Lokoya

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Tasting fee: $200, waived with purchases/for allocation memberes

Lokoya was such a special tasting experience. Not just because of the quality of their wines but the property, tasting room set up, and thoughtfully curated wine flight with snack pairing were all amazing. Definitely a luxury experience given the price tag but their wines sell for $300+ so tasting through 4 different wines + Chardonnay almost pays itself if you have been curious about their wines!

4 wines in the tasting flight are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, each from a distinct mountain appellation in Napa. There are 5 Mountain Appellations in Napa and believe Lokoya is the only winery that produces from all 4 of them: Diamond Mountain, Mt Veeder, Howell Mountain, and Spring Mountain.

Tasting starts with a glass of Chardonnay from Howell Mountain (rare for Chardonnays), that’s not overly buttery or oaky.

More about Lokoya: Website

Round Pond Estate

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5, $80+ per bottle for reds

  • Main varietals: Bordeaux blends, Sauvignon Blanc

  • Tasting fee: $60 for a portfolio tasting, $100+ for food experiences

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.2

Round Pond Estate has an iconic palm tree-lined entrance that transforms you to Palm Springs. Palm trees along the vineyard makes it a picturesque view and set the mood for a nice tasting session. They focus on Bordeaux blends including Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot. I actually loved the welcome pour of their Sauvignon Blanc as well! Really well balanced smoothness, freshness, and fruity aroma. Tasting room also has an artistic window (photo spot) that reminds you of the Museo d'orsay.


More about Round Pond: Website, Yelp

Truchard

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 5/5, average price $30-80

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot, Cab,

  • Tasting fee: $40 to taste, waived with 3 bottles

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.1

One of my recent favorite finds if you can visit during the weekday. They are only open on weekdays but totally worth the visit! It has everything I love at a winery from intimate tasting experience, great wines with great quality to price ratio, nice vineyard view, and an adorable garden. Loved everything we tasted, especially Roussanne to sip on a summer day and Merlot, Cab Franc, Pinot, and Cab at less than $50


More about Truchard: Website, Yelp , IG

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

Hendry Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 5/5, average price $18-45

  • Main varietals: Little bit of everything! Rosé, Albariño, Chardonnay, Bordeaux varietals, Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $75 to taste, waived with purchase equivalent to the fee

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.1

I’ve bookmarked Hendry Winery for so long and so glad I finally got to visit. I usually plan my weekend trips ~1-2 weeks before but they are usually fully booked on weekends for ~3-4 weeks out (seeing a lot more of this at other wineries in the area recently). I was really excited when I got a call that I got off the waitlist 😆 Their property is 203 acres and the entire experience was definitely worth the wait. It’s family owned and operated with a dedicated host for your group, which makes the experience personal and informative. We went through various side by side tastings which I always love (unoaked Chardonnay vs. barrel fermented Chardonnay, Primitivo vs. Ziznfandel) even learned that Primitivo and Zinfandels have the same DNA! Can’t recommend it enough and bonus points since bottles are affordable for Napa and location is closer to downtown.

Great views, wines, quality to price ratio, hospitality, and visit overall :)

More about Hendry: Website, Yelp , IG