Mumm Napa
8445 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558
Website: https://www.mummnapa.com/
My husband and I made a stop into Mumm Napa after a few friends recommended their tour. Even though I’m not a sparkling wine connoisseur, I did enjoy this winery and tour very much. There are several reasons why I liked the winery so much. The welcoming staff, great views, educational tour, art gallery and good sparkling wines made for a tourist friendly experience.
In 1979, a Frenchman named Guy Devaux was called upon by the famous French Champagne house of G. H. Mumm to go on a quest to find the ideal winegrowing area in the United States. Devaux had more than 40 years of experience making still and sparkling wines in France, South America, and the U.S. It took him four years to find the location in the U.S. where he felt he could produce the highest quality wine from traditional Champagne grapes in the méthode champenoise. The Mumm Napa winery was completed in 1986.
Entrance to Mumm Napa Valley
The first thing we saw when we stepped out of the car from the parking lot was the large red barn style structure to the left that houses the winery, tasting area, and gift shop. Straight ahead in front of us was a great view of the Rutherford vineyards. The first area we arrived at after walking through the large barn doors was the gift shop. To the left of the gift shop is an enclosed salon that is surrounded by glass doors where visitors can sit down for a tasting while looking out at the vineyards. Outside of the tasting salon is a patio that offers outdoor, tableside service right up close to the vineyards.
The winery offers tours of the winery and art gallery several times a day for a fee of $25. It includes a walkthrough of the winery and tastings along the way. As an added bonus, you get to take the flute home with you. The tour runs about 45 minutes and walks visitor through the step-by-step process of making sparkling wine. At the start of the tour we stopped at a demonstration vineyard before heading inside to the winery.
Fermentation room at Mumm Napa
We were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine when we entered the winery. We then proceeded to the crush pad. At the time that we visited it was harvest time and we got to see workers sorting through grapes. The tour then winds its way through the fermentation and bottling areas with some additional wine samples. We learned about the riddling process and disgorgement. During the tour we also walked through the Fine Art Photography Gallery, which is open to any visitors regardless of whether they take the tour. At the end of the tour, we sat down at the patio and finished up with a couple more samples from a selection of their still and sparkling wines. It was a gorgeous day and the tour and wines made it a memorable experience. This is a winery that is worth taking the extra time to see.
View of Rutherford from Mumm’s patio