Domaine Carneros is a winery that one won't easily miss seeing while driving through the Carneros region of Napa Valley. The winery looks very European and is perched high on a hill, so it is easily seen from the well-traveled Highway 12. As a result, weekends combined with good weather can make for a very busy tasting experience. We have visited many times; … [Read more...]

Lail Vineyards was founded by long time Napa Valley vintner Robin (Daniel) Lail and her family. Robin's history in Napa Valley is significant and deeply rooted. Her great-grand uncle was Gustave Niebaum the founder of Napa's iconic Inglenook Winery. Her father was John Daniel, Jr. (died at age 63 in 1970) who inherited Inglenook winery from his father, also … [Read more...]

Pott Wine (Aaron, Claire & daughters) was started by long time Napa winemaker Aaron Pott. He and his wife Claire own several sizable and rugged pieces of land on Mt. Veeder. Their first property (76 acres) was purchased in 2004, a former prune orchard at about 1600 feet. They started with only 1/3 of an acre of vines and later planted out a total of … [Read more...]

Vice Versa Wine. Founder Patrice Breton was born in Ottawa; during his youth he gravitated towards art, books and later wine. And at age 19 (the legal drinking age in Ottawa is 18) he wasn't able to afford many wines but was able to try a particular sauternes, a 1983 Château Guiraud. Hooked but without a large budget he began to purchase books on wine to … [Read more...]

CHANDON California is one of Napa Valley's iconic and well- visited wineries; they are only one of five Napa Valley based wineries that focus on sparkling wine production, i.e. Champagne style wines; the others being J&S Lee Vineyard, Mumm Napa Valley, Domain Carneros and Schramsberg. CHANDON California owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH); LVMH also … [Read more...]

Mayacamas Vineyards is a historic winery located high in the Mayacamas mountains west of Napa Valley near Mt. Veeder. The winery sits on the edge of a crater of an extinct volcano. One can clearly see parts of the surrounding crater with its still standing prominent stone rock formations. Approximately 49 acres of vineyards are planted on the 475-acre … [Read more...]

Grace Family Vineyards (not to be confused with Grace Vineyards in China or Grace Wines in Japan) was our 500th visit with a Napa Valley based winery or brand and as a result was a significant personal milestone. We had researched this winery for a long time; besides the top reviews of their wine, we knew about their remarkable international humanitarian … [Read more...]