I’m getting married in 3 weeks in the SF Bay Area, and my fiancee and I are going to be in Napa for a couple days before flying out for our honeymoon. She’s a primarily semi-sweet white wine drinker (rieslings, pinot grigio, some sauvignon blanc) but obviously much of the winery tours are red-heavy. My plan was for us to drive up to Calistoga to visit Schramsberg (amazing tour I hear, plus she’ll like the sparkling wines) and Chateau Montelena.
Are there any wineries with good whites worth visiting in Calistoga or perhaps on the way back to downtown Napa at the end of the day? Recommendations are greatly appreciated.
V Sattui and Castello di Amorosa are fun visits and make many wines for many palates.
Also try Robert Sinskey who specialize in Alsace-type white, Riesling, Muscat, etc. If you tell the person pouring that you’re primarily looking for whites they should be willing to swap out one or two of the reds or just give you more tastes.
Matthiasson. Their whites won’t leave you fatigued and drained from glycerine and oak. Steve and Jill are great people, and I have tasted with them 2X in the past, which was in the south end of 29, just outside of Napa. Their chards are lovely, on the leaner side but don’t read that to mean without fruit. Their white blend is also very good and as it has been a while since I have been up there, would not be surprised if they have a few more whites to taste. Their red Napa blend is also great too, which may work for you as your wife gets her whites.
Check out Smith-Madrone. You’ll need an appointment, which is no problem. It’s a very different visit from what you’ll get elsewhere in Napa, much more old-schools and casual, and their Chardonnay and Riesling are very nice.
Also, Mumm is easy to get to and a good visit.
Coquerel makes some nice chard, sauv blanc and a fun verdelho.
Can’t forget Massican. Dan is the winemaker for Larkmead, but he only makes four whites under his own label: Annia: 45% Tocai Friulano, 32% Chardonnay, 23% Ribolla Gialla
Gemina: 71% Greco, 29% Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon: 100% Juliana Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Hyde: 100% Hyde Vineyards Chardonnay
Man, I love the Sinskey whites. I will longingly dream of one of his pinot blancs after the supremely disappointing Alsacian one I drank some of tonight.
Hanzell just over the other side of the Mt in Sonoma. The 2012 old vine estate Chardonnay is fantastic. The setting is cool as Hanzell is one of CA original cult producers specializing in PN & Chardonnay in the late 50s/60s before many others caught the fever.
Well, Glenn, I can’t disagree, sitting here drinking a '12 LSB!
I sometimes hesitate to recommend Scholium, since it most definitely will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and isn’t exactly right in the neighborhood (though only a short drive). Nonetheless, for someone wanting a singular experience, hard to beat.
Riesling that montelena makes is killer. Had the 2002 and 2003 recently. Wow is all I will say. Never knew they made it but ill buy and age it whenever I can grt it.
The Montelena Potter Valley Riesling is excellent, as are the Chardonnays (Napa Valley and John Muir Hanna). I enjoy their whites as much as the Cabernet. They are also reasonably priced - the Riesling is only $25 a bottle.