My Favorite Napa Valley Wineries (with Honest Reviews)
Napa Valley has over 500 wineries to explore! Picking out the wineries you want to visit is an overwhelming experience. We finally narrowed it down to 8 and ended up loving how each one was so unique and offered different perspectives on wineries in Napa.
My favorite Napa Valley Wineries are all outlined below with honest reviews of my experience! For reference, each winery was visited in October 2021 so some covid restrictions were still in place.
Related Post: First Timer’s Guide to Napa
Cakebread Cellars:
Cakebread Cellars is a wine I see in many restaurants and stores here on the East Coast – which is one of the reasons I was so excited to check it out!
I really like that Cakebread offers a walking tour of the facilities with history about making the wine. The tour is one of the shorter ones (only 45 minutes) so its easy to squeeze in between other tastings.
| About the Tasting: | Walking group tour of facilities and vineyard with wine tastings in each room |
| Tasting Price: | $40 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | 4 Wines – mix of red & white |
| Tasting Food: | n/a |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.cakebread.com/ |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: I enjoyed walking around the property and learning about the wine making process here at Cakebread. It felt like we got a “behind the scenes” tour, even though its the standard one!
Caymus Winery Review:
Caymus Winery is definitely one of the top favorite Napa Valley wineries – and it’s easy to see why! Tasting bookings fill up quickly, so be sure to reserve this well in advance!
Here at Caymus, expect to be wowed by the beautiful gardens and double wowed by the history & wine. We were told all about the Wagner Family (owner of Caymus) and the various brands they make.
After our tasting, we were free to walk around the winery to see the Wagner family house.
| About the Tasting: | Private tasting in the garden with family history lesson NOTE: booking tasting in advance – tickets sell out quickly |
| Tasting Price: | $50 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | 5 Wines from their various collections: (1 white, 4 reds) Caymus, Emmolo, Red Schooner, and Mer Soleil |
| Tasting Food: | n/a – but you get to take your wine glass home! |
| Tasting Availability: | https://resy.com/cities/npa/caymus-vineyards |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: I could live in the Caymus gardens and I’d be happy as a calm. They’re seriously so stunning. I was a little bummed when I learned we were only sampling two true Caymus wine bottles, but when I learned the history of the others I loved it just as much!
Domaine Carneros Review:
If you need a break from red wine while in Napa, you MUST check out Domaine Carneros. Their sparkling wine is divine! Plus the winery/vineyards feel as though you’ve been transported to Europe.
The tasting itself felt like restaurant service. We were sat at a private table and had a server tell us a little history and gave us our choice of flight. There were (4) options – some only offered sparkling wine, while others had a mix of sparkling wine and pinot noir. Domaine Carneros is one of the best wineries in Napa for first timers because it offers stunning views, great bubbles, and iconic photos!
Note: They do plan to offer tours again after covid.
| About the Tasting: | Private table with server (felt like a restaurant) |
| Tasting Price: | $40 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | Selection from 1 or 4 flights Includes (4) 1 oz pours |
| Tasting Food: | Included: Salted Peanuts For Purchase: Charcuterie Boards or Cavier |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.domainecarneros.com/visit |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: Love this winery for multiple reasons – its a nice break from red wine AND the chateau is stunning. It really feels like you’ve transported to Europe.
Del Dotto Winery Review:
This winery is intriguing to many because it features “caves”! It is essentially a dim hallway off the side of the lobby. Nevertheless, it is fun to see the beautiful mosaics and drink directly from the wine barrel!
This is known by the locals as a winery that always gives heavy pours. Boy, is that true! I couldn’t keep up with the quick pace of the pours as we walked through the cave. At the end of the tour, they give you pizza to help balance all the wine you just consumed!
There are 3 Del Dotto locations within Napa, but all are essentially the same. One is located near V Sattui (featured further below), so we picked that for convenience.
| About the Tasting: | Group walking tour through the “caves”, wine poured directly from the barrel |
| Tasting Price: | $120 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | 7-8 Assortment of Red Wines – varies each visit |
| Tasting Food: | Pizza |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.deldottovineyards.com/visit-us/ |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: VERY pricey tour and very rushed. I couldn’t keep up with the pours so ended up dumping out half my wine. Cool and unique experience in a cave … but honestly it felt like a hallway instead of a “cave”. Personally, I would not say this is one of the best wineries in Napa for first timers just because the price is too high for a hallway cave.
Related Post: First Timer’s Guide to Napa
Silver Oak Winery Review:
If you’re going to Silver Oak, ask for Jim – I promise you won’t regret it! 🙂 Silver Oak features 1:1 private wine tastings where you’ll learn about the property and the winery. Jim was our guide and was beyond sweet.
| About the Tasting: | Private 1:1 Sitting Tasting |
| Tasting Price: | $60 per person ($40 option available) |
| Tasting Wine: | 5+ Wines |
| Tasting Food: | Breadsticks/Crackers & you get to take your wine glass home! |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.exploretock.com/silveroakwinerynapavalley |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: The staff at Silver Oak really went above and beyond. They were all so kind and accommodating. It’s a nice property with great wine and even better vineyards.
Stags Leap Winery Review:
Fun Fact: there are two Stags Leap wineries that are completely different. While on the property, we learned that there was a legal battle over the name and it was settled by giving one the name “Stag’s Leap” and the other “Stags’ Leap”. To make it even more confusing, they’re located right next to each other!
We went to Stags’ Leap Winery which quickly became one of my favorite Napa Valley wineries. The property looks similar to a castle and is ornately decorated inside. The tour and tasting included a walk around the facility to see the speakeasy, vineyards, and dining room. Then we were seated to enjoy our last few wines and learn more about the history.
The experience is a full 90 minutes, so plan accordingly.
| About the Tasting: | Group walking tour through the house, speakeasy, yard, and dining room. Then sitting portion at the end of the tasting. |
| Tasting Price: | $85 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | 6 Wines |
| Tasting Food: | Cheese & Crackers |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.stagsleap.com/en/visit-be-our-guest.html |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: This was my FAVORITE tour and tasting because we got to experience so much. Seeing the property, gathering in the living room, exploring the speakeasy, snacking in the dining room and so much more.
Trefethen Family Vineyards Review:
Talk about an entrance! Driving into this winery, you’ll be in awe of the gorgeous driveway. It was originally a plane runway for one of the family owners before it was converted into the driveway entrance for the winery.
This family-owned winery has over 400 acres of land! On property, there is a production facility, family home, pool, garden, and so much more!
| About the Tasting: | Private Tasting included a tour of grounds, 1:1 history |
| Tasting Price: | $65 per person ($45 per person option available) |
| Tasting Wine: | 5 Wines (mix of whites and reds) |
| Tasting Food: | Small Charcuterie Board (meats, cheese, crackers, olives, etc) |
| Tasting Availability: | https://www.trefethen.com/wine-flights/ |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: This property is just breathtaking. You feel as though you’ve traveled deep into the vineyards before finding the property – which really allows you to see how expansive their land is. I recommend opting for the $65 per person tour so you can experience more of the vineyards, and enjoy some food!
V Sattui Winery:
V Sattui is one of the locals favorite Napa Valley wineries because of the laid-back atmosphere. There is a large deli onsite and an even larger grassy area outside to enjoy a picnic. It is located right next to one of Del Dotto’s locations, making it easy to hop between the two.
During our tasting, we didn’t get much of the history of V Sattui which was a bummer. The tasting felt like a standard restaurant service.
However, we did learn that V Sattui is one of the only wineries that is allowed to host weddings on the property – pretty cool!!
| About the Tasting: | Private table with server (felt like a restaurant) – your choice of inside or outside |
| Tasting Price: | $40 per person |
| Tasting Wine: | Your Selection of 5 Wines |
| Tasting Food: | n/a – huge deli onsite for purchase |
| Website: | https://www.vsattui.com/reservations/ |
Wanderlust With Lisa Review: Sad to say this winery slightly disappointed me when it came to the tasting (just your average restaurant service feel). However, the picnic area and deli are so unique! I love that you can relax here with your own food and enjoy the views.
Final Thoughts on Favorite Napa Valley Wineries
Well, what do you think!? Did your favorite Napa winery make it on the list? Do you agree with my reviews? Feel free to leave any of your thoughts in the comments below on your favorite Napa Valley Wineries!
Interested in more Napa content? Check out my post on Napa Valley for First Time Visitors.
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All of these Napa Valley Wineries look absolutely amazing! I’ve haven’t been yet, but I’m pinning this for when I do! Thank you for sharing!
‘The entry was once a plane runway’…well that sounds impressive! These spots are really charming, and I like that you’re honest in your reviews. It’s a bummer spots like V Sattui don’t share more about the incredible history behind the place. My Texan friends serve Cakebread regularly, so I think that would be a cool one to visit.
I’ve been loving following along with your Napa Valley adventures on Instagram and it’s great to read all about them in one spot! I really need to get out to Napa and check out some of these awesome spots you shared 🙂
I’d love to visit some of these wineries! I’ve only been to a couple in Spain but never any in the states before.
It looks absolutelsy amazing. I’d love to visit!
This is such a fantastic guide! I love visiting wineries, and Napa Valley is high on my list of places to visit. I love how unique these wineries are; there’s so much to see (and taste!). I also love the way you formatted this post with the tables & your personal review. Super easy to follow! I’ll definitely reference this when I finally make my way out to Napa Valley. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’ve been to Cakebread cellars and two others but not DEL DOTTO WINERY 😳 that chandelier picture of you is so gorgeous!
Napa Valley is on my bucket list. I live just outside of the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia which is another world-famous wine region and I go there every week. So I would definitely love Napa Valley.
This is my idea of a perfect day. I must say though, the tasting prices are high. Here in Texas, the highest I have ever paid for a tasting is $18. LOL!
These wineries look so charming! Sheesh, prices have gone up since I was in the area though. 10 years ago it was $8/person at most wineries!