Napa Valley is a dream for wine enthusiasts like us. We’ve watched the movie “Bottle Shock” more than once, so Chateau Montelena and Stags’ Leap were must-visit destinations for us. Opus One was also on our list, and lastly, our favorite Pinot Noir from Failla. Our wildcard was Francis Ford Coppola because they offered a “first-come, first-served” tasting at the bar.
These days, you have to make a reservation to visit a winery. It’s essential to book in advance because most of them fill up quickly. We made our reservation a month before leaving Sweden, and it was quite a puzzle. You need to pay when making the reservation, and there are no refunds.
Some wineries don’t require reservations, but they are few among the 400 wineries you can visit in Napa Valley. Usually, the wineries offer three different packages, each lasting about 90 minutes or more, and they can be quite expensive. Planning ahead is crucial. We noticed many minibuses shuttling around groups of people. There’s even a wine train that goes back and forth, which we were glad we didn’t book; it looked just as exciting as seeing steel tanks in the winery…
It all depends on your preferences. Some people enjoy going with a minibus, drinking wine all day with their friends, having lunch at Bouchon in Yountville, and getting more intoxicated at the next stop. However, we had our own car, and we always asked for a spit cup. We know it might sound unusual,
We both have sommelier education and some international certifications, so this approach feels natural to us. Interestingly, we didn’t see anyone else doing the same…
The weather was fantastic, and the harvest had just begun. The Opus wine grapes tasted divine, and some of the wines were sublime. We could not have asked for a better experience in Napa Valley.
Italian group Marchesi Antinori has purchased the iconic Napa Valley producer Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. The tasting was set on the beautiful porch with a lovely view. But that was the only good thing from the experience.
The lady who held the tasting was quite boring and not knowledgeable. You know, taste the wine and now taste it with cheese to the left, zzz…
Pro tip: taste all the wine first. Do not drink water in between; it changes the pH balance in your mouth. And the snacks are there if you are hungry. So eat either before or after the tasting. If you do this, you can better taste the difference in the wines and compare them. When you have tasted all the glasses in the setting, jump through the glasses for further comparison. And never forget it is your taste that matters. It is not rocket science, cheers!
The Stags Leap wines we tasted were unbalanced, with very high acidity and a predominantly alcoholic aftertaste. We did not enjoy the character of the wines, which was far from the Napa Valley style we love.
Overall, for us, it was a wasted tasting.
Probably one of the best tastings we have attended. Opus One wines are legendary in the world. This is not a winery you can just drive up to. A big iron gate is closed, and you need to call them for the gate to be opened. Opus One is a very exclusive winery. You check in at the Concierge desk in the beautiful entrance hall. Our guide, Mark Chon met up with us and started to show us around. We ended up on their terrace for the tasting. The whole experience was utterly perfect, making the tasting perfect. The knowledge, the anecdotes, and the ability to feel what we wanted were pure perfection. Kudos! You cannot ask for a better wine guide.
How was the wine? It’s Opus One. Nothing is spared. We’ve mentioned perfection many times now, so we’ll say divine instead! If we had to put a headline to the text, it would be “Sommelier Heaven.”
Vintage tasted of Opus One: 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
It was fun to be there and see it live. We were in a group of six people and started off outside with our guide. After that, we went inside to taste in the Spurrier room. The experience felt a little touristy. If you like to hear anecdotes piled up with a lot of talking from the guide, then this is for you. He talked non-stop for 90 minutes. It was hard to even get a chance to try the wines.
The wines themselves were decent but not particularly special, and we thought the price point was too high. In the end, we only bought a corkscrew as a souvenir.
We had a great, relaxed tasting on the sofa at the Lodge. Geoff led the very unpretentious tasting and let the wines speak for themselves. It was easygoing, and we felt like we were sitting with a friend tasting some wines. Their Pinot Noir is excellent, and we bought a bottle of Failla Lola. We put it in the car door side compartment, hit the Calistoga roads, and turned up the volume to the Kinks song “Lola.” That was an epic travel memory!
Compared to the Failla entrance, we were impressed driving up to Francis Ford Coppola. We completely missed the little sign to the right in the picture… Because we did not have a reservation, we opted for the first-come, first-served tasting at the bar. We were there when they opened at 11:00 AM. Not a car in the parking lot, so we thought, ‘Yes! We’re first!’ But this was a Tuesday, and the sign says Open Wed – Mon. Our wildcard turned out to be a complete miss.
If we thought Chateau Montelena felt a little “touristy,” Francis Ford Coppola is over-pumped on steroids. On their website, it says, ‘Enjoy the best things in life – wine, food, music, dancing, games, swimming, and performances of all types.’ I want to clarify that this is not a traditional Napa Valley winery and to be accurate, Francis Ford Coppola Winery is located in Sonoma County.
Bring the kids and relax. Beware, the parking lot is huge. It’s probably a good idea to be there when they open, but not on a Tuesday… If you go there, try the Archimedes and Eleanor wines for us and tell us what you think of them.
Did our review of Napa Valley wineries leave you thirsty for more? What’s your favorite winery in the region, and why? Share your hidden vineyard gems with us—we’re always eager to discover the next must-visit spot in Napa!