Leto Cellars is appointment only and is located in the industrial park near downtown Napa. If you…read moreare or were a fan of Sawyer Wines then this is a MUST DO destination because the winemaker is the same. Leto Cellars is Brad's Winery and his dream. Brad and his wife Lisa run this little place by themselves. It isn't fancy. It's a bare bones operation but they do have one table you cab sit at. They offer well made wines and the wine tasting is reasonable but also fee free if you purchase two bottles of wine. They have already won an award for their Cab. Sawyer is next door but are hard to get ahold of. You should be pleasantly pleased with small production Leto Cellars.

I have been following Brad, the winemaker ever since he was winemaker at Sawyer Cellars, Foley…read moreJohnson, and now with Lisa, his wife/winemaker at Leto Cellars. It was Brad's reds that initially attracted me to Sawyers Cellars, and his reds continue to attract me to their winery. Being a small production winery, they offer a friendly, personal, and approachable experience for the wine tasting newbies, as well as experienced wine drinkers. I went to their release event a couple of week ago, and really enjoyed their 2016 Riesling, 2017 Rosé of Merlot, 2015 Pinot Noir, and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bill and Roxanne Wolf are the fabulous owners/proprietors of this gorgeous vineyard. It doesn't get…read moremore beautiful and personal as this in the valley. The are tucked away off the beaten path but worth the extra couple miles off of Silverado Trail. The first thing you need to know is you MUST have an appointment for a tasting. Ask for Roxanne Wolf. This is not only because this is also their private home but they welcome you with a tour, tasting a light snacks just like you were a friend coming for a visit. They are beyond hospitable hosts. Second be prepared to be great by two of the sweetest and playful vineyard dogs, Jazz & Levi. They are actually featured in Winery Dogs of Napa Valley. You will fall in love with them. They actually guard the vineyard against small rodents and deer that like to eat grapes. Third be prepared for your taste buds to be overwhelmed with some of the most yummy wines, I mean every single one of them are outstanding, and your brain to be overwhelmingly educated by Bill Wolf's expansive knowledge of vineyards, grapes and even olive oil. Make sure to also taste and get a bottle of olive oil...don't cook with it, dipping only! Fourth, get ready to want to send a minimum of a case of wine home. If you own a restaurant or shop you would be crazy not to carry their wines. You will never be disappointed with each years production as the Wolf's ensure not a drop of wine get's served before its' time. This is a must a visit if you are in Napa but only if you are a serious wine lover and buyer. If you are looking to just purchase a bottle or two move on to the next winery.

My husband and I attended a JDRF event in Reno last year, and as usual, we were drawn to the silent…read moreauction table. A few things caught my eye, but the big prize for me was a magnum of Eagle Eye wine and a private tasting at the vineyard. My husband and I were familiar with Eagle Eye thanks to other wine tasting events in Reno, and I knew that I must have that bottle! As luck would have it, I was the big winner! The owners of the vineyard (Bill and Roxanne) were there that night, hosting a tasting table - so my husband and I ran over there with our giant bottle of wine and told them how excited we were to win, and that we were looking forward to visiting their vineyard! They were immediately super friendly, and told us they looked forward to our visit! Fast forward many months - we are so busy, and we wanted to gather a group for the tasting - needless to say it took a while to coordinate the visit, but Roxanne was super accommodating with our scheduling. Our group ended up being six - my husband, me, my dad and his girlfriend, and another couple that came out with us from Reno. We arrived at our destination to discover that Bill and Roxanne actually live on the vineyard. We were greeted happily by both of them, plus their two standard poodles, and we were off! Bill gave us a very detailed tour of the vineyard. It was winter, so there weren't many grapes to be seen, but he gave us a description of the growing cycles, the work that goes into growing and protecting the grapes, and how they are taking advantage of advances in modern technology to perfect their grape growing. They also grow olives to make olive oil. Once our tour was complete, we ended up on their patio overlooking the vineyards. Roxanne had prepared a plate of meat and cheese and other snacks, and the tasting began! Roxanne brought each wine out in perfect succession, while she and Bill explained what went into each bottle. They produce two exquisite blends - Infatuation and Voluptuous, that you won't want to miss! However, their varietals are also amazing. I particularly enjoy the petit verdot. Roxanne also brought out some of their olive oil to enjoy, and it is incredible! Needless to say, the six of us went home with quite a few bottles. My friend even joined their wine and olive oil club! We are lucky that we live within driving distance, but if you don't - you should plan on shipping some home! Our group hit about 10 wineries over 2 days, and we all agreed that this was our favorite stop! So, if you're going to be in Napa, and you're game for a little trip off the beaten path (it's just a bit outside of the traditional tasting neighborhood of Napa), give these wonderful people a call, and check out Eagle Eye Winery!

I can't believe that the last review for Frias Bros winery was 6 years ago!!? Albeit the last time…read moreI did a tasting here was well over 6 years ago. My middle brother came out to visit me so I took him and his wife, Kim, to Frias Brothers Winery and Manny took us up to a stream and had us get water out of the stream to taste the quality of it and it was a really unique treat and afterwards we went to a gazebo structure off the vineyard to taste through the wines. Well wow is all I can say as we loved all of the Cab focused wines!! And had a blast with Manny!! Before that time I used to buy Frias Brothers Cabs for a restaurant named Moose's in North Beach that I served as Sommelier with for a couple years and refined their wine program. My memory serves that the Frias Family Cabs were older for a fair price at the time it was a steal within the Napa Cabernet community of excellent quality Cabernets!! So recently I've been a part of the Wine Beserkers wine community run by Todd French whom does an annual sale from various wineries domestic and international. So this past year in the end of January the 15th annual sale was happening and I jumped at the chance to buy some Frias Family Vineyards 2019 Cabs!! I bought a 3 pack of the wines and geez are they delicious. 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 3-Pack for a discounted price plus shipping of $15 and they waived the shipping cost later because I'm over the hill from them and Dan T. Personally delivered the wines and left me with a nice 4 pack carrier!! These Cabernets are delicious!! Medium weight with medium acidity and medium lush tannins start with stunning blackberry pie filling, cassis, and my Vivino review ~ 4.6/5.0 Delicious inky dense red wine, it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and I picked it up on a deal via Wine Bezerkers 15 annual sale. Big and Bold and Rich, layered flavors of Blackberry, with Black Cherry, Cassis, and a savory herbal note, cedar box, baking spices, hints of oak, and fig, molasses, toasted clove, espresso, sweet tobacco, and finally wood smoke. Paired this with a ribeye steak of perfection in pairing!

A lovely venue with an excellent representation of Napa wines. We were lucky enough to have our…read moretasting presented by a Frias family member. He described the history of their vineyard and wine making processes. Their attention to detail shows in the quality of the wines. Worth a visit!

Delicious wine!!! You have to try it. It is one of my favorites. I look forward to uncorking a…read morebottle to share with friends after a long day. It makes a great gift because everyone who I have shared it with loves of it as well. Treat yourself to a gorgeous glass of Kale wines - you won't be disappointed.

Came here based on a recomendation from another tasting room in Yountville, Somerston…read more Great personalities, great wines. I loved how real everyone was and the wine knowledge was pleasantly refreshing. Rad musical tie in and thoroughly enjoyed the reds. We will definitely come back! Thanks guys!

Great wine, especially the Stash. Tasted the barrell sample and it was as good as if it had…read morealready been bottled. Excellent Merlot, too, and I hate Merlot. They make an unoaked Chardonnay, which is delicious but limited in quantity. We started out purchasing a couple bottles and ended up with a case and a half out the door. The wine maker, Brian Page, is very entertaining as well! Definitely going back next time I'm in Yountville.

One of my favorite undiscovered wines is one made by Jeffrey Shifflett. When I first tried his 2000…read morecabernet sauvignon, I was floored by how good it was. Smooth and full-bodied, it has gorgeous color and loads of chocolate and dark cherry. It finishes long with somewhat sweet tannins and is just a pleasure to drink. The wine sells for about $42, but he also sells half bottles for $24, which is perfect for me, as I often simply want a couple of glasses to go with dinner. If you're looking for one of those hidden Napa Valley gems, this is definitely one to try.

The Dominus Estate is consist of 42 hectares of vineyards located in the Yountville district of…read moreNapa Valley - all part of the historic Napanook vineyard, which for many decades has provided grapes for the best Napa Valley wines. Today, Christian Moueix produces four Napa Valley wines, three of which come from this particular estate. Although seen rather flat, the vineyard has a gentle slope that goes 30 feet delta from front to back. The building is a complete serenity, blend in that is nearly non-existence located at the heart of Yountville. Dry farm technique is practiced at Dominus, it is believe the technique raise the vine to endure unforeseen harsh weather and proven that vines goes deep to find water rather than stay within inches at soil that waits for irrigation. I tasted two vintages of Dominus Estate, the 2009 and 2012 this year. Both vintages were still quite young at year 2023. Expect it to be a classic, wine pairing with duck, lamb or mushroom always work.

If you can't afford Chateau Petrus you can get something usually 1/10th of the price at Dominus…read more Christian Moueix has inherited the Petrus business from his father Jean Pierre but also runs Dominus because of his exposure from studying enology at UC Davis and a recommendation from Robert Mondavi; thus being a force in Yountville as well. Most recently I had a Bordeaux style blend from the Estate 2009 and it was excellent as the past ones have. So it's not the famous Pomerol region but it's still a fantastic wine at a fraction of the price.

Visiting Harlan for the first time is a dream come true for me. I remembered over a decade ago I…read morehad an opportunity to meet Eva Barton (wife of the owner of Chateaux Léoville Barton). #leovillebarton I told Eva how much I adore Napa wine that I will go wine tasting every weekend and she asked me if I have ever visited Harlan and shared her stories about how the Harlan family would always go out and beyond to spoil her at the Estate. I giggled like a little boy and said to her "Visiting Harlan is really for VIPs and wine legends like you, Eva!". Fast forward to today, my first time to finally visit Harlan Estate! Started off with #krugchampagne , I am blown away by the grounds, the visionary Bill Harlan and the wine: We tasted the 2021 from the barrel and the 2018 vintage. The 2018 Harlan (RP 100, WS 99, JD 100) has a deep color, it reveals a wonderful fragrant with remarkable energy with a long, graceful finish. Cheers, to Eva Barton for your inspiration who passed away a few years ago. What an experience and thank you Crista for her hospitality! Current release price is $1,200 but Harlan has a special place in my heart.!

It might take some work but a visit to Harlan estate is worthy of the effort. It's ironic actually…read moreto be in beautiful Napa valley with all its splendor and beauty and not even realize that just a few miles away up Oakville grade a most unbelievable piece of the valley exists - Harlan Estate, 250 acres of heaven. From the original winery (now Bond ) to the spectacular Harlan winery up the mountain you see what Bill Harlan had in mind for not just a winery but a life plan for literally hundreds of years. A resolution to keep the winery and its land private for generations. Forgo the billions selling it to PE ... Harlan only produces about 2500 cases a year - that's very small production and with a goal to produce the best and small production returns of incredibly high are created. Getting into the club isn't easy but one way to break the ice is to join Promontory and buy the wine for a few years. Then do a winery visit ( which is a treat ) and ask them to "open the door" into Harlan. This so you can spend $1300 a bottle. Crazy right? Well maybe not. There are those who would argue it's better to get a First growth French equivalent but with 10 years age on the bottle than to play down a Calif Cab like Harlan. Just depends what you want. No point in me trying to describe all the things I tasted in our visit. I don't rate wines nor do I have the talent to describe in detail the nuances-- and since the ratings are all 98-100 points there is no point. Should you make it to a site tour you'll start with Champagne, a beautiful bottle of Krug, 169, when they run out the 170. A property tour explaining the Bond, Promontory, Harlan property and growing areas. Great stuff. Walk through the winery and recognize how small the barrel area really is. The building architecture is inspiring and you can see the love in the structure and property. Final note- there is no stuffiness here- you don't have to curtsy because you're not at Buckingham Castle. Instead a homeyness feeling - go enjoy and see the Valley from amazing heights.