Make sure to make an appointment! We didn't have any firm plans, we just wanted to drive down St. Helena Highway and make a few stops for wine. Cakebread was our first stop. Once entering the property, we were stopped by a parking lot attendant. He explained that reservations were full but we can still park and see what's available. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the host. He could tell that we weren't locals or members. We explained that we were from LA and that we wanted to see if there were any openings. He explained to us that since they are usually really busy, tastings are only by appointment but since we came from such a distance he would give us a couple tastings for free. I enjoyed their Sauvignon Blanc and wouldn't mind making an appointment on our next visit to try the rest of the their collection. But their kindness, alone, will have me coming back. read more

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Wow. We did the reserve tasting and it was well worth it. Jacob was our guide and he did a stellar job helping us. The experience and quality was perfect. I highly recommend anyone looking for an excellent high quality tasting this is the place. The grounds are kept perfect!! read more

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We were hosted by Lisa who was wonderful at her job. She covered all the details about the vineyard history and beautifully described each wine selection we had. It was our first time in Napa and it was an absolute success because Lisa who was attentive and easy to talk to. Sending best wishes from Lithuania! read more

This place is really cute, and the wines are good, so definitely make an appointment ahead of time! Knowing they were fully booked, we crossed our fingers and stopped in for an impromptu tasting near closing. We were so excited to be there, so after some excessive grovelling (probably overkill since they would've given us the tour anyway), we scored a tour and tasting for 4! We got a tour of the inside of their winery, got background on the barrels, and the chilling process. It was quite educational, but I don't think I absorbed any of it because I was too excited to try the wines. They are famous at restaurants for their white wines, but on-site, they are famous for their reds. Note that if you stop in at any grocery, their Cakebread wines will be $5-10 more expensive than if you get it directly from the winery. I went all out and got a $60 bottle of wine, and that is really unlike me to spend that much on wine. But for those just there for the experience, this is a very well-rounded, beautiful, and friendly winery to visit. Plus, they'll give you a complimentary Cakebread wine glass with your tasting! read more

Excellent wine, fantastic staff, lovely surroundings. What more can you ask for in a winery? Oh and I haven't even mentioned the ultimate of wine club events they throw each year. :-) Cost to worth it ratio: 3 (not inexpensive but worth it: averaging around $50/bottle, with lowest being $24 and highest a bit over $100) Highlights: - Wine: from a delicate but refreshingly fruity sauvignon blanc to a full bodied creamy reserve chardonnay to a bigger but easily drinkable fruity cab, I love em all. - Food and wine pairing tasting: small (max 12 people) tour and seated at a nice dinner table tasting of wines paired with substantial mini eats. Beautiful arrangement and so much fun--one of my favorite wine tasting experiences I've had. Pic: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/NY-SXE9i072Qq7h_VZDawg?select=LnafwbihCnHTqk3Q5xGKmg - People: knowledgeable, casual, and oh so friendly. It's a family owned winery and no one is uppity at all even with their critically acclaimed wines. It has a visit to a small winery feel even though their name is well known and distribution is large. - Wine club events: the BEST is the open house each January. We signed up for the wine club initially a few years ago because of how our tasting host talked up the event. You are greeted by the Cakebreads themselves and there are tables with tastings of several wines as well as food pairings. The wines are fabulous but paired with the food they are even better! They have a kitchen on site and Mrs. Cakebread has written a cookbook. Last year the butternut squash empenadas were addicting and this year the BBQ pork sandwiches on mini potato rolls were the hit. They provide you with the wine descriptions as well as recipes for the eats in a little booklet they give you on that day. At each table, the Cakebread employee has a full page of notes about themselves: where they are from, favorite type of wine, etc. which leaves it open to free-flowing friendly conversations (esp with the wine intake). Lowlights: - All tastings are by appointment only and the food and wine pairings are only Thursdays and Fridays at 11am. - Even though on the main road, it can be hard to find--look out for the small Cakebread mailbox on the right when heading north. We're very happy to keep visiting this winery almost every time we're up in Napa and also to be getting their wines shipped to our house periodically to tide us over in the meantime. ;-) read more

Cakebread Cellars - Food wine pairing tasting - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

We spent a week tasting at a large array of wineries and Cakebread was probably one of the more disappointing visits, which was really a bummer for how pumped we were for visiting them. We were excited making the reservation for our tasting and even came early to make sure we wouldn't miss it. When we arrived and walked into the reception barn area, there was a really sour faced guy manning the check in desk. He went through his memorized speal going over the different tours available and taking our money when we made a selection. The whole time he looked really put off and didn't smile once. Kind of a bad first impression for people to show up to. We were paired with a guide and I can't remember his name for sure so won't start guessing. He walked our group quickly and with little explanation through the backyard, past the stainless steel tanks and into the barrel room. People had questions about the different things we were passing and he wasn't very good at getting into details on wine making processes etc. I know that I didn't pay for a tour, it was just a tasting, but if you're going to incorporate a walk through the facility at least talk with some passion about what is going on around us. Tasting itself was pretty straightforward, he did a great job discussing the particular wines and talking at great length about the barrel room specifically. I wasn't blown away by the wines but knew that coming in, since Cakebread makes good whites and I really like reds. Tasting ended fairly quickly and they don't mess around with offering some reserves to go along with their regular wine tasting options. (which ended up being one of the only dozen wineries we visited that didn't sneak one or two in for comparison purposes) Once the last glass was poured, he corralled us up and walked us to the gift shop and left. The End. It just felt like everything was very mechanized and most of the employees we ran across weren't passionately selling wine they loved, but rather putting in hours at a job, which was a real bummer. We ended up having much better experiences at small less established wineries where the sales people tried their best to personalize the tastings and make new converts to their label. Other visits to cakebread may prove better, but just speaking from our experience. read more

My husband and I made last minute reservations on Veterans day and they were able to take us within 30 minutes of our call! The wine tasting is $10 per person and included a tastes of 5 different wines. Our guide was Barry and he was great! He was very helpful and to the point! I loved the Sauvignon Blanc and bought a couple bottles of it for my husband and I to enjoy. Since my husband is in the military, they gave him a discount on wine purchases so we bought another bottle of Rubriyat to take advantage of the discount. Cute place and great wine! We will definitely be back! read more

Cakebread cellars, like I discovered is true of most wineries in Napa, requires advance reservations. And they require those reservations to be paid in advance. We were able to make reservations same day, so our lack of pre-planning didn't get us into too much trouble. They are pretty strict about the reservations and even check your name on a list as you pull into the parking lot. Because we are primarily red wine drinkers, we did the red wine tasting ($30 each) which may have been a mistake, since Cakebread is known largely for its whites. We tried a Pinot, Syrah, Cab, Merlot, and a Rubaiyat... and nothing stood out. The whole place was so cold that the reds were actually cold and we had to "decant" them with our hands by twisting the glass. What was a bit shocking, was how hard they were selling the wine club. I felt like I was in one of those timeshare presentations except that we had paid to be there and we weren't getting any free gifts (we had to ask for the glasses, and they would only give us the small ones). The best thing that we picked up here was a box that they use to ship wines which we could check on the plane.. but we filled it with wines from other wineries. We did get a lot of personal attention (it was a private tasting) which was nice, but also meant more selling for the wine club. Not a bad experience, but not really the place to pick up reds. read more

Great wines and friendly staff! I've been here several times. I always take visitors here. I recommend calling ahead and getting a reservation because appointments can fill up (especially during tourist season). You can do a tour or a tasting. I've done both but I tend to stick with the tasting because the person pouring can provide a lot of information. The tours can get long and when you've been doing other winery tours, it can make your day feel extremely long. The staff is always friendly, informative and welcoming. I've never had any issues with them. The wine prices are about average. But I think the wine club prices are too high. read more

I fell in love with Cakebread Cellers....straight UP! Their location is tucked away even if it is off the main road. It doesn't have a huge sign like the other wineries, so keep an eye open for the black mailbox with their address. This spot is appointment only, so call in advance. I recommend signing up for the "Sensory Education" class. We toured the cellar, sipped wine and put our senses to the test! So, now when people are taking about notes of leather and wood, you'll know what the hell they are talking about! haha I really appreciate the quiet atmosphere of Cakebread. I visited other wineries that were too commercialized, which = tacky and annoying. Because they are a small winery, they do not offer a larger variety, but what they do offer is quality. Visit and try the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. You will be one happy camper! read more

Cakebread Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

Good morning Jack Cakebread! I just wanted to take a moment to share with you not only my "Cakebread story" but also my experiences with your amazing team! So I'll start with my Cakebread story since that's where it all began. Some 20 or 25 years ago I was on a business trip with some of my colleagues and we decided to go down for a few beverages at the bar at our hotel. We all ordered dirty martinis and mine just didn't taste right so I let it sit in front of me. The bartender noticed that I hadn't been drinking my martini and asked me if I wanted something different. I told him no thank you it was fine ...but he insisted and asked me if I liked white wine. I said yes I love white wine! He said well then I have a treat for you and went and poured me a glass of wine. After my first taste I couldn't stop talking to my colleagues about how delicious this glass of wine was and in fact insisted that they all try it! Later I asked the waitress to fetch the bartender who poured me the glass of wine but she told me that he had gone off shift. I asked anybody if they knew what wine he had poured me and they did not know. They decided to call him at home and ask what he had poured me and he said he poured me the Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay. From that moment forward this has been my favorite wine for years and still is!!!!! To be completely honest with you Jack you should've hired me years ago to sell your wine because I talk about it to everybody .... and in fact a lot of my friends, family, colleagues and total strangers that I have met along the way now only drink Cakebread wines!!!! Full disclosure ...your staff has already heard this story 15 times! So I'm sure they're gonna know who this is! So .... now moving onto my experience at your winery! My husband and I started coming to your winery regularly about 2 1/2 years ago. On our first visit we met Anna who gave us all the history of the Cakebread family while walking us through the amazing vineyards, the stunning garden and the lovely pond area! To be honest I was already sold on your wine but she was the icing on the cake! Her knowledge was not only impressive but genuine and heartfelt!!! She made our first experience AMAZING!!! We became members that day because of her and left with 8 cases of wine! ( personal favorites ) Reserve Chardonnay. We took your last 5 from 2016 yesterday Dancing Bear Cab. We took 4 of your 2012 yesterday. Sauvignon Blanc 2019. We took a case yesterday. Chardonnay 2017. Took a case yesterday. Pinot Noir 2017 Took a few of those as well. Ok let's move on to a few other honorable mentions!!! FRANK ... well it's Frank!!! He is wonderful... extremely knowledgeable... engaging....humorous..... and treats us like family. Many times he has gone WAY out of his way for us!!!! I swear Jack... they treat us like we are the only members there! Last but certainly not least, we met Kelly yesterday for the first time! What a lovely soul she is! She was equally as amazing as all the rest of the staff .... add in she listened to my Cakebread story which I'm sure my husband has heard over 5000 times and he never gets sick of hearing it! She was just terrific! She walked us to our car and if it wasn't for Covid I would have given her the biggest bear hug!!!! Now as for you... thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my birthdays... my anniversaries... my Christmas's ... my Som's milestones ....and my daily precious life moments .... so much more memorable with my glass of Cakebread in my hand. Here's to YOU Jack ... and my entire Cakebread family !!!!! I love you all!!!! CHEERS!!!!! Most sincerely, Elizabeth read more

When I first heard of Cakebread's name, I knew that this place had to be good. Although cake and bread have nothing to do with the wines here, that didn't deter my pleasant disposition towards this place. With that said, this was probably my favorite winery stop on my Napa itinerary. For $15 we got six different wines and our wonderful, knowledgeable guide Nancy! I loved that Nancy wasn't there just to pour and rattle off a couple of facts about each wine, you can tell that she really enjoys what she does because she engages with each member of the group. It was around lunchtime, so naturally everyone was hungry and had food on their minds. We began talking about different types of food, and Nancy related all these different types of food and wonderful pairings with each in such delectable detail that all we wanted to do was run over to the cooking class in the next building over. As my friends and I were new to the area, she gave us wonderful options to do for the rest of our stay here. My favorites from the tasting were the 2007 Cabernet and 2007 Syrah. Sadly, I'm just a poor grad student without the means to buy both :( I didn't know that we could keep our glasses either, so that was a bummer. But I did pick up their recipes that complemented each of their wines from the tasting. A must! read more

Cakebread Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

We were just driving the Napa Valley fir the holiday and decided to stop in on 7/3/18. They usually take appointments only but we figured why not just stop in and see if they have room for 2 for a tasting. Lucky for us they did! We appreciated the flexibility since we are non-planners we just like to go with how ever the day takes us. Well we ended up with a woman by the name of Claire as our host! She was fantastic and really made the whole experience! . She even let us walk around the wine barrel room which was not apart of the tasting. Thanks Claire. She was informative, fun, and really made us feel like honored guest for joining Cakebread Cellars for the day. We enjoyed the wine went home with a bottle of merlot. I would do this tasting again when we go back and book a tour and ask for Claire! If you are looking for a tasting it is worth the money. 1.) Tasting $25/person which is probably about average. 2.) 4 good pours of tasting release collection 3.) TIME spent with you. If you've ever been to Napa youll experince some open bar like tastings where the host jumps around alot. We had Claire all to ourselves which was nice from beginning to end she was ours (group of 7). 4.)Complimentry wine glass. They gifted you with your nice full sized tasting glass with the logo as a souviner. THAT DOESNT HAPPEN IN NAPA YOU HAVE TO USUALLY BUY THEM. We would go back. with love Steph and Ty from Denver read more

I've been wanting to visit Cakebread for quite some time and boy, let me tell you...I was VERY pleased!! I would have given Cakebread 4 stars but our tasting guide, Summer, made it a 5 star experience!! Go Summer, go Summer *doing the Cabbage Patch dance* This place is by reservation only so as you drive onto the grounds, you are immediately greeted and your reservation is confirmed. Also, be on time, your tour will leave without you...trust me, I know ;-) My group of 7 (lovely) ladies were late by no more than 10 minutes for an 11am appointment and our tour had already went buh-bye without us, oops! Lucky for us, they were able to fit us into the 11:15 tour. Luckier for us, it was Summer who was our fearless leader. $15 is a bargain for a flight of 6 quality wines and as a bonus, you keep your glass...yessss! As soon as we paid our fee, we were quickly introduced to our first tasting, 2009 Vin de Porche. Light, refreshing...perfect for the scorching heat we were enduring. The Vin de Porche is said to pair well with grilled salmon, Vietnamese spring rolls and pollo asado tacos and quesadillas. Sounds scrumptious, doesn't it? Once Summer gathered the troops, she brought us out to the garden area for quick intros and info on Cakebread Cellars. Her bubbly personality immediately shone through and within the first few minutes, I could tell we were in store for some F-U-N. In the tasting room, we tried 2 white wines: a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (aka Sauvi B) and a 2007 Chardonnay. White wines are not my preference but I enjoyed them both. Here's a wise tip for you, my friends...do not swirl the wine too hard! I was watching everyone's swirling technique and in the midst of checking them out, I spilled some of that precious liquid on me, the floor and a few drops on my friend. Haha, can you say slob? Never fear, Summer was there to replenish the wine I worked so hard at swirling. Anywho, on to the reds...que bueno! 2006 Merlot, 2007 Cab and 2007 Syrah...oh so tasty! If you like red wines, you will DEFINITELY be impressed with their offerings. A few of my friends were either white wine drinkers or found the reds a bit too strong so after a bit of arm twisting, I allowed them to dump the rest into my glass. Ok, ok, no arm twisting. My name is Christine and I am a lush. Bwahahahaha!!! They have informational cards that you can take home. Each card contains information on a specific wine and a recipe for cooking with it. Knowing how superb the wines were, I'm sure the meals would be out of this world! Please keep Cakebread Cellars in mind when planning your next Napa visit but be sure to make an appointment well in advance. And as our governator would say...I'll be back! read more

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We had always wanted to try Cakebread wines so when we were in wine country, we decided to check them out. We signed up for the tasting ($10 per person). The wine tasting is also a tour, so you can't just go in and taste at your own pace - you are forced to go on a boring hour long tour just to taste some wine. And you are on your feet the entire time - so be warned. The tasting is done as you walk through various venues in the winery - the barrel room, fermentation room, outdoor patio, etc. This is a good tasting for those first time visitors, but when you know a lot about the process of winemaking, it is very redundant and extremely boring, and far too long at an hour. It isn't fair to that you have to suffer through a boring tour just to taste wine; Cakebread should really offer a tasting only option. I'll never go back to taste their new releases because I don't want to be forced to go on a tour to do so. The worst part of this whole experience is that there were NO DUMP BUCKETS! That meant you HAD to finish all of the wine in your glass - no spitting or dumping. HORRIBLE! Not only were we forced to take a tour to do a tasting, we were forced to drink every last drop of what was poured. I think this is absolutely unacceptable in wine country! Top all of this off with a hard sell to join their wine club at the end of the tour. They start harping on it when you are in a room with no visible exits! It's like being trapped by the missionaries that show up at your house unannounced. Although the wines are pretty good, I would not recommend visiting this vineyard for the reasons mentioned above. read more

Cakebread Cellars. The name evokes fine wine and back when Chardonnays were my favorite, I think this was the only one I ever drank. I had toured this vineyard probably 15 years ago and I have to say the memory of that visit far outweighed the experience we had this time around. First of all, Cakebread is a bit full of itself in demanding reservations for it's various tours. Okay- I'll play along but funny how all the other vineyards welcome you to their business. With that being said- I made reservations for the 12:30 select wine tasting. When we arrived, there was a guy on the driveway directing the cars and he pointed us to "parking in the back". Only problem? There was no parking available so we sat in the car and waited for another guest to leave to snag their spot. We wandered in and paid our $25 (pricey for what you get in my opinion) each for the "Select Tour". Turns out- what color "bookmark" you have is the tour that you are on so we were directed back outside to wait for our guide. She met us and the 5 other people on the tour and into the cask area we went. We never moved beyond the one table (and cooler on the floor holding the various bottles of wine) and got basically 5 small tastes of wine. Most of the people in our group were wine novices who had tons of questions for our guide- from the growing season to the harvest to knowing when a wine is ready. But we really didn't hear too much about that . . .maybe that's a different tour? I did like the tasting as it showed me that the Cakebread Chardonnays that I once loved are now lighter and crisper which was good to know. We did purchase a case to ship home of various wines just because I like this brand so much. But I'd have to say the tour left something to be desired, especially when compared to others along the way. Maybe my memory of my last experience was clouded by the wine I had that day. Or maybe they were having an off day. But it seems one of my favorite "little wineries" has gotten just a little too big for it's britches. read more

A tour and tasting at Cakebread is a great way to start a day of wine tasting in the Napa Valley. We made prior reservations for 10am on our first full day in Napa for a current release tasting only. While I was expecting a typical, stand at a bar and taste kind of deal, we were actually treated to what our guide described as a "vertical tasting" which was pretty much a tour through the main building and on-site production facility with various wine stops along the way. I liked this set up for a couple of reasons. Mainly because our guide (I'm embarrassed that I can't recall his name) was just so fantastic. There were a bunch of wine newbies on our tour and he explained wine in such interesting everyday analogies that it had even myself rethinking how I select and pair my wine. He made things make sense in a way I've never heard anyone explain before. Secondly, Cakebread just makes really great wine, from their whites to their reds. No complaints here. As we were leaving it was getting a little busy so if you don't like the crowds, make an early appointment. I've never really drank Cakebread before but I'll definitely keep my eye out for it now! read more

We were visiting from out of town and stopped by Cakebread about 30 minutes prior to their closing time. They said we couldn't do a tasting and our only option was to purchase wine in their store and take it with us. It wasn't so much their rules that we had an issue with, it was more the way they made us feel and the way they said it. Both people we had an interaction with (check in desk guy and wine store guy) gave us the impression they did not value our business and just wanted us to get out of there as quickly as possible so they could close. We used to be avid Cakebread fans that bought several cases a year from Wines & More, Bevmo etc., but we were really soured by the only in person experience we've ever had and aren't buying their wine anymore. read more

Our six had wine tasting reservations. Christian was our host guide. He was very knowledgable of Wine, the industry and I could tell he was very proud to be working for Cakebread. He took time to introduce the family through photos. Tasted some of the better red wines in Napa at Cakebread. read more

Cakebread Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

Day 2 of Napa, and we stay or day with a 10am "tour" of cakebread. I was a tad bit disappointed. It was a walk thru the tank storage room, then we all stood around a table while our tour guide said a few words about the wines. Was it informative? Not really. She didn't really talk about the process or aging or any of it. Was I a tad bit bored? Yep. Was it a waste of time? Kinda. We basically walked thru a room, into another room, then stood around a table. Save yourself the time and go to Peju. You'll thank me later. read more

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Grounds (5 stars): More than just a vineyard, this property has a house on the property where the Cakebreads used to live and a lovely lawn area. Tasting Room (3 stars): Given the amount of traffic that comes through Cakebread, the tasting room is a bit small and gets crowded easily. Tasting (5 stars): Cakebread cellar offers a variety of tasting experiences. We opted for the guided sensory evaluation. After the usual tour and history lesson, we ended in a private room with a large table. In front of each person were 4 glasses each filled with a liquid corresponding to one of the four senses: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, and 4 empty wine glasses. We learned to pick out the 4 senses in four different wines, and also had a brief lesson on how different glasses affect the taste of wine. The guide, Putnam, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Wines (3.5 stars): I like their whites better than the reds. read more

We booked the sensory evaluation experience ($30 per person; 90 minutes long and by appointment only) and it was an AMAZING experience. We started with a tour of the winery facilities and saw the beautiful grounds as well as the bottling and pressing equipment. We've been big Cakebread wine fans for awhile, so it was really cool to see where it all comes from. Then, we were taken upstairs to the beautiful wine education room. We were sat down in front of a setup consisting of four wine glasses, four shot glasses and a water glass. The shots were of a sweet, a sour, an alcoholic, and a tanniny liquid, and we tasted a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and a Merlot during the class. We began by doing some reading- we read the prepared materials about how to properly taste wine and how each of four senses (sight, smell, taste, and touch) reacted to wine. Then, for the next 90 minutes, we sipped our flavor shots (my favorite was the sugar, least favorite was the acid) then sipped water before trying our wines and seeing how our palates changed with each. Our teacher also passed around glasses of aromatics (things like honey, grapefruit, toast, vanilla, and rosewater) for us to smell along with each wine we tasted. Finally, we were asked to combine the four shots into an empty glass and see what wine would taste like with only sugar, acid, alcohol, and tannin- basically wine if the fruit was gone. Surprisingly, it kind of tasted like a spiked lemon iced tea. By far the best $30 I've spent- I learned so much about wine in that hour and a half, and tasted some wonderful Cakebread wines. We didn't try anything different wine-wise, since we had tried all four of the wines at home, but I learned a lot about how wine is made and how to taste wine. I really want to do a food and wine pairing class next time I'm in the area... read more

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Yummo! One of my favorite wineries so far in Napa valley. Six tastings for 15 bucks? Yes please! They do have different tasting options (red wine only, reserve, etc...) Must make a reservation, or else no tasting, which in my opinion, is a great idea, because it avoids the overcrowding. Our guy (forgot his name, Brian?) was really good about explaining each wine, and the wineries history. Cakebread is known for its chardonnay, but I fell in love with their apple barn pinot. The only con here is I wish they had more than one tour. They only have it at 10:30 in the morning. Adding one in the afternoon would be nice! Property is nice, smaller than others, but spacious enough. Will come back again! read more

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This is one of my favorite wineries!! Yess we are members And their wine is just fantastic! Great wine great service and excellent ambiance. Just love their wine at this place I highly recommend this place!! read more

When you are in Napa there are endless overcrowded wineries with a myriad of thirsty tourists looking for the wine country experience. Most of the time you are shuffled shoulder to shoulder with strangers trying to get the wine-tenders attention for a small taste. Not at Cakebread. They are one of the appointment only wineries in Napa and man let me tell you, making the appointment is worth it. We walked up to the winery and immediately were greeted by a very nice man who led us to the private tasting room where 8 other people were huddled. We had individual stations and the wine tasting teacher was fantastic. 15 dollars a person gets you tastes of 5 or 6 wines if you are lucky. The highlight of the tasting is the wonderful stories and insights we got from one of the winemakers who has been in the business for 30+ years. We signed up for a reds only tasting but they also have a mixed. They are famous for their chardonnay so next time I may do the mixed tasting. The 2011 Cabernet was the highlight of the tasting. Perfectly balanced and delicious. If you are looking for a laid back winery in Napa where you can leisurely taste delicious wine.. Cakebread is your place! read more

Cakebread Cellars - Private reds only tasting - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

We reserved a tasting at Cakebread Cellars, which is required since it is by appointment only. We ended up 15mins or so early and was required to wait until our scheduled time. We did not have a tour of the property, strictly the wine. The tasting took place at a stand up bar counter, as most do in the area. There were a total 5 of guests in the group for a tasting. Our guide was informative and outgoing, which made for a pleasant experience. I would have enjoyed a cheese pairing with their wines, but they do not have any food to purchase or order on the property. (Clearly, don't come here hungry). Cakebread has a great reputation with wines, especially their Chardonnay. However, I am not a white wine fan and prefer their reds better. Their Pinot Noir is divine, and you may want to buy a few before you leave because they do not produce many cases of it. They do sell their own cookbooks which have wonderful recipes. There is not much of a gift shop, but you can leave with something for sure. read more

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Potty break that turned into wine tasting! Atmosphere: 5/5 Beautiful tasting room (they all have beautiful tasting rooms though). As soon as you walk in you are surrounded by several massive stainless steel tanks, which was pretty cool. Be warned it's VERY well air conditioned inside the tasting room so bring your sweaters! Service: 6/5 Amazing!!! Rachel greeted us at the front desk and got us all set up with our tasting. She was friendly, very sweet, and helpful! It's always nice being greeted by a friendly face. For our tasting Brian E. helped us. He was knowledgable, funny, and made us feel at home. Everyone had a great time! Wine: 4/5 The wine was pretty good, but has a typical Napa price tag. Although Cupcake is known for their Chardonnay, I wasn't in love with their whites. I did quite enjoy the Pinot noir, merlo, and Cabernet Sauvignon though! Overall: 5/5 Very friendly and homie vibe. I would come back, but maybe try to get more of their reds! read more

Cakebread Cellars - A little tasting! - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

This is my wife and I's favorite vineyard in the area just because of the quality of the wine vs. price. To me, they have a fantastic chardonnay for ~$30 and their merlot is top notch. Things do get pricey once you get to their benchland series but man, what a great wine. Make sure you book a reservation because they don't take walk-ins. 5 stars. read more

I went to Cakebread in July and it was amazing experience. I fell in love with the Chardonnay and would gladly host friends here again.

We've been members here for over 20 years. Really consistent quality across many varietals year after year. Some of our favorites are the Reserve Chardonnay, Apple Barn Pinot Noir, Rubyat (red blend), Dancing Bear Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Really nice staff who work there as well as the owners. Each of the varietals has a recipe created to go with it. We've made may of the recipes over the years and most have been pretty good. Check it out. read more

Cakebread Cellars - Apple Barn Pinot Noir, so good. - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

You know, I didn't love Cakebread. And I'm sorta sad not to have, b/c their name is awesome. I thought it was a bit too formulaic, and I didn't like their process: Step 1: Make reservation. Step 2: Go to parking lot and get directed to parking space by parking attendant. Step 3: Go in to winery lobby (yes, lobby) and check-in for your reservation. (How did we know to do this? Oh, that's right! B/c the parking attendant told us to do so.) Step 4: Pay, pick-up wine glass & meet tour guide. Step 5: Proceed outside & go on tour. Step 6: Taste wine. Enjoy. Step 7: Exit back into retail area & make your purchase. Yes, the staff was friendly, and the wine was alright, but I just thought the whole ordeal was way too sterile. There was no room for deviation, and it wasn't personal. *Caveat: The one positive was that Cakebread offers recipe ideas to accompany their wines. Being as I'm in need of new recipes, I did take a few cards with me, and do appreciate their love of pairing food with wine. read more

I may be biased since I love their wine! Both red and white (which is rare since I am really selective about my red and usually find white just very ordinary). We got there on a friday, so good that it was off season and not packed. The basic wine tour took us around the winery as we tasted diff type of wines they produce. It reconfirmed my love for this wine label! Still remember their chardonnay that had the lingering fragrant green apple crisp finish....and now i am regretted not buying there =/ the tour guide was very friendly and we chatted with the rest of the group as we toured the property. My friend and I wanted to do their reserved wine tasting, but unfortunately they were all booked up both days we were there. But they were still very friendly and let us taste the wine that my friend was contemplating getting. I wish i could afford joining their wine club! LOL.... read more

The people who work here are cool, and the wines are decent, but it makes for a very generic wine tasting. No reservation was necessary for us to do a tour/tasting, which was great when you're on a loose schedule. We got to keep our glasses, because we asked, so that was nice. But the wines were nothing special to me at all. In fact, I found myself not wanting to finish some of them. That's not to say that they were bad, but just, not interesting enough to make me want to keep sipping. We basically came outside and stood near a counter while our guide gave us some history and poured. I wouldn't be opposed to coming back here, b/c it's certainly not bad, I would just probably pick somewhere else first. read more

Cakebread has some of my favorite wines from California. If you like Cabernet or Chardonnary you will love Cakebread wines. With that being said, I just had to check out the vineyard while in Napa. The positives: they have 3 separate tastings, each one is vastly different and costs a different price. We did the Reserve tasting which was $40 pp, lots of vintage Cabs in this tasting. Clearly all the wines were super high end and delicious. The tasting took place in a small enclosed tasting room that held maybe 8 people max. Our tour guide (is that what I should call him?) was amazing, older gentleman who really knew the wines. The vineyard itself is also beautiful. The negatives: Since I love their wines so much, I wanted to buy a bottle, sit outside in their vineyard, enjoy my wine and enjoy the beautiful day. Nope, not allowed. Why the heck can't you buy a bottle and sit outside somewhere and drink it?! That really bothered me. We literally spent 15 minutes at this winery because we were only allowed to taste about 6 wines and that was it. Great wines, but I'll just buy a glass at my local Capital Grill next time. Boo. read more

Top tier service - wines are not only top notch but in one occasion we weren't able to get an Uber for a restaurant reservation and one of the managers got us there on time. Best service of any winery, hands down read more

I'm surprised there aren't more yelp reviews on Napa wineries and restaurants! But Cakebread was a fantastic place to visit. We took a small and intimate tour with a knowledgeable guide & learned all about how they make their wines. While most wineries age their wine in oak barrels used for 5-6 years/seasons, Cakebread only uses theirs for 3 and then sells them to other places! It's small details like that which lets you know they're serious and conscientious about their wine-making. They are generous with their wine samples....we tried 6 different kinds (3 whites and 3 reds). A very nice family-owned winery. Our tour guide, Bob, gave us great suggestions for restaurants around the area and didn't make us feel rushed on the tour. He seemed genuinely kind in welcoming us and considerate in answering our questions. : ) read more

Cakebread Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Rutherford, California

We went to Cakebread today and had a wonderful time on our tasting. Our host Jacob was so entertaining and taught us a lot about the wines. It was also pretty neat we got to taste some more special wines off the list. Jacob answered all our questions and with good stories to pair the wines. The actual cellar is gorgeous too and it was a privilege to tour the grounds rather than just sit at a table. Thank you! katie and michael, Maui, HI read more

This was our third stop of the day on our tour of wineries. A number of friends suggested that we visit this winery. (I also saw a number of good recommendations on Yelp too, and advocated for making it a stop on our tour.) Cakebread is charming winery and is kind of small when compared to the huge wineries along Highway 29. We had to make an appointment for this one, but it was worth it. We did a tasting with our guide in a private room and the grounds were beautiful. On your way to the tasting room, you walk through the vats, bottling and barreling areas. You also walk through a room that has a ceiling made entirely of corks! The tasting fee was $10. I bought 2 bottles here, one bottle of the 2006 Rubiyat (a BBQ wine and available only at the winery) and one bottle of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. The 2006 Chardonnay Reserve was also good. Great wines overall! Heather was our host and she was terrific. In addition to the service, we were also given pre-printed tasting notes with recipes on the back. read more

Holy great! The best tour I did in the area. Our guide was wonderful and all the wines we sampled were excellent. I suggest doing the cooking class b/c the food coming from the separate kitchen smelled outrageously great...we even tried to convince our guide to let us sample some of the food...but you can't unless you do the class. Wish I would have known! I bought 1 of everything we sampled and some!! read more

$15 for a 45min tour & tasting of 6 select red/white wines - not really a tour. Our first stop on our Napa day of fun, we stopped in and asked to do a tasting. We were told they could squeeze us into the next "tour" group at 10:30am. We joined a group of 4 lovely ladies on a bachelorette day of fun. We were taken through a grassy area and into a room with temperature controlled drums the wine starts in (tasting) and then dropped in a room of empty barrels where we could purchase bottles - and that was our tour. The actual wine tasting was decent. The whites, ironically, were my fav at Cakebread, but I don't believe for a minute the wines we were tasting were worth $100+ as a bottle. The service was good and the greeters take wonderful pictures for you too! I guess in comparison to what a wine tasting + tour includes in Temecula (what we're used to) this was less than thrilling. read more