Napa Valley and Sonoma Wineries Open New Years Eve 2016

Napa Valley Wineries & Tasting Rooms
*Open New Year’s Eve

    Back Room Wines:  707.226.1378Open 10:00am – 5:00pm
    Black Stallion Winery: 707.227.3250Open10:00am – 5:00pm
    Bennett Lane Winery:   877.629.6272Open 10:30am – 3:00 pm
    Castello di Amorosa:  707.967.6272Open 9:30am – 5:00pm
    Cliff Lede Winery:   800.428.2260Open 10:00am – 2:00pm
    Chateau Montelena Winery:  707.942.5105Open 9:30am – 12:000pm
    Chateau Potelle Winery:   707.255.9440Open 10:00am – 3:00pm
    Cuvaison Estate – Napa: 707.942.2455Open1 0:00am – 4:00pm
    Cuvaison Estate – Calistoga:  707.942.2468Open 11:00am – 4:00pm
    Del Dotto – St. Helena: 707.963.2134Open 11:00am – 5:00pm (Appt. Required)
    Domaine Carneros:   800.716.2788Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    Domaine Chandon:  888.242.6366 opt. 3Open 10:00am – 5:00pm
    Elizabeth Spencer Wines:  707.963.4762Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    Grgich Hills Estate:  800.532.3057Open 9:30am- 4:30pm
    Hall – St. Helena:   707.967.2626Open 10:00am – 3:00pm
    Hall – Rutherford : 707.967.2626Open By Appointment
    Hess Collection:   707.255.1144Open 10:00am – 2:00pm
    Inglenook:   707.968.1100Open 10:00am – 5:00pm
    Judd’s Hill Winery:   707-255-2332Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    Louis M. Martini:   707.968.3361Open 10:00am – 3:00pm
    Markham Vineyards:  707.963.5292Open 10:00am – 5:00pm
    Merryvale Vineyards:  707.663.7777Open 10:30am – 3:00pm
    Pine Ridge Vineyards:   800.575.9777Open 10:00am – 4:30pm
    Raymond Vineyards:   707.963.3141Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    Robert Mondavi Winery:   888-766-6328Open 10:00am-3:00pm
    Round Pound Estate:   707.302.2575Open 10:00am – 3:00pm (last appt. at 1:30pm)
    Signorello Estate:   707.255.5990Open10:00am – 5:00pm (by Appt. only)
    St. Supery:  707.963.4507Open 10:00am – 2:30pm
    V. Sattui Winery:   707.963.7774Open   9:00am – 5:00pm
    William Hill Winery:  707 265 3024Open 10:00am – 3:00pm

*Open New Year’s Day

    Alpha & Omega Winery: 707.963.9999Open 10:00am – 6:00pm
    Bennett Lane Winery:  877.629.6272Open 11:00am – 3:00pm
    Castello di Amorosa:   707.967.6272Open9:30am – 5:00pm
    Cuvaison Estate – Napa:  707.942.2455Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    Del Dotto – St. Helena: 707.963.2134 Open 11:00am – 5:00pm (Appt. Required)
    Domaine Carneros:   800.716.2788Open 12:00pm – 6:00pm
    Elizabeth Spencer Wines: 10:00am – 4:00pm 707.963.4762
    Raymond Vineyards:   707.963.3141   Open 10:00am – 4:00pm
    V. Sattui Winery:   707.963.7774 Open 9:00am – 5:00pm

Sonoma County Wineries & Tasting Rooms
*Open New Year’s Eve

    Anaba Wines:  707.996.4188Open 10:30 am – 3pm
    Battaglini Estate Winery:   707.578.4091Open 10am – 4:30pm
    Cartograph Wines:   707.433.8270, Open 12pm – 4pm
    Chalk Hill Estate:   707.657.4837Open 10am – 4pm
    Christopher Creek: 707.433.2001 Open 10am – 6pm
    Deloach Vineyards:  707.526.9111Open 10am – 5pm
    Dutton Estate Winery:   707.829.9463Open 10am – 3pm
    Francis Ford Copolla Winery:   707.857.1471 Open 11am – 6pm
    Gloria Ferrer:   707.996.7256Open 10am – 3pm
    Halleck Vineyard:  707.484.0707Open 10:30am – 3:00pm
    Hanna Winery:  707.431.4310Open 10am – 4pm
    Hartford Family Winery: 707.887.8030Open 10am – 3pm
    Hop Kiln Winery:   707.433.6491Open 10am – 2pm
    Imagery Estate:  877.550.4278Open 10am – 2:30pm
    Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens:    707.571.8100Open 10am – 3pm
    Korbel Champagne Cellars:   707.824.700010am – 4:30pm
    La Crema:   800.314.1762Open 10:30am – 3pm
    Longboard Vineyards:    707.433.3473Open 11am – 2pm
    Mantanzas Creek Winery:  707.528.6464Open 10am – 2pm
    Murphy-Goode:   707.431.7644Open 10:30am – 3pm
    Rodney Strong Vineyards:   707.431.1533Open 10am – 3pm
    Russian Hill Winery:    707.575.9428Open 10am – 4pm
    Selby:    707.431.1288Open 11am – 5:30pm
    St. Francis Winery:  707.431.8749Open 10am – 2pm
    Stephen & Walker Winery:   707.431.8749Open 11am – 7pm
    Topel Winery Tasting Room:  707.433.4116Open 11am – 5pm
    Walt Wines :  707.933.4440   Open 11am – 4pm
    White Oak Vineyards:   707.433.8429Open 10am – 2pm

Special Thanks to Winecountry.com for the list.  Always a good idea to contact the wineries directly to verify before coming in.

Five Napa Wineries You Should Not Miss (But Most Do)

Anthony Bourdain knows what I'm talking about.  He says to skip the Eiffel Tower when visiting Paris, to not fight the crowds at the Louvre, to take a selfie in front of Notre Dame but not go in. Instead he goes to a bistro, orders wine and cheese and gets into the local scene.

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Tasting wine away from the crowds

That's my advice for Napa and Sonoma. You want to see Mondavi, go to your supermarket shelf. You want a tram ride, go to Disneyland. But if you want good wine, if you want a wine tasting experience that surprises and delights and surpasses all expectations, then you need to follow me.

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No doubt, winery tours are the essential field trip experience for first timers.  But do you really want to walk through the hot vineyards or stare at a stainless steel tank?  No, you came to taste wine and that's why I love Bell Wine Cellar's Grape to Glass Tour, a 90 minute experience that's mainly focused on tasting wine, not looking at it.

There's a bit of vineyard talk, a bit of barrel talk, but mainly it's tasting deep inside the winery and tasting, from sparkling wines to deep Napa cabs. The wines are serious but the tasting experience fun for all levels, it's my favorite tour for first timers and wine lovers.

BELL WINE CELLARS
AVG BOTTLE PRICE:  $60
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED:  info@bellwine.com
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DEAL:  2 for 1 WITH PRIORITY WINE PASS - NORMALLY $50 PER PERSON.

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Canihan Winery near Sonoma

This doesn't look like a winery at all.  There are no big screen TV's, no hostess, there's not a tour bus in sight. Instead of a sign there's a mailbox with the address.  Instead of a tasting room there's a barn. And inside the barn is Bill Canihan, the guy responsible for making some of the best Pinots in all of Napa and Sonoma.

This is no prop, no marketing creation, Canihan is unpretentious and honest, a hard working guy making wine he hopes you will love. It's my latest find, my favorite new "hidden" winery, make reservations and experience Canihan Wines.

CANIHAN WINERY
AVG BOTTLE PRICE:  $50
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED:  (415) 990-9270
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DEAL:  2 FOR 1 WITH PRIORITY WINE PASS (NORMALLY $25 PER PERSON), TASTING FEE TOTALLY WAIVED WITH PURCHASE

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Pity the fools who are lining up to try to get another sip at one of the big mega wineries.  Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards takes you deep into the caves with a small group to sample some of Napa's most exquisite wines.  Barrel tasting, of course, and you can even reserve a spot to do some wine and food pairing with the winemaker.

ANDERSON'S CONN VALLEY
AVG BOTTLE PRICE:  $75
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DEAL:  2 for 1 CAVE TASTING (NORMALLY $65 PER PERSON) WITH PRIORITY WINE PASS

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Relaxing Dutch Henry in Calistoga

An industrial building for tastings, picnic tables under the trees, bocce ball next to the vineyards, Dutch Henry is a hidden gem in the Calistoga area. Make reservations and you can even taste inside their caves, an incredible experience. Make this your last stop of the day and give yourself enough time to buy a bottle to sip under the trees. Relaxing and fun.

Tip: Bring some cheese and bread for a delightfully low key picnic experience.

DUTCH HENRY WINERY
AVG BOTTLE PRICE:  $50
WALK IN'S OK BUT RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR CAVE TASTING
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DEAL:  2 for 1 WITH PRIORITY WINE PASS

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Food and Wine Pairing at B Cellars

Wine and food pairings taken to the extreme, B Cellars goes beyond the nibble of cheese and expands it into a four course meal.  The four course pairing costs $135 per person but those with lighter appetites (and wallets) can still experience B Cellars with a $60 food pairing experience that takes you through the gardens, caves, and back to a seated table where the chef is preparing tasty bites to go with each wine.  Outstanding experience for those who love food as much as they do wine.

B CELLARS WINERY
AVG BOTTLE PRICE:  $75
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DEAL:  VIP OAKVILLE TREK TASTING, $300 PER COUPLE INCLUDES TASTING, TOUR, FOOD, PAIRING, AND TWO SIGNED BOTTLES IN WOODEN GIFT BOXES WITH PRIORITY WINE PASS.

Tasting Etiquette
Unlike the big wineries who see thousands of people a day these small boutiques have limited visitors.  Therefore, visit them expecting to buy a bottle or two (or more), of course assuming you like their wine.  If not it's always a nice gesture to tip the person who poured your wine - standard restaurant tipping rules apply so a $50 tasting = $10 tip.

Wine Pass
Get these deals and many others with the annual wine pass.  The Priority Wine Pass is the easiest way to get Napa deals and discounts without jumping through hoops. No tweeting before tasting from a phone app, no searching for an expired coupon, just flash the card or image on your phone and get these and other Napa tasting deals!

Silver Trident Winery in Yountville Review

Silver Trident Winery

6495 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599  |  (707) 945-0311

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Everything is for sale at Silver Trident Winery in Yountville

Lately I've been getting a ton of requests for wineries you can walk to, areas where you can spend a few hours sightseeing and tasting wine along the way. For those people I recommend Yountville, a picturesque town filled with scenery, top end restaurants, and lots of tasting rooms. One of the most unique is Silver Trident Winery, a tasting room that looks more like a Ralph Lauren show room than a winery tasting room.  I mean it - nearly everything inside is Ralph Lauren, from the sofas to the corkscrews, and everything is for sale.

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Yes, you can taste sitting on that couch.  Don't spill the red wine!

Silver Trident has different rooms for tastings, from fully decked out dens to fancy dining rooms where the chairs cost $7,000 apiece and are so comfortable it almost seems reasonable. I know, it's a bit disconcerting at first to plop yourself down in such a fancy setting to taste wine, especially if you're like me where the red wine while sitting on the sofa is a guaranteed disaster. Thankfully they sat us in the dining room, surrounded by original art by Jacques Pepin, the famous French chef.  Now I don't mean to sound like a hillbilly but bring on the wine!

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Little bites to go with the wine at Silver Trident

Wine and Food Pairing

Hey, this is nice!  A bit of small bites comes out with the tastings, a mini-wine and food pairing experience that usually is an upgraded extra at other wineries but comes with reserved tastings. Oh yeah, make a reservation to make sure you get a spot. Walk-In's welcome if it's not busy but you want to call ahead to get this sort of VIP treatment.

The wines ranged from a lovely rose of Pinot Noir to deep dark Cabernet Sauvignon that Napa is famous for. The wines were complex, lively, and very drinkable. Get a bottle of that Rose and open it with a nice baguette and some cheese and it's pretty much a perfect day.

Pouring wines and spouting off philosophies at Silver Trident

Now you might think that this is going to be too stuffy, too hoity-toity, but it's not! In fact, it's one of the friendlier wine tasting experiences you might have. Perhaps it's because their background is from the ocean cruise industry where fine hospitality is a requirement. From the greeter to the server to the sleeping dog in front named Keith Richards, everyone was welcoming and trust me, you don't have to be a wine expert to love their wines and this experience.

And if the furniture is a bit out of your price range, isn't it fun to dream a little?

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Discover Sonoma: Take a Side Trip to Rustic Canihan Winery

Canihan Winery | 1340 Napa Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476 | Appt Only: (415) 990-9270

"Look for the numbers on the mailbox or you'll miss it."

Those instructions were from Bill Canihan Jr, the owner of the family winery with roots that go back to Switzerland where his grandfather was born. Looking for a better life, his grandfathers journey led him to San Francisco where he developed a passion for wine, a love that was handed down to his son-in-law who purchased a farm in Sonoma in 1973.  Fast forward a few years and his grandson, once a successful mortgage broker, is responsible for making some of the best Pinot Noirs and Syrahs you'll ever taste. Seriously good stuff!

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The barn serves as the tasting room at Canihan Winery.

This is the tasting room? I like it!

What's most apparent is the stark contrast of the tasting room to the mega wineries popping up in Napa.  Don't get me wrong, I love Napa and love a grand tasting room as much as the next guy but when you drive down the dusty road and end up at a rickety barn you quickly forget about Persian columns and chrome rabbits.  It's a bit like changing the radio dial from rap to John Denver.  What?  No tram ride?  No gargoyles?  Nope, there's not even a bocce ball court! But there's wine, lots of really great wine.

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Bill Canihan pouring his wines in the barn in Sonoma.

The tasting room is the barn, bottles set up on a rustic table made from Redwood barrel staves that were used to age wine in the '60's and balanced on wine barrels. There was no interior designer here and that's fine with me. Bill pours the wine himself on most days, happily telling you about the awards and humbly describing his wines - mainly pinot noir and syrah's. As an occasional fly buzzed by (it is a barn, after all), it just struck me that this is what wine tasting is all about - wine, people, conversation.

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Bill Canihan waves us into the barn.  Yes, this is where you taste!

And Bill is a super nice guy. There's no pretense, there's no script, he's just pouring wines and sipping them with you like he's known you forever.

The first wine produced at Canihan - a 2003 pinot

Empty bottles from every wine produced line the walls

Canihan Winery's tasting room is as simple as it gets

Love. Canihan Wines.

Stacked along the barn wall were empties, every year and every wine he has produced represented, including the 2003 Pinot that started it all and the 2004 Syrah that won his first set of awards. The wines were beyond excellent, really some of the best I've tasted on this trip. Canihan Winery makes small yield, high quality wines, focused on quality and aimed at the discriminating wine lover. But don't let that scare you off - the tasting experience is fun, friendly, and educational (in a good way). Really, even if you are a newbie to wine tasting this is a great stop.

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Bill Canihan from Canihan Wines

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TIP:  Did you know you can get a two for one tasting at Canihan if you show them your Priority Wine Pass? Get yours today and don't forget to use promo code localwally to get my readers' discount! Just $39.99, it opens up two for one tastings all over Napa and Sonoma.

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Corks hanging from the roof in the barn (Canihan Winery)

So good - the wines are impressive.

Canihan Winery in Sonoma

Not a prop! This is a real farm.

Canihan Winery Sonoma

Beautiful rustic seting

Canihan Winery Sonoma

You will want to taste here!

Canihan Winery

Tractors, chickens, and farmhouse dogs, an authentic experience.

In the end you can't help but buy a few bottles. And that's my wine tasting etiquette tip - while it's certainly OK to not buy at Robert Mondavi or Beringer, when visiting a small winery buying wine at the winery is what keeps them in business. Bottles are in the $50 range, quite reasonable for wines of this caliber and a good choice for bringing home to share with friends. Or bring it to dinner that night. Now that's a good plan! Bill waives the tasting fee with a bottle purchase as if you needed more incentive.

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Canihan Winery in Sonoma - Put it on your bucket list of wineries to visit!

Perhaps one of the best wine tasting experiences you will have.

So when the crowds at the giant mega wineries get you down and you want a wine tasting experience that connects to the winery the way the wines connect to the soil, get off the beaten track and take that short drive to Sonoma. Make your way to Canihan Winery and experience wine tasting where the wine - and the people who made them - are the focus.

CANIHAN WINERY: RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - CALL (415) 990-9270 AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL THEM LOCAL WALLY SENT YOU!

TIP:  The restroom is a porta potty so plan ahead :-)