Napa Wineries off the Beaten Path
I really wanted to start Guided Vines because over the last few years I’ve given wine and Wine Country-specific tips and recommendations to several friends and thought this would be a way to keep it all in one place. Wine has become something that I really enjoy reading about, learning about and most of all… drinking. And, the only thing better than drinking wine is sharing it with your friends, so I’m excited to share this blog with all of you!
My recent Wine Country trip was a little different from some of my previous trips in that I planned NONE of it, so I cannot take credit for the amazing weekend itinerary. My neighbor, a frequent Wine Country visitor, put together the perfect trip for a small group on Friday and a pretty large group on Saturday. Since we visited so many different places – I broke this up into two posts (read the Large Group post here).
This first post features a few wineries off the beaten path that were great for a small group of 3. I love exploring new wineries in Napa, and each one we visited this day was new to me! Wherever you go in Napa in late October, it is sure to be STUNNING. Most of the grapes have been harvested, but there are still a few on the vines and the leaves have started changing colors.
On Friday, our small group of three started the morning up on Howell Mountain. While overall a much different experience from the wineries off Hwy 29, I highly recommend making the trek up the mountain for at least one of these stops on your next trip. These all can book up pretty far in advance, so make sure to call a few weeks out if you’d like to visit! I’ll admit, these were all more on the expensive side, but I felt that each one was worth it for a top-notch experience and delicious wines.
We had a wonderful first visit at O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery. If you decide to take a trip to O’Shaughnessy, I highly recommend having a driver or starting here and dropping your car off afterwards as it’s a little bit of a daunting drive up the mountain with no cell service at the top to call an Uber. That being said, it is well worth the trip up!
We started the morning off with an excellent Chardonnay while our hostess took us on a private tour of the estate. We were lucky enough to see something I’ve never seen on past trips – the sorting and de-stemming process of some Cabernet grapes (picture below!), before being led to the cellar to take a peek at the owner’s personal wine collection (it was truly the wine cellar of my dreams). After that, we took a seat at a table outside to enjoy the amazing view from atop the mountain and proceeded to taste their equally-as-amazing Cabs. These fall around the $100 price point per bottle, and are difficult to find outside of the winery, but if interested, they have a great wine club you can join with a few different options on the number of bottles shipped in the Fall.
Next up, we went just across the mountain to another gorgeous winery best known for their reds – Outpost Winery. Again, this one isn’t the easiest to get to, so same recommendation here on having a driver, but the view and the wines were outstanding. We had a small guided tasting here and left with a bottle of their Zinfandel (and I’m not usually a ‘Zin drinker’ – but it was SO GOOD) and their Cabernet. The wines here started around $50-$60, with the Cabernet a bit higher, but are only available by purchasing while visiting the winery or by contacting the winery directly. Their winemaker is one of Napa’s most talented winemakers, Thomas Rivers Brown. I highly recommend reading about his work across the region here if interested, and for my Carolina friends – he’s a native of Sumter, S.C.!
We then made our way over to Caldwell Winery. Known for their many wonderful varietals, their own barrel cooperage and a FASCINATING backstory of smuggled French vines, this winery is one-of-a-kind. We walked into a cave-like room cut into the side of a mountain and were greeted with a glass of a beautiful Syrah Rose. Once the full group arrived (this was the only non-private tasting we did, but still a relatively small group overall), we took a short tour and then sat down for a guided tasting with the proper cheese pairings. I really enjoyed all of their wines and they fall on the pricier side for a reason. While you can’t find in-stores locally, you could purchase directly from their website to stash away for special occasions!
Following a long day of wine tasting, we finished off the day with dinner at the well-known French restaurant in Yountville, Bouchon, and it did NOT disappoint. Pro Tip: Get the escargot – there is some sort of delicious puff pastry on top – you will not regret it.
