The entrance to Artesa Winery
1345 Henry Road, Napa, CA 94559
Website: http://www.artesawinery.com/
A contemporary art sculpture along the walkway to Artesa Winery
Artesa Winery is located in the Carneros appellation of Napa Valley. The winery is like a gem hidden away on a hill a couple miles off of Old Sonoma Road. I was not familiar with this winery prior to my visit and felt at first like I was headed to a small winery off the beaten path as my husband and I drove down a long road and passed by sheep grazing in a field.This was in stark contrast to the contemporary architecture and artwork that awaited us when we arrived at the winery.
The winery is owned by the Raventos family who also own Cordoníu of Spain. The family has been making wine since the mid-16th century. They were the first to make a méthode champenoise sparkling wine outside of Champagne, France. They called the sparkling wine “cava”. Artesa winery was named Cordoníu Napa when it first opened in 1991 and changed its name to Artesa in 1999. The word artesa in Catalan means “handcrafted”.
Fountain at Artesa Winery
From the parking lot there are stairs leading up to the winery with beautiful fountains on both sides. The winery itself is set into the hillside. There are breathtaking views of Carneros from atop the staircase and from the terrace that connects to the tasting room. The inside of the winery and tasting room has an elegant air. The tasting room offers different tasting programs of Artesa’s still or sparkling wines. There are two separate tasting bars, one on each side of the room. Visitors can relax at tables situated between the two tasting bars in the center of the room. There are also a number of specialty Tasting & Tour programs offered by reservation.
Outdoor seating area at Artesa
There is a lot of fine artwork to see here as well as some spectacular views of the valley. This is a winery that is worth taking some extra time to relax, enjoy the high quality wine, and soak in the fabulous views of the surrounding region. My only words of caution are that the tasting room and terrace can get very busy, especially on a nice sunny day and you’ll want to wear some comfortable shoes to walk up all of the stairs leading from the parking lot to the entrance.
A view of the valley from Artesa’s outdoor seating area