Napa Valley

The first thought that comes to mind as you pull into the driveway of Saddleback Cellars may be “Hmm. Perhaps they’re not open.” The nondescript, rustic tasting room, tucked into one corner of their winery, is marked only by a small sign and an open door. Once inside though, a cozy wooden table and tasting counter, as well as a set of longhorns, come into view, and all doubts evaporate. The winemaker, Nils Venge, is something of a Napa Legend, having won the honor of producing Napa’s first 100 point Parker wine (the 1985 Groth Reserve) and today, he’s often seen hanging around the winery, happy to meet and greet visitors or help out on a bottling line.

For anyone who’s studied up on the key moments in Napa wine history, the Spurrier tasting of 1976 sits in high relief. The Paris tasting was a bona fide pitting of French against American wines, organized to showcase the superior quality of the French winemaking talent. To everyone’s surprise, the winner of the blind tasting was none other than the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon. While the winery has recently passed into new ownership (a joint venture between the Tuscan Antinori family and Ste Michelle Wine Estates), the SLV is still going strong; its current vintage is available in their tasting room as part of their Estate Tasting.

Finally, for those seeking a truly elegant wine country setting for an event or wedding, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is one of the few Napa venues set up to host weddings; they also offer cooking classes and wine and food pairing programs that feature both current releases and library wines (wonder if they have any of the 1973 SLV left?).

Napa history buffs will appreciate the status of Regusci Winery as a “ghost winery,” that is, one that has its roots in the early Napa winemaking of the 19th century. Originally built in 1878 by one Terrill Grigsby, the winery was purchased by the family of its current owners in 1932. It survived the difficult economic and anti-alcohol periods of the early 20th century as a ranch, growing crops such as corn and prunes and raising livestock in addition to grapes. Today, the son and grandson of the original Regusci owner have returned to full time wine production. The tasting room, housed next to the original three story stone building, enjoys a rich, recycled-wood-centric feel thanks to the several rough hewn display tables and barrel-stave tasting bar. Visitors can enjoy a pour of a rich cabernet, and then stroll among the olive and citrus trees, or sit at one of the convenient outdoor tables.