RutherfordBeaumont & Crowe
Forty-seven planted acres on the Rutherford bench. The Crowe family still works the destemmer line at harvest. Their library Cab is the longest aged in the partnership.
Specialty
Cabernet SauvignonTour frequency
~ 3 days/week
OakvilleVallée d'Or
Twelve-block estate flanking the Oakville cross-road. Director of winemaking Marie Pélletier hand-pours her single-block bottlings on most weekday tours. Library access guaranteed.
Specialty
Bordeaux blendsTour frequency
~ 4 days/week
Stags LeapStagsleap Reach
Tucked into the volcanic palisades east of the Silverado Trail. Cooler nights, longer hang times, denser tannins. The Reach single-vineyard sells out the day the mailing list opens.
Specialty
Mountain CabernetTour frequency
~ 2 days/week
Howell MtnMountain House
One of the original Howell Mountain plantings — head-trained Zinfandel vines older than the AVA itself. The cave tour walks past the original 1968 redwood-stave fermenters, still used.
Specialty
Old-vine ZinfandelTour frequency
~ 2 days/week
CalistogaCoteau de Calistoga
Volcanic hillside fruit on the northwest end of the valley, all dry-farmed. Specializes in single-block Petite Sirah and a mineral-driven white Rhône blend that's almost impossible to find retail.
Specialty
Petite Sirah, Rhône blendsTour frequency
~ 3 days/week
YountvilleYountville Vintners
The cool foggy southern end of the valley. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a tiny production of skin-contact Sauvignon Blanc. Walk the original 1995 stone tasting room.
Specialty
Pinot, ChardonnayTour frequency
~ 4 days/week
St. HelenaPratt & Sutter
One of the few estates in the valley that bottles a varietal Cabernet Franc — a pure, herbaceous, surprisingly Loire-leaning expression. Their Bordeaux blend is also outstanding.
Specialty
Cab Franc, Bordeaux blendsTour frequency
~ 2 days/weekRutherfordQuincy Vineyards
Five generations on the same Rutherford bench plot. Tour stops at the small library room — five vintage verticals always pulled, often back to the late 1990s.
Specialty
Vertical-aged CabernetTour frequency
~ 3 days/weekOakvilleFerme du Loup
Fifteen-acre estate, 700-case annual production. Owner-winemaker Henri Loup hand-bottles. Tours always end with the fermenting-room walk-through and a tank sample.
Specialty
Tiny-lot Bordeaux blendTour frequency
~ 1 day/weekCalistogaRoche du Cèdre
Napa's quietest sparkling-wine producer. Two cuvées, both méthode traditionnelle, both disgorged on-site. The riddling rack tour is one of the best half-hours in the valley.
Specialty
Méthode traditionnelleTour frequency
~ 2 days/weekStags LeapTannin & Roe
The youngest partner. Husband-and-wife winemaking team trained in Bordeaux and Mendoza. Stainless-and-concrete program with very limited oak — bright, structured, modern Cabs.
Specialty
Modern CabernetTour frequency
~ 2 days/weekSt. HelenaCamphor & Bay
The valley's most disciplined Chardonnay program. Two single-vineyard expressions, both barrel-fermented, both un-malo. Best paired with the harvest tour for a cooler-climate balance.