of magnums of this HL Cabernet Sauvignon are produced and are always donated to charities. Join their waiting list to receive updates on releases and other winery news. Locally you may also be able to find this wine around their release date in fine wine shops such as Backroom Wines in Napa and ACME in St. Helena. E II Napa Valley Red Wine is from grapes not used in the HL wine - this label is named after their now deceased dog Eeyore. A nice tribute! The only wine they make from grapes grown offsite is their E II Sauvignon Blanc which comes from a vineyard near Yountville. There are several "sweet" spots for Sauvignon Blanc in the Yountville area and we have tried more than a few wines made from this varietal grown in that area. Their 2007 has subtle tropical aromas with some melon, pear and citrus flavors. This is a more flinty steely Sauvignon Blanc rather than some of the viscous ones we have tried. This is not a bad thing - just depends on your palate and preference. The mouth feel is well rounded. The 2005 E II Napa Valley Red wine is very approachable now, a cooler year produced more blue berry flavors rather than big blackberry notes. The palate also has a slight herbal or minty quality, and the finish is refined and smooth. Visit: www.herblambvineyard.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 967-9752 Address: P.O. Box 225, St. Helena Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hess Collection (founded 1989) is a unique winery owned by Donald Hess located in the Mt. Veeder area in the hills just west of Southern Napa Valley. It is located on site of the historic Christian Brothers Winery. This winery is known as much for its contemporary art as it is for its wine and is the only winery on Mt. Veeder currently open to the public by walk in. The shortest way to reach the winery is from Napa as its really in the middle of "nowhere" along a narrow winding road. It sits in the middle of the wooded hills in a beautiful location. Once you enter the main winery you can either wine taste which is located next to their gift shop or you can take the elevator or stairs up to the two levels of their art gallery. They have docents who will guide you for free or you can take a self guided tour. Their art is worth seeing as its unlike anything you've seen before - just a few examples are a typewriter which has real flames coming out of it, a computer programmed running exhibit which changes appearance depending on the days of the year, a series of large rocks scattered on the floor which were heated up and changed in appearance and an exhibit of many human torso's. The art gallery also contains what in our opinion is the best piece of artwork in Napa Valley, the incredible real life looking painting of a woman which is the centerpiece of their main upper floor gallery. This winery produces somewhere around 600,000 cases a year so they are certainly not a small winery. However of this about only 10% of their wine is made in this facility. The majority of their wine is distributed nationally and of this most is their Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. They produce some wines in very small quantities which are sold only at the winery. Be sure to try their Artezin Petite Sirah - a good Petit Verdot and Gewurztraminer as well. Joining their wine club gives you access to some pretty neat events including one gathering where you get to blend wines with the head winemaker and the winning blend is announced at the day's end. Hess is proud owner of the world's highest vineyards which are located in Argentina at almost 10,000 feet! The name for the winery and these vineyards is appropriately Altura Maxima. Now that is incredible! Visit: www.hesscollection.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-4pm Phone: 255-1144 Address: 4411 Redwood Road, Napa Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Highlands Winery dates back to its days of being owned by another Napa winery, Freemark Abbey. It was sold in 2005 and today it is privately held by two partners, Paul Seagus and Dave Cofran, both Napa wine industry veteran. Dave has a long history in the wine industry dating back over 40 years. He is a graduate of UC Davis during the mid 1960's from a class that produced industry pioneer winemakers for Napa including Justin Meyer (Silver Oak Cellars), Rick Forman (Forman Vineyards) and Nils Venge. Dave worked as General Manager at Silver Oak Cellars for almost 20 years before retiring. We've visited with Dave for a review of another winery he is involved in called Strata. Paul worked as an executive at IBM in the early 1970's, had a desire to get into the wine industry, but had very little wine related knowledge. He acquired Napa property, planted vineyards, took viticulture classes and in a relatively short amount of time his vineyards were being highly coveted by select wineries including Chateau Montelena, Joseph Phelps and Robert Mondavi. The focus of Highlands is fairly specific - a 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel each year, always from two select vineyards on Howell Mountain. Incidentally Howell Mountain was the first AVA within Napa, formed in 1983 - today there are 14 and growing. One of the vineyards deserves special mention. It is the Black Sears vineyard and is highly sought after by those in the know who produce Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon (try D Cubed, Turley etc). If you can think of a higher vineyard in Napa County let us know - this one sits at an uppermost elevation of about 2400 feet and is completely organically farmed. The other vineyard they use is Beatty Ranch at about 1800 feet. This vineyard is source for the oldest Zinfandel grapes on Howell Mountain, and there are a number of Zinfandel producers and vineyards in this AVA. We tried the lovely 2004 Zinfandel. This is mountain grown fruit and the nose is a characteristic of a full bodied rich Zinfandel. The aromas are intense which lead to a plethora of up front fruit flavors including various berries (blackberry, raspberry) with a structured slightly spicy mid palate to finish. You can find their wine locally at JV Warehouse in Napa. With approximately 2000 cases produced each year you can also find the wine in select major markets across the US. Visit: www.highlandswinery.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 603-2096 Address: PO Box 3239, Napa Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hill Family Estate operates a tasting room in Yountville - their production facility is actually at the nearby Laird Family Estate (a custom crush facility serving many small area wineries). The Hills are long time residents of the Napa Valley - since the 1970's. After many years of providing vineyard management for some of the top producing wineries in the Valley, the Hill Family decided to venture into wine making releasing their first commercial vintage in 2001. Today they make about 5000 cases. Having a repertoire of over 600 acres to draw from, and established relationships with owners, Hill is able to select only the highest quality fruit for their wines. A tasting generally includes several whites and reds. This is only one of two tasting rooms in Napa Valley that we are aware of located within an antique shop - the shop is named Antique Fair. Yountville is not a large town and this tasting room is located in an easy to find corner location - walk inside to the tasting counter located on the right side. The tasting bar is small and is not setup for large groups. There is an easy going relaxed atmosphere to the tastings here. Be sure not to confuse this winery with William Hill Estate off of Silverado Trail - a totally seperate winery. Hill Family is truly a family run winery - Doug & his wife Darci and their two children Ryan and Carly are all involved. Their winemaker has been with them since day 1. Ryan has jumped into the family business full throttle and is in part responsible for an ingenious idea - Stained Fender Stratocaster guitars. Several types of wood were stained by a special red blend concocted by the Hill Family and then sent back to Fender where they produced 100 very limited production red wine stained guitars! One of these hangs on the wall near the tasting counter. Click on our photo link to see a picture of this. We tasted their Rose of Malbec which is quite an unusual wine as in the Napa Valley as Malbec is typically used as a blending varietal. This is a very easy drinking wine full of notes of strawberry and watermelon and is great for hot summer days or serving with appetizers. Its recommended to serve this chilled. The 2006 Carly's Cuvee, Chardonnay named after the owner's daughter sees no malolactic fermentation. Its fairly crisp with some nice flavors of butterscotch and pineapple. The Barrel Blend is their "surfer wine". A partnership with well-known surfer, Kyle Knox pretty well ensures this is a "fun" wine! It is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah - is easy drinking and quite smooth. For you surfing enthusiasts who are up on the jargon of the waves, a picture of Kyle carving a perfect cut in "the barrel" appears on the label. An analogy of this can also be compared to the wines "balance in the barrel". Nice! Oh, and the price is something to be "stoked" about to. Another barrel theme is their Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon. This is high end Cabernet Sauvignon - only 50 cases were made. The covering of the bottle is two toned in color to mimic a shotgun shell. Won't find this at any other Napa wineries. Lastly, two of our favorites are the 2002 silky smooth Merlot Beau Terre Vineyard and their 2004 Origin - a blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot with a touch of Malbec. Ask about their Crossroads Wine Club and their Organic Garden tour at their home, also in Yountville. Since the owners live close to the tasting room, sometimes you might find them here helping with the pouring. Visit: www.hillfamilyestate.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Yes Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: 10-6pm Phone: 944-9580 Address: 6512 Washington Street, Yountville Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hoffman Family Winery is owned and operated by Peter Hoffman, a fellow Cal Poly, SLO graduate. He grew up in and around what was at the time one of California's largest vineyards in Southern California. Knowing that he wanted to do something with agriculture he attended Cal Poly which was before they even offered their wine and viticulture program. During his time in college he started picking up more interest in wine especially Syrah. While living on the Central Coast, he discovered Alban (makers of fine Central Coast Rhone based wines including Syrah). Peter fell in love with this varietal and found himself planting Syrah vineyards for a local vintner. This turned into additional vineyard management work and soon he was managing high end vineyards that were producing fruit for some premium area wineries including Santa Barbara based Sine Qua Non. As Peter says he took a ten year detour to actually start making commercial wine. However with prior management of large scale vineyards, his experience was in demand and was hired to come to Napa to oversee famed grower Beckstoffer's vineyard holdings. He further refined his palate while working at Stag's Leap Cellars. In 2000 Peter started making home wine and released his first commercial vintage in 2003. Today he devotes his time to winemaking as well as consulting for a variety of wine related projects. He bonded him home and makes the wine there. All wine as of press time is bottled under the Aum Cellars label (look for the Aum Sanskrit symbol on the label). Peter produces his wines organically and Biodynamically and as of press time is in the process of being officially certified (by 2009 or 2010). Due to allergies to sulfites his wines always contain low amounts of sulfites. Peter takes a minimalist approach to winemaking, rather letting the varietal and vineyard characteristics show. His wines are unfined and unfiltered (vegan style according to Peter!) and native yeasts are used for fermentation. The winemaking is as gentle as possible - manual punch-downs and no pump-overs during fermentation. In addition he has long term leases on vineyards to ensure fruit sources remain fairly consistent. In the future, Peter will be sourcing fruit from outside of Napa - for other varietals that tend to grow better in different terroir regions. As of press time Hoffman Family produces one white wine - an interesting blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Muscat and Pinot Blanc. We tried the 2005 vintage. Initially the Muscat dominates the nose producing a nice fruity overtone but as the bouquet opens up more honeysuckle and melon become apparent. The palate has great fruit - think cantaloupe with notes of other citrus, most notably grape fruit. This is a crisp clean easy drinking wine. He produces two very distinctly different Cabernet Sauvignons. In our experience tasting in Napa almost all vintners have one certain style of Cabernet, whether it be the rich high alcohol fruit forward California style, or the lower alcohol higher acidity Bordeaux style wine. Hoffman Family actually makes both - quite well we should point out. We tried the 2005, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard in St. Helena. Peter has had extensive experience with specific types of clones and this wine is all clone 7 (good up front fruit with manageable tannins). This wine is definitely made in the French style - the alcohol is around 13% - Peter likes to keep it at this or even lower. It is rare to find a Napa Cabernet these days coming in at these alcohol levels. This is the type of style wine that Peter is passionate about - it is a great food wine. You need the higher acidity to cut through certain types of food - the flavors really come alive with a meal. One sommelier called the nose on this a chocolate cake - there are definitely chocolate aromas with other spices and nuances of pepper. The palate has nice fruit including notes of raspberry, plum and red cherry. This wine has a rounded mouth feel with soft delicate tannins. Great ageability. The 2006 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is a mix of different clones each of which brings a specific contribution to the wine. As Peter says, you want a clone which "brings a hint of corruption to a good Cabernet Sauvignon"! We've had some huge Veeder Cabernets which blow the socks off your palate when you drink them young. This is not one of them. This is the California bigger rich fruit forward wine. However this wine may be able to carry itself longer due to its higher acidity. It is pronouncedly darker than the St. Helena Cabernet and sees more new oak during the aging. Nuances of chocolate on the nose lead to a palate rich in dark fruit - blackberry and blueberry. This structured tannins are well balanced, are soft and delicate. Look for additional varietals in the future including a Syrah. Oh and we haven't yet mentioned these wines have one of the better quality to value price ratios in the valley! As of press time, the website is under construction: www.hoffmannfamilywines.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: Phone: 266-8803 Address: Napa Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hollywood & Vine Cellars , as the name indicates, must have some association to this famous corner in Hollywood, Ca. Yes! True to its name, this winery was founded by two men with backgrounds in the entertainment industry. Doug Barr was the inspiration behind starting this winery and he soon recruited his friend Bruce Orosz. Lets back track a bit. After acting in a bunch of well-known TV series, Doug started looking for a more rural environment to live in than Los Angeles. A copy of the St. Helena star ended up in front of him fortuitously and as with so many others before him, once you live in Napa the "Napa Allure" kicks in and somehow you become involved in the wine industry! As it were, Doug moved into the old house of Maynard Amerine, a pioneer in the California research of grape growing and wine making and a UC Professor and author. Doug soon discovered Amerine's cellar which contained old bottles of wine, Amerine's hand written notes and a winemaking textbook. This discovery of the textbook jump started his interest in making wine. Not having any grapes growing on site, Hollywood & Vine has always sourced from very high end vineyard sources in Napa and today focus on two varietals, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon with a vintage of each released each year. When you hear about Chardonnay in regards to Napa production invariably you then hear the growing region, Carneros mentioned in the same breath. Not so with the H&V produced Chardonnay. The source for these grapes is two individual blocks on Atlas Peak from a variety of clones, each of which contributes individual flavor characteristics to the wine. Chardonnay does well in cooler growing regions of the Napa Valley (i.e. Carneros) however parts of Atlas Peak due to its elevation and relatively close airline mile proximity to the San Pablo Bay provide a relatively cool growing climate. Celia Masyczek, their winemaker turns out some amazing wines. We have always enjoyed her wines. The 2006 Chardonnay is Burgundian style wine, aged sur lie with 2x a week lee stirring. The result is a golden colored crisp wine with rich layers of apple, and pear flavors on the palate. The finish is smooth and clean. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from separate Napa based vineyards. Each vineyard selection is aged separately and if one of the vineyard selections doesn't make the cut for high quality, it is left out before the final blending. This Cabernet Sauvignon has a very elegant nose and you will pick out notes of blackberry and raspberry on the juicy palate. The finish is slightly smoky but oh so smooth! Labels on their bottles are simple, being merely the number 2480. This is a tribute to Maynard as 2480 was the street address of his old house. You can find their wine locally at Enoteca in Calistoga, Dean & Deluca (St. Helena), and Cal Wine in the town of Napa. Visit: www.hollywoodandvinewine.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 967-9128 Address: P.O. Box 63, Rutherford Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Honig Winery is a wonderful small family run winery (first commercial vintage 1981) producing excellent wines. You can tell their wines are high quality as soon as you start one of the tastings. They are located off of the Rutherford Cross Road and like to refer to themselves as the "50 yard line winery of Napa Valley". If you look on a Napa Valley Wine map you will see that they are pretty much the central point in the valley. The roots of this winery date back to 1964 when Louis Honig first planted his estate vineyard to Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon - two varietals which are still the backbone of their wines. They produce limited quantities of each of these wines - simply concentrating on a few wines (using the two varietals) rather than many. As of press time they make two types of Sauvignon Blancs both of which are slightly blended with Semillon and two delicious Cabernet Sauvignons. We enjoy desert wines and for the taste and price their late harvest Sauvignon Blanc cannot be beat. We doubt this will remain aging in our cellar for very long! In addition they are a very sustainable winery employing several cutting edge bio dynamic farming techniques one of which is using sniffer dogs to find harmful bugs among the vines. The golden retrievers used have a sense of smell many times more powerful than of a person and they are able to smell the scent given off by particular pests among the actual grape vines. Honig uses solar, has a number of owl, bat and bird houses around the vineyards and also maintains honey bee hives. They sponsor a major annual women's charity event called Wine Women & Shoes which has raised over a million dollars to date for various women's charities. The pouring staff is friendly, knowledgeable and they can recommend other good local wineries and specific wines. If you dislike Chardonnay or know someone who dislikes this common very popular wine be sure to purchase one of their humorous anti-Chardonnay shirts or hats! Unlike many Napa Valley wineries, the tasting fee is applied towards any bottles purchased. They have an excellent website - be sure to visit their creative postcard section where you can send ecards. Visit: www.honigwine.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No, By Appointment Hours: 10-4pm Phone: 963-5618 x318 Address: 850 Rutherford Road - Rutherford Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hoopes Vineyard is operated by Spencer Hoopes who has owned a 10-acre vineyard in the Oakville appellation since 1984. After a law and entrepreneurial career, wine is now Spencer's full time gig. He was originally introduced to Napa during a visit many years ago, fell in love with the area and purchased property. He has been a long time collector of fine wine for many years however his original intention was never to get into the wine business; today he owns three different labels - one of which he purchased in 2006. Initially he sold all the fruit from this vineyard to an area winery for a number of years. In 1999 his friend Mitch Cosentino of Cosentino Winery helped him make a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon which was his first commercial release. While taking their wine extremely seriously, Spencer also has a sense of humor and and you can see this throughout their packaging and how they operate. He loves dogs and has nicely incorporated this and the play on his last name into the light hearted labels. The Cabernet Sauvignon features a dog jumping through a hoop with a nice ceramic medallion attached to the actual bottle - and the Hoopla shows a dog with one of the hoops in its mouth. The Hoopla label focuses entirely on white wines. We started our tasting with the 2006 Hoopla Chardonnay. The fruit for this wine is sourced from Yountville - the wine is not oaked and does go through malolactic fermentation. It is crisp and clean with a rounded by not too soft of a mouth feel. Citrus and minerality notes on the bouquet lead to similar flavors on the palate with nuances of apple and lime. The 2004 Hoopes Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is from Spencer's own vineyard and is a winner. Spencer is looking to create wines that are soft, and devoid of harsh tannins - even in their youth (but have the acidity to handle cellaring). He has done an excellent job with this vintage. The wine is a bright ruby color - the nose opens up to seductive elegant aromas of red plum and cherry with touches of spice and vanilla. The fruit is throughout the palate but especially so on the finish which is velvety smooth and very long. This wine will pair very well with food. Also note if you are looking for "value" in a higher end Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, this is an excellent choice as it is priced quite decently for the quality. Spencer purchased the long time Howell Mountain winery Liparita Cellars in 2006. They made several white wines (the last being the Sauvignon Blanc in 2006) and in the future will focus exclusively on appellation specific Cabernet Sauvignon wines - which as of press time includes Yountville, Oakville and the Stag's Leap district. These wines are all about the specific terroir from which they were sourced from and the label features contours (like on a topographical map) representative of this. The nice feature about Liparita Cellars is the fruit sources are locked up into long term contracts - which helps build consistency into the wines each vintage. Spencer has the same winemaker for all three of these labels. While his wineries are private you can generally taste these wines at the Napa Wine Co's Cult Tasting room, located on the corner of Highway 29 and Oakville Cross road near the Oakville Grocery. This tasting room is open to the public by walk-in. Also visit: www.hoopesvineyard.com, www.hooplawine.com, and www.liparita.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private, You can taste the wine at Napa Wine Co Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: Phone: N/A Address: N/A Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Hopper Creek Winery is open by appointment only and is located close to Bell Winery just minutes south of Yountville. Their address is on Washington Street which runs through Yountville - but the winery is not actually located in Yountville proper. The actual winery is quite old for Napa standards, dating back to the 1970's - it has changed hands several times since the original owners. Hopper Creek does not necessarily have that Napa gilded, polished look that some of larger area wineries are known for. This is not a bad thing and is refreshing to find in the valley. Today the property is owned by Dieter Tede and two partners with family backgrounds in the wine industry actually make the wine. Dieter is originally from Germany but has lived in the USA since 1958. His family is not new to the wine industry; in the 1860's his great grandfather established a wine and beer distribution business. Six acres of vine are planted on site to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Noah is one of their labels and is the first name of one of the partners. The tasting is in the old winery building and is very relaxed and casual. There is an awning and small deck outside which is a nice place to also taste, weather permitting. Dogs will be walking around, the barrels are stacked nearby and typically some nice mellow non mainstream music provides background ambience. Their Chardonnay is delicious - especially considering it is the only white wine they make and the first vintage was merely 2005. They have a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. Some of their older Merlots are tasting real nice now and sometimes their tasting room manager will make his "own" Merlot blend on the spot for you to taste. Their wines are all hand crafted in small quantities. Be sure to glance at their well worn old leather bound guestbook - judging from the comments, some people have had some very good times here! Production is only several thousand cases total. Visit: www.hoppercreek.com

Quick Info Open to Public: No Appointments: Yes Regular Tours: No Hours: Call Phone: 944-2139 Address: 6204 Washington Street Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Howell at the Moon is owned by Marc Cohen a retired Doctor who worked 27 years for NYU Medical School in New York City. Marc has a long standing fascination with wine and started collecting in the early 1970's. A trip out west in 1982 was the first time he saw the Napa Valley and was impressed with the beauty of the land and the passion of those in the wine industry. 18 years later he retired from his practice in New York and purchased a gorgeous piece of land in the hills above Angwin in the northern part of the Napa Valley. He has two beautiful secluded vineyards at about 2000 feet in the Howell Mountain Appellation. The vineyards are surrounded by native vegetation including oaks and pines but both vineyards have excellent exposure. Starting a new winery on Howell Mountain is not without a few bumps in the road - the Angwin area is home to a plethora of wineries, but is also home to the Seventh-day Adventists, whose religion prevent the drinking of wine. Many of his neighbors practice this religion; Marc had an open house to alleviate fears of planting vineyards and building a winery. Only 4 people showed up. Marc then took the step of visiting every one of his neighbors personally to tell them he wasn't going to damage their property or his own. Fortunately the opposition abated and he did finally secure all the necessary permits. The winery name is quite appropriate as his vineyards are located in the middle of the Howell Mountain Appellation. His vineyards are planted to several clones of Cabernet Sauvignon with both a lower (Lillian's Vineyard) and upper vineyard (called the Knoll vineyard). Marc owns a Jack Russell Terrier whose image appears on his label howling at the moon - a clever play on words for the winery name. Howell at the Moon does not source any grapes - they focus on producing a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon each year. In addition no expense has been spared in building the vineyard. A well-known soils analyst with a nickname of "Dr. Dirt" made recommendations for specific rootstalk and clonal types depending on the individual vineyard soil blocks. One of Napa's oldest and most well respected "wine" families provides the vineyard management services. Several well-known winemakers are involved in the production of the wine. In addition, Marc isn't just a hands off Dr. interested in wine - during the same year that he retired he received a BS degree in Management as he already knew by that time that he wanted to get into the wine business. In addition he has taken courses in wine marketing and wine making from Napa Valley College. Here is a winery owner who as in his former practice has a thirst for new knowledge and information. All vintages are unfined and unfiltered. Native yeasts are used during the fermentation and free run juice (the highest quality) is exclusively used. The wine sees extended maceration. Part of their philosophy is to create a wine that can be consumed now, but also has the structure to hold up for aging. However, this doesn't mean smash mouth in your face big tannic wine - Howell at the Moon's wine's are typically smooth with velvety mouth feels. We tried the 2005 vintage which at press time was still a young wine and can certainly be decanted and open up for 30 minutes before drinking. It is a dark wine with very nice cedar box spices, vanilla & violet floral aromas intermingled with ripe fruit aromas including blueberry. The palate follows with rich layered flavors, again blueberry, but with some raspberry notes mid palate. There is nice toasty oak with some spices including black pepper towards the finish. Long, longer and longest describe the finish on this wine. Will you have the patience to age this for additional complexity?! Plans call for a second wine incorporating the best blocks of the upper Knoll Vineyard; this has not yet been released as of press time. You can find their wine locally at ACME Wine Shop in St. Helena, or at the famed resort Meadowood. Visit: www.howellatthemoonwine.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 415 310-8628 Address: Angwin Winery Photos Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Howell Mountain Vineyards was originally founded in 1988 and specializes in Howell Mountain grown vineyards including Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great name of a winery whose namesake also is the appellation. Howell Mountain sits high above the Napa Valley floor (1400 feet and higher) and is well known for producing high quality Zinfandel's and Cabernet Sauvignon. Many notable Napa area wineries have vineyards here. The Chow's, residents of St. Helena since 1993, relocated to Hong Kong and found themselves missing and often trying California wines (especially from Napa). In 2005 the Chow Family purchased the Howell Mountain Vineyards brand and still sources from the same vineyards. Special note must be mentioned about the two vineyards they source fruit from. The Beatty Ranch is home to the Zinfandel for their Old Vine Zinfandel and in fact is the oldest Zinfandel Vineyard on Howell Mountain. This vineyard dates from the early 1900's and all the vines are head pruned (no trellising like you see on the valley floor and most of the hillsides). Both vineyards are managed sustainably with little chemicals and are dry farmed. The Black Sears Vineyard is unique in that it sits at 2400 feet. This is among a very select few Napa area vineyards at this elevation - can you think of any other Napa Vineyards at a higher elevation - only one on the Napa / Solano County line. The vines here are also head pruned and this vineyard is farmed organically. We tried their 2003 Howell Mountain Cabernet, a blend of fruit from both of their vineyards. This wine is rich with concentrated fruit flavors as you would expect from fruit from these vineyards. The 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel named Bear & Lion is one of our favorites. These two animals have been known to appear in the vineyards and are on the label. This wine is incredibly rich in aroma with some amazing spices including the dominating aroma of white pepper. Good fruit including cherry, plum and some chocolate flavors. The 2005 Beatty Ranch Zinfandel has a very fruit forward nose with some spices including vanilla on the finish. The only wine not from Howell Mountain is their Chardonnay. While the wineries' vineyards are private, they have future plans to build a new winery on site - for the time being you can taste their wine at the A Dozen Vintners walk-in collective tasting room, located north of the town of St. Helena. As of press time they make their wine in a custom crush facility in south Napa. Their winemaker is Dave Phinney who runs on his own label, the wildly successful Orin Swift Cellars. Visit: www.howellmountain.com

Quick Info Open to Public: Private Appointments: No Regular Tours: No Hours: N/A Phone: 963-2908 Address: N/A Winery Website | View Comments (0) | | Add Comment |

Humanitas Wines is owned and operated by Judd Wallenbrock. This is a one of a kind Napa winery; they are different from all other Napa wineries (except for one) in that 100% of their profits are donated to charities. Several Napa wineries will donate part of the proceeds from their wine to charity, or a single label but it is almost unheard of to donate 100% of the profits. As their slogan says "drink charitably". Yes there are a number of select "cult" wineries who participate in charity events and even donate a bunch of their wine, but to drink these you will have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The name of the winery is Latin and refers to philanthropy, human nature & kindness. What other Napa winery offers affordably priced wines for the general public to enjoy with 100% of the proceeds going directly to hunger, housing & educational charities. This winery is a win win situation. Furthermore the financial contributions are directed towards specific regional charities within markets where the wine is sold, rather than the national headquarters. This is not just "cheap wine" with proceeds going to good causes where the consumer buys the wine to feel good or as a gift because quality is lacking. No, not at all! This is actually very good quality wine from someone who has significant experience in the wine industry dating back to the late 1970's. Judd has worked at some notable Sonoma and Napa county wineries including Mondavi. The wine is made at a variety of facilities including in his Napa bonded garage winery. Small wineries such as this are often marked by a fancier smoother sounding word "garagist", but Judd affectionately calls his winery the "Shedteau". As of press time, his grapes are sourced from high quality vineyards typically on California's Central Coast, Sonoma County and from a premium vineyard in the Coombsville region of Napa. Their initial release was in 2000, self titled "IPO" - or Initial Pinot Offering! This wine was originally marketed by an email sent out by Judd to 200 of his friends, colleagues and family. Imagine his surprise when orders started coming in within hours from people not on this original email list! Humanitas makes several white wines - many of their wines have been inspired by a specific incident or an individual. The Sauvignon Blanc, however, was inspired by Judd's own love of this varietal. The 2006 Monterey county sourced vintage has nice citrus aromas, is crisp, fruit forward with a light smooth finish. Their 2006 Chardonnay is a delightful wine that sees no oak. Great up front fruit flavors including pineapple, peach and even seductive hints of banana. The 2006 Pinot Noir is sourced from an all hillside vineyard in the Sonoma Coast region. This is a medium bodied wine with a great earthiness that comes through on the nose followed by nice flavors of raspberries, cherries on the palate.