Napa Valley's Hidden Gem Wineries
So you’ve been to Napa Valley numerous times and now you’re wondering what’s next. Not that breathtaking vistas and delicious food and wine could ever get boring, but you really want to explore what makes Napa Valley so legendary. Below we’ve listed just a few of our favorite Napa Valley wineries, but we can’t give them all away just yet.
Dakota Shy
From carefully selected vineyards, produced in very small quantities and artfully crafted to reflect a sense of place, Dakota Shy wines are a testament to Napa Valley's reputation for producing the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in the world.
After years of working together at Revana Family Vineyard, Todd Newman and Tom Garrett set out with a determination to create a world-class estate of their own. Their goal is to craft wines of substance and place that rival the best of what Napa Valley has to offer; from the pinnacle of quality and luxury to world-class Cabernet Sauvignon that can proudly be placed on the table and enjoyed every week.
Dakota Shy sources grapes from all over Napa Valley: from the mountains of Howell and Veeder, to Pritchard Hill, the bench of Oak Knoll, and the stunning valley floor AVAs of Oakville, St. Helena and Calistoga. These sites offer unique and varied characteristics that Dakota Shy elevates to create complex, sophisticated and powerful Cabernets.
Staglin Family Vineyard
Situated at the base of the western slopes of Mount St. John, the tallest mountain in the Mayacamas Range, this sixty-one acre property is located in an alluvial fan containing rich volcanic soils. With ideal soils, microclimate and location, the estate's potential was recognized by some of the first Napa Valley settlers and was planted to vineyards in the mid 1860's. Today the property includes fifty-one acres of vines, an underground winery and the historic homestead.
Stop at the Staglin Family Vineyard located on the Rutherford Bench. Upon arrival at the Steckter House, the original homestead built in 1864 and renovated in 2010, you will be greeted with a glass of their estate Chardonnay. After an introduction to the property you will be guided on a short walk through the vineyards to their winery caves for a brief tour of the production facility. Upon return to the Steckter House you and your guests will enjoy an intimate tasting of Cabernet Sauvignons produced on the estate.
Forman Vineyard
Forman Vineyard is a small estate property in St. Helena that has been owned and operated by winemaker Ric Forman since 1983. Hillside vineyards surround the European style winery, which is perched on a ridge at the base of Howell Mountain and is overlooking the town of St. Helena. The winery is ideally situated to allow aging in deep, underground caves. Four Bordeaux varieties, all grown on the rocky slopes below and above the winery, are produced to achieve an elegant wine with remarkable consistency and finesse and always shows identity to the prized growing site. A small quantity of Chardonnay from the Rutherford Star Vineyard is always barrel fermented without malolactic. Unique to other California Chardonnays, this bright white has often been labeled as the Chablis of California.
As a sole proprietor, Forman has the luxury of personally nurturing the wines during every stage of production – from harvest, through blending, bottling and aging. In an age of anonymous ownership, this type of hands-on approach to winemaking is growing ever rarer. Influenced early on by the wines and winemaking practices of the Bordeaux region of France, Forman has consistently sought a similar perfection for the wines of his vineyard.
Tamber Bey Vineyards
A visit to the Tamber Bey Vineyards is like nothing else in Napa Valley. The winery is located at the Sundance Ranch in Calistoga, a world-class equestrian facility that is dedicated to training top performance horses. The tasting room is located in the original barn clubhouse designed by renowned Napa Valley architect Howard Backen. The barn surrounds the courtyard, where guests can taste wine, mingle with the horses, and enjoy stunning views of Mount St. Helena and the Palisades. Select a custom wine tasting experience or try their signature cookie pairing.
