San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
5 best new wine tasting rooms of 2023
Add these renovated, refreshing spots to your 2024 Wine Country bucket list
Just as the vines go dormant for a long winter’s nap, Wine Country tourism typically slows down this time of year. There’s no traffic, fewer crowds and more reservation availability for the top wineries.
That makes it an ideal time to visit Napa and Sonoma and discover the newest tasting rooms that opened over the past 12 months. The year brought Bordeaux to Napa, offbeat blends to Sonoma, plus beautiful new dwellings for three of Wine Country’s most classic and popular wineries.
Read on for the five most exciting tasting room openings and refreshes of 2023.
Robert Mondavi Winery
In anticipation of a multi-year renovation, Napa’s most famous winery opened a temporary tasting room this summer to fill the gap — and it’s far from a modest replacement. Instead, it’s a seriously splashy upgrade from Robert Mondavi’s original digs in Oakville. Mondavi moved into downtown Napa’s historic, 9,600-square-foot Borreo Building. Named Arch & Tower, the 1877 stone structure has been transformed into a modern and industrial tasting space with a touch of old Hollywood glamor.
Fancy food pairings — like waffle fries with trout roe and crème fraîchespiked ranch or winebraised beef croquettes — were created in collaboration with James Beard award-winning chef Chris Shepherd of the Southern Smoke Foundation in Texas. These are available through the Legend Lunch ($165) or between 4 and 7 p.m. during the winery’s golden hour offering. Traditional wine flights ($65) are poured on the riverfront terrace, and walk-ins are welcome.
930 Third St. Napa. robertmondaviwinery.com
Cathiard Vineyard
Napa Valley has become synonymous with showy, glass-walled and distinctly modern wineries. But Cathiard Vineyard, arguably the most under-theradar opening of the year, is refreshingly French. Owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard restored the rundown Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux and brought inspiration from the famous French region for a three-year renovation of one of Napa’s oldest wine estates. Featuring an ivycloaked, 1885 stone winery and caves, the Cathiards’ addition of 19th-century European antiques, fountains and stone statues complete the property’s moody, Old World vibe.
The estate also complements Cathiard’s oldschool winemaking style. The St. Helena winery produces three estate reds that stand out for their freshness and elegance versus Napa Valley’s signature power and ripeness. Tastings (from $125) require a splurge, but Cathiard offers a different kind of wine experience — and it’s certainly cheaper than a flight to Paris.
1978 Zinfandel Ln., St. Helena. Cathiardvineyard.com
Stony Hill
Stony Hill, one of Napa Valley’s original cult wineries, has historically evaded tourists throughout its 71-year history. But that’s changing. Stony Hill’s new owners have given the property a stunning makeover. For the first time ever, they’re encouraging visitors to experience the winery’s famously elegant white wines — including rare-to-Napa grape varieties like Riesling and Gewurztraminer — in person.
Despite its rural location up a narrow, forested road, Stony Hill is suddenly one of the hottest reservations in Wine Country. Nestled within 360 degrees of vineyard and mountain scenery, the founders’ original 1951 family home has been transformed into the Residence at Stony Hill, a midcentury modern oasis that you’ll wish you could move into. Tastings (from $75) take place in one of the home’s many indoor or outdoor settings: perhaps in the courtyard overlooking St. Helena; in the living room next to an epic vinyl collection and wood-burning fireplace; or within the cozy library. Old family photos scattered throughout the home give a sense of a simpler Napa Valley before the glitzy visitor centers arrived.
3331 St. Helena Hwy. North, St. Helena. stonyhillvineyard.com
Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay abound in Sonoma, but for something entirely different, book a tasting ($40) at Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah. Here, the wines are about as eccentric as the brand name and the man behind them. Renegade winemaker Hardy Wallace (formerly of the defunct natural wine sensation Dirty & Rowdy) is best recognized by his funky, neon eyewear. For Extradimensional, a brand he started with his wife, Kate, Wallace creates exciting, one-of-a-kind wines that blur traditional blending boundaries. White and red grapes, for instance, often end up in the same bottle. Wallace’s approach is to use an array of grape varieties across a wide geographical radius to “surf the apocalypse.” By that, he means he’s seeking creative new ways to craft balanced wines in a changing and unpredictable climate, which is becoming more difficult to achieve through conventional thinking. But don’t call these wines experimental: Wallace said one blend may go through 90 trials before it is finalized. Most wines are one-offs produced in quantities of 100 cases or less, so there will likely be new wines to try during every visit to the new tasting room, located one block off the Sonoma Plaza. 27 E. Napa St., Suite E, Sonoma. Winecoyeah.com
Domaine Chandon
Sparkling wine icon Domaine Chandon unveiled a transformation of its Yountville estate this fall timed with its 50th anniversary. The stunning renovation brings one of Napa Valley’s most visited wineries — and the first in America to earn a Michelin star — back into the inner circle of Wine Country’s hospitality elite. Named Chandon Home, visitors will find a sprawling campus of indoor and outdoor wine tasting nooks, plus the return of its restaurant for the first time since 2014.
Despite the fancy refresh, Chandon continues to be one of the most accessible wineries in Napa Valley. Dogs, kids, groups and walk-ins are all welcome. There are experiences for every budget (and for people without one) including a bubbly tasting flight with bites ($55); a five-course wine and food pairing ($155); a communal feast inside a cabana ($175); and a party on a vineyard-view hilltop with two dozen friends for $7,000. Choose your own adventure.