Category Archives: Hidden Napa Wineries
Pope Valley Winery – Above the Napa Valley
The winery was established in 1896 and much of the winery looks the same as it did the first day it opened. It was originally named the Burgundy Winery founded by Ed Haus. The winery was built into a hillside and you can still see the rock and stones that form the walls of the bottom two floors of the winery. Continue reading
Nichelini Winery – 121 Consecutive Harvests
This little hidden winery in the Napa Valley may perhaps be best described as the “The Little Winery That Could.” Through the prohibition this winery kept chugging and chugging making wines. Continue reading
Ladera Winery on Howell Mountain
One of the most fascinating aspects of Ladera is the renovation of the original stone winery built in 1886. Irene W. Haynes describes it in detail in her book “Ghost Wineries” on page 61. It was originally called the Howell Mountain Winery and closed it doors during prohibition. Continue reading
Mike Chelini is Longest tenured winemaker in the Napa Valley at Stony Hill Vineyard
In 1972, young Mike Chelini began his stint as winemaker at Stony Hill and he continues in that position to this day. He loves his work, the land, and the owners. As he says “Life is good here at Stony Hill Vineyard.” When we asked Mike if he is the Valley’s longest-running winemaker, he says: “I think I am tied with Bill Sorenson over at Burgess.” Continue reading
A Visit with Winemaker Vince Tofanelli
It is such a wonderful change of pace to visit a winemaker like Vince Tofanelli. Too often when we visit the Napa Valley we get caught upby the big and the fancy wineries and tasting rooms and tend to overlook the smaller names of the Napa Valley. Continue reading
Discover Mount Veeder – Great Day Trip to the Napa Valley
We say visit Hendry Winery, Yates Family Vineyard, and Hess Collection Winery and then go to the town of Napa for a late afternoon lunch. Continue reading
Buehler Vineyards — Strange Encounters and Other Napa Valley News
Spring is here in the Napa Valley, the sun is warm, and many of the vines are alive with recent bud break. It is a very enjoyable time to travel to the Napa Valley. Not only does spring bring tourists … Continue reading
Carneros Backroad Adventures
Looking For Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in all the right places, Part One Why take the tourist route? Here is a backroad gem of a tour where you can see some fantastic views of Carneros and the Napa Valley and … Continue reading
Spottswoode – Where Cabernet Rules
A small group of wine bloggers were invited by the Wine Hiker, Russ Beebe, to a tour and tasting at two well-known and famous Napa wineries. We met at Smith-Madrone on Spring Mountain and then went back down to the … Continue reading
Cathy Corison the Queen of Cabernet
Cathy Corison is one of Napa Valley’s first women winemakers and is well recognized by her colleagues as one of the more influential winemakers in the entire Valley. Her Corison Cabernet wines have long been noted for their quality and … Continue reading
