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Open By appointment
Appt required? Yes
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2009
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
From the moment you enter the Jarvis compound (and compound is really the best word for it), you sense that you're stepping foot on the property of an intense individual. Black wrought iron gates guard the driveway entrance and require you to announce yourself over intercom before you're allowed to enter. As the gates swing open and you make your way up a winding driveway to the parking area, the winery entrance -- a set of double doors in the side of the mountain which, from a distance, distinctly resemble a skull -- looms a quarter mile away. There is the impression that this skull gates might be holding back some sort of giant or mad scientist.
William Jarvis is neither a mad scientist nor a giant, but he is without a doubt interesting and a carpe diem sort of individual. Googling William Jarvis will direct you to both the winery web site and William's personal web page, and a quick read through the table of contents of his online autobiography show you that this is an individual for whom the best relaxation is intense activity. Having never met the man, I hesitate to presume what he may be like, but the Jarvis winery is certainly one of a kind, and William's intensity and ego permeate the Jarvis property and winemaking process.
The winery tour and tasting costs a hefty $40, and they make sure to collect that fee upfront (no fee waiving for purchasing wine at this place!). Once the financial formalities are out of the way and cameras were collected for "safe keeping" (translation: no pictures allowed, and even though we say that, we still don't trust you), it's time for the tour. A light touch by our hostess to a panel on the wall opens 14-foot golden double doors and you enter the main section of the wine cave.
The best cop out description, and one that was used by a guest on our tour (and probably every tour before ours), is that walking into the Jarvis wine cave is like walking into the Emerald City of Oz. Jarvis excavated a 50,000 sq. ft wine cave. To put that into perspective, that's nearly as large as a football field: in short, it's a massive structure that's truly hard to believe until you see it. The cave is laid out in the shape of a wagon wheel -- a large circle, with spokes bisecting the circle at varies points. The cave is loud, due to the constant roar of rushing water from the interior waterfall. No joke -- they hit a mountain spring while excavating the cave, but William is the type of person that loves to make lemonade out of lemons. So rather than attempt to contain the spring, William had the engineers convert the spring into a waterfall that pools in the center of the cave. From the waterfall pool, a stream runs throughout the cave. The water helps to keep humidity at the right levels, and the temperature at a constant 61 degrees. What they don't tell you on the tour is that the spring is actually a hot spring, and that Jarvis spends $77,000 annually to cool the water so that the cave temperatures remain at the appropriate level.
All winery business is conducted from within the cave. As we strode along the outer rim of the "wheel", we passed barrels of wine, William's office, wine vats for processing, a bottling room, Leticia's (William's wife) office. We took a detour off the wheel to view (I kid you not) their crystal gallery: giant crystal structures acquired from various parts of the world. Attached to that was a large banquet hall in which they hold winery parties. We eventually made our way back into the "wagon wheel" portion of the cave, along one of the spokes and past the waterfall. Seemingly out of nowhere, we came upon a glass-fronted room carved into the mountain featuring a large table surrounded by 10 felt-covered chairs and a small bar in the back. To access the room, we had to carefully make our way across the stream via a stepping stone bridge, but at last we had arrived at the Jarvis tasting room.
Six empty glasses greeted each guest for the tasting, as well as assorted cheeses, water crackers, and dried fruit. Our first wine to sample was the '07 Finch Hollow Chardonnay. Rich and buttery, it stood up to the other great Napa chardonnays. A glance at the price sheet told me it was $42...a lot for a chardonnay, but this one justified that sort of price. But wait! That was the half bottle column I was looking at! The Finch Hollow Chardonnay was a whopping $95 a bottle! And thus a trend was started.
We tried five additional wines: the '04 Cabernet Franc, '06 Merlot, '04 Lake William blend (a wine created by accident when an overzealous William in the early years in the cellar, when he pumped the liquid from a cabernet franc vat into a cabernet sauvignon vat by mistake during fermentation), the '02 Cabernet, and the '01 Reserve Cabernet. Every wine was quite good -- I especially liked the Merlot and the Lkae William -- but every one was significantly overpriced (in my humble opinion). The Cab Franc and Merlot each went for $90, when comparable or even better versions of both wines (see Bremer) can be found in the $50-60 range. The Lake William sells for a pricey $115 -- not bad for a mistake! -- and the Cabernets sell for $85 and a whopping $160 respectively.
Overall, Jarvis is a great one-time experience, and I felt like I got my money's worth for the tour given the unique experience that it brings. There really is no other place like it in Napa Valley that I know of. As tours go, I think I'd take my $40 to Del Dotto for their cave tour first (especially factoring in the direct bottling they will do from a specific barrel that you taste -- see my Del Dotto review for more details), but the "Emerald City of Napa" is worth a trip once in your life.
From the moment you enter the Jarvis compound (and compound is really the best word for it), you sense that you're stepping foot on the property of an intense individual. Black wrought iron gates guard the driveway entrance and require you to announce yourself over intercom before you're allowed to enter. As the gates swing open and you make your way up a winding driveway to the parking area, the winery entrance -- a set of double doors in the side of the mountain which, from a distance, distinctly resemble a skull -- looms a quarter mile away. There is the impression that this skull gates might be holding back some sort of giant or mad scientist.
William Jarvis is neither a mad scientist nor a giant, but he is without a doubt interesting and a carpe diem sort of individual. Googling William Jarvis will direct you to both the winery web site and William's personal web page, and a quick read through the table of contents of his online autobiography show you that this is an individual for whom the best relaxation is intense activity. Having never met the man, I hesitate to presume what he may be like, but the Jarvis winery is certainly one of a kind, and William's intensity and ego permeate the Jarvis property and winemaking process.
The winery tour and tasting costs a hefty $40, and they make sure to collect that fee upfront (no fee waiving for purchasing wine at this place!). Once the financial formalities are out of the way and cameras were collected for "safe keeping" (translation: no pictures allowed, and even though we say that, we still don't trust you), it's time for the tour. A light touch by our hostess to a panel on the wall opens 14-foot golden double doors and you enter the main section of the wine cave.
The best cop out description, and one that was used by a guest on our tour (and probably every tour before ours), is that walking into the Jarvis wine cave is like walking into the Emerald City of Oz. Jarvis excavated a 50,000 sq. ft wine cave. To put that into perspective, that's nearly as large as a football field: in short, it's a massive structure that's truly hard to believe until you see it. The cave is laid out in the shape of a wagon wheel -- a large circle, with spokes bisecting the circle at varies points. The cave is loud, due to the constant roar of rushing water from the interior waterfall. No joke -- they hit a mountain spring while excavating the cave, but William is the type of person that loves to make lemonade out of lemons. So rather than attempt to contain the spring, William had the engineers convert the spring into a waterfall that pools in the center of the cave. From the waterfall pool, a stream runs throughout the cave. The water helps to keep humidity at the right levels, and the temperature at a constant 61 degrees. What they don't tell you on the tour is that the spring is actually a hot spring, and that Jarvis spends $77,000 annually to cool the water so that the cave temperatures remain at the appropriate level.
All winery business is conducted from within the cave. As we strode along the outer rim of the "wheel", we passed barrels of wine, William's office, wine vats for processing, a bottling room, Leticia's (William's wife) office. We took a detour off the wheel to view (I kid you not) their crystal gallery: giant crystal structures acquired from various parts of the world. Attached to that was a large banquet hall in which they hold winery parties. We eventually made our way back into the "wagon wheel" portion of the cave, along one of the spokes and past the waterfall. Seemingly out of nowhere, we came upon a glass-fronted room carved into the mountain featuring a large table surrounded by 10 felt-covered chairs and a small bar in the back. To access the room, we had to carefully make our way across the stream via a stepping stone bridge, but at last we had arrived at the Jarvis tasting room.
Six empty glasses greeted each guest for the tasting, as well as assorted cheeses, water crackers, and dried fruit. Our first wine to sample was the '07 Finch Hollow Chardonnay. Rich and buttery, it stood up to the other great Napa chardonnays. A glance at the price sheet told me it was $42...a lot for a chardonnay, but this one justified that sort of price. But wait! That was the half bottle column I was looking at! The Finch Hollow Chardonnay was a whopping $95 a bottle! And thus a trend was started.
We tried five additional wines: the '04 Cabernet Franc, '06 Merlot, '04 Lake William blend (a wine created by accident when an overzealous William in the early years in the cellar, when he pumped the liquid from a cabernet franc vat into a cabernet sauvignon vat by mistake during fermentation), the '02 Cabernet, and the '01 Reserve Cabernet. Every wine was quite good -- I especially liked the Merlot and the Lkae William -- but every one was significantly overpriced (in my humble opinion). The Cab Franc and Merlot each went for $90, when comparable or even better versions of both wines (see Bremer) can be found in the $50-60 range. The Lake William sells for a pricey $115 -- not bad for a mistake! -- and the Cabernets sell for $85 and a whopping $160 respectively.
Overall, Jarvis is a great one-time experience, and I felt like I got my money's worth for the tour given the unique experience that it brings. There really is no other place like it in Napa Valley that I know of. As tours go, I think I'd take my $40 to Del Dotto for their cave tour first (especially factoring in the direct bottling they will do from a specific barrel that you taste -- see my Del Dotto review for more details), but the "Emerald City of Napa" is worth a trip once in your life.
Recommended wine: The Merlot stood out for me, as did the Reserve Cabernet, but neither could justify the price tag. The Lake William was also quite good, but again, not priced in line with its competition.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.50 |  TASTING ROOM | 5.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.50 |  VALUE | 3.00 |
 OVERALL | 4.25 | ||
Agreed: The wines were on the "high" side, in terms of price, but you will not find a white wine, priced comparably, that compares with Jarvis whites. ...That being said, the Jarvis reds are worthy competitors to anything else coming out of the Napa Valley, and exceed expectations. Overall, Jarvis is a "can't miss" experience; both in terms of wine quality, and tasting room value.
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