Napa Valley, California, is Wine Country Royalty
Table of Contents
Story and photos by Scott Kendall (unless otherwise indicated)
Napa Valley is America's Premier Wine Destination
Napa Valley in northern California has long been known for producing world class wines. This renowned wine region is less than an hour from San Francisco, and has the perfect terroir for many popular grape varietals used in making popular wines.
With hundreds of wineries in Napa Valley, we chose five to highlight. Each of these is certainly worth a visit, but obviously there are many other great wineries in Napa Valley.
The five Napa Valley wineries featured in this article are Opus One and Nickel & Nickel in Oakville, Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, Merryvale in St. Helena, and Judd’s Hill in Napa. We also featured the wonderful Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant in Napa.
Geography of Napa Valley
Starting south in the town of Napa, Napa Valley towns heading northwest include Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga.
The location of Napa Valley gives farmers an ideal climate for growing grapes. The surrounding mountains/hills, rich soil, nearby ocean, wind currents, and plentiful sunshine combine for an inviting terroir. At just 30 miles in length and five miles across at its widest point, Napa Valley is small enough to easily reach many of its wineries in a short amount of time.
Opus One Winery in Oakville
Opus One Winery is the brainchild of two great minds and businesses joining forces to create a world class wine. California wine legend Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild first met in Hawaii in 1970, sparking the idea of a joint venture. The first vintages from 1979 and 1980 were released in 1984.
This unique winery focuses on producing a single quality Bordeaux style wine from a single vineyard. Mondavi and Rothschild insisted on the best of everything. From the soil, grapes, technology, and processes used, everything was first class.
Upon approaching the modern looking main building, visitors already experience that something special at Opus One. Morgan Tageson, the personable Communications Manager, told us that Opus One had just finished an extensive multi-year enhancement project. The beautifully decorated new hospitality suites, with sweeping views of the vineyards and distant mountains, is the perfect spot to enjoy their fabulous wines.
At our tasting, we were presented with three vintages of Opus One. We started with an older 2008 and worked our way up through a 2016 and a 2018. All were excellent. As expected, the 2008 was a bit mellower, smoother, and less tannic. The newer wines were a bit livelier and tannic. I could definitely picture enjoying this wine with a grilled steak or pork chop. All had deep, multi-layered flavors with a hint of oak.
The barrel room at Opus One is quite a sight. Hundreds of barrels lined up in a single layer are symmetrically laid out. Some are full and currently aging, while others are empty, waiting to be filled.
Opus One has worked hard as maintaining sustainability, and has been certified as a green winery as part of the Napa Valley Vintners – Napa Green Initiative. Opus One is constantly innovating, and has implemented more than 100 favorable and environmentally friendly procedures.
Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga
Castello di Amorosa – the Castle of Love.
What could be more alluring than a medieval castle perched on a hill overlooking picturesque vineyards and landscapes? Well, maybe drinking world class wines in a castle!
Dario Sattui is the great grandson of the legendary pioneering winemaker Vittorio Sattui. My wife and I were fortunate to be able to spend some time with Dario at Castello di Amorosa and listen to his amazing stories. What started as nothing more than one man’s dream became reality, driven by his passion and drive to create the Castello di Amorosa we see today.
Dario Sattui Makes his Dream a Reality
According to Dario, when he was a young man visiting Europe, he became obsessed with medieval architecture. Dario visited many old castles, buildings, and homes throughout Europe, taking copious notes, both physical and mental. When he came back to California, he looked for the ideal piece of land to build his own castle. Dario purchased 171 acres near Calistoga, and began the meticulous process of designing and procuring the right materials for his dream castle.
Dario insisted on as much authenticity as possible. According to his website, “It took more than 8,000 tons of hand-chiseled local stone and nearly one million antique bricks imported from Europe to complete the castle. More than 200 containers of old materials and furnishings were shipped over from Europe to decorate the interior. The construction took 15 years and opened to the public on April 7, 2007.”
Built on the top and into and under the hillside, Castello di Amorosa is truly the castle of love. The passion and energy Dario put into building this castle and the winery associated with it are evident as we talked to this intriguing man. Still active at his age, Dario is a true visionary who exudes passion, romance, and love of life.
What started as a plan for an 8,500 square-foot castle expanded to the 130,000 square foot complex visitors see today. There are 107 rooms, caves, wine barrels, and medieval decor that make visitors truly feel like they had stepped back in time. There is even a torture chamber underground reminiscent of those in San Gimignano and other parts of Europe.
In 2020, part of the grounds, including a large stone building adjacent to the castle, suffered heavy damages during a fire. Nearly 120,000 bottles of wine worth $6,000,000 were ruined, along with equipment, storage facilities, office space, and other belongings. Always a survivor and a doer, Dario is well underway with the restoration process. Some of the exterior structure and the demolished interior have already been restored, and restoration efforts continue. Luckily, the castle itself was spared from the fire.
Castello di Amorosa welcomes 600 visitors a day for tours and tastings. Unusual in this day, Castello only sells its wines at the castle through direct and online sales. It is a testament to the quality of the wines that Castello di Amorosa does not need to market and sell through any other channels.
Some of the special wines produced include a wonderful 2015 La Castellana Super Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese. This Lady of the Castle will surely please the most discriminating wine lover.
Whether you are fascinated by the spectacular medieval castle or you just enjoy quality wine, Castello di Amorosa is a must see in Napa Valley.
Nickel & Nickel Winery in Oakville
Part of the Far Niente family, Nickel & Nickel is just across the vineyard from Opus One. The tasting room is in the old Sullenger farm house, which has been lovingly restored to welcome visitors. The large back porch is a great place for a wine tasting, which offers great views of the barn, vineyards, and the surrounding hills.
Nickel & Nickel was established by the partners of Far Niente to focus on a philosophy of producing 100 percent varietal, single-vineyard wines. The winery’s current releases include Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, as well as Syrah from nearby Sonoma.
Although the majority – 17 – of the wines are single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, Nickel & Nickel also produces other great wines. In the waiting room, we were greeted with a glass of the crisp 2018 Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay from Carneros in Napa Valley.
Marco, our friendly host for our tasting, introduced us to four of the Cabernet Sauvignons Nickel & Nickel is known for. We enjoyed each one, and especially liked the 2018 Kenefick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga. Another favorite was the 2018 Branding Iron Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon out of Oakville. For some of the best single vineyard wines around, check out Nickel & Nickel.
Judd Hill's Winery and MicroCrush in Napa
For a fun and educational time, Judd’s Hill Winery and MicroCrush is a great experience. Not only did we get to sample several wines from the area, but we also got to experiment by blending our own personal concoctions.
Armed with four wines, a measuring cylinder, and three beakers, we played with different mixes of the four wines. After tasting the individual wines, we blended different percentages of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, the Merlot, and the Petite Verdot.
Ryan, our host, was very knowledgable about the various grapes and wines produced in Napa Valley. His stories, commentary, and answers to our questions were on point as he educated and entertained us. Throughout the tasting and blending, we appreciated Ryan’s insightful thoughts and sense of humor.
The First Bottles of Chateau Kendall at Judd's Hill
Moreover, it was fun to experiment and select our favorite blend. Ryan put our creation in two bottles with our personalized labels. Thus was born the first production for the newly formed Chateau Kendall!
As fun and educational as this process is, Judd’s Hill has taken this a step further. Local grape growers, hobbyists, or anyone wanting to work with Judd’s Hill MicroCrush services can do the same. Whether on a small or larger scale, people can work with Judd’s Hill’s knowledgeable staff to select grapes to blend, ferment, and eventually bottle their own wines.
For a casual, relaxing experience, we highly recommend Judd’s Hill Winery and MicroCrush in Napa.
Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena
Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena has been in operation since 1933, when it began under the name of Sunnyhill Winery. Through the years Merryvale has gone through several different owners and names. In 1991 Jack Schlatter became a partner. The name was changed to Merryvale Vineyards, and in 1996, Jack and his family became sole owners.
Visitors to Merryvale have many tasting options to choose from. The Signature Tasting, Pinot Noir Tasting, Reserve Tasting, Profile Library Tasting, and the Artisanal Wine and Cheese Tasting.
Whether you a drinking a classic varietal or a single vineyard selection, the wines at Merryvale are complex and balanced. Choose from a great lineup, including over two dozen 90 + point wines from the family of Merryvale wines.
You can even join Merryvale for their first hosted AMADEUS River Cruise in France in June of 2022. Together, René and Laurence Schlatter, Proprietors of Merryvale Vineyards, have customized an itinerary that acquaints guests with their shared heritage as visitors will enjoy world-class culinary creations and bespoke experiences among breathtaking landscapes. This program features a 7-night cruise onboard the AMADEUS Provence as you travel through Burgundy and Provence along the Rhône and Saône Rivers.
Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant in Napa
In the middle of Napa (as well as downtown San Francisco), you’ll find Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant at the Oxbow Public Market. This is the perfect place to pick your favorite combination of artisanal cheeses, meats, sandwiches, beer, and wine. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating at the market. Or, if you prefer, pick up a to-go order to enjoy a private picnic at a nearby park or in your hotel room.
After a full day of visiting wineries in Napa Valley, we picked up the perfect evening meal at Oxbow Cheese & Wine Market. We grabbed a delicious Situation Sandwich made with Sopressata, Prosciutto, Provolone Cheese, Aioli, Tomatoes and Mixed Greens. We also ordered an Oxford Cheese Board and charcuterie, all paired with a nice Chardonnay from Matthiasson’s Linda Vista Vineyard.
Come See Napa Valley For Yourself
Having traveled all over the US and Europe, I have to say that Napa Valley ranks high on the list of great destinations to visit. In addition to some of the best wines in the world, the beautiful landscapes, fantastic food, wonderful climate, and friendly folks will welcome you with open arms.
Scott Kendall is the Founder, Editor, and frequent contributor to PlayStayEat. He is a former Navy Officer, teacher and tennis coach who is an avid traveler and writer. Scott has traveled extensively throughout the United States and overseas to Italy, France, England, Croatia, Slovenia, and others. In addition to his contributions to PlayStayEat, much of his published work can be seen at scottkendalltravels.com.
Thanks to our gracious hosts as we explored this beautiful area: Opus One, Nickel & Nickel, Castello di Amorosa, Merryvale, Judd’s Hill, and Oxbow Wine & Cheese Merchant. All opinions are those of the author.