Altamura Winery is located about 25 minutes east of Napa in Wooden Valley and was established in 1985. This is about the furthest winery you will find from the city of Napa that still has a Napa address and is one of the more easterly located wineries within Napa County. It is the only winery located in this particular area, although there are other vineyards in the general area besides what is planted on their sprawling 400 acres. The drive here is through wooded oaks and the nearby roads are quite windy. While merely 9 miles from the town of Napa, a visit to Wooden Valley is certainly not the "wine strip" you find on Highway 29. The roads here are little traveled, cattle graze the hills, and natural vegetation outnumbers vineyards by far.
Napa attracts people from all over the world due to its fine wine and excellent cuisine. It seems like it is becoming rarer when we find a vintner who actually grew up in Napa and has historical family ties to the valley. Such is the case with the Altamura's; owner & winemaker Frank Altamura has a long history of winemaking in Napa and his wife Karen has had this property in her family since the 1850's. Frank started working in the vineyards right out of high school and gained invaluable experience by working with some of the Napa notables who already had established careers in the 1970's and 80's - vintners such as Randy Dunn, Ric Foreman, and Chuck Wagner. Having grown up in the Napa Valley but trying to plant vineyards in an area with few existing vineyards, Frank found himself identifying soil types on his property similar in nature to those found in some of Napa's high end terroir regions - i.e., Howell Mountain, the Rutherford Bench, Mt. Veeder, etc. Once the soils were identified this allowed him to tailor the particular rootstalks and clones to each soil type.
As of press time they are putting the finishing touches on a new winery building. The outside is all stone, quarried from the many rocks strewn over the property. Plans eventually include a new tasting room right next to Wooden Valley Road. The actual winery is located about 1/2 mile in on a gravel road which winds its way past the vineyards. Your tasting here will be in their cave. Altamura concentrates on Sangiovese and their flagship wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon - both of which have been well received by some of the best known wine critics.
Altamura has made extensive use of a new French Oak aging program and their wines often will stay in barrel up to an additional year or so compared to the typical wineries. Their production is about 5000 cases. Besides their two main wines they also make a very nice Sauvignon Blanc which is available only at the winery and from their website. Compared to traditional Sauvignon Blancs, this wine is very untraditional. It sees 18 months of oak which contributes to the oak in the nose, but the actual wine does not have that "over oaked" taste. For you Nebbiolo lovers - Altamura makes a delicious wine of this varietal. It is very smooth yet complex and goes well with most foods. Typically they do not open this wine unless you specifically request it, as it is made in such a low production. Most people have never heard of this varietal unless you are a serious wine enthusiast or have visited Italy; there are just a handful of Napa area wineries producing it. All their wines are straight varietals, i.e.., no blending. 2005 Their Cabernet Sauvignon is a big wine, with concentrated flavors; it has strong structured tannins and a very long finish. Visit: www.altamura.com
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Open to Public: No
Appointments: Yes
Regular Tours: No
Hours: M-F, 10-5pm
Phone: 253-2000
Address: 1700 Wooden Valley Road, Napa
 Winery Photos Winery Website
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