Spottswoode Winery

Husband and I had reserved some wine tastings to some highly recommended vineyards (via friends &  Yelp) for the first few days in Napa.  Most of the really good ones require that you have a reservation, pay in advance, and will charge you anyway if you don’t show… If you don’t have a reservation and you just show up, they will turn you away.  Which can be quite embarrassing (I heard on yelp).  Of course there are tons that do not require an RSVP…

Anyway, Spottswoode was a very charming, family owned winery located in St. Helena, just north of Napa.  It’s distinguished by the historic victorian style home (pictured second from top) which is pictured on the labels.  There is a quote from a wine critic, Paul Lukacs, on the website that says, “The women of Spottswoode produce an unfailingly elegant Cabernet Sauvignon—the Grace Kelly of Napa Valley wines, conveying an almost aristocratic impression of refinement and class.” Love that!  So we bought a bottle… of course. ;)

Scribe

Scribe was definitely the most laid back, hipster driven, randomly started winery we went to.  Oh, and there is NO SIGN to show you where it was, unless you count the hand written one on the side of the road that’s about the size of a sheet of paper. Weird.  Here’s the backstory in one sentence: These three dudes decided to purchase a turkey farm in Sonoma Valley and turn it back into the thriving vineyard it once was before prohibition times.

It was such a gorgeous setting.  You sit up on a hill overlooking the vineyard and taste the wines in an open setting.  They had hippie music playing, people swinging on ropes from trees (and one real swing), and each table had their own personal consultant to tell them about each wine.  Most of their wine is produced in another location because their vines are so new, but it was such a cool vibe!  I would totally go back again!

Another random thought about this winery… they had a run down hacienda (which looked like it was built over a hundred years ago) as the focal point of the property when you were driving up the dirt road.  When Husband & I went inside, which we were instructed to enter at our own risk, it was a crazy party house!  String lights, no toilets, random room with a old school radio… it was pretty rad!  Wish I could have been invited to one of their fiestas!

Anyway, there will probably be 3 parts to this Napa segment.  Hope y’all like wine!