Inglenook Estate. While not Napa Valley's oldest winery, it is certainly arguably the valley's grandest. It is what a wine estate should look and feel like with its visually stunning exterior, while collecting layers of history and depth of stories over its 140+ years. Originally founded as Inglenook, the physical property been referred to by several … [Read more...]

Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery is one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley's Spring Mountain District; it dates from 1971 with their first commercial release coming in 1977. For reference, there are approximately 70 wineries in Napa Valley who were producing wines in 1979 or prior who are still producing wines today. But today there are more than 1,000 … [Read more...]

Spring Mountain Vineyard is arguably one of the more photogenic wineries in all of Napa Valley. The winery is located just outside of the St. Helena town limits - off of the narrow windy Spring Mountain Road connecting St. Helena to the city of Santa Rosa to the west. The oldest winery on this sizable property until burning down in 2020 (La Perla Winery) … [Read more...]

Clif Family Winery operates a beautiful open-to-the-public tasting room in St. Helena. Clif Family Winery produced their first vintage in 2004. Founders of Clif Family Wines, Gary Erickson and his wife Kit Crawford have always enjoyed good wine and were inspired to start a winery during extended bike tour stops at villa estate wineries in northern Italy. … [Read more...]

Chateau Montelena is located in the northern part of Napa Valley off of Tubbs Lane (in between old Faithful Geyser and Highway 29). The property is removed from the typical Napa Valley wine route but is well worth the drive for a visit and a tasting. A stop here feels far removed from the busy wine strip south of St. Helena, although it can get very busy … [Read more...]

Blackbird Vineyards was originally located in the heart of the Oak Knoll District in the southern part of Napa Valley and the property was purchased by Michael Polenske in 2003 from the Trefethen family, proprietors of nearby Trefethen Vineyards. The site used to be a walnut orchard but is now entirely planted to Merlot. When we think of this variety, we … [Read more...]