I'll be the first to admit that I'm easily influenced by hype and big names, so it's no surprise that on my first visit to the Napa Valley, I toured Domaine Chandon and Robert Mondavi Winery. As much as I enjoyed my experiences at those two places, however, I think I enjoyed my time at the lesser-known, family-owned Benessere Vineyards just a little bit more. Benessere has a cute little tasting room where you can sample a few of their wines for just $10. I'm not a huge wino, but I loved their Pinot Grigio and their Muscat di Canelli Frizzante. I love typing "Muscat di Canelli Frizzante"...doesn't it make me sound so smart and cultured? Well, truthfully, I wouldn't have remembered the name if it wasn't for the fact that I bought half a dozen bottles. Anyhow...the people at Benessere were absolutely amazing and genuine. They spent so much time talking to us about wine, about food, and about life in general. Both the man and the woman (Nan?) had lived in So-Cal before, and they talked about the days when people bought milk and eggs from a dairy store, and when the 5-freeway was only 2 lanes wide. ...Whaaat? I don't know which is more shocking. I might have given Benessere 4.5 stars, but their 150-pound Newfoundland puppy won me over. The photo I included doesn't do this dog justice - in reality, she's so huge that her head is wider than my body! She's also the sweetest, most docile dog I've ever met. 5 stars for Benessere! read more

Benessere Vineyards - 150 pounds of pure dog... - Wineries Near Me - Saint Helena, California

I was in Napa yesterday and after visiting a VERY crowded and touristy large winery needed a quiet relaxing local family owned winery to kick back and enjoy the beautiful 80 degree weather. This is when we found this the perfect Benessere Winery. My group of friends and I were warmly greeted upon entry and even offered a beautiful picnic table area to taste outside. The tasting flight of 6 wines is only $20 and refunded with bottle purchase. I ended up going home with a couple bottles of course. The two women working at the winery were so friendly and told us about the history of the winery, land and grapes. This was the last stop of our two day napa adventure and finished up the trip perfectly. Cannot wait to return on every napa trip :) read more

Benessere Vineyards - Relaxing at it's finest - Wineries Near Me - Saint Helena, California

Love. Love. Love. When I booked I was concerned there might be something wrong with the place because the tasting per person was $20 (much lower than anywhere nearby) and the outdoor seating area looked beautiful. We made a reservation for six and were promptly seated upon arrival. It was busy, but Mario took excellent care of us and impressed us with his extensive wine knowledge. The ambiance was so nice, the vineyards so beautiful, the wine so good. There was no food available. read more

Absolutely amazing customer service & their wines - YUMMY! I can't even. This is the kind of winery you want to visit!

Simply one of the most hospitable wineries in the area. We visited Benessere on a whim when driving by. We called for an appointment and were told to come on in! They are the nicest people. While I don't love Italian wines (and therefore, these wines weren't exactly my taste), the winery is adorable and the staff are truly amazing. I almost felt like part of a family walking in. We got a mini tour of the winery, but the coolest thing was the photoalbum which showed the mobile bottling station (coolest thing ever). So friendly! A spot off of the beaten bath with charming staff. read more

This was my favorite vineyard in all of Napa and Sonoma! Mario was very knowledgeable and informative. He really took an interest in what types of wine we like so he could make the best recommendations to us. Every wine we tasted was glorious. The ambiance was super cute and we loved sitting among the vines on the tented patio. It was also super cute that the menu they gave us was personalized with our name on it! It was a perfect touch. read more

Lovely! Tastings only unless you are a wine member & when they say tasting it's literally only a sip or two per glass. Overall great wine.

What an amazing wine tasting visit we had today!! Megan took great care of our party of 4 and we were surprised to learn we received a Napa Neighbor promotion of complimentary tastings for 4!!! Each wine is unique and delicious, following remarkable Italian styles. The Rose of Sangiovese and Sangiovese are exceptional!! We were able to bring in our own picnic lunch and were provided cold water between all five tastes of each wine. We are considering joining their wine club in the future. read more

Mario made our experience at Benessere really great! He studies wine and is so knowledgeable about wines and wine making process.

Amazing Wines! Pinot Grigio is beautiful and perfect with pasta or roasted chicken dishes. Sangiovese is delicious and perfect with hearty meat dishes or risotto. read more

Amazing place!! Was recommended to check it out by Pam at Storybook Winery! Super fun spot with great wines! Megan & John were awesome! If you haven't visited this place then you are missing out. Highly recommend and I will be going back soon! read more

Awesome experience here! We came for my sisters birthday but arrived fairly early to our reservation. We had finished plans earlier than we thought so were hoping we could move up our reservation. Unfortunately, they were fully booked. However, they still accommodated us and let us sit in the waiting area until our table was ready in the next couple hours. We had a large party but we appreciated them letting us sit down and enjoy a bottle of wine while we waited for our table. Once we started our wine tasting, it was great! The seating outside within the vineyard is beautiful and the setting is gorgeous. Note that the seating area has sand all throughout though and it's in a shaded area but it still gets pretty hot. Despite that, our server was so kind and accommodating. We loved his friendly demeanor the minute we got there. The wine tasting itself was great, we received five or six tastings for $20p/p. Would definitely recommend! read more

Michael and Roux were wonderful hosts to our Platypus Wine Tours group that included my bachelorette party! The Rosé was my favorite! Best Rosé of the day. The property was the most beautiful we toured that day and the selection of wines was the most varied. You can't go wrong with a visit to Benessere. read more

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This winery was amazing! The wine is excellent and reasonably priced. Our wine tasting was so fun and the scenery was terrific. Our service was impeccable. Our server, Kerry, was excellent with her knowledge of the wine and history of the vineyard. She was friendly and attentive and make sure that each guest had what they needed. Keep up the great work! read more

I can't say enough how much I love Benessere! We've been members for a couple years now and I always love visiting! The wine is fantastic. It's Italian style wines, mostly reds, but they're pinot grigio is really good! Everyone who works at Benessere is just amazing. They make you feel so welcome and at home. Not only does the wine taste great but the vineyard tour is well done. You learn so much about the property, the family that owns the winery, and local history. Whenever we drive up to Napa Valley, we always stop by Benessere. read more

I feel like I know a lot about wine at this point... but I have no idea how to teach my boyfriend. Luckily our friends at Benessere were there to help out! We showed up with no appointment on a winter Saturday afternoon, and there was one tour bus there. Luckily they were happy to pour us a tasting outside under the trellis in the sunshine, and spent at least 40 minutes explaining all of the nuances of wine tasting. The gentleman (whose name I forget) was very patient answering my boyfriend's questions, and he even let us peek in their caves where he taught us about their barrels and aging process. It was a fabulous experience overall! I love these out-of-the-way wineries. read more

Bennessere is a hidden gem in the Napa Valley. While most Napa Valley wines are French varietals, Bennessere rightly advertises itself as "Italy in the Napa Valley." They have delicious Italian wines like pinot grigio, sangiovese, some spicy blends, and offer some breadsticks/crackers as well. The tasting room hostesses are friendly and helpful. It has a blissed-out, laidback air. One could spend hours drinking in the wine, looking at the vineyards, looking at the mountains, just relaxing. There's a friendly Newfoundland. Bennessere is charmingly uncrowded. One can sit back, relax, and drink in the wine... along with the scenery! read more

I've been to over a dozen wineries in Napa now, but I'd have to give Benessere the win for best hospitality and tasting experience. They were kind enough to let us try 3 different years of Sangiovese (one that hadn't been aged, one that had just finished aging, and one out of hte bottle). It was interesting to see how much the wine changes over the aging process! We were served Italian meats and cheeses and a delicious homemade marinara. YUM. OK, so the experience was good, but the best part is the wines are actually fabulous! We love Italian wines (and have done extensive wine tasting in Italy) and were quite pleased with all the wines they were pouring. I adore Sangioveses and their's was no exception. We also enjoyed the Rosato and Zin. Their prices are reasonable (for Napa!), which is an added plus. We came home with a case of wine and joined the wine club - needless to say we were quite pleased with the experience. read more

The staff is wonderful. The wines are outstanding. Buy as many bottles as you can lug home. If you like deep, powerful reds, you will wet yourself over the Phenomenon. It pays to visit the more obscure producers. And no need to visit if Italian wines escape your favor. read more

While the guy working here seemed a bit acerbic at first, he was actually a blast and gave a terrific tour. It was very educational for me to try an unaged and aged in succession, as it helped me understand a bit more about the process. The building is small and unpretentious, much like the people, who are good at selling but not pushy. They had a nice picnic area and great view, both of which we took advantage of. One of my better experiences up there! read more

My husband and I were going to the Napa Valley in one had to try some different places than usual. So I searched for the best kept secrets in Napa and Benessere came up. After visiting there I have to say it is definitely one of the best kept secrets. The vineyards are beautiful, the employees are welcoming and friendly and the wines are fantastic. We joined the wine club and will definitely be back often. read more

Benessere brings a little piece of Italy to Napa. It is a small Italian family winery with some nice Sangiovese, which is light and bright with hints of cherry and spice. The Rosato was crisp and tasty. The wines are good and the smaill bar tasting room, offers a personalized experience. read more

This place is definitely in the running for one of the best vineyards to visit! . It's very small and the service is super friendly! I felt like they had some of the better wines on my trip as well. I loved the Phenomenon! I was there early in the morning and tried several wines, so I can't remember them all. They make Italian wine here, which is pretty unique. The tasting fee is waived with the purchase of 2 bottles. It's really a place you just have to check out for yourself (reservations recommended). I can't say enough about how friendly the staff was. I wanted to hang out with them all day. It was also a plus that the owner is actually from the Chicago area. **The staff was even cool about one of us skipping out on the tasting fee** Total accident! Wine before Noon does not make for a normal thought process! I promise we will make it up in our on-line orders Benessere! read more

Before Beneserre, my favorite winery was V. Sattui as I could let my naive wine tongue taste only the dessert wines and be satisfied w/ the $10 I spent on my 6 tastings. But after some random yelping, my bf suggested we stop by Benessere and I was blown away. I never thought I would be able to say this, but I loved all 6 of the wines they offered for their tastings and walked away with 4 bottles of wine without hesitation. Their wines were delicious and surprisingly pleased my other (quite opposite in tastes) half which is a hard feat to do. Good job, Beneserre, I never really had Napa staple wineries but you've firmly established yourself as #1 in my books. Lucky for me and for internet friendly people, wines are available to order online if you are unable to make the trek to napa. PS. ask to try their Moscato, it is my absolute favorite. Not overly sweet, very refreshing and crisp. Reminding me of St. Supery's Moscato but up a few, or even several notches. read more

Below average experience at a family winery. I was expecting much more, given the stellar yelp reviews. Outdoor seating, beautiful location. Service was below average. The women were friendly, but they didn't seem to know all that much about the wine. They didn't give us any good information about the grapes, the style, the flavor, etc. Also the pacing was uneven and we waiting far too long between some of our pours. Wine was pretty lackluster. I didn't really like anything we tasted. There are just so many excellent small, family-owned wineries in Napa that I would visit someplace else. read more

Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the vineyard. The visitor center was clean and had cute decorations. read more

Benessere Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Saint Helena, California

The star new winery experience of the tastings this trip. Located north of where I usually wine taste. This place is a gem. Less traffic than the big wineries on the 29 or others on Silverado trail. I was able to sit outside and enjoy the laid back atmosphere while enjoying phenomenally crafted wine at super reasonable price points one after the other. Not feeling rushed, not having super crowds (e.g. Chimney Rock on a busy day), I was able to have good conversations with fellow wine tasters. How delicious were there wines? Let's put it this way at this winery, I finished their wines and wanted more. While at several other wineries, I did not hesitate discarding their wine poured into the wine vesicle. In fact at winery in St. Helena, every pour was quickly discarded. Contrast that to this winery - every sip to the last drop was enjoyed. So with this in mind, I would emphatically be honored to come back to taste and buy more of their wines as well as recommend others! In fact I am regretting not getting more of their late harvest wine. read more

Calling in for a same day, short notice appointment, I was cheerfully and graciously granted a tasting by Barbara! We arrive and are delighted to have Barbara as our host. We enjoyed the tasting and conversation with our enthusiastic hostess about Italian wines I highly recommend this experience and remarkable wines. read more

Benessere Vineyards is an incredibly friendly winery that offers something delightfully different from the usual Napa Valley wine choices. It does offer a great Cabernet Sauvignon blend called the Phenomenon, and I will get to that. But the tasting journey on the way to the Phenomenon is lined with delightful surprises at bargain prices. Benessere is located on Big Tree Road which you will find to the right as you leave St. Helena toward Calistoga. It is past Berringer and St. Clement wineries. With a large sign for Big Tree Road, it is difficult to miss the turn. Turn right and continue down that road and you will find this hidden gem of a winery that offers an Italian twist. Here are some photos: http://bachtobacchus.blogspot.com/2012/02/benessere-vineyards.html The tasting is only $15 and includes six different wines. Tastings may be shared, and if you buy a bottle or two they will waive the tasting fee. After tasting their wines you will certainly want to purchase some. There are outdoor tables at which to sit or you may have the honor of tasting inside at the table once owned by Charles Shaw. We opted to taste inside since it had been raining out. Our tasting began with the 2010 Pinot Grigio at $22. This had a floral and spice nose with some lively crisp citrus on entry balanced with some softer fruit and a hint of sweetness in mid palate. A perfect summer wine. This followed with the 2010 Rosato at $16, a rose type wine made from Sangiovese and Zinfandel. It was a drier, refreshing style of blush or rose type wine. I really loved the 2008 Sangiovese at $28. They describe this as the most food friendly wine in the world and it may very well be, but I loved drinking it alone. This is the best California Sangiovese I can remember tasting. Although it is extremely smooth and easy to drink it has layers of fruit and complexity. The aroma is simply delightful and the balance is perfect. An absolute gem of a wine. This was followed by two Zinfandels, the 2008 Holy Stone Collins Old Vine Zinfandel at $32 and the Black Glass Zin at $28. The former was softer with good fruit, being very easy to drink without food. The later was brighter with more blackberry and tannins. It would be best paired with food and might age well, although one never knows for sure with a Zin. As much as I loved the Sangiovese I was even more taken with the last wine, the 2006 Phenomenon ($50). This is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Merlot Syrah blend that the winery says is "made in the tradition of the grand Super Tuscan wines of Italy." It is 56% Cab and 37% Sangiovese and is a rather intense wine, complex, interesting and bold but very drinkable now. Both of us simply loved it and found it to be one of the best wines we have encountered in Napa. I doubt if you will find any other wine in Napa Valley that tastes at all like this wine. They had a special sale on so if you bought three bottles it was 20% off, making this wine only $33 a bottle. It is well worth the $50 but at $33 it has to be one of the all time best wine deals we've ever encountered. Benessere is so taster/visitor friendly that almost every Yelp review mentions this and that was certainly our experience. It is also very unique in the type of Italian varietal wines it offers. The decisive factor, though, is that their wines are so good and include what is probably the best Sangiovese in Napa Valley at only $28 plus a most unusual and wonderful Cab and Sangiovese blend which they call the Phenomenon. Frankly, I think Benessere Vineyards is in itself a phenomenon. If you want to try some really good Italian style wines in Napa Valley, this is the place to visit. We will be returning soon. read more

We had a Phenomenal experience at Benessere Vineyards! Delicious wine = Check! A nice variety of tastes and styles for our wine tasting experience. Atmosphere = Beautiful property, stunning views and very relaxing Excellent customer service = Donna and Dennis exceeded our expectations at every turn. They were both made sure that all of our guests had an extremely pleasant time. Affordability = Their prices are definitely reasonable and with the Groupon deal that we used it was an extreme value. We look forward to visiting Benessere Vineyards next time we are in Napa doing some wine tasting. Thank you for a phenomenal experience! read more

During a visit to Napa with friends we stopped in this small winery to try something different. The personal touch by the staff and patience with answering questions made the day special. I highly recommend a stop at Benessere on your next Napa adventure! read more

Benessere Vineyards - Rustic feel at this venue - Wineries Near Me - Saint Helena, California

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This is a small, unpretentious winery with a modest tasting room and friendly, knowledgeable staff. If there's one thing I can't stand is the cattle herding of some of the larger wineries. The vibe here is intimate...it's just one small bar! I've been here several times and have never been disappointed with the quality of the wine and the very reasonable prices. I've been drinking wine for 20 years and I can finally say, "Yes, I know a little something about wine." This remains one of my favorites. It's a bit of trek out as you head past the hubbub of St. Helena. Look for the red truck parked out on the corner with their sign and make a right at that corner. Head down past the first two or three wineries and you'll see it on your left hand side. Sooo worth the trip :))))) read more

What an absolutely delightful place. Small, charming, off the beaten path. This offered a robust tasting (6 wines for $15) and a wonderful venue. Our driver had reserved us a picnic table here for us to eat lunch and they had set out an adorable table right by the vines. When we arrived Cathy went into the vineyards and picked some Sangiovese grapes to go with a cheese plate she prepared for us. It was such a gorgeous setting. And through out our lunch she just kept coming bakc to pour us more wine! She was extremely generous with her pours. Answered all of our MANY questions about the wine, region, the vineyard etc. She even took pictures of us, showed us where the wine was starting to be processed post crush, etc. We were only set to stay there for an hour and ended up having to push back our next appointment TWICE, spending two hours there enjoying the lovely setting, great company, and delicious wine. At the end she added a tasting of a Merlot they had on special. It was quite tasty, and ended up being our 2nd bottle purchase which comp'd one of our tastings! So worth it to visit a place off the beaten path. read more

Pros: Great tasting and generous pours. Staff is really friendly and truely helpful. Peaceful scenic location. Cons: None of the wines stood out to me that day, but their hospitality will bring me back to try more in the future. Overall: A great Vineyard to visit on your trip to Napa, especially as a lunch stop. The outdoor picnic tables and scenery will make you feel like you're in Napa heaven. read more

Great local winery. It's a cute farm house with good wine and great people. The guy who poured out wine was awesome and made the tasting so much fun! Great place to go if you like the smaller more quaint wineries. read more

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Small estate winery, great wines. The wines were Italian based wines instead of French types.

Beautiful property to sit outdoors and taste some tasty wines. I'm pregnant, so I didn't taste any wines, but I'll tell you based on what I heard. Basically, my husband and a couple of our friends came to Napa Valley to do some tastings, but the places we dropped in on were full. So, we went down here based on a recommendation. It was a beautiful property on a beautiful day. Nan helped us and we felt very welcomed and were well informed about the wines. We sat in their little veranda and enjoyed the view while they sipped wines. The wines weren't the best they'd had, but they were good enough to taste the variety (aka, not spit out). Tastings were only $10, which was a good deal. read more

Great dog-friendly winery!!! Delicious Italian wines. Friendly, family-owned winery. read more

I really liked the wines here. I'll be the first to admit that I come to Napa valley for the experience and not necessarily for the wine, since I'm not an avid wine lover. It's very hard for me to find wines that I enjoy drinking for the taste. Most of the time, the wine is too bitter, too heavy, too hearty, etc. and just doesn't taste good to me. Benessere was different. Their wines were nice and light and I enjoyed every bit of it so much that I bought 2 bottles and have added Benessere to my list of go to places. (Schramsberg is on that list for their yummy champagne and V. Sattui for their amazing deli.) I'd also like to mention that their 150 lb. Newfoundland is a cutie and made my short time at Benessere even better! read more

Outstanding customer service, a beautiful vineyard and delicious wine make this a 5 star winery. I called Benessere to set a tasting for my group of 10 on a very busy Mothersday weekend. When most wineries were not interested in taking care of a large group, Eric at Benessere was extremely helpful and accommodating. He set up a picnic table for our group so we could eat during our tasting. To my surprise, there was a Happy Birthday sign for me at the entrance to the winery. Unfortunately we were way behind schedule so we skipped the lunch and had a speed tasting. The wines are FANTASTIC! We probably rushed Dennis a bit, but he did a great job at getting us all the wine, answering our questions and getting us to our next winery on time. I highly reccommend Benessere and I can't wait to go back. Hopefully I'll have more time. read more