Envy Wines

Envy Wines is located on the site of the old Calistoga Cellars winery a few minutes’ drive north of the town of Calistoga. In this part of the valley, physical wineries begin to thin out, as does the traffic and as a result wine tastings are often less crowded than at some of the busier wineries to the south. For a tasting experience with the fewest people, come on a winter weekday in the morning. Envy Wines purchased the site in 2006; the acquisition included existing vineyards, a winery and tasting room. The winery and tasting room were designed by Bill Bylund and Thomas Faherty of then Valley Architects, a firm that was responsible for the design of more than 30 wineries. The original winery building dates from 2002.

The 17-acre estate is planted to 11 acres of vines; they also source grapes from various vineyards throughout parts of Napa Valley with a focus on vineyards in Calistoga. Production is generally limited to only several hundred cases for most of their wines.

From the driveway in front of the tasting room or from the patio one can see the location of Old Faithful Geyser (a local natural geyser) and if timing is such, it will be spewing its white spray high into the air. There are also excellent views of the nearby Vaca mountain range including the tallest mountain in the vicinity, Mt. St. Helena which is sometimes capped with snow on its upper reaches during the winter, although we have seen rare snow on its summit as late as mid-May.

Well-known winemaker & co-owner of Envy, Nils Venge, used to work at Groth Winery; his Cabernet Sauvignon many years ago was awarded the first 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon by the famed American wine critic Robert E. Parker. Nils also owns Saddleback Cellars in Oakville until 2023, Cougar’s Leap, located in the Red Hills of Lake County to the north. Nils son Kirk is a well-known winemaker and runs Venge Cellars, located slightly south of Calistoga and Croix Estate in neighboring Sonoma County.

Incidentally, this is one of the more creative winery names in all of Napa Valley; Nil’s initials are NV and NV also stands for Napa Valley; one can make the argument that one can be envious of others drinking Envy wines and as of yet, there is an untapped play on words, as perhaps someday Envy Wines will create a non-vintage wine (NV).

During our first visit many years ago, we had the privilege of barrel tasting what was Envy’s first vintage of several wines including a nice Syrah. During a later visit we sampled the final version (big nose, great flavor, full bodied) but by this time it had already sold out. Fortunately, larger productions of future releases were later offered.

Visitors can either taste indoors at the long tasting counter or relax on their patio outside the tasting room. Weather permitting, the patio is often used to host small bike groups who use Envy Wines for both a tasting and a lunch stop. Or other group tours, such as those led by Platypus Wine Tours. If it’s not too busy, visitors may request to see their barrel room and staff may thieve a barrel sample or two. A tasting includes both white and red wines from Envy’s portfolio including wines available from multiple vintages.

In terms of visitation, expect to enjoy serious and thoughtfully made wines in a setting best described as ‘Calistoga casual’ offering a relaxed and inviting experience. That is Envy in a nutshell.

Select Wines
Whites
Chenin Blanc
Napa Valley grown Chenin Blanc is in extremely short supply. As of 2023 according to the Napa County Crop Report, there are approximately 20 acres of Chenin Blanc planted in Napa Valley; this has grown slightly from the 2017 Napa County Crop Report which listed merely 7 acres. Although with several boutique producers making and promoting wines from this variety, perhaps the acreage will slowly grow. As recently as the late 1980s Napa Valley used to grow several thousand acres of Chenin Blanc.

The 2025 Envy Wines Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley is medium straw in color; well layered, this wine breathes aromatics of Babcock peach, white grapefruit, pineapple, honeycomb, ginger, chamomile, lemon zest and spring florals including honeysuckle and citrus blossom. The nose is not green, but there are some lifted herbal and citrusy elements at play here. Almost tangy and as it ages, perhaps will become more so. Bright, balanced, fresh, minerally and sporting a saline or briny character, this wine tastes like honeydew melon, pineapple, green apple, kiwi, guava and finishing notes of thyme and dill. The mouth feels sports a supple and gentle rounded texture, balanced nicely by a vibrant thread of acidity. Lingers mouth watering and a bit spicy including notes of white pepper. Pair this with ceviche or your favorite Thai spicy seafood dish. Our choice would be grilled freshwater Thai prawns with a tasty nam prik (spicy dipping sauce).

In 2019 Envy bottled a Calistoga grown Chenin Blanc however in 2020 Envy sourced their Chenin Blanc outside of Napa Valley and bottled it as North Coast.

The 2020 Envy Wines North Coast Chenin Blanc is pale gold in color. The bouquet is generous and expressive, opening with aromas of grapefruit peel, honeysuckle and citrus blossom, followed by layers of lemon meringue, ripe orchard fruits and subtle hints of ginger and vanilla that emerge with time in the glass. There is both freshness and depth to the aromatics, offering an inviting balance between fruit and floral characteristics. On the palate, the wine is creamy and supple in texture, carrying an almost saline quality. Flavors of green apple, pear, quince and lime are complemented by notes of lemon curd and a faint touch of wet stone minerality. Richly flavored without feeling heavy, the wine is energized by a vibrant thread of acidity that provides lift and focus from entry to finish. The lingering finish is bright and refreshing, marked by persistent citrus notes and a mouthwatering freshness that encourages another sip.

Sauvignon Blanc
The 2024 Envy Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County is pale to medium straw in color; tangy, the first aromatic we noted is that of chamomile, accompanied by additional scents including green apple, grapefruit, lime zest and assorted herbs including lemongrass and marjoram. It wouldn’t be a stretch if you want to say the bouquet smells saline. This is an easy drinking and bright expression of the variety that is neither overtly green or grassy and never comes close to the tropical expressions from California that are so common today. This wine tastes like green apples, honeydew melon, not fully ripe apricot, under ripe pineapple, white peach, white nectarine, pineapple guava, passion fruit and lemon grass. The typicity of the variety is well expressed here. Zippy but not bracing, the palate shows plenty of movement. Finishes with a note of dill and tarragon. Those who love raw oysters should gravitate to this bottling. Those who don’t, pair this with a ginger chicken stir-fry.

Rosé
The 2023 Envy Wines Night Rosé is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This wine is medium copper in color. The bouquet is carried by its higher toned red fruits and citrus scents. There are notes of orange peel zest, ruby grapefruit, blood orange, pomegranate, red cherry, rhubarb, cranberry and cran-apple. As bright on the palate as the bouquet leads with, this wine is super fresh at three years post vintage. Its flavors include watermelon jolly rancher, raspberry, blood orange, kumquat, pomegranate, not fully ripe loquat, red currant and tart cherry. Bone dry with a zippy and bracing acidity that creates a mouthwatering sensation. It’s texture is supple and rounded and always feels light and integrated – as the acidity does all the lifting here. Pair with Dungeness crab on a bed of fresh bibb lettuce drizzled lightly in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Reds
Bee’s Blend
Envy’s popular Bee Bee’s blend is made every year. This bottling is named in honor of Nil’s now deceased dog and is the only blend produced for Envy Wines.

The 2019 Envy Wines Bee Bee’s Blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Petite Sirah. This wine is dark ruby in color; the bouquet initially shows light green pepper notes (jalapeno), but underneath are layers of generous darker fruit aromatics including blackberry and ripe plum. The aromatics also show dried herbs, bittersweet chocolate and aromas of wintergreen/mint nuances. The mouth feel is plush across the palate. This wine lingers with juicy mouthwatering acidity and flavors of spicy plum, crushed peppercorn, dried tobacco leaf and red cherry. The tannins are dark and persistent with a medium still somewhat tight grip in their youth. The finish is savory and long.

Petite Sirah
For many years Envy focused on estate wines only – however starting with the 2012 vintage they began offing single vineyard non-estate wines. The first release of this was a 2012 Petite Sirah from Fortuna Vineyard in Oakville. Today Envy Wines produces several premium Petite Sirahs and has become known for this variety.

We should also note that their Petite Sirah’s show particularly well in challenging vintages such as in 2020 and in 2022.

The 2022 Envy Wines Petite Sirah, Switchback Ridge Vineyard Calistoga is opaque, dark, inky and amaranthine in color. The bouquet is immediately spicy, offering up aromatics of crushed peppercorn, smoked sage, cured meats, dried bay leaf, lavender, toast and as the wine evolves, a prominent note of coffee grounds. Its fruit remains dark, showing scents of spicy plum and blackberry. Dark fruited, but thoroughly fresh, the palate is a union of both fruit and a significant contribution from its time in oak. Its flavors include blackberry, boysenberry, cherry pie, black currant and dark mulberries. Finishes with flavors of coffee grounds, espresso, toast, a woodsy spice and lavender. The firmly gripping tannins fully coat every crack and crevasse of the palate, persisting with a very dusty and drying grip which far outlasts the fruit on the finish. This remains the lasting sensation. For reference, we needled and nosed this 4 years post vintage; this wine has years of life ahead of it with the proper cellar care. Lets try this again in the next 12-15 years.

The 2020 Envy Wines Napa Valley Petite Sirah Napa Valley was sourced from Davis Estates and Switchback Ridge. This wine is deep ruby with purplish hues and completely opaque. Its dark color represents this variety well. A bouquet full of character and depth, its heady aromatics are dark fruited and floral with scents of blackberry jam, cherry pie, boysenberry spread, Satsuma plum at the peak of ripeness, dark olive, coffee grounds, a ferrous a sanguine character, lavender and violets. As expressive on the palate as on the bouquet, this wine tastes like dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry, dark mulberry and dark licorice. Both flavor and texture are anchored by a energetic thread of acidity. Lingers with gravelly and grainy textured tannins – broadly dispersed across the palate with a dusty sensation, but never tugging too hard. Finishes savory and earthy with a a woodsy spice and smoked herbs. Lingers with a light warmth deep in the throat, still this wine holds its 15.0% ABV pretty well. We tasted this 6 years post vintage – lets try this again in another 10 years.

The 2020 Envy Wines Petite Sirah, Oso Vineyard Napa Valley, formerly owned by Michael Mondavi, is a gorgeous vineyard growing on the hillsides on the east side of Howell Mountain. This vineyard sold to Plumpjack in 2022. It is wines such as this bottling that perhaps are the reason why Wine Wipes were created for cleaning people’s teeth. Just look at the cork as soon as you open the bottle. This wine is inky dark, deep purple and very opaque. Offers beautiful aromatics that are driven by floral overtones including violets, lavender and rose petals but also with darker fruits including blackberry and boysenberry. It is dark and meaty with a bloody/iron like aroma. Also offers dried herbs which reminds us of hiking in the chaparral of California’s central coast on a warm summer day. This wine is intensely flavored (blackberry and plum) but without the robust structure that sometimes this variety is known for. Lingers savory, juicy and mouthwatering with a gravelly textured and dry grip of long-lasting tannins.

The 2017 Envy Petite Sirah, Oso Vineyard Napa Valley is deep ruby and opaque and sports amaranthine hues in the glass. This wine is not lacking in terms of color, clearly representative of this variety. The bouquet is ripe and sweetly fruited, still very primary at years post vintage. Its scents are of blackberry jam, cherry pie, baked plums, and assorted florals including of dried rose petals, violets and purple lilacs. An accompaniment of spices play in this aromatic sandbox including of cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. And perhaps graham cracker. The palate doesn’t express as ripe as expected based on the aromatics, rather it sings higher fruit tones, supported by a finishing tartness and long lasting thread of very energetic acidity. In terms of energy, still like a teenager at 9 years post vintage. This wine tastes like Satsuma plum, red cherry, currant, blackberry, not fully ripe boysenberry and a minerally element, including of chalk. Very youthful still on the palate in terms of the interplay between fruit, structure and acidity. The tannins are firmly gripping and long lasting with a dusty and drying presence, remaining the ‘lead horse’ on the extended finish. This is a big boy, that is clearly built to age. And don’t let the 15.0% ABV sway you otherwise.

The 2016 Envy Fortuna Vineyard Petite Sirah (Oakville); roll this wine on its side in the glass and try to see your fingers underneath. You won’t. It is seriously dark and savory – the bouquet offers up meaty aromatics including mushroom, along with pronounced floral tones including violets. It also shows aromas of blackberry, fig and sweet black licorice. The aromatics are generous. The palate is intensely flavored but without muscular tannins. There is a certain chewiness on the finish with dark fruit, dark spice and darker grainy yet well-integrated tannins. The texture is simply put, lovely; this wine is easily enjoyed by itself. Features a persistent flavor filled finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2017 Envy Wines Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is dark ruby in color; the aromatics are dark with notes of sweaty baseball mitt, blackberry, dust, anis, black licorice and some darker baking spices deeper into the bouquet which show more as the wine evolves in the glass. The palate is as generous as the bouquet with flavors of ripe blackberry, boysenberry and plum. We tasted this wine 5 years post vintage date; it is very likeable at this age and probably going to continue to improve over the next decade plus. The grape and wood tannins offer a noticeable grip but are not course in their textural feel. This wine shows a brightness of fruit on the finish and lingers with a dark tobacco note.

Dessert
Envy produced a late harvest dessert style wine in 2012 and 2015; as of our latest update to this profile, their 2015 bottling is still their most recent vintage. The 2012 featured Sémillon from neighboring Lake County and Sauvignon Blanc from their own estate vineyard. They are the only Napa Valley winery we know of that cane cut the grapes before fermenting. They utilized this technique (several Australian wineries we know of also do this) for the Lake County Sémillon – letting the fruit hang on the cut canes for three weeks before fermenting. The result is pleasing, producing a wine that is rich in flavor but not overly sweet; it is an ideal after dinner drink.

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Besides Envy’s wines, a number of other wine brands are produced on site. The reason for this is that much of the production facility is setup for custom crush where parts of the winery are rented out to producers who do not own their own physical winery. One brand made here was Vine Haven which was Nil’s “pet project” off and on again for the better part of the last 20 years. Wines bottled under this label were extremely reasonably priced.

One other note of interest is the historical looking house far to the west of the tasting room was used in the romantic comedy, Nine Months starring Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore with the movie crew filming here in 1994.

Carter Cellars
A brand often associated with Envy Wines is Carter Cellars because the Carter Cellar wines are made at Envy and proprietor Mark Carter is Nil’s partner in Envy Wines. These wines are vineyard designated with some of the sources from the exact same rows each year. While visits and tastings of Envy Wines can often be arranged last minute, a tasting of the Carter Cellar wines generally requires an appointment in advance. Carter Cellars focuses on premium Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a Merlot. Their first vintage was in 1998 and their wines have received excellent scores from prominent wine writers over the years. Please reference our separate review of Carter Cellars on this website for more detailed information about their history and wines as well as photography from our visits.

Mark also runs the romantic Carter House Inn in Eureka; the original Carter House is a beautiful Victorian mansion that he rebuilt in the early 1980s based on plans which detailed the original Carter House located in San Francisco which was destroyed by the great 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire.

The acclaimed Restaurant 301 is located at the Carter House. This restaurant has won the much-coveted Wine Spectator Grand award for a number of years. While purchasing wines for this restaurant Mark was introduced to a number of Napa Valley’s top labels, vineyard sites and personalities during the 1980s and into the 1990s. One of those vintners he met and befriended was Nils Venge. Nils made Carter Cellars first vintage in 1998 but is no longer the winemaker for Carter Cellars and has retired to his property in Oklahoma.

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The total production of Envy Wines every year is usually between 2,000 and 2,500 cases. For more information, to book an appointment to taste the wines and or to join the Envy wine club (with discounts on the wines offered for members), visit: www.envywines.com

Bottle shots