William Hill Estate Winery
1761 Atlas Peak Rd, Napa, CA 94558
Website: http://www.williamhillestate.com/
Visiting new wineries has become an infatuation for me. I find it thrilling to walk into a place I have never been before, learn about the winery’s history, and try wines right from the source. My challenge is that I live on the east coast and generally can only make it out to wine country once a year, sometimes twice if I’m lucky. When I am planning a trip to Napa Valley I am like a kid preparing to go to Disney World. I try to cram as much as I can into every trip, visiting new places and making repeat visits to the ones I really liked. Usually there is one place on each trip that stands out. William Hill was not a place that I knew much about before visiting but I fell in love with it almost immediately. It has become one of my favorite places in Napa. The ironic part about it is that the only reason I stopped in was because it is affiliated with Louis M. Martini and I was able to get a free tasting as a wine club member. Both wineries are now owned by E & J Gallo.
View of the valley from William Hill Estate Winery
William Hill is located at the southern end of Napa along the Silverado Trail in the Oak Knoll appellation. It is a gem hidden off the beaten path. The winery is open to visitors by reservation only. However, they are accommodating of same day reservations if they are not too busy. The best time to visit is when the vines are in full bloom because the view is absolutely stunning. Looking out from the front of the winery are rolling fields of vineyards that seem to stretch on as far as the eye can see to the mountains away in the distance. When my husband and I drove up to the winery and stepped out of our car, a group of very large jack rabbits went hopping by us. The staff informed us that the rabbits are often roaming around the property. The exterior of the winery is a large white triangular building partially hidden behind some trees. At first glance it doesn’t look like anything glamorous, but the surrounding landscape is the best part. There is a small courtyard in front of the winery and a vine covered trellis that leads to an expansive picnic area. There are chairs all around the property where visitors can relax while looking out on the gorgeous view of the neighboring mountains. It’s a great place to sit with a glass of wine.
William Hill Tasting Room
William Hill’s tasting room is contemporary with a white and slate gray color scheme. The tasting room is located right inside the front doors to the winery. It isn’t a very large space. The sleek white tasting bar can accommodate 6-8 visitors comfortably. Additionally, there are a couple of seats off to the left of the tasting bar where visitors could sit down for a tasting. Behind the tasting bar is a large gray wine bottle display that can hold hundreds of bottles. On each side of the display are windows that look into a wine barrel room. There is track lighting up above and natural lighting from the windows from the entryway that brighten up the room. The staff was very friendly and we received personalized attention.
I greatly enjoyed all of the wines that I tried and took advantage of my wine club discount to bring several bottles home with me. My personal favorites are the Napa Valley Chardonnay, Bench Blend Unfiltered Chardonnay, Bench Blend Cabernet Franc, and Bench Blend Meritage. Each of these wines are very well balanced and I didn’t want to stop drinking them. This is definitely a winery that is worth fitting into any itinerary for both the views and the wine. I’ve now been to the winery several times and on my last visit I sat outside at one of their high top tables for a tasting with my husband, sister, and a friend. One of the servers would come out to us periodically and pour us another wine. The weather was great, the view was spectacular, and there is nothing more relaxing and enjoyable in my opinion than drinking great wine with people I love. Cheers!
View from William Hill’s tasting bar looking into the wine cellar