Failla wine

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $40-100

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $65 to taste, waived with 4 bottles

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.3

If you need a little break from tasting Napa Cabs, definitely add Failla to your itinerary. They specialize in Chardonnay and Pinots from both California and Oregon. You typically only get to taste California wines in the Napa tasting room but after the visit, I definitely want to try more of their Oregon Pinots as well! Not typical but they ended up pouring one of their 2014 vintages due to an unusual availability and I loved it enough to buy a couple bottles. They didn’t have their sparkling wine opened but I ended up buying a bottle based on other wines and loved it when I opened it at home.

More about Failla: Website, Yelp , IG

Schramsberg

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5 (no vineyard views but can do an interesting cave tour)

  • QPR: 3/5, average price $45-100+

  • Main varietals: Sparkling. Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noir, Brut, Extra Brut

  • Tasting fee: $50-100 per person, waived for existing members

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.2

Schramsberg is the oldest sparkling house in Napa and is a fun stop if you enjoy traditional method sparkling wines or want to learn more about them! I love doing side by side tasting of any wines but especially sparklings. It’s fun trying out and tasting the difference between Brut, Extra Brut, Blanc de Blanc , and Blanc de Noir. You can choose from a wide variety of experiences from a cave tour, cheese plate, or a customized flight! Tasting and experiences are informative and worth the visit to learn more about traditional sparkling wine making.

More about Schramsberg: Website, Yelp , IG

Rivers Marie Vineyards

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $60-100

  • Main varietals: Pinot, Cabernet, Chardonnay

  • Tasting fee: $75, waived with a 3 bottle purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.3

If you have been to a few different Napa wineries, you might have heard of the winemaker! Thomas Rivers Brown makes wines and consults for a number of different wineries in Napa, all very highly rated and scored. Tasting experience here is private and customized. They contact you after you make your reservation to ask what you like and make sure your tasting flight reflects your preference. Place is super modern in a glass enclosed room and green plant wall. I loved all the wines, but especially loved all the Cabs we tasted. It is also a treat to be able to taste high quality Cab AND Pinot at the same tasting room in Napa.

More about Rivers Marie: Website, Yelp

Shypoke

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $35-50

  • Main varietals: Charbono, Cab, Grenache, Zin, Petit Sirah

  • Tasting fee: Didn’t see official tasting fee, ours was waived with purchase!

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.2

Shypoke has been on my list for a long time after finding out the winemaker Peter Heitz at Turnbull has his own label. I was also intrigued with a unique varietal called Charbono which Peter uses to make a rosé, blend, and single varietal red. Peter hosts tastings himself in his patio in Calistoga and it’s a lovely setting! We loved the experience and ended up buying a few different bottles. Can’t wait to open them at home.

More about Law Estate: Website, Yelp , IG

The Spire Collection

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: They’ve got everything. Taste wines from more than 10 different wineries

  • Tasting fee: $60 to taste, waived with 3 bottle purchases

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: N/A

This tasting room has something for everyone. They own a portfolio of various wineries across multiple regions including Napa, Mendocino, Oregon, Australia, South Africa, and Italy. The best part is they customize your tasting so you can fully enjoy every single wine on the flight. Perfect for white wine lovers, Pinot lovers, Bordeaux blend lovers, for anyone who loves wine! We tasted whites from Oregon and Bordeaux style reds from Australia, Napa, and Italy but would love to go back to try different Pinots!

More about Spire Collection: Website, Yelp, IG