Tamber Bey Vineyards
1251 Tubbs Ln, Calistoga, CA 94515
Website: http://www.tamberbey.com/
Tamber Bey Winery is located on the Sundance Horse Ranch in Calistoga. It is an equestrian facility dedicated to training top performance Arabian horses. I have been to Calistoga many times but didn’t realize this winery was there. It is located on Tubbs Lane just up the road from Chateau Montelena. I sought out this winery because of its horses. My husband and I brought his aunt to Napa for her 70th birthday to thank her for all of the times she has babysat our kids, and she loves horses! This place was perfect to bring her to. The owner Barry Waitte started making wine in 1999 after purchasing vineyards in Yountville and Oakville. The winery was built on Sundance Ranch in 2013 and is named after Waitte’s first two horses Tamborina and Bayamo.
Tamber Bey Vineyards Tasting Room
The winery is located inside a huge barn. There is a courtyard in back with eight horse stalls on each side (16 in all). There’s a pretty view of Mount St. Helena in the backdrop. The tasting room has a little more modern feel. It has dark paneled wood all around which made it a little dark. There’s a horseshoe-shaped bar in the center of the room with polished wood counter tops and rustic wooden stools. There was some merchandise off to the side.
Horse stalls and picnic tables at Tamber Bey Vineayrds
We went outside for the tasting. It was a windy day, but the setting was lovely. There are several tables and comfy lounge chairs in the courtyard shaded by umbrellas. There are also picnic tables off to the sides of the courtyard in front of the horse stalls. Guests can walk around and view the horses. We sat in the comfy chairs while our server gave us a little history of the winery and described the wines. We learned that the ranch has taken in some extra horses at times to help out other horse owners.
Tamber Bey’s portfolio includes a Signature selection of premium wines and the more popular, affordable Vineyard Series. They have several varieties of wine including Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. For me I enjoyed the site more than the wine. That’s not to say the wine was bad. It was good quality. It just wasn’t my style overall. My favorite of their wines was the 2013 Merlot. The highlight of our visit was getting to meet the beautiful horses.
A mustang on the horse ranch at Tamber Bey Vineyards