Every oenophile can recite the names of Napa Valley’s standbys—Opus One, Chateau Montelena, Corison, on and on—but even in this venerable region there are always new operations opening. Depending on what you’re looking for, here are five fresh tasting rooms to check out.
For the Curious Palate
If you want to expand past the OGs and try small-batch wines you can’t get anywhere else, Mia Carta, an artsy downtown Napa spot featuring bottles from a collective of nine small producers, is a great place to start. Highlights include Stags Leap District estate cab and chardonnay from Ilsley Vineyards, Los Carneros–grown pinot noir from Art House Wines, and rosé Champagne from Bordeaux-trained winemaker Sharon Kazan Harris’s Rarecat.
For the Comeback Kid
Wildfires have ravaged Wine Country in recent years, but resilient vineyards are rising from the ashes. Mayacamas Vineyards, which dates back to 1889, lost its old stone hospitality building in the 2017 fires, but that gave the historic winery a chance to refresh its visitor experience. In December, a new 3,000-square-foot Estate Hospitality Center opened, featuring a tasting room with glorious views of the 475-acre Mount Veeder property.
For the Classicist
Looking for a classic Wine Country experience with a contemporary twist? Mathew Bruno Napa Valley is located right in the middle of Rutherford and produces single-vineyard cab and chardonnay, and starting in August you’ll be able to try those wines at a brand-new tasting room in an 1894 Victorian house that has been renovated and updated with French oak floors, grasscloth wall coverings, steel and glass barn doors, and other au courant accents.
For the Simple Lifer
When former Gundlach Bundschu winemaker Linda Trotta started Bread & Butter Wines, she made simplicity her mission. Her label includes a range of accessible everyday wines, from California merlot to sauvignon blanc, as well as high-end single-vineyard Napa cabernets. Enjoy them at the new tasting room, which opened last summer on the Silverado Trail and underscores the brand’s ethos with its low-key, clean-lined modern design.
For the Homebody
The quintessential Wine Country trip involves a drive up and down the valley, but sometimes you just want to relax at the hotel. If you’re that type of vacationer, Calistoga’s new Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley has you covered with the on-site Elusa Winery, led by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, who has earned numerous perfect scores. (Wine Spectator credited him with “the Midas touch” in 2018.) Take a tour of the vineyard and facility, do a library tasting… and then go right back to your cabana by the pool.
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