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The Most Romantic Wineries in Napa

by Javy on 2017-02-07 in Filed Under: Proposals, Uncategorized

Valentine’s is just a few days away and we have been extra busy putting together romantic wine tours for many of our favorite repeat guests. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun we are having curating wine options and locations conducive to intimate conversation.

As we look into the best wineries to visit with your partner our goal is to make certain everyone has fun and there are plenty of opportunities to create memories. We look at wineries through the lens of a camera and seek out characteristics like charm, privacy and superior wines.

During our scouting trips we have discovered more than 25 wineries to add to our list of most romantic wineries in Napa. Today, I want to take a few moments to highlight a few:

Donum Estate

Donum knows how to make you feel comfortable. Their tastings are almost always geared toward private parties and their ambiance is nothing short of glorious. Their sculpture garden is reminiscent of some wineries in Bordeaux.

Hourglass Winery

Architected by Olle Lumberg this winery is fluid and radically gorgeous. The structures appear to rise from the mountain in ways so natural one cannot distinguish where the winery ends and nature begins. Their tasting room feels organic and so representative of the heart of California wine country.

Amizetta Estate Winery

This fog-covered piece of heaven is the place where lovers should always steal a kiss. The views from the patio are expansive and utterly seductive. Once you arrive it is almost impossible to want to leave.

Davis Estates

If there was ever a tasting room where one might be tempted to bend a knee and ask for a girl’s hand in marriage, Davis Estates is it. Super romantic and as beautiful as their Merlot.

Our team of wine educators believes in year-round romance. If you are bringing your better half to Napa let us work the details. We are in the business of delivering the most luxurious and flawless wine tasting experiences in Napa and we take pride in what we do.

With Love,

Javy

Making The Most of Your January Vacation in Napa

by Javy on 2017-01-04 in Filed Under: Activities in Napa

Credit: Jericho Canyon

Hi Javy,

We are planning on visiting San Francisco and heading to Napa for a day to enjoy some wineries with the help of one of your wine coaches. I was wondering if you could help us pick a few wineries that are best suited for cold days. This is our first winter wine tour and we are concerned about staying warm and truly enjoying the tasting experience. We can’t wait to hear from you and look forward to our visit.

Jacy & John

Hi Guys,

I am going to take the liberty to respond to your request in a public setting hoping that it can help others planning to visit Napa during low season. Today as I was driving into the valley I could not help it but wonder at the beauty of the fog just lifting and the light softly reflecting on rain droplets. When you visit we probably want to stay away from lighter wines and focus on beautiful and rich flavors that warm both body and soul. We also want to head to wineries where we stand a good chance of visiting with the owner or wine maker so we can go beyond tasting and into conversations that build upon your already nuanced wine knowledge.

You may think that the landscape is fully dormant but the truth is that there is much life exploding in ways that surprise. The mustard has started to blossom and we have spotted sheep already hard at work prepping the land. Don’t forget your camera.

Darioush

Seeking opportunities others overlooked, Darioush and Steve focused intently on site selection and cooler microclimates in Southern Napa Valley; high atop Mount Veeder and the maritime-influenced Valley floor. Replanting where necessary to unlock the full potential of both the vineyard and wine grape cultivated from it. They committed to a Bordeaux-style of winemaking – a blended style they long admired for the potential to truly express a wine’s character (Except from their website because I don’t have words beautiful enough to describe their efforts and style). Heading to this winery is like a mini European vacation. Their tasting room is nothing less than magical and I think you will totally love their Duel blend.

Fontanella

Because there is nothing better than being treated like family. Fontanella is seductive all year long and their ability to pair their wines with gorgeous small bites is the stuff culinary dreams are made of. To add to the cool factor Fontanella was just featured in the latest Tom Clancy novel, True Faith & Allegiance. Talk about having a story to tell.

Ehlers Estate

Because they are lovely and loving and have a way about them that makes you feel like you belong. Their wine is beautiful inside and out with bottles that make you feel like you are constantly luxuriating. Did I mention they make a cab franc to die for?

Jericho Canyon

The views are amazing, the wine utterly seductive and their tasting room so very welcoming. Did I mention their lovely cave? Our own wine collection has a few bottles of Chimera, their proprietary blend.

We can’t wait to host you,

Javy & Team

When it Comes to Wine Tours in Napa, The Magic Behind The Scenes Really Does Matter

by Javy on 2016-12-25 in Filed Under: Activities in Napa

No better day than Christmas to acknowledge one of our most gifted assets. When you experience a seamless tour, where everything seems to fall in place effortlessly you can rest assured that is not the case. A multi-day wine tour usually requires at least five hours of planning and 20 to 30 phone calls or emails. Even when you are in the car our wine coaches are constantly communicating with headquarters and there, behind the scenes there is an angel making sure every winery is updated of your ETA and ready to welcome you and yours in ways that make you feel special.

Our angel behind the scenes whose formal title is Director of Guest Services is a gifted woman who is able to rub shoulders with la creme de la creme while maintaining radical humility in the way she loves the most disadvantaged members of society. Cynthia always puts others above her own needs to the point of sacrifice. We can’t tell you the number of times she has rushed across town to make certain a picnic is set with the perfect playlist in the background or the times she has gone out of her way to pick up a guest’s favorite flower from The Flower Mart in San Francisco.

Cynthia is a walking food and wine encyclopedia with intense passion for what she does. She is able to connect with everyone at an emotional level and translate that connection into ad-hoc experiences where our guests visit wineries and restaurants that appeal to the very core of their being.

Cynthia, we are pausing on this beautiful holiday to raise our glasses to you and thank you for what you do. Your quiet contribution is priceless and we have no idea where we would be without you.

Follow Cynthia on Twitter to get insider’s tips to the food scene in California and around the world @mundomiosf

Want Cynthia to get started with the planning stages of a Napa wine tour you will never forget? Email her at concierge@napaprivatetours.com

The Best Bloody Red Wines from Napa to Enjoy on Halloween

by Javy on 2016-10-31 in Filed Under: Uncategorized

I got a call earlier today from one of my favorite repeat customers. Her wine cellar is the stuff of dreams. Everything that you could possibly want and imagine is hidden somewhere as part of one of the most gorgeous wine libraries in America. I was hoping she was calling to schedule her next tour of Napa. We love to host her and help her buy the best and most coveted wines. To my surprise, this time around she was calling for something quite special. She was getting ready to host a Halloween extravaganza and wanted to know if our wine concierge could point her the deepest reds from our region. I am always up to the challenge so here is the list. Take note and go check if you have these wines available as part of your personal wine collection:

2012 Adamvs

A rigorous selection of the very finest estate lots, ADAMVS exhibits deep fruit and mountain floral aromas, blackberries, blueberries, graphite, mulberries and white flowers on the palate, and a broad velvety finish that lingers long into the evening. This layered; full-bodied, multidimensional 2012 should continue to drink beautifully for two decades or more. Given the longevity of this wine make sure you truly want to open your bottle….

Dakota Shy

Aromas of dark chocolate, cassis and plum lead to a full, rich mouthful of black currant, mocha, herb and baking spice flavors. Delicious layers of cocoa, plum, vanilla and cassis flavors are followed by complex notes of mint, cedar and chocolate on the long, plush finish. The 2014 TEN has a beautiful, dark, rich-core of fruit over a lush but powerful frame and smooth fine-grained tannins. Delicious now through 2030. So red this wine is almost brown! 🙂

Futo Wine

So red we suspect this wine is communist. Truly meant to be shared among equals! Reflecting its rocky volcanic hillside origins, the FUTO 5500 Stags Leap District Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is massively scaled but retains superb purity and energy. A timeless wine that resonates with refinement. You want this. You really do. Even the tag is delicious!

Checkerboard

If you are fortunate enough to have this wine in your cellar by all means invite me over. This wine is gorgeous ( and pricey) The 2012 Checkerboard Aurora Vineyard will entice you with a sweet sandalwood nose, mouth-coating fruit—blueberry and rhubarb compote—and has a tremendously long finish with notes of dark cherry, graphite and mahogany.

Happy & Fun Halloween Friends

Javy

Joining Us For Flavor? Don’t Forget to Shake Hands with Alejandro Castillo Llamas

by Javy on 2016-03-13 in Filed Under: Charity

Flavor Napa Valley is just around the corner and we are beyond happy to be part of this amazing effort to fundraise for the Culinary Institute of America. Here in Napa there are are people and wineries that are very near and dear to our heart. They are family to us, and their achievements fill our hearts with joy.

We heard it through the grapevine that our dear Alex Castillo Llamas had been selected as a panelist for the wine classes to be held during The Festival at COPIA in the Napa Rudd Center on March 18-19.

There is plenty to be said about Alex. He has a generous heart, he is an outstanding communicator but most importantly he is a fine winemaker whose sensibilities allow him to produce beautiful, complex and memorable wines. During the classes Alex will be pouring a 2010 Llamas Family Wines “Stagecoach Vineyard” Syrah. Alex personally selected this wine and we know you are going to love it. Here is a teaser from the tasting notes:

“Ripe plum, black cherry and baking spice greet the nose. Underlying notes of black olive, char, black pepper and dried meats unravel as the wine breathes. On the palate, this round, soft wine confers flavors of dried red and black fruit, violet, and distant caramel complimented by a fresh touch of acidity. Fine, earthy tannins and a core of minerality lead to a medium long finish.”

Both the man and his wines are among our favorites. You don’t want to miss him if you are coming our way.

About Alex:

Alex grew up in the fields. As migrant workers, his parents followed the same route each year, travelling with their children and a troop of assorted family members from outside the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico all the way to Portland, Oregon and back. Along the way, they would harvest fields, orchards and vineyards – everything from Thompson Seedless and Concord grapes in the Coachella Valley to pears in Fairfield, California to cherries in Oregon and olives in Corning, California. Although only a child, Alex, like many migrant children, worked side by side with his parents before and after school. His early exposure to the cultivation of crops helped to instill a sense of connection to the land.

When Alex’s family finally settled in Napa, his father and many of his uncles took jobs working the vineyards of Napa Valley – ultimately planting and managing the first acres of what would later become the famed Stagecoach Vineyard which they still oversee today. Alex continued to work alongside and learned firsthand the meaning of terroir and the effect of the environment and management practices on winegrape quality.

Driven to take his experience in the fields a step further, Alex began exploring the world of wine and developed a love for fine dining. Working at restaurants such as The French Laundry and Per Se, Alex learned the importance of precision, care and detail and was exposed to some of the great wines of the world. His passion for wine ignited, Alex decided to pursue his own winemaking venture, honoring his heritage by exclusively sourcing grapes from vineyards farmed by his family. In his free time, Alex can be found fishing, hanging out with his beautiful Blue Heeler, cooking gourmet meals for his fiancé and drinking incredible wines!

Alex, you always make us proud and we are lucky to be able to call you a friend!

The NPT Team

#pipirisnaiswinemakers