Category Archives: Napa Valley

Andretti Winery

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Andretti Winery

Andretti Winery

4162 Big Ranch Road, Napa, CA 94558

Website: http://andrettiwinery.com/

Fountain inside the courtyard at Andretti Winery

Fountain inside the courtyard at Andretti Winery

Andretti Winery is named after the champion race car driver Mario Andretti. The winery and tasting room is located off the southern end of the Silverado Trail. The outside décor gives a feeling of being in a small Italian town. From the parking lot, an archway leads to a small courtyard with an Italian-style fountain in the center.

I have visited this winery a few times and the hospitality has always been great.  I was told that Mario himself sometimes drops in the tasting room but I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet. This winery has a fairly large selection of wines to choose from.  They offer a few white wines and a larger selection of high quality red wines, including some Italian style ones. There are some sweeter selections as well, like Riesling, Moscato, and Port.  The tasting room also includes a small shop that has race car souvenirs, clothing, and wine accessories.

Thieving wine from a barrel at Andretti Winery

Thieving wine from a barrel at Andretti Winery

There are several different tasting experiences available from the classic tasting at the wine bar to sit down tastings in the Tuscan House or barrel tastings in the Barrel room.  The special tastings require reservations.  Check out their website for details and a 2 for 1 tasting coupon.

This winery often hosts special dinner events.  As wine club members, my husband and I were invited to attend a charity dinner at the winery. Tables were set up in the back of the winery along the vineyard. White lights were strung around the dining area to provide soft lighting as the sun went down. The chef cooked an Italian dinner that included “Nona’s” authentic meatballs. It was a relaxing evening of eating and sipping wine, and we made some new friends from the area.  It is not necessary to be a wine club member to participate in all of the events.  You can view upcoming events and purchase tickets on their website.

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

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.