The Hess Collection courtyard

4411 Redwood Road, Napa, CA 94558

Website: http://www.hesscollection.com/

My thoughts during this past week have been with all of the people in Napa and Sonoma who were impacted by the earthquake.  I hope that all of the wineries will be able to get back on their feet quickly.  The Hess Collection is one of the places that is recovering from earthquake damages.  However, they are still doing tastings by appointment as they make repairs according to their website.  I look forward to visiting again on my next trip to Napa.

Any art aficionados or wine enthusiasts looking for a unique experience should take some time to visit The Hess Collection. This place is a combination art museum and tasting room located off the beaten path on Mount Veeder. The drive is about 20 minutes from the southern end of highway 29 or downtown Napa and the roads up the mountain are a bit curvy. It is worth the extra time to make the trek to the winery and a good break from the crowds at all the other wineries along highway 29.   The views from atop the mountain are picturesque. Mount Veeder, Mayacamas, and Chateau Potelle wineries are also in the area (note that these 3 require prior reservations).

When my husband and I pulled up to The Hess Collection it was so quiet that I questioned whether we were supposed to make a reservation in advance. I took in the natural setting around us and breathed in the fresh mountain air. The winery and art museum are actually open daily for public tours and tastings. The tours are complimentary between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and provide an overview of the winery and vineyard.

As we walked toward the entrance we came upon a large courtyard with various pieces of artwork and greenery. The courtyard is separated from the walkway by a small stone wall. We took a few minutes to stroll through the courtyard and look at the pieces of art.   The building that houses The Hess Collection art museum and tasting room is pretty modest from the outside. It is painted a tan color with large wooden barn style doors. The part of the building to the right of the courtyard and walkway is made of stone and covered in ivy which adds liveliness to the overall space when everything is in bloom. By contrast, the interior is open, clean and more contemporary as one might expect an art museum to be. Straight ahead of the entryway is a glass elevator that leads to the three floors of art exhibits. To the right of the entrance is a welcome desk where we were greeted by one of the friendly staff members who explained to us the way the tours, art museum, and tasting room work. As mentioned previously, the winery offers complimentary tours as well as a free self-guided iPod tour of the art museum. There are some other unique tours offered by the winery for a cost that require reservations. Also to the right of the entrance is a sleek barrel room that is open for public viewing but the stairways are roped off so visitors are unable to go near the barrels. To the left of the entrance is a large tasting room and gift shop.

My husband and I decided to view the artwork first while we were still clear-headed. I will warn anyone like myself who has a fear of heights or dislike of elevators that going up into the museum area could pose a challenge. First, we got into a glass elevator that looks out on the lobby. There are stairs available for those who prefer to avoid elevators all together. Then we stepped out onto the wide open landing that has stairs on one side and looks down upon the lobby on the other with nothing but a small railing in between. Once I was able to take my mind off of what was down below and walked into the enclosed art area I felt more at ease. I will admit that I am not an art expert but I was really impressed by the artwork that they had on display. All of the pieces of art are just a portion of a collection that Donald Hess has been collecting since 1966 and are shown in museums worldwide. Donald Hess is passionate about art and is very specific about who he invests in as a collector. He collects works of lesser known artists who usually move on to become well-known. He has invested in 20 living artists that he supports for the long term in various stages of their careers.   My favorite pieces of art were Johanna II by Frank Gertsch and Rock Pools by Andy Goldsworthy.

When we finished viewing all of the art, we headed back downstairs to the tasting room.   We were the only people in the room when we first arrived and received very personalized attention. Another couple joined us toward the end of the tasting. The room is large with stone walls and a polished tasting bar lit by under-the-counter lighting. The room lighting was a bit dim but seemed fitting for the atmosphere. Off to the side is a separate gift shop with shelves of wine barrels lining the walls and displays of wine boxes on the floor. I would describe the style of the tasting room and gift shop as a combination of rustic and modern. Our server was great! He was very friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable. He learned what wines we were interested in through our conversation and tailored our tasting to what we liked. I really enjoyed the wines and took a few bottles home with me.

The Hess Collection gift shop

I was impressed by this winery. My biggest regret is that I didn’t give myself enough time to thoroughly take in everything. My husband and I had another reservation immediately following our visit and we had to rush out as soon as we sampled the wines. We ended up speeding through the art museum and didn’t get to participate in the self-guided audio tour or complementary winery tour. I definitely intend to return to this winery to take part in the tours and tasting. I would recommend to anyone else visiting setting aside at least a couple of hours to take full advantage of the winery, or maybe even more for art lovers.