Raymond Vineyards celebrated their first vintage in 1974, but the Raymond family’s roots in the Napa Valley go all the way back to 1933, when Roy Raymond Sr. moved to the valley shortly after the end of prohibition. In 1936, Roy married Martha Jane Beringer, and went to work with the Beringer family at their winery, where he was involved in all facets of the wine business for over 35 years. In 1970, Roy and sons Warren and Roy Jr. founded Raymond Vineyards, celebrating their first crush in 1974 and soon thereafter began winning acclaim for their elegant wines. The Raymond family has carried forward their deep roots through five generations, even through ownership has changed through the years (the winery was purchased by Japanese brewer Kirin in 1989).

In 2009, Raymond Vineyards became a part of Boisset Family Estates, marking the beginning of a transformation that continues today. With deep roots in Burgundy, France, Boisset has added several California wineries to their family portfolio in recent years, and continues to invest in landmark wineries from the best growing regions around the world. In addition to bringing aboard winemaker Stephanie Putnam and transitioning the vineyards at Raymond to organic and Biodynamic® farming practices, the tasting room and hospitality areas at the winery have undergone extensive renovation, creating an unparalleled experience for Napa Valley visitors and guests.

In addition to ample parking, there are several outdoor areas to explore before entering the tasting room – a whimsical area with lawn furniture that looks like it came right off the set of Alice in Wonderland, a menagerie of picture frames for creating memorable photos with family and friends, and a farming exhibit entitled the Theater of Nature. Raymond Vineyards now offers two distinct tasting room experiences – a traditional tasting room, and the new Crystal Cellar. The main tasting room offers a more traditional experience, hosting flights of Raymond Vineyard wines in a bright, welcoming space with a modern-farmhouse feel (private tastings are also available). The main tasting room also has a large selection of Raymond-branded merchandise, from t-shirts to bottle openers.

In 2010, Raymond opened a second tasting room – the Crystal Cellar – which is definitely not your traditional tasting room. While the outdoors ambiance hints at a touch of refined whimsy, the Crystal Cellar brings it full circle. The brainchild of Jean-Charles Boisset, president of Boisset Family Estates, the Crystal Cellar is a living part of the winery, integrating dramatic lighting with shiny stainless-steel fermenting tanks, mirrored tables and counters, and bristling with Baccarat® crystal (available for purchase, of course). Stepping into the Crystal Cellar is like traveling instantly from the country daylight of St. Helena to an elegant Paris nightclub. In addition to offering two tasting flights (including one with a side-by-side tasting highlighting wine decanted in Baccarat® crystal), the Crystal Cellar features several dining areas for private events, including an intimate space surrounded by wine barrels and a large, mirrored dining table that can accommodate large groups.

If you’re visiting the Napa Valley, Raymond Vineyards is a must-visit destination.

The original chateau was built in 1920 as a Summer home for the Goff family, who had a prosperous iron mine in Michigan and lumber operations in the Northwest. Originally planted to white grapes, the vineyards were taken out during prohibition and the land used for walnut and prune orchards for many years. In 1973, the chateau and surrounding  properties were purchased and winery operations restarted as Chateau St. Jean. The gardens and visitor center were opened in 2000, helping Chateau St. Jean become the Sonoma destination it is today.

The main tasting room is housed in the visitor center, along with a charcuterie (French-style delicatessen) offering everything from sandwiches and cheese samplers to wines by the glass, and a large selection of wine-related household goods and gifts for sale. With numerous outdoor seating areas, you could enjoy a memorable wine-country lunch with friends or an impromptu afternoon getaway. Directly across a walled courtyard from the visitor center entrance is the chateau itself, which is home to the reserve tasting room, a large private dining room, an art gallery, and several upstairs rooms (formerly the chateau bedrooms, now used for private group tastings).

Chateau St. Jean offers some great outdoor entertainment options, including a large, walled courtyard garden, styled after the traditional gardens one might find in the Northern Mediterranean. This garden is connected to several walled courtyards, and all are sprinkled with small group seating areas. Off to the side of the main courtyard is a vine-training demonstration garden, showcasing how different types of vines are pruned and trained (depending on the time of year you visit) according to several traditional and modern methods.

Slightly elevated from the valley floor, Chateau St. Jean sits at the edge of the valley at the base of Sugarloaf Ridge, and offers sweeping views of the estate vineyards and Sonoma valley beyond, with ample places to stroll around outside and simply enjoy the scenery. The patio courtyard of the chateau also offers generous outdoor seating, with groups of large patio tables partially shaded by large mature trees and overhead umbrellas, and offering sweeping views of the estate vineyards and the Sonoma Valley beyond.

Chateau St. Jean produces a lot of wines – both in quantity and variety, and though some stood out more than others, they were all tasty, and reflected the single-vineyard focus of the wine-making tradition at Chateau St. Jean. We sampled several of their more popular and moderately-priced wines in the main tasting room before wandering over to the chateau, where we were treated to a sample of their “Cinq Cépages” Cabernet Sauvignon, their flagship offering, and well-deserving of its revered status. Everyone we met at Chateau St. Jean was friendly and accommodating, offering friendly “hellos” and making us feel welcome even outside the designated main hospitality areas. John, our main tasting host, offered some great explanations about the wines he was pouring, and was very knowledgeable about the various vineyards, flavor profiles, and wine-making methods used for each wine.

August “Joe” Briggs started making wines under the August Briggs label in 1995, after a decade spent making wines at wineries in Oregon and Sonoma County. With the help of family members and a small dedicated staff, August Briggs opened the current tasting room near Calistoga in 2004. While Joe’s first love in wines was Pinot Noir, August Briggs now produces a number of small-batch wines including Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petit Sirah, Charbono, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With only a small plot of estate grapes planted to Petit Sirah, August Briggs has spent years developing relationships with vineyard owners, and sources winegrapes from several dedicated lots throughout the Napa Valley, Sonoma and Lake Counties.

The tasting room, located in a large, whitewashed-redwood barn that is also home to the fermenting and barrel-aging operations, is on the smaller side – about 8 people might fit comfortably at the counter before knocking elbows together. Perhaps the small size, coupled with the fact that tasting flights are complimentary, explains the comparatively-small flight of 4 wines, keeping the visits short enough to keep guests happy (though the tasting notes gently tease: “If you’re good, there might be something else to taste. Just ask nicely.” so be on your best behavior and give the guy next to you some elbow room just in case).

Free tastings are a rarity in the Napa Valley, so have fun. You never know what’s going to be poured from one week to the next, as this winery makes very small batches that are prone to selling out quickly – the wines we tasted were all pleasant and represented their varietals well, and the winemaker strives to keep improving his wines with each new season. More reason to keep coming back every year. And if you find something you like, why not buy a bottle or two and have a picnic on the tables outside overlooking the estate vineyards? It sure sounds like a great idea to me, and I look forward to visiting again soon.

After finishing his military service in the 1960’s, Robert Craig was part of a club in San Francisco that tasted numerous wines, and he discovered that mountain wines always seemed to be his favorites. He eventually decided that he’d like to be involved in making his own hillside wines in the Napa Valley area where he and his wife often came, and started developing a vineyard on Mt. Veeder. He eventually found himself working as general manager of the Hess Collection Winery, playing an instrumental role in getting Mt. Veeder recognized as a distinct AVA district.

In 1992, he joined with several close friends to start his own winery, with a focus on handmade Cabernet Sauvignon, and in 1995 released their first Cabernet under the Robert Craig label. The current winery facilities, completed in 2002, sit atop the summit of Howell Mountain, 2,200 feet above the Napa Valley. In keeping with Robert Craig’s focus on mountain wines, their vineyards are located on Howell Mountain and Spring Mountain in the North end of the Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder in the Mayacamas to the West, and in the St. Gerorge foothills toward the Southeast end. Robert Craig’s goal is to “get the vineyard in the bottle,” and the results are nothing but spectacular. I tasted several Cabernets, fermented and barelled the same year in the same way, but sourced from different vineyards, and the character of the vineyards they are sourced from really comes through.

I didn’t know what to expect when I first saw the Robert Craig tasting room. It’s located off the beaten path in a quiet office park near Napa’s downtown, where it’s unlikely to attract any street traffic, and the office-like exterior gives no hint of the elegant interior and warm hospitality you’ll find once you enter. After scheduling an appointment with Jeff Roman, the sales & hospitality manager, I came in for a late-afternoon tasting, and was treated to an unhurried, educational experience. Jeff did a great job of explaining a bit about Robert Craig’s history in the Napa Valley, his passion for crafting fine mountain-origin Cabernets, and his “let the vineyards speak” approach to winemaking. Jeff was very friendly, and shared his knowledge about all facets of Robert Craig wines – from the history, to their different vineyards, to what foods might pair well with a particular bottle.

Jeff invited me to try a number of different wines, starting with a clear, bright, wet-tasting, well-balanced Chardonnay, followed by a nice pale Rosé that was light and not overly sweet. Though I visited in early February, I could see myself drinking these with friends on a hot Summer day. Next was the “Affinity” Cabernet (a Bordeaux-style blend), sourced from grapes on Robert Craig’s home vineyard, followed by a Howell Mountain Zinfandel. Both were easy and approachable, and tasting the two in close succession really highlighted the difference between the Cabernet and Zinfandel styles in their spice and tannin characteristics, mouthfeel, and finish.

Next, I was treated to something I rarely get to try: two Cabernets made exactly the same but sourced from different vineyards (Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain), two years consecutively (2007 and 2008). I tasted them side-by-side and then year-to-year, and it’s amazing how the different soils and climates come through in the wine, and how much difference an extra year in bottle can make for some of these big, full-flavor Cabernets. These Cabernets are big-bodied, full of berry and spice flavors, and can leave your mouth dry on their own, as they’re still a bit young (the 2008′s were as-yet-unreleased). I could see them all aging nicely and developing more complexity over time, or even pairing well right now with some savory food, since the wine literally binds to the fats and proteins in foods and change their flavor, and these all had rich tannins. Finally, I finished my visit with a Cuvee blend from Robert Craig’s home estate, a nice note to finish with. Like many blends, this one was easy and approachable with nice berry flavors and a balanced finish. Thanks for a great experience, Jeff – (and of course to “Bob” for making these wines).

We visited on a Sunday in mid-February, and didn’t arrange a reservation ahead of time, but I imagine that reservations are a must during peak season (and can easily be made online, see web address below).  There are several tables of different sizes inside the modernly-appointed tasting room, and a wide array of seating choices outside – from covered patios to clusters of Adirondack-style chairs offering dappled shade from large, mature oaks. It’s a romantic setting, and soft music from outdoor speakers adds to the relaxing ambience. The outdoor setting here is truly spectacular, and in 1995 served as the backdrop to the movie A Walk in the Clouds starring Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn.

Paraduxx is part of the Duckhorn Vineyards family, and is focused solely on Bordeaux-style blends as opposed to single-varietal wines (thus the name – pair-o’-ducks). One of the nicest things about blended wines is that they don’t need to be bottle-aged to reach their peak the way some wines do, and are carefully crafted to balance on the tongue and be enjoyed right now (while still aging nicely). If you don’t have a wine cellar or see one in your future, you’ll want to add some Paraduxx wines to your shopping list. All the wines we tried here were tasty, and though they could all be enjoyed on their own, would pair easily with a variety of foods.

The serving presentation at Paraduxx deserves extra kudos. As soon as we were seated, we were given a glass of one their white wine (Viognier)  blends, which was soon followed by a tray of stemless Reidel glasses containing the rest of our flight, each wine accompanied by a handsomely-printed card with the winemaker’s tasting notes and production information, and a nicely-paired selection of cheeses and crackers.

Our friendly server, John (who is a flight instructor during the week!), spent some time educating us about the winery, introduced each wine he’d brought out, and then left us alone to enjoy the wines at our own pace. I liked that the wines were paired with some simple foods, because unlike some wines that I might taste to see how they would age, these are all wines I’d probably want to take home and have sometime this year – and probably with friends over some similar fare. Our visit to Paraduxx made for a truly enjoyable afternoon.

Set back from the main highway a bit by a “green zone” of vines, vegetables, and fresh herbs, the Logan-Ives house that serves as the main tasting room is a restored 1874 Gothic-revival farmhouse, and is at once modern, timeless, and elegant. The signature pointed-arches of the gothic movement are reflected in many of the home’s furnishings, and even the signage outdoors. The tasting room is bright, spacious and offers several entertainment areas, each with nice view onto the surrounding gardens.

I was greeted at the tasting bar by a friendly server named Cynthia who shared a wealth of knowledge about the ranch and their operations while explaining the various wines she was pouring. The wines I tried were all excellent, and included a Sauvignon Blanc, three Cabernet Sauvignons and a red table wine called Ranch House Blend. My favorite was the complex E.J. Church Cabernet, named for the ranch’s original landholder, which I could imagine pairing with a nice steak. Luckily, the ranch’s own Farmstead restaurant offering grass-fed Highland beef (and farm-to-table vegetables for the vegetarian-minded), is just across from the tasting room should you care to indulge a similar fantasy on your visit.

ZD Wines was founded in 1969 by two aerospace engineers, Norman deLeuze and Gino Zepponi, who chose the name “ZD” because it both represented their last-name initials as well as one of the founding principles they’d brought with them from aerospace: a standard of “zero defects.” Initially buying grapes from other growers and making wine in a rented farm building in Carneros, the winery operation has steadily grown over the past 40+ years to include vineyards in Carneros and Rutherford, and the current winery and tasting room along Silverado Trail. The original founders have since passed away, but the deLouze family legacy of making wines with quality, consistency and style is still carried forward by Norman’s wife Rosa Lee, sons Robert and Brett, daughter Julie, and now a third generation – grandchildren Brandon and Jill.

ZD Wines focuses production on three consistent varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They typically release a limited-production reserve offering of these three varietals each year, sometimes with the addition of other wines under the “Rosa Lee” label (past Rosa Lee offerings have included Muscat Canelli, Mourvèdre, Voignier, Petit Sirah, and others). In 1999, ZD introduced something unique – their Abacus wine, a solera-style multiple-vintage blend of every ZD Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ever produced, which is held in the barrel until bottling. Every year since, a limited amount is bottled and that year’s new vintage Reserve Cabernet is added back to the barrels. The resulting Abacus wines combine the best qualities of an aged wine with the fruit-forward character of a young wine, and one imagines they will continue to grow in complexity and elegance with each new bottling.

While I haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying their Abacus wines (largely due to the $475 price), I can certainly say that the more moderately-priced wines I have tried from ZD are all standouts. I recently took my wife tasting at several wineries (including some that are perhaps more famous) before stopping at ZD, and she agreed that none of them quite blew her socks off the way ZD’s wines did. Our friendly hostess Emily gave us some great background information on the wines she was pouring, and before we left, even recommended some of her other favorite wineries in the valley – complete with a map of circled destinations!

ZD is probably best known for their Chardonnays, which are cold-barrel fermented and aged in oak barrels, resulting in a nice balance of fruit and thirst-quenching acidity. I found their Cabernet Sauvignons to be refreshingly friendly, with nice complexities but lacking the “bigness” that dominates some Napa Valley Cabernets, meaning that you don’t need to keep these in the cellar for a few years until they tone down considerably – they’re ready to drink right now. My favorite wine by far is ZD’s Pinot Noir. ZD has been making Pinot for over 40 years, and it shows in the complex berry, fruit and spice flavors, creating a pleasurable sensory experience from nose to mouth to throat. My wife and I recently enjoyed a bottle along with some tri-tip, and her name for ZD’s Pinot Noir is now simply “happy juice.” I couldn’t agree more.

You might recognize the names Brambila and GustavoThrace from the 2008 movie Bottle Shock, where Brambila was portrayed by actor Freddy Rodriguez as a young lab worker and aspiring wine maker at Chateau Montelena. After working there and at Grgich Hills Cellar, Brambila teamed up with Thrace Bromberger in 1996 to form GustavoThrace, where he makes the wine and she sells it. The GustavoThrace team also serves as winemaker for a number of boutique, small-production labels in the Napa area.

I visited on a drizzly Tuesday afternoon in February, and just about had the place to myself. I was warmly greeted by Ms. Bromberger herself, and took a seat at the tasting bar. The sign in the window actually reads “Wine Lounge & Tasting Bar,” which pretty much describes the interior layout. There are several tables in the front that look like they’d be a great place to chat with friends while you uncork and share a bottle, and an L-shaped tasting bar at the back that can probably accommodate ten or so people. The tasting bar offers light snacks (truffles, pretzels) that are geared toward cleansing the palate or previewing the sinfully delicious pairing of red wines with chocolate.

When it comes to wines, there is a large selection to be found, as this tasting room is host not only to GustavoThrace, but also Toolbox Wines, which explains the dressed-up-greaser-garage menagerie in the front of the store. Toolbox wines are all currently priced at $15, and from what I could tell, represent a pretty good value at that price range. I tried several wines from both GustavoThrace and Toolbox, and ended up buying the GustavoThrace Third Bottle red table wine.