Markham Winery
2812 Saint Helena Hwy N, Saint Helena, CA 94574
Website: http://www.markhamvineyards.com/
Markham Winery is located on the site of one of the very first wineries in Napa Valley. In 1874, Jean Laurent who emigrated from Bordeaux in search of gold, decided to build a winery. After Laurent died in 1890, the winery continued operating under a number of different owners until Bruce Markham purchased the old winery and founded Markham Vineyards in 1978. The winery was sold again in 1988 to Mercian Corporation who conducted a four year, multi-million dollar renovation and replanted the vineyards.
The winery is located off Highway 29 in northern St. Helena, adjacent to Charles Krug and across the street from St. Clement. Both the exterior and interior of the winery have a modern feel. Two Koi ponds made of stone line each side of the walkway to the tasting room. The renovated winery itself is made of stone. Inside the tasting room are stark white walls and shiny wood floors. As we walked in, to the right was a hexagon shaped tasting bar and to the left was an open area with an artwork display. It felt very open and bright inside the tasting room.
At the time I visited, the art gallery was featuring covers of Rolling Stone magazine as captured by Baron Wolman and the tasting menu had a “Rock and Roll Tasting Selection”. The artwork collection changes periodically. You can check their website to see what is on display currently. There appears to be a music connection with the winery and the artwork but I have yet to run across anything that explains how they are related.
There are two tasting selections to choose from. The Rock and Roll Tasting Selection offers a selection of 5 nationally distributed wines. The Blues Tasting offers a sampling of 5 exclusive wines, including The Altruist Cabernet Sauvignons that has received rave reviews from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The tasting experience for me wasn’t as inviting as some of the other wineries, but it’s a nice, quick stop to or from Calistoga.