Category Archives: Napa Valley

Del Dotto

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Del Dotto Winery - St. Helena

Del Dotto Winery – St. Helena

Napa Historic Winery & Caves –  1055 Atlas Peak Road, Napa, CA 945584

St. Helena Venetian Estate Winery & Caves – 1445 St. Helena Hwy South, St. Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

When I went to Napa Valley for my honeymoon I asked some locals for recommendations of wineries to visit. A couple of people said “You have to see the Del Dotto wine caves”. I had never heard of Del Dotto before, but my husband and I decided to check it out. All tastings and cave tours are by appointment only, but fortunately the day we stopped in wasn’t too busy and we were able to make a reservation for the same afternoon.

Del Dotto has two different wine caves in Napa. The original winery is located on Atlas Peak Road, and the new winery is in St. Helena off of Highway 29. Both locations offer an exceptional cave and barrel tasting experience.   They also offer an Estate Winery Bar Tasting that includes a sample of 5 wines with an array of cheese, almonds, and chocolate. The tastings at the winery do not come cheap, but I thought it was worth paying a little more for a truly unique cave tour.

Interior of the Del Dotto tasting room in St. Helena

Interior of the Del Dotto tasting room in St. Helena

We went through the cave tour at the St. Helena winery. This winery screams out “luxury” from both the exterior and interior. The landscaping and outdoor fountain is pristine. The winery architecture is reminiscent of the Del Dotto family’s Venetian roots. The winery in St. Helena is built of marble and is referred to as the “Cathedral”. The marble columns, tiled floors, and chandeliers inside the tasting room do give the feel of being in a cathedral. The entrance to the wine cave is located off the tasting room with a large sign indicating no photos allowed. Inside the cave there are chandeliers and barrels with candles on top lined up on both sides, extending the entire length of the cave giving it a very romantic feel. For the tour, we walked down the long walkway of the cave stopping to taste wine from barrels along the way. We tasted a lot of wine and I would caution anyone else taking this tour to sip and dump the extra wine to avoid getting totally drunk by the end of the tour. My husband and I knew enough not to drink every last sip, but the 5 or 6 other people on the tour with us were quite inebriated by the time we reached the end of the cave. When we finished tasting wine from the barrels, our tour guide led us back to the tasting room where we sampled some bottled wine that was offered with a plate of meat and cheeses. The tour takes about an hour from start to finish. I thought that they had good quality wines, but I had palate fatigue by the time we got to the end of the tour. It was worth the visit just to see the winery and definitely for the cave tour.

 

Turnbull Wine Cellars

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Turnbull Wine Cellars

Turnbull Wine Cellars

8210 St Helena Hwy, Oakville, CA 94562

Website: http://www.turnbullwines.com/

I was very pleasantly surprised by my visit to Turnbull. I had seen their wines before at stores and tastings but didn’t know much about them. I decided to visit because it was close to the other wineries we were visiting that day. The winery is located at the edge of Oakville right before entering Rutherford. The winery was founded in 1979 and according to their website was “designed to be low-key and in one with its environment”. I would say my experience is in line with this statement.

There is an interesting story behind the name Turnbull as described on their website:

“The Turnbull name goes back to the early 1300’s, when Scottish King Robert The Bruce was hunting in the Great Caledon Wood, near Sterling, with a group of his closest and most trusted companions. When a ferocious bull suddenly attacked the king, his friend William Roule heroically placed himself between the bull and the king, and subdued the great beast, by turning its head to the ground, until help arrived. The grateful king dubbed his subject “Turnbull” and awarded him a crest featuring a bull’s head with the motto: Audaci Favet Fortuna [Fortune Favors the Bold].”

The lawn at Turnbull Wine Cellars

The lawn at Turnbull Wine Cellars

There are two large brown barn style buildings on the property and a couple of vintage trucks. Between the parking lot and tasting room is a beautiful expanse of lawn. A stone pathway leads to both the Main tasting room and Reserves tasting room. My husband and I started in the Main tasting room. It’s pretty casual with a few Ansel Adams pictures lining the walls. There is a small L-shaped bar that could comfortably fit 8-10 people. I was really impressed by the wine and would definitely return to try more. I would recommend spending a little bit more to sample the Reserve wines. It is worth it to try some premium, award winning wines without paying upwards of $65 a bottle.

The hidden gem of the winery is its photography exhibit. If you plan to visit, take some time to venture into the Reserve Room which is actually more of an art gallery than a tasting room. The room has a huge cathedral ceiling with exposed wood beams, an antique bar, and several rows of photography. There is always a rotating collection of 60-90 photographs on display by Master Photographers, including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Bernice Abbott, Eugene Atget, and more. The Reserve Room Gallery is open to the public daily. You may get so swept up in the photography that you momentarily forget about the wine.

Art gallery at Turnbull

Art gallery at Turnbull

Napa Valley Wine Train

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Website: http://winetrain.com/

The wine train was my very first experience in Napa Valley. For first timers this is a nice way to get a view of the vineyards and wineries along Highway 29 without having to deal with traffic. The train station where the trip begins is in downtown Napa. The entire train ride is 3 ½ hours from the town of Napa to St. Helena and back.

There are different tours to choose from when purchasing tickets. A standard ticket includes a train ride without getting off. For an additional fee, there are tours that allow passengers to make a stop at one of the wineries along the way and the train will pick them up on its way back. The train runs at a couple of times during the day and offers a lunch menu. On Saturdays there is also the option of taking the dinner train, which is a nice way to wrap up the day after the wineries have closed and watch the sun go down (their website lists sunset times depending on the time of year).

There were a couple things to do at the station while waiting to get on the train. There is a gift shop for souvenirs and a wine shop that focuses on boutique wineries and smaller production wines. My friend Denise and I sat in on a quick seminar on how to taste wine which is complimentary to ticket holders.

Seating on the train is on a first-come, first-served basis. There are enclosed cars with windows for passengers to look through. My friend Denise and I selected an open air car so that we could enjoy the fresh air and take pictures as we passed through the valley. There is also a dining car and tasting bar on board for passengers who would like to get some food or wine during the journey. Denise and I decided to do our first Napa wine tasting on the train. I learned quickly that swirling wine on a moving train can be tricky after spilling wine on Denise’s shoes.

I enjoyed the train experience because it was nice to get a chance to sit back and get a view of the valley for the first time.  I now have bragging rights to say I’ve been on the train.  It is definitely a “touristy” attraction.  However, unless you want to participate in one of the special events with a loved one or friends, I would recommend skipping the train and taking a leisurely drive through the valley instead.  The Silverado Trail is generally much less busy and provides nice views if there is too much traffic on Highway 29.