Napa Valley’s Best Boutique Wineries

A Napa Valley boutique winery is always a good time. Finding a unique, family owned, small production winery to visit can honestly set fire to your wine desire. The best boutique wineries in the Napa Valley give you the opportunity to taste the most captivating, passion driven, and rare wines Napa has to offer. A noticeable factor about boutique wineries is that your visit may include a tête-à-tête with the winery owner or vintner themselves (sometimes both!). Boutique wineries are exclusive and are small production which means they produce a fraction of the wine larger more industrialized wineries produce in a year, this is the defining factor in finding a proper “boutiquey winery.” Spending time at one of these quaint boutique Napa Valley wineries will help you to understand how incredible wine truly is (if you didn’t know that already) because boutique wineries respect the art of winemaking and seek to convey their passion and love for what they bottle!

In order to secure wine tastings at these top Napa Valley boutique wineries you will need to make an appointment and most likely the visit will include a tour. Spending time planning your wine tastings at these top boutique wineries is worth the little extra effort because not only do you taste world class wines with limited release, walk the estates and vineyards while discussing their particular wine story, you’re also under the impression that not very many others are lucky enough to have a similar boutique winery experience, and let’s be honest--they don’t!

Reid Family Vineyards - This family’s history in the Napa Valley dates back to 1862 and wine tasting with the Reid’s is filled with fun family stories, delicious wine, and great music. The hospitality given to visiting wine tasters is unmatchable, the tour and tasting is the ultimate Napa Valley boutique winery experience. Also, each of the wines produced is named after a family member which makes discussing your favorites a grand ol’ time.

Matthiasson - The Matthiasson’s are winemakers who believe in the art of farming. A visit to this winery puts you smack dap in the middle of their backyard, happily sitting on a picnic table talking to Jill Matthiasson herself. The Matthiasson wines open up to you as their wine story unfolds; tales of their respectful farming techniques and passion for maintaining soil health definitely add to their beautifully crafted wines. Matthiasson is a brilliant boutique winery.

Tres Sabores - Julie Johnson’s Rutherford vineyard is charmingly referred to as “the ranch.” This is a wine tasting experience you don’t want to miss. The wine, the land, the story, and the vineyard dogs are some of the best in the Napa Valley. Visitors are encouraged to explore the property, the gardens and vineyard are open for conversation, and honestly the beauty of this place is unbelievably enchanting--as are the wines.

Stony Hill Vineyard - Decades of amazing chardonnay has secured Stony Hill Vineyards as a hot spot, however they have achieved a greater good other than producing prolific vintages, creating a boutique winery experience. Your visit to Stony Hill is sure to be elegant and sophisticated but also this winery exudes a family oriented commitment to uphold the beauty of their style of winemaking. Stony Hill Vineyards is a glorious place to find style and legacy while enjoying the comfort of an exclusive wine tasting experience.

Saddleback Cellars - The Cellar door is always open at this outgoing winery, with tons of personality and bunches of outdoor seating this winery is a trail blazer in hospitality. You’ll be cozy with Saddleback’s barrels of wine and saloon style tasting counter while enjoying cabernets that are nothing short of greatness. Saddleback Cellars is relaxed in demeanor but the wine and the good time create a unique wine tasting experience.

Napa Valley’s Top Ten "Best Kept Secret" Wineries

BEST OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH NAPA TASTING ROOMS After having visited numerous renowned wineries, many of us are looking for the hidden gems within the Napa Valley. Good wines are certainly valued, but the entire experience a winery provides leaves guests wanting to return and telling their friends and family to visit. Each winery listed in this article has some special draw, whether it’s art, architecture, ambiance, gardens or compelling history.

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50 California Central Coast Wines You Should Be Drinking Right Now

The California Central Coast, identified as Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo (and its main wine region Paso Robles) and Monterey is California the way it used to be, or at the very least, California the way people want it to be: small towns, charming architecture, varied history of Missions and Indians, and coastlines for miles; a slow pace, clean air and a belief that no one real really works very hard. But the area has been home to grape growing since the Spanish brought vine cuttings from Spain via Mexico in the late 1700s and winemakers and vineyard managers have been working hard ever since. To celebrate this beautiful region IntoWine.com offers these 50 wines that represent the diversity of the California Central Coast.

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Green Wineries: Three Eclectic Examples

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERIES GO ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE AND BIODYNAMIC From large to small, northern California wineries are starting to color their operations green, whether by organically growing their grapes, practicing sustainable activities or creating biodynamic environments.

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Top 75 California Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In my last article, I listed the Top 75 French Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking . In this article I look at the “non-dump bucket” list for wines from California. This proved to be a different task. First, very few wineries have a long track record of making great wine. Secondly, while California is diverse, it does not have the diversity of climates and terroir and grape varietals of France. Still, it does produce some of the best wines in the world and any wine lover should make it a point to try as many of them as they can. Here is my list: 1. Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon – It’s hard to pick the first wine. This one is a great wine in every vintage and has been for a long time. Expensive but still possible to afford and made in large enough quantities to be found in grocery stores. Every lover of Cabernet should try this once.

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