August Briggs (4.50)

http://www.augustbriggswines.com/

Open 10:30 to 4:30

Appt required? Only for groups of 5 or more

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2008

Directions

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Tasting:
Plenty of tasting options typically at August Briggs. They have a medium-sized tasting bar that can accommodate around 8 guests comfortably. We have also been to the winery when they have taken us on a roaming tasting through the barrel racks to try a few wines directly from the barrel. August Briggs makes a number of different wines, but they have decided to trim back the number from around 18 to something closer to 12. A typical tasting at August Briggs offers most of what they have available to sell. The last time we were there, we tasted a Chardonnay, a number of Pinot Noirs, two Cabernets, and we were also able to taste two wines from the barrel, a Pinot Noir and a Pinot Meunier. So, to summarize: a LOT of wine!

**2012 UPDATE -- August Briggs has opened a new tasting room at 1307 Lincoln Ave. in downtown Calistoga!** The old location is now used solely for wine production.

Recommended wine: I think they probably do Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah the best; their Zinfandels are also quite good. I think the Cabs are good, but overpriced.

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	4.25	TASTING ROOM	4.50
ATMOSPHERE	5.00	VALUE	4.25
OVERALL		4.50

Chateau Montelena (3.44)

http://www.montelena.com

Open 9:30 to 4:00

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2008

Directions:

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Tasting:
The best reason to stop here at Cheteau Montelena are the grounds. The Chateau is an old stone castle carved into a hillside overlooking a Chinese garden and lake, with vineyards reaching out to the base of Mt. St. Helena. The gardens are beautiful; red and blue carved wooden bridges allow you to walk out into the pond, where two pagodas sit on islands (available for picnics, but only if you're a wine club member).

The tasting room is on the top floor of the Chateau at the top of the hill, and it is spacious and offers plenty of room to taste. I didn’t have a great tasting experience here. The winery wasn’t busy, but the guy pouring wasn’t too attentive or friendly. He'd stop by to refill our glass, tell us what wine it was (and that's it), and then head elsewhere. Most of the wine was just okay…the Zinfandel was the best of the group.

Recommended wine: The Zinfandel was the only thing I thought was decent, especially factoring in price.

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	3.50	TASTING ROOM	4.50
ATMOSPHERE	3.00	VALUE	2.75
OVERALL		3.44

Laird (4.44)

http://www.lairdfamilyestate.com

Open 10:00 to 5:00

Appt required? Recommended and preferred by the winery, but also sometimes possible to walk in

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2013

Directions:


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Tasting:

Laird has a pretty glass-enclosed facility and a small tasting bar which can accommodate about 4 guests. Outside, they have a large picnic area that visitors are welcome to use. For tastings, the friendly folks at Laird will pour most anything that they produce. On the white wine side, they make two Chardonnays, both of which are quite good and affordable, as well as a Pinot Grigio. For reds, they typically offer 2-3 Cabernets, a Pinot Noir, and a Syrah, all of which are quite good. They used to make a Rutherford Cabernet that was an outstanding expression of the classic "Rutherford Dust" you typically get from cabs from that region, but I have not seen it recently. The also offer a red blend called "Jillian's Blend", named after the owner's granddaughter, a precocious 6-year-old who will be happy to sign a bottle for you!

Recommended wine: I like their Chardonnays -- buttery, oakey, and smooth -- as well as their Syrah and the Rutherford Cab (which, sadly, they no longer produce!).

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Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	4.25	TASTING ROOM	4.25
ATMOSPHERE	4.75	VALUE	4.50
OVERALL		4.44

Van Der Heyden (1.25)

http://www.vanderheydenvineyards.com

Open 10:00 to 6:00

Appt required? Yes

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2005

Directions:


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Tasting:
Van Der Heyden has a small, quaint tasting room from which they conduct tastings. $http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5829090292032609410#editor/target=post;postID=210260019233739130610 gets you a taste of 5 Van Der Heyden wines. We actually did our tasting with the owner and winemaker, a little Dutch man who popped a cork and said, “That’s the second best sound in the world – know what the first is?” and then pointed to the cash register. That basically set the tone for the tasting. They made sure to collect the tasting fee or a credit card (which they actually held at the front while we tasted) prior to any tasting. Luckily for me, the woman running the tasting table forgot to charge me for the tasting when I bought a bottle (stick that in your greedy Dutch craw!!). Not recommended.

Recommended wine: I bought a bottle of their “White Table Wine”, which was a blend of white grape varietals and pretty reasonably priced at $18. The Late Harvest Cabernet was good, but seriously overpriced ($50 for 375ml).

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	3.00	TASTING ROOM	1.00
ATMOSPHERE	0.00	VALUE	1.00
OVERALL		1.25

Del Dotto Historic Caves (4.88)

http://www.deldottovineyards.com

Open 10:00 to 5:00

Appt required? Yes

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2011

Directions:

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Tasting:
Del Dotto currently has two tasting rooms and caves that are open in the Napa Valley. My first trip to Del Dotto came when they only had one, though. The original Del Dotto Historic Winery and Caves exists near downtown Napa off of Atlas Peak Road. You get 2 options: a $25 bar tasting or a $50 barrel tasting and tour. Go for the barrel tasting at least once.
We spent 2 and a half hours learning about different sources of wood for barrels, toasting barrels, interesting anecdotes about wine and winemaking, interspersed with barrel tastings of some excellent wine. The highlight is the barrel taste of their reserve Cabernet, out of both Missouri and French oak. You can pick your favorite, and if you purchase, they bottle and ship to you directly from the barrel you tasted. It's a little pricey, but considering the personal service (you get your wine from THAT barrel) and the really high quality of the wine, it seems like a bargain. After sampling a number of wines (Cave Blend, Merlot, Sangiovese, regular Cabernet), you finish the tour with a sampling of Port paired with dark chocolate.

Recommended wine: Everything! I wasn’t enamored with their Sangiovese, but every other wine was very good. Their cabs are great, the Caves Blend is affordable and tasty, and they make some great higher end wines as well ("The David", "Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve"). They recently released their Cingale Pinot Noir from their Cingale vineyard, which tastes unlike any Pinot I have ever had (in a good way). They also make some exceptional ports, all of which can also be purchased in a chocolate covered bottle.

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	5.00	TASTING ROOM	5.00
ATMOSPHERE	5.00	VALUE	4.50
OVERALL		4.88

Elyse (4.38)

http://www.elysewinery.com/

Open 10:00 to 5:00

Appt required? Yes

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2007

Directions:

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Tasting:
We learned about Elyse from Dennis Zablosky at Frank Family. Dennis has never steered me wrong, and it was no different with his recommendation to try Elyse. Elyse produces a number of wines, and they'll taste every one of them for you. There may be an announced tasting fee, but it's never charged if you purchase wine. The tasting room is relatively small, but cozy, with a tasting bar able to accommodate about 6 people. The staff is typically friendly, and the wines are consistently good. Elyse makes primarily red wine, and the white(s) they make are somewhat forgettable. There are a number of red gems, though. They produce a Charbono which is both affordable and very drinkable, a few excellent Zinfandels, a good Petite Sirah, and some very good Cabernets. Their "Jacob Franklin" line of wines, named after the owner's son, is a collection of their reserve wines, and the Jacob Franklin Cabernet and Petite Sirah are both quite good. They source Cabernet from Tietjen, Morisoli, and other significant vineyrads and release primarily single vineyard cabs. In recent years, they continue to make more wines (I would guess they release over 20 per year), and I think the expansion now means there is a greater gap between their best and worst wine, but this is still a location worth visiting.

Recommended wine: Very good Zins and Cabs.

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	4.25	TASTING ROOM	4.25
ATMOSPHERE	4.75	VALUE	4.25
OVERALL		4.38

Cosentino (3.81)

Update 1/16/11 -- check before going! Financial troubles for Cosentino in 2010...

http://www.cosentinowinery.com/

Open 10:00 to 5:30

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2006

Directions:
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Tasting:
Cosentino has a long tasting bar and a welcoming staff. When I was there last, you could choose from a regular tasting ($5) or a reserve tasting ($10). Oh, inflation! According to their website now, it's $15 for a regular tasting, and $30 for a special reserve tasting! Their website says they now rotate tasting flights continually to reflect their variety of more than 50 different wines. "Our Tasting Room visitors have the unique opportunity to experience a continuingly broad selection of our award-winning wines throughout the year from the Napa Valley and beyond….a true and complete tasting experience!" I don't know about that...but this is not a terrible stop, especially if you have some novice wine tasters in the group. Cosentino offers everything from affordable to high-end.

Recommended wine: The Poet, a unique blend, was pretty tasty, but at $65, I think it was a bit overpriced. The ZIN and the CIGARZIN are quite good, especially considering the price tag, but not always tasted. Also, these may be able to be found locally for a better price (both should be under $20, but I’ve seen them as high as $30 at the winery).

Ratings (out of 5):

WINE	3.50	TASTING ROOM	4.00
ATMOSPHERE	4.00	VALUE	3.75
OVERALL		3.81