Frank Family Vineyards
1091 Larkmead Ln, Calistoga, CA 94515
Website: https://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/
I first heard about Frank Family Vineyards through a guide book and was intrigued by the history of the winery. I then went to the winery’s website to learn more about the place. There are several aspects of this winery that made me want to visit. First, Frank Family Vineyards now sits on the site of the Larkmead Winery that was constructed in 1884. The original stone building still stands on the property and is on the National Register of Historical Places. Second, the owner Rich Frank is a long-time Disney executive. Third, the winery proudly boasts that they have been voted as “Napa’s Best Winery” on the Bay Area A-list for seven years in a row.
The historic Larkmead Winery
Frank Family Vineyards is located in the southern end of Calistoga. To me, the most impressive part of the winery is the history behind it. At the entrance to Frank Family Vineyards stands a stone building that was built in 1906 after John Battista and Felix Salmina became owners of the Larkmead Winery that was originally started in 1884. The Salmina family was very influential in the Napa Valley wine community before Prohibition and after Repeal. According to Charles L. Sullivan’s Napa Wine: A History, Larkmead Winery became one of the most prosperous wineries in the Valley in the early 1900s. Felix Salmina passed away in 1940 and the family sold off the winery in 1943. It changed hands a couple of times before Hanns Kornell purchased the winery in 1958 and named it Kornell Champagne Cellars. Kornell was one of the first winemakers to introduce the traditional French method of making sparkling wine to California and turned the winery into a multi-million dollar business. He produced his sparkling wine in the old stone Larkmead winery. Sadly, things went downhill for Kornell in the 1980s when he was unable to compete with the large European Champagne companies and he ended up going bankrupt. This presented a new opportunity for Rich Frank, a well-known executive for Walt Disney, who spent many weekends in Napa Valley before purchasing a home in Rutherford in 1990. He heard about the sale of Kornell Champagne Cellars in 1992 from his friend Koerner Rombauer and less than 24 hours later they became co-owners of the winery. Later in 2007, Rich Frank took sole ownership of Frank Family Vineyards.
Prior to purchasing a winery, Rich Frank had a long career in Hollywood. He was President of the Paramount Television Group, President of Chris Craft Television, and one of the Founders of the USA Network. He went on to become Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications and then President of Walt Disney Studios for a decade overseeing the development of The Disney Channel. Famous television shows and movies like “Cheers”, “Taxi”, “Family Ties”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “Golden Girls”, “Home Improvement”, “Dead Poet’s Society”, “Pretty Woman”, and “The Lion King” all achieved great success under Frank’s leadership.
On top of all of the history of the winery and current owner, this winery is proud to boast about being voted “Napa’s Best Winery”. As my husband and I pulled up to the winery off Larkmead Lane, we immediately saw a large white sign indicating that they were voted “Best Napa Winery”. I suppose that if I were a winery owner who received this recognition that I would want to share with everyone, but I found the sign to be a bit tacky. It also raised my expectations of the winery because I would expect a winery that is voted the best to really stand out from all the others.
Picnic area at Frank Family Vineyards
There were some aspects of the winery that I liked, but I would not rate it as my favorite one. I enjoyed the property which I would describe as a combination of old world meets new world. On one side of the property are the old stone Larkmead building and a large red barn that serves as a tank room and warehouse. On the opposite side is a picnic area shaded by large oak trees that looks out at a beautiful view of the vineyard with mountains off in the distance. The tasting area is located inside a yellow bungalow that has a very homey feel with a porch and chairs outside the front entrance. This would be a lovely place to spend the afternoon on a sunny day sitting outdoors with a bottle of wine.
Unfortunately I was not as impressed with my wine tasting experience. When we entered the bungalow, there was a tasting bar to our right and a cash register immediately to our left. There were two guys standing behind the cash register. Instead of giving us a warm greeting, one of them asked, “Are you here for a tasting?” When we indicated that we were he explained that we could choose from a Classic tasting that included 4 Napa wines or a Premium Tasting that included a sparkling wine and 4 Reserve wines. We opted to split a Reserve tasting. After my husband paid for the tasting, he instructed us to walk down the hall to a room on the left. The tasting room is divided into three different tasting areas. There is the tasting bar at the entrance and two other rooms in the back. One of the rooms was not in use when we visited. The room that we were directed to was small. There were 4 other people in the room when we arrived and just enough space for my husband and me up at the tasting bar. I think I would have preferred tasting at the front bar because it was brighter and more open. Although there weren’t a lot of people there at the time, I found it to be a little loud. While we were waiting for the group in front of us to finish up, I was taking in all of the paraphernalia on the walls from Rich Frank’s Hollywood career. On the plus side, once the group of 4 left, my husband and I were the only ones left in the room and were able to get 1:1 attention. Our server was friendly but not very forthcoming with information until we started asking questions. We did get to taste a couple extra wines. I felt that all of the wines were high quality and especially liked the 2010 Carneros Reserve Chardonnay, 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel, and 2008 Winston Hill Rutherford Red Wine. However, we didn’t end up taking any home with us because I felt the wines were a bit overpriced. The Winston Hill was well over $100.
In summary, if I were to judge this winery as the best in Napa it would fall short of what I consider “the best” to be. Yet, I would give this winery a definite thumbs-up for its history and outdoor atmosphere. It is a nice place to relax and try some good wine. Due to their popularity, it is recommended on their website to make reservations in advance. Reservations are required between Friday to Sunday.
