Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Artesa Winery

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The entrance to Artesa Winery

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

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

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

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

A view of the valley from Artesa’s outdoor seating area

Gundlach Bundschu

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Gundlach Bundschu vineyards in the fall

Gundlach Bundschu vineyards in the fall

2000 Denmark St., Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: http://www.gunbun.com/

Gundlach Bundschu (pronounced gun lock bun shoe) is located off a side street a few minutes from Sonoma Plaza. Many people refer to the winery as “Gun Bun” for short. The 320 acre estate is situated between the Sonoma Valley, Carneros, and Napa Valley appellations. This is another winery that I had not heard about before visiting Sonoma and my husband and I came upon it while driving around to other wineries in the area. Like the Buena Vista, Bartholomew Park, and Sebastiani wineries that are in the same vicinity, Gundlach Bundschu is one of the earliest wineries in Sonoma Valley. This winery has been around for 150 years through 6 generations of family members.

The winery was started in 1858 by the German Jacob Gundlach. He named the estate Rhinefarm. The Bundschu part of the name comes from Charles Buncschu who was also from Germany. He immigrated to the United States and met Jacob Gundlach in San Francisco through the produce industry. Charles joined the winery in 1868 and later married Jacob’s oldest daughter. The winery shut down during Prohibition and a portion of the estate was sold off. The winery continued to produce grapes and grape juice that it sold to other wine producers. The estate was handed down from one generation to the next after Prohibition, but the Gundlach Bundschu Winery did not reopen until 1973.

Gundlach Bundschu's mural honoring vineyards workers

Gundlach Bundschu’s mural honoring vineyards workers

My first visit to the winery was during my honeymoon in 2008. As we drove up to the winery we passed fields of vines. Along the walkway between the parking lot and the main entrance is a brightly colored mural that was painted onto the exterior of the winery to honor the Hispanic workers and their contributions throughout the winery’s history. A set of steps lead to a stone patio area in front of the tasting room entrance. The entryway to the tasting room is covered in vines and looks almost like an entrance to a cave. The tasting room was dark and filled with lots of people crowded around the wooden U-shaped tasting bar. Off in the corner to the left of the entrance was a reserve tasting bar. There were so many people crowded into the room that it felt like I was crammed into a bar during Happy Hour. The walls of the tasting room are made of stone, making it feel like we were inside a cave. I was disappointed because I really wanted to try the Gewürztraminer but they were out of it.

Since my first visit I have seen Gundlach Bundschu wines rated highly in Wine Enthusiast magazine and I felt like maybe I didn’t have the best experience because the winery was so busy when I visited. I made it a point to stop in again on a wine trip in 2013. The tasting room was just as busy the second time as the first, if not more so. Once again my husband and I felt like we were crammed around the tasting bar trying to get someone’s attention to poor us some wine.

Although the crowds can be a drawback, there are two good reasons why I think the winery is so popular – the wine and the outdoor picnic areas. All of the wines produced by Gundlach Bundschu are made from their own estate. They produce several different varietals, including Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, and Syrah. For anyone who is a fan of Gewürztraminer, it is not often found in Napa and Sonoma and theirs has received accolades by Wine Enthusiast. Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to try it because it is so popular that it has been sold out both times I visited.

Gundlach Bundschu's courtyard

Gundlach Bundschu’s courtyard

To me the best feature of this winery is its outdoor areas. There are seating areas all around the property. Between the parking lot and walkway to the tasting room is a covered area with picnic tables. Right outside of the entrance were some people lounging in rocking chairs. Beyond the entrance to the tasting room is a stone patio area with several picnic tables beneath the shade of a couple of large trees looking out over the vineyards. Also, if you follow the pathway to the right of the patio it leads to a grassy area with a few more picnic tables on a hill looking down at a pond and vineyards below. There is an abundance of places to have a picnic or socialize with friends and the surrounding scenery is breathtaking.

For visitors looking for more to do at the winery, they offer seated Courtyard Tastings with snacks on weekends during the summer. They also have a Heritage Tasting & Pairing Experience offered on Saturdays and Sundays a couple of times a day where sommeliers pour some very limited production wines. Check their website for details and to make a reservation. In addition, the winery hosts a concert series after hours and the upcoming scheduled is posted on the website.

View from the picnic area at Gundlach Bundschu

View from the picnic area at Gundlach Bundschu

Beaulieu Vineyard

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A larger format bottle inside the wine library at Beaulieu's Reserve Room

A larger format bottle inside the wine library at Beaulieu’s Reserve Room

1960 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, CA 94573

Website: http://www.bvwines.com/

Beaulieu Vineyard winery is a historic landmark in Napa Valley. It was founded by Frenchman Georges de Latour in 1900 and is one of the few wineries to survive the Prohibition years.

A statue of Andre Tchelistcheff

A statue of Andre Tchelistcheff

In 1938, the famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff joined the winery after studying viticulture and enology at the Pasteur Institute in France. He is noted for revolutionizing winemaking at Beaulieu and throughout Napa Valley with his many innovations for improving the quality of wine and push to increase sanitation levels in the wineries. André also served as a consultant and mentor to many other well established winemakers, including Joseph Heitz, Mike Grgich, and Robert Mondavi. The original winery building is still in use today. The building is covered in ivy and has large wooden doors that mark the entrance to the winery. It is a stunning sight to see when the ivy is in bloom.

Maestro Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

Maestro Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

When we pulled into the parking lot at Beaulieu, signs pointed to two available tastings rooms. The Main Tasting Room, also referred to as the Maestro Tasting Room, offers tastings of Beaulieu’s Maestro Collection wines. Upon walking into this tasting room I felt like I was walking into a very large wine library. The wine tasting bar is on one side of the room, and bottles of wine line the walls on the opposite side. There are also video screens placed around the tasting room that provide visitors with information about the vineyards and winemaking process at Beaulieu. For visitors who are more interested in Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons or a private tasting, the Georges De Latour Tasting Room across the parking lot provides tastings of the Georges de Latour Private Reserve and Library Collection wines. Visitors can also experience a private tasting in their own private room by reservation.

Georges de Latour Reserve Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

Georges de Latour Reserve Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

I have been inside each of the tasting rooms and enjoyed both for different reasons. The Maestro Tasting room has a more laid back atmosphere and the staff was very friendly both times I visited. The George De Latour Tasting room is much more elegant with its stone walls and marble tasting bar. I personally enjoyed the wines I sampled in both rooms. Typically I lean more toward the casual tasting rooms, but for this winery in particular I would definitely recommend doing a tasting in the George De Latour room. The tasting fee is a little hefty but not so bad if you split with a friend or significant other. It is worth it in my opinion to be able to sample the famed Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and other reserve wines that can cost over $100 a bottle.