Sexy wines, classy and stylin' little tasting room with a nice little patio (vino Vespa too!). Wines were killer but a bit too pricey for me even after an inter-winery/industry discount (I tagged along with chefs and a sommelier). What made this place fun young and hip (besides the sexy sculpture aka the brand which looks like a cow skull but really is a human bent over?) is the lady that runs the tasting room. Her vibrant fresh energy makes the tasting room worth visiting. If you can afford the wines, then more power to you. They would be great at a formal dinner or celebration. I would have loved to buy a couple to put down for "a while" and enjoy in the near future. I miss the joy of collecting wine for shits and giggles. read more

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My stunning girlfriend and I visited the James Cole Winery and we had an incredible time. The setting was perfect, and our host Max was sooo kind and funny, he made a huge positive impact on our entire trip. We are missing him and the beautiful winery already. read more

Had a great tasting, hosted by Jonathan. Jonathan had a great personality and was very fun to talk to, as well as knowledgable about the wines. Mostly reds to drink here - malbec, cabernet sauvignon, and more - and all were quite tasty. Much smaller than many of the big name wineries as it's owned by a couple (James and Cole), which is a nice compared to the larger more corporate ones that are in the area. Grounds were very peaceful and beautiful. We sat outside, but there was a nice large table private tasting room inside that looked great as well. Will be back! read more

Visited this winery without a reservation, thirty minutes before they closed. We popped in to ask if they would allow us to purchase a bottle or glass of wine and we were greeted with the most friendly staff that were attentive from start to finish. We tasted a few wines and left with a few bottles. The wine was delicious and the staff was amazing. Will definitely be back and would recommend this winery when visiting the area! read more

Loved this winery! The ambiance was laid back with a beautiful landscape. The wine was delicious, we're very excited to come back soon. Kyle and Dustin were wonderful, knowledgeable hosts. Special shout out to Todd and Greg! read more

One of the best in the valley! We visited 15 vineyards on our trip to Wine Country and this is the one we opted to visit twice, and end with! We felt right at home with Lisa, Dustin, and Travis. The wine tasting was amazing and we opted for the longer menu with the high end tastings as well. I value conversation and at-home feel. This is where I found it. 5-Star Customer Service, 5-Star Wine. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Absolutely horrible. Not even sure what to begin with, we had our concierge set this up and saw the good reviews. So we thought why not. We walked in, the guy poured us a glass of wine each gave us a paper and pointed to the table for us to sit at. There was 3 other groups, might I add they were a little older (we are a young couple ) We saw the 2 host talk to the other groups and give them service and sat there for 15 min without any service. Extremely disappointed of the discrimination of the situation we came to Napa to taste and BUY wine. But not even being acknowledge is... amazing .. read more

I really enjoyed this winery: great wine, very intimate compared to many Napa wineries, beautiful decor and great service. Pro-tip: this place is reservation-only, so make sure you make one! I went with my boyfriend and friend on a Saturday morning, and we were given the option of picking where to sit since we were the first ones there. We chose to sit outside - the scenery is amazing and it's very cozy out there with comfortable seating. They also have heaters set up! The wine was spectacular. I'm a big red wine fan, so I really enjoyed it. I started off with the rose and then went into the 4 wines of the day. The rose was not too sweet, so I loved it. But, my favorite was the Cab. I actually ended up buying that one! It was bold with a hint of sweetness. I highly recommend it. I also really enjoyed talking with our server, Dustin. He had some great stories and made the experience worth it. He also had some great recommendations of wineries that I will definitely start to go through. The dog of the winery is also a great plus :) I would highly recommend this place! read more

Dustin was the best server. Super personable, but also appreciated our space on a clam Sunday. His service was perfect - perfectly balanced not bothering us so we could relax but also gave super fast service the minute we were ready for our next pour. Ignore the two bad reviews from today (they were difficult customers), the service here was fantastic. I'd recommend coming here just for Dustin - after laughing at the bad customers together, we learned he's practically a stand up comedian! I will admit we didn't love the wine, but Dustin deserves 5 stars and the service was great. read more

Fantastic wines. The boys next door at Darioush sent us over and we were not disappointed. Small, elegant tasting room, friendly folks... they are very small production and they don't sell retail so do stop in if you're in the area. Pay particular attention to the Malbec and Cab. Would have been nice if they had waived the tasting fee with purchase ... (the wines are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination - for example, the estate cab is $75/btl) but.. an oversight perhaps? I would still drop by again. read more

Had an amazing experience here. Our tasting associate, who is also the tasting room manager, was Dustin. He's awesome, gave us an amazing experience and taught us so much! The wine here is Devine and the hospitality is quality read more

The people there are not professionals. They give the wrong information. Honestly I wish I can give them zero stars. Trust me on this this is not a a place you need to visit. read more

This winery was recommended by a friend and he totally delivered. The wines were some of the best I've had. Tim (just kidding, JIM) was wonderful. He took his time with us and was easy to talk to. We will definitely be back and I recommend these wines to anyone visiting the area. read more

We chose James Cole on a recommendation. After much confusion created by me, we were warmly welcomed by Travis. We were the only ones there so it was great to have that one on one experience. If we ever get to a point when we are ready to become members, this would be the winery. For now we just bought 2 bottles of 2012 Chardonnay which both my wife and I really liked. read more

James Cole Winery - Wineries Near Me - Napa, California

Great experience! Small place and ideal to kick off our 3 day marathon of wineries. Jim was awesome to chat with and gave us some solid education about the wine. What was also fantastic was the no judgement zone; if you didn't like something it was okay. Overall just a great time, we've already recommended to our friends in the area! read more

This was the third stop during a wine tasting trip I did with D. and his mom and it was our favorite. The ambiance was warm (in spirits and in temperature), cozy, and welcoming. We sat outside on their patio chairs with our host, Nick, and started with some chardonnay and quickly moved to the reds. Boy, were their reds **amazing**. I adored all of them. They were all different from one another, and the progression of the tasting made a lot of sense. I ended up buying one of their reserves (a blend, but a Zinfandel-heavy one). It was pricey (hence, the $$$ here!) but I know worth sharing during a special occasion. I intend on saving that one for a good day. We also talked with Dustin, who was recommended by my friend Remy B. Needless to say, we were lucky that there was no one else here on that Monday afternoon so we could enjoy both Nick and Dustin's company and expertise. They told us about the history of Napa, such as the effects of the Earthquake of 1989 and recent November 2017 fires. I will of course be recommending James Cole to friends looking for great recommendations in the area. And, I hope to be back another time. :) read more

If you are in Napa and love red wine, I highly recommend stopping at James Cole. The property is beautiful and the wine speaks for itself. If you have the chance, ask for Dustin - he knows his wines really well and is so entertaining! I wish I could give James Cole more than 5 stars because we really enjoyed our experience! read more

Amazing wine! We happened to be driving around this area, and decided to give them a call to see if they had any available appointment. The service was great, and the wine was even better. read more

Very disappointed with the winery. Was a member for years and yesterday we brought a friend out of town. Did not know you needed an appointment to taste OR buy something. Showed up at 12:30pm. There was a table in the corner with no one sitting and the rude lady who greeted us told us we had to leave and make an appointment. Seriously? Didn't even bother to ask if we would like to purchase something. She was so rude. I will never go back to James Cole again. And it's disappointment because I do enjoy the wines. Never again. Maybe you should train your staff to treat guests appropriately. read more

I loved their "tango table" adaptation to at-table service. It made social distancing a breeze whilst still being able to communicate with your server. Absolutely charming. I was skeptical when coming in, as my partner booked, but I was blown away by not one, or two, of the wines but all of them. We left as members, and have already made plans to return with friends. There was no food, but with the pandemic that's understandable, I heard other guests raving about the food they once had, and I'm sure it will return when normalcy does too! read more

Dustin was our wine guy, or connoisseur if you want to be fancy. He was funny and made great conversation. My husband and I were on our way out of town but luckily we stumbled upon this beautiful winery which we were lucky enough to not need a reservation. It was hot but luckily Dustin set us up under some umbrellas, brought us a portable fan & some water. The wine was served chilled since it was so hot, this was a bit different as I'm used to tasting red wine at room temp. Since it was so hot just holding the wine for a few mins definitely warmed it up (Dustin showed us this trick) so it was not a problem tasting it both chilled and regular. We ended up buying a bottle of their Rosé which was a surprise because we usually do not like Rosé but this one was great, not too sweet & super easy to drink! To end our tasting Dustin brought us "Grandmas Cab" to taste as an Anniversary gift, it was great thanks for making our experience here a memorable one Dustin. read more

James Cole Winery - Grandmas Cab. - Wineries Near Me - Napa, California

Amazing wine and amazing people. Kyle was a great host. I highly recommend this winery

Went 4 years ago and it was top on list this last trip. Only winery we went to revisit. They are so good and they treat you like family. Love this place and people are friendly. Wine is excellent and worth the trip! Thanks again for the great time. read more

Top notch wine tasting experience! Beyond the delicious wines is the relaxed, very chill and beautiful setting. Being in the Bay Area, Napa is a top day trip - so we're in town often. As nearly every birthday, friends and I celebrate with great wines and dining, I came here for my birthday celebration in June and it was one of the best wine and host experiences we've ever had! Will gladly be back!! We all bought bottles - and were fortunate to enjoy one again recently. Brought back fun times and was delicious! read more

Matt B. and I visited four wineries during our recent trip to Napa. All four were dog-friendly wineries with high Yelp ratings, and I'll just tell you now that they were all 5-star establishments. What? You want me to be cranky about beautiful places in Napa Valley where all I do is drink wine with my fiance while my dog hangs out at our feet? I'm sorry! Can't do it! That said, James Cole probably had the best set of wines in the bunch. They also offered the most expensive tasting, featuring, on average, the most expensive wines. There were two tasting options, one with four wines for $20, the other with seven wines for $30. We went for the full tasting, and there was no mention of a fee waiver with purchase. This wasn't really a problem for us, as our favorite bottle would have cost a neat $140. (Mom, if you're reading this, and I know you are - I'm pretty sure James Cole has a wine club, and if you join I'll take my finder's fee in bottles thanks so much.) I didn't love the actual tasting room. It was right in the entrance to the winery, in a space that felt like the foyer to a big, beautiful house. We could see different parts of the winery through dark windows from where we were standing, but the tasting room itself wasn't particularly cozy or interesting. That said, the grounds and the building were gorgeous, and I liked the soundtrack to our tasting, which was 100% Led Zeppelin. Our experience, on the whole, was excellent. We were able to call ahead and show up, as there was no reservation when we were interested in going, and when we arrived, it was just us and the one person on staff, a woman around my age named Lindsay. I thought this might be weird, but Lindsay was great. Very friendly and knowledgeable and clearly passionate about her wine. We'd just come from Regusci and she chatted us up about their wines, giving more attentive notes than we could come up with fifteen minutes after we'd left. She also spoke well about her employers' winery, and we listened to her and referred to the detailed printed notes as we went along. The wines were fantastic, and I'll run through them, though I will say now that I don't have the memory for wine that I do for food. The first four, included in the $20 tasting, were the 2010 Chardonnay, the 2009 Il Mostro Proprietary Red Wine, the 2009 Petit Verdot, and the 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chardonnay was the weakest of the bunch, but that's probably my red wine bias kicking in - it was definitely good enough to drink. All the reds were great. I liked Il Mostro, a blend of petite sirah and zinfandel, and I thought the Petit Verdot was delicious. I'd never had petit verdot before, but I'll look for it now. The cabernet was great, and it was a nice segue to the second half of our tasting. The 2009 Aliento Proprietary Red Wine and the 2008 Umbral Cabernet Sauvignon were probably the two best wines we had in Napa. They were heavy hitters, and at $125 and $140 a bottle, well out of our usual range. The Aliento was a big, delicious blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc, and petit verdot, in that order. The Umbral was a straight cabernet, one of the best I've ever tasted, made with 100% free run juice. Lindsay explained this free run process, and it sounded fanciful and decadent, like civet coffee (without the poop). The resulting cabernet was bold and intense and very memorable. Our tasting ended with a dessert wine, the 2010 Jaden Merlot Icewine. Matt and I weren't particularly looking forward to this one, but it ended up being a unique, wonderful little surprise. James Cole is one of the few wineries that makes an icewine with merlot grapes, and I have to wonder why. This was superb, less sweet and syrupy than other icewines I've had, with a lot more character. I'd be happy to drink it again. We left without buying, but we will remember James Cole Winery for any future occasions demanding expensive bottles of wine. The tasting and service were excellent, and I'd recommend this place to anyone passing through Napa, and especially to my very lovely and generous parents. read more

James Cole wine is legendary. I've been here twice now, with two different groups of people. Both times the wine at James Cole stood out as the shining example of rich, unique, complex and superbly balanced wines. Their malbec is always a favorite, with the cab sav surprising me this time around. My two trips were vastly different experiences in the tasting room. The first visit was years ago when Skip was hosting the wine room. Our visit was relaxed and delightful as we took in ambiance. We felt like part of the family. The second time was crowded, noisy, and rushed - just bad service. Their wine is small batched and they do not distribute, so you'll have to stop by if you want a bottle. I'll be back here again as their wine is the epitome of remarkable. I just might skip the tasting next time. read more

I've had 2 very different experiences at James Cole Winery. The first experience was magical. My husband and I had the tasting room to ourselves and there was a British gentleman who was our host. He played black and white silent movies for us on the wall of the barrel room and we drank their tasty wine, listened to music and had great conversation with our host before purchasing several bottles of wine. Yesterday, we brought some friends to James Cole Winery and we were embarrassed that we did. The tasting room manager gave us a dirty look when we arrived and could not have been more unfriendly. She corrected one of my friends who asked which of us would be drinking - "it is called tasting here" and we were told that we would have to leave by 2:00 because they had a large party coming. We didn't mind leaving by 2:00 because we were disappointed by the lack of hospitality that we relished during our first visit. read more

This was one of 7 wineries we visited on Saturday, and by far the show stopper of the day. Ben, the British guy who poured for us, was friendly and knowledgeable. The tasting here is a bit more expensive ($20 for 4), but the fee is waived if you purchase a bottle. The star of the show here is hands-down the Cabernet Sauvignon. Not a big Cab fan, I found myself drawn to this wine sip after sip. We left the winery with each person buying one bottle. At $75/bottle, it's a bit steep, but give it a swirl and you'll understand the appeal. read more

The worst place to visit! I wouldn't even give this place a one star. They just handed us wine glasses and basically told us to sit down and F off. This place is a disgrace to Napa valley!! Do NOT visit this place ever!!!!! read more

This winery on Silverado Trail is both a sophisticated and fun winery to visit. Relatively new when compared to other wineries on the Trail. Easily accessed via Oak Knoll Avenue (if you are coming from Highway 29) or going up or down Silverado Trail. While There is no such person as James Cole (it is a combined name of James and Colleen (Cole) Harder), the wineries owners; have dived in to make some veritable and gorgeous wines; Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, and several Ice Wines (grapes from Canada). The 'come as you are' welcoming presence of Lisa Hurt and her tasting room team make you feel comfortable if you are a novice or enthusiast. There is a movie playing in the barrel room which makes for the wine experience that is both novel and yet that experience you wanted to have but didn't know it until you got here. A winery that I visit each time I go to Napa. read more

What an awesome winery! Such down to earth people here and most importantly amazing wine! Travis helped us out when we walked in on a Sunday afternoon. He even gave us a little tour of the winery! The grounds are beautiful and they have indoor/outdoor tastings. We will definitely be bringing our friends back! Thanks for a fabulous experience! read more

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This is one of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley! (And at the last count, I've visited 83 of them!) The wines are some of the best I've tasted, the Cabernets are big, bold and smooth and I especially love the Malbec, they'd just released the 2007 which is tasting amazing! I was there a few days ago, they had a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, a surf movie rolling on the big screen in the tank room, rad music playing and Lisa and Dean were so entertaining and fun!! They certainly know their wines and can answer any question you throw at them, but they're super-laid back and create a sociable atmosphere where you end up chatting to other people at the bar. I'll be back!! read more

My friends and I were eating lunch at Oxbow when a group at our communal table told us that James Cole served ice wine. They were closing soon so I called and they said they'd accommodate us if we only wanted to try the ice wine and not the whole tasting menu. The wine was delicious ($10 a pour for the ice wine), and staff was friendly. He told us that tastings are usually by appointment only because this is a newer winery subject to the county's newer regulations, so if we're interested in visiting again we should again give them a call first. read more

Made a reservation and the people on the phone were very nice. I had some many people recommend this place to me so I was pretty excited. The tasting room is small but the grounds were beautiful and there was room to wonder. All the employees there were beyond friendly and accommodating. We did one regular tasting and one reserve tasting. Each wine was very good, obviously I enjoyed the reserve wines a bit better. My only real problem with this place is the cost of the wine. I find this place to have a similar quality of wine to some great wineries like William Hill, but the bottle price difference is crazy!! The cheapest bottle is 40$ which is not bad but all their reds were at least 80$. Most of the ones I liked were in the 200$ range. So really it comes down to great wine-but not in my budget. A great place to try :) read more

Appointment needed????? To be turned away with a party of two.... Lets update the yelp page!! Not a pleasant experience !!

The atmosphere, the staff and the wine are Amazing. My husband and I were celebrating 17 years of marriage and just had to revisit this place and it DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT!!!! read more

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We were just about to head home after a long day of tastings, when our driver suggested just one more and I'm glad he did because we would have never stumbled on this on our own. The tasting room was closed, but they still let us in to taste these wines you just won't find anywhere. My favorite was the Malbec and even though I was a tiny bit scared at spending $80 a bottle, I did it and I can't wait to open it! read more

My experience at the James Cole Winery this weekend was so lovely. Our rather large group walked into this tiny place (ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND) without a tasting reservation. They had other reservations at that time but were able to work us in, which we greatly appreciated! All of their reds were good, but the Malbec was particularly exceptional. The people serving us were so friendly and helpful. I can't wait to return. read more

Incredible wines and excellent service from Nick and Suki! We loved our experience this week and can't wait for the shipment to arrive. Thank you so much!! read more

My lovely and I had a pleasant wine tasting experience at James Cole in September 2011. We had an opportunity to taste the following for $20: 2009 James Cole Chardonnay 2008 James Cole IL Mostro Proprietary Red Wine 2008 James Cole Petito Verdot 2007 James Cole Malbec 2008 James Cole Cabernet Sauvignon Ben, the James Cole sales / hospitality rep, mentioned production was limited anywhere from 140 cases to 400 cases for the bottles listed above. Nevertheless, they were all fairly priced for purchase ($75 each or less). My favorite memory from visiting the James Cole estate was its symbol. From a distance it resembles the University of Texas Longhorns hook'em horn sign; although its really a person with their arms spread, head down, and knees tucked in! One day I'll purchase bottle for my TX Longhorn friend. read more