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

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