I was just at Del Dotto yesterday (the one closer to downtown Napa). Though expensive I felt they were very generous with their pours, and unlike what many of you have reported I didn’t feel pressured by a sales pitch. My wife doesn’t like many reds (though we both loved their cave blend) and they poured her Ca’Nani Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc after the cave tour, which weren’t even part of the barrel tasting.
I’m curious if anyone else has tried their Syrah Sonoma Coast, which was offered at the barrel tasting. It had a lot of mixed opinions in our small tour group. I personally loved the bacony, gamy meat qualities on the nose and palate (honestly almost reminded me of a Slim Jim), but for some it was too much. This was the 2013 vintage that is going to be bottled for retail this summer/fall, but I’m curious if prior vintages were like that.
The assumption in some of these posts is that, because it can be educational (though I remember Missouri. Oak vs another state oak) that it’s fun to bring visitors. No doubt it is for some. But people should know that is mostly barrel tasting. I have been enjoying wine since 1982, have written about wine, and have been to a heck of a lot of trade tastings. I’m no longer interested in barrel tasting and it is not one of my strengths. Actually I abhor them. Give me wine that has been bottled to taste; still fascinated by the hunt.
We visited there a few years ago. It was a fun tour, but wouldn’t do it again. Unless they have changed it, it wasn’t a true barrel tasting. These were finished, blended wines sitting in neutral barrels. I quietly asked our tour guide and he said they were all finished wines. With the candle light in the cave, it made for a nice ambiance.
At that time, at the end of the tour, they pushed hard for joining the club and purchasing their wine. It’s a good thing if that has changed.
Greg, same experience here. Fun to do once. The guide we had was very up front about the age of the wines in the barrels. Actually, finished wines made it easier to compare the end result of different regimens than true barrel samples.
Was just there, at the St. Helena location. Really a fun tasting with fantastic wines. My first time tasting the same wines in different barrels so that was very illustrative. Many of the Cabs were spectacular (if you share Parker’s palate for Cabs – he nailed these), but also spectacularly priced… but so is almost everything else in Napa in this quality range. You don’t need to have an estate decorated like Littlefinger’s bordello to justify slapping a $175 price tag on your bottles, as plenty of other wineries are willing to demonstrate. I bought a few (including the amusingly named “MO/FO”, part French and part American oak, which was my favorite), and will see if the experience translates outside of the winery.
I agree. Caves and side to side comparison of the same vintage grapes from same block in different oak, or different shaped oak staves was fascinating.
Wines are pricey but I cannot think of a winery in Napa that really represents value. I have been there twice, both times the Oakville wine-caves location and have never felt the hard-sell.
I would love to hear some suggestions for a good, top flight Napa cab at a “value” price point. 
As an aside, someone gave me a bottle of their wine as a gift and I was wondering if it is worth drinking now or if these are wines that benefit a lot from aging. It is the 2011 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs’ Series Troncais V-Stave and there’s no CT notes on it.
Spank! ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow")
I take it you’re not fond of their wines!