Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Conn Creek

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Conn Creek Winery

Conn Creek Winery

8711 Silverado Trail, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: https://www.conncreek.com/

Conn Creek Winery, located on the Silverado Trail in the Rutherford appellation, was started by Bill and Kathy Collins in 1979.  The 1970s was an exciting era for Napa Valley.  California wines were getting recognition after beating out the French at the 1976 Judgment of Paris and emerging wineries were riding on the coattails of that success.  The Cabernet Sauvignon that took 1st place at the Paris tasting came from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars just down the road from Conn Creek.  Conn Creek Winery showcases Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals.  What I like most about this winery is its focus on “terroir”.  If you ask someone what terroir means you’ll probably get a variety of answers.  Essentially, terror represents all of the environs that give a wine its character, which includes the location, soil, weather conditions, and so on.  This winery embraces the nuances in the terroir across the different Napa Valley appellations that have defined what people love about Napa Valley wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.  In addition, this place can pride itself on being one of the first energy efficient wineries in the area.  

Anthology Room at Conn Creek

Anthology Room at Conn Creek

Conn Creek’s tasting room has an air of Napa elegance without being “over the top”.  It is spacious and has a few different tasting options. As you walk in there is a traditional tasting bar to the right.  To the left is a nook for private tastings in the Anthology room.  Anthology is one of their most renowned Bordeaux blends.  Toward the back of the tasting room is a cozy space with big comfy leather chairs, a TV, and a wine bottle display on the wall.  There is lots of paraphernalia about the space to educate tasters on the different Napa Valley terroirs.  If you prefer to be outside, there is a little patio off the side of the tasting room as well.  

Conn Creek Tasting Room

Conn Creek Tasting Room

One of the tasting options that they offer explores Cabernet Sauvignons from different Napa appellations.  That is the option I tried.  I enjoyed the tasting because I was able to compare a few Cabernet Sauvignons side-by-side and taste the difference in the appellations.  Another fun option this winery offers for those who want to splurge a little is a private blending seminar.  Check their website for details.  This winery is a nice place to stop into if you have an interest in learning more about the differences in the Napa appellations.

Ty Caton Tasting Room

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Ty Caton Tasting Room

Ty Caton Tasting Room

8910 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

Website: https://www.tycaton.com/

Ty Caton Vineyards has a small tasting room in Kenwood.  One of the benefits of this location is that it is in the central part of lower Sonoma Valley.  It is possible to spend an afternoon visiting several wineries in this one area without having to drive more than 1 or 2 miles.  The Ty Caton tasting room is part of a small plaza off of Highway 12.  An additional bonus of this tasting room is that is it open until 6 p.m. and many of the surrounding wineries close by 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.

I enjoyed my visit to this tasting room because it is cozy and inviting.  The building from the outside doesn’t look like anything special with its brown paneling and red roof.  There are some wine barrels out front signifying that this is a tasting room.  As I stepped inside, I felt like I was walking into someone’s home.  Within the entryway are some bookshelves filled with wine bottles and other wine paraphernalia, and there is a staircase leading up to a second floor.  The place is very bright with light yellow walls and lots of windows.  Straight ahead in the next room is a long tasting counter that stretches almost the full length of the room and can accommodate a large group of people at one time.  There was one girl working behind the counter when we walked in and she was very welcoming.  She seemed to be genuinely excited about her job and the wines she was pouring.  

The tasting menu included quite a few wines.  Ty Caton’s focus is on big red wines, like Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends.  His most popular red blend, and my personal favorite, is called TyTanium which is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Malbec.  I don’t recall exactly how many different wines I was permitted to select from the menu as part of the tasting fee.  My husband and I each purchased a tasting and were sampling each other’s wine so we could try more of them.  It turned out that we sampled almost every wine on the menu.  Good thing this was our last tasting room of the day!  I grabbed a bottle of water and headed straight to dinner afterwards to sober up from all of the wine that I drank. 

Merryvale

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Merryvale Winery

Merryvale Winery

1000 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: https://www.merryvale.com/

Merryvale Winery is located in the heart of downtown St. Helena.  It is across from the popular Gott’s Roadside (formerly known as Taylor’s Automatic Refresher).  No matter when I have visited Napa Valley, there has always been a lot of traffic along this section of Highway 29.  The entrance to the winery is enticing with its charming landscaping and flowing fountain, despite the fact that it is in the center of a bustling area. 

This winery has a lot of history.  Merryvale was the first winery built in Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition.  It was formerly called Sunny St. Helena Winery and produced bulk wines.  In 1937, the winery was co-owned by Jack Riorda and Caesare Mondavi, father of Robert and Peter Mondavi.  Robert Mondavi apprenticed at the winery before convincing his father to purchase Charles Krug in 1943.  In 1946, the Mondavi family became the sole owners of Sunny St. Helena.  The winery later went through several different owners and was refurbished and renamed to Merryvale.   

Knowing some of the history of the winery before I visited, I was expecting a better experience than I received.  I will admit that we were nearing closing time when my husband and I walked in.  I don’t like to be one of “those tourists” who is trying to squeeze in a final tasting 10 minutes before the tasting room is closing, but that’s the way we were treated.  When we walked in, it was about 30 minutes before the closing time posted on the door.  The first guy we saw behind the tasting bar announced to us that we would not be able to do a full tasting because they were getting ready to close.  He said we would only be able to try the wines that they still had open.  Then we were asked to step around to the other side of the very large tasting bar.  Luckily, the guy who ended up serving us was much friendlier and took the time to pour a couple of extra wines that weren’t on the tasting menu so that we could do a side-by-side comparison.  Unfortunately the first guy had set the tone for the entire tasting by making me feel uncomfortable about being there and I wasn’t able to focus on what I was drinking very well. 

I wish I had more time to explore the winery.  The tasting room was very spacious, and there are wine accessories and souvenirs available for purchase.  One of the most advertised features of the winery that I didn’t get to see is the Cask Room where they hold special events.  On each side of the candle lit room, two stories of 2,000 gallon casks line the stone walls and there is a long table down the center for guests to sit at during events.  Private tours, tastings, and seminars are available for groups by appointment.  I intend to return on one of my trips to see if I get a better experience because their wines are often highly rated in wine magazines.