Outstanding Wine Tasting In A Cave! SITREP My dear friend Jennifer - one of my true wine connoisseur friends - has made an appointment with the good people at Chateau Boswell, since it is a winery you can see by appointment only. And it is truly an outstanding experience. THE SETUP We actually arrived to Chateau Boswell in Saint Helena (from Sacramento) about 60 minutes before our appointment, but we were received warmly and were able to engage in our truly unique and fun wine tasting experience right away! Chateau Boswell is on the Silverado Trail side of the Napa Valley - not on the HWY 29 side of the valley - so it will be a pleasant drive away from most of the tourist traffic. MATT SIMPSON Marketing Expert, Wine Docent, Vintologist Extraordinaire, and Napa & Sonoma Valley (and European AND Chinese AND South American, etc. etc.) Wine Region expert, Matt is definitely the best "go to" guy you could ask about wine - it's acidity levels, it's pairing with foods, what vines we could grow in our backyard in Sacramento, etc. etc. - and so we were lucky from the start to get his one-man history lessons filtered through the most hiLARious stand-up comic. IN A CAVE Matt guided us through what can only be described as a cave in the hillside of where the Chateau Boswell winery is, and THAT was fun! We went through the labyrinth of several different well-lighted & interior-altered tunnels of this wonderful cave, seeing rows upon rows upon rows, levels upon levels upon levels of the vintage barrels all stacked up nicely & neatly. The white wines were in uniformly plain barrels. The red wine barrels had a giant band of red coloring around their perimeters. [As part of the due diligent maintenance of the storage areas, I found it interesting to see the ultra-violet bug zappers were uniformly distributed throughout the cave, zapping any of the small groups fruit-flies that might sprout up because of the sugars that might excrete from the barrels and dripped onto the ground where the little gnatty creatures liked to congregate.] CAVE-TASTING It was so much fun to be in what can only be described as our own special alcove in the cave, with a wine-barrel with glass-top serving as our wine-tasting station. It is here where Matt delivered some of the most incredible wine knowledge I've gotten to date about the current state of the wine industry, comparing ours to the burgeoning development going on with China's wine industry, all while serving us up some excellent glasses of Chateau Boswell wine. The white Jacquelynn Cuvée Blanc was decidedly by far my most favorite of the bunch we tried, with it's light dry taste and an excellent light-fruity finish, though the red Cabernet was rich with fruity notes that I enjoyed too. The wines are not cheap, and will run you between $50 - $150 a bottle. But if you are truly a wine connoisseur, you are bound to find a unique and quality red or white in this winery that you will truly enjoy. THE LOWDOWN An excellent wine-excursion stop in Napa Valley along the Silverado Trail. read more

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WOW. After a private boutique tasting, I don't think I can go back to being herded like cattle through retail wineries. Gorgeous wine caves with artistic markings on the walls, perfect for photo ops. They only make reserve wines and everything is limited production. The different varietals are procured from different regions to garner the best quality. Come back in the fall and you will get to crush grapes the old fashioned way. Definitely check out the acoustics of the tasting room. If you're not a chardonnay person, CB will change your mind. Khristopher was so engaging, knowledgeable and approachable. Wine sells itself, but K made the experience over the top. We tasted 7 wines and picked up a couple - which were promptly delivered to Meadowood the next day. For those shopping for a new Lexus, this tasting is a PERK for you. Highly recommend. read more

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Chateau Boswell has a new winemaker as of 2013, but the winery, caves, tasting room and garden patio remain as beautiful as ever. Russell Bevan has taken over wine making duties here and is sure to transform the wines from what long-time winery fans have become used to. Tasting at this boutique winery off the Silverado trail is by appointment only, and you will enjoy a tour, some education, maybe a little tasting from barrel in the cave and some finished wines to boot. And if you are lucky, you might get to meet Russell. He requires no explanation. Bring a bite, buy a bottle and enjoy it in the garden! read more

Chateau Boswell - Winemaker extraordinaire, Russell Bevan - Wineries Near Me - St. Helena, California

Sad that this was damaged by the fire last weekend... https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/28/us/chateau-boswell-winery-california-fire/index.html read more

We love Kistler chardonnays (if you haven't been, you must) and were looking for somewhere to go with top rated Chardonnay and found Chateau Boswell. We were not disappointed! They had beautiful whites and reds!One of their red blends just received 100 points from Robert Parker. Their tasting experience was so fun, we had a great time with Jeff and I'd highly recommend you ask for him when you visit. He poured us wines off of the flight and even let us taste a beautiful Pinot Noir out of the tank. We're already looking forward to coming back! read more

Top notch wine and a fantastic tasting. Definitely not a low cost leader, however, I would put this wine maker up against any other.

My wife and I went here today and had the best time. The tour was very impressive. The wine, is some of the best I have ever tasted in the Napa District. This is a must do to ensure the best possible experience Napa has to offer. read more

One of our favorite winery tours from our last Napa trip. Small but quaint winery, with great wines, both white and red, although the reds are my favorite. It's essentially a cave tour, ending in their elegant glass walled tasting room. We had a chance to taste from one of the vats, and meet the winemaker Russell Bevan, who was a great host. Overall a great experience, which I highly recommend. read more

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This review is for a visit 2 years ago - December 2012. Went in for a wine tasting. Beautiful place. Amazing tasting room and the person presenting the wines was great. Very knowledgable and friendly. So far so good. As we live in Orange County California, we couldn't fly home with the case of wine we ordered, so they offered to ship it for us. We waited and waited for that case to arrive. My boyfriend called several times and discovered his credit card was billed for over $500 twice. They finally got that straightened out and then we waited some more for it to arrive. When it finally did, we were very disappointed to find the wine that we received was nothing like the wine we had tasted and loved. It was mediocre at best. To put it bluntly, we felt that we had been duped. Just sharing our experience. read more

Oh yeah! As good as it gets. Josh was very hospitable and made our visit a memorable one. The whites were very, very good. When we compare the quality and prices with other wineries we visited on our three day trip in wine country, this winery is close to, if not at the top of the list. Our Chateau Boswell cave experience will last much longer in our memories than the wine we brought home. Reservations are required but don't let that cause you to pass this winery by. Changing my review to a one star because I am mad. One of the bottles of wine we got from Boswell was bad and they won't return my wife's calls after three days! We were looking forward to enjoying a nice bottle that they shipped and when I poured it , it looked like cider and tasted like medicine. Wouldn't be so bad if they would return your call and replace it like any other winery. Back and forth on this one... Susan Boswell definitely took care of our issue, and more. The replacement wine was magnificent. Just as we remembered it from the winery. Thanks for following up Susan... I am back to 5 stars for you! read more

CALL AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! I am passionate about wine, but I knew nothing about this wonderful winery before being referred by a high school friend from Texas, who had recently visited with his newlywed wife. I cannot even being to describe how delightful our visit turned out. We were welcomed so warmly by Susan Boswell, one of the owners. My mom, sister, and I were the only people there aside from a small group down inside the cave with the winemaker, Luke. We sat down at a table in the middle of the cave tasting room and she poured us all our wines, described everything with only the description/story that an owner could give (or perhaps her son-in-law, Josh, could do the same), and was so un-rushed and friendly. Everything about this winery is SO cared for, perfectionist, and...just lovely. We walked among all the barrels down below in the cave and even went to the room where they were draining and removing the fermented grapes (the workers accidentally sprayed new wine everywhere when we passed through! very authentic!). Susan did a beautiful job explaining why everything was happening, let us smell the fermenting grapes, showed us the cave formations, even described why the door was fastened on the hinges the way it was leading into the cave. We were there for nearly 2 hours, but the time went by v. quickly. The wines here are made with the same perfectionist care, yet laid back attitude. I'm not a big chardonnay drinker (although they were good - round, but still delicate), but I thought the cabs were excellent. The first we tasted needed a little time to decant before drinking (then it was AMAZING), but the second one (the Estate cab) was just excellent from the start. If you can get an appointment, I definitely recommend you visit this place on a trip to Napa. Well worth it. Boswell also doesn't charge for tastings. They think if you make the trip out there, the winery and the wines speak for themselves. I couldn't agree more. read more

Chateau Boswell - Walkin' into Chateau Boswell - Wineries Near Me - St. Helena, California

WOW! This property is so so so beautiful. Ambiance gets an A+ The wines were great, but then again.....they should be if you are paying $100 a bottle. The caves were neat, and definitely worth seeing once. The wine tasting takes place around a table while you stand and taste the wines (not seated). It's not a traditional wine tasting in the sense that they don't tell you what the wine tastes like, nor do they rinse out your glasses in between. It's either you like it and you want to buy it or you don't. Why 4 Stars instead of 5? They forgot our appointment. We had spoken to them on the phone two times prior to visiting so the fact that they forgot our appointment was pretty disappointing. We had to join another group that was already about 10 minutes into their tour. read more

Chateau Boswell - Inside the Wine Caves - Wineries Near Me - St. Helena, California

Thanks to Michelangelo's Blog, we came to this place. It was really beautiful. You need to call and set an appointment, and there is a fee, but its waive with the wine purchase. We came on a weekday, so we got a same day appointment since I only learn about this the day before. The cute little path leading to the entrance of the cave that open to a nice elegant petite tasting room. We went down to the cave and made fun of the fact that it took http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/ 8 years to build. I have loved V Sattui forever and I really love the tour of Castello Di Amorosa, but please don't tell Josh this. I know he has worked hard to get his place and I think his wines are great. However, you can't compare him to the GREAT CASTLE. If you want a grand tour, go to the castle, if you want to meet the vintners, taste some good wine, come to Chateau Boswell. I can honestly say I really love Josh. He talked about his love for the wine, the wine making process, his wife(Jacquelynn) and their little girl. Who won't love a man who spends his days talking about his wife? She's a lucky woman and I bet he feels lucky to have her! Buy the Jacquelynn Cab and the Dutton Ranch Sebastopol Vineyard Chardonnay. We did, and we were NOT disappointed! By the way, on the way out, my husband and I sat on their picnic benches while one of the winemaker was grilling some meat. That wine maker told me how college students can get internships through winejobs.com ... They have had students come from all over the world and work in the area! A handsome winemaker with a great TIP...:) what are the odds!?!?! read more

This is definitely the best vineyard on the Silverado Trail, if not all of Napa. You have to call ahead to get an appointment, but it is well worth the effort. Josh Peeples spent about an hour and a half with us as we sampled the delectable wines. Josh was knowledgeable and interesting, and really wanted to give us an understanding of what goes into the winemaking process. So much so that he led us into the back to try some fermenting juice, and showed us all of the winemaking equipment. Chateau Boswell is a microwinery, so most of their wine production is less than 200 cases. However, it is well worth the wait for some of the fine wines they have. In particular, the Jacquelynn Cuvee was wonderful. However, these wines are hard to find, so you are better off contacting Josh Peeples directly via the website. Absolutely wonderful experience that I am sure few people know about. But don't tell too many others...this is the type of gem you want to keep a semi-secret! read more

This is by far the best boutique winery in Napa (Silverado Trail). Although they were closed for the holiday, we rang them up and Josh Peeples (the owner's son in law) invited us over. Their property is amazing. The cave was outstanding and the wine - OMG - I've never had wine that good. Josh had friends there tasting wine and he invited us in like we were old friends. We were there 2 1/2 hours. He took us on an extensive tour and didn't even push to sell his wine. After the tour, we were begging him to buy wine and even buy the futures. Now, I'm not a fan of Chardonnay, but the Jacquelynn label (his wife) was awesome. We tried several whites and then about 12 reds, mostly all from the barrels. The tour was extensive and educational. He is the nicest, down to earth guy. I can't say enough good things about the wine - EVERY, and I mean EVERY, single wine we tasted was fantastic. This is a must visit on your next trip to Napa. read more

When my brother planned a few winery stops in St. Helena, one of our stops was Chateau Boswell which was by far the best surprise i could expect. From the able Sommolier on staff to Josh who married into the family and now helps run the entire operation. With a keen sense of taste, the wines were wonderul and i couldn't be happier to discover this small operation that you can only order direct because no wine stores carry it. They also are very green, without using pesticides and they even have bat houses on the hillside as a natural pest control. It is very reassuring that there are quality wineries in Napa which choose to avoid Cryolite (pesticide fluoride) and help people keep healthy. If you get a chance to visit the winery they have some great choices from whites to red. A fabulous gem of a winery. read more

Chris was awesome! We had a wonderful time and the wines were truly spectacular quality. The wine caves were a great place to taste the wine and we left with a few bottles. This place does not take it's self seriously but it does take the wine seriously. Great place! read more

Chateau Boswell - Wine tasting in the cave - Wineries Near Me - St. Helena, California

This was by far the best wine tasting experience we had in Napa. Our concierge at L'auberge du Soleil highly recommended this boutique vineyard and we can't say enough good things about the wine, the wine glasses (if you have been there, then you know how special these are), the tasting, the tour, and the family history that brings it all together. We had a couple of cases of wine shipped to us (no issues with shipping) and took a wonderful bottle to dinner with us that night. Like Christie said in her review, if you aren't a white wine drinker, you will be... and they will make you believe in decanting your reds AND your whites. Cin cin! read more

We visited last week. The wines were incredible ...and they should be. They were about $75 to $ 125 per bottle. Needless to say they were worth the money. The staff is very friendly, fun and knowledgable. The cave was the setting for the tasting; what a great setting. I love the story about Punky..... A true love story. You will have to ask when you get there. Be sure to make an appointment Not to be missed.. A hidden gem...and buy lots of wine if you like it. Treat yourself...don't cheat yourself as my friend at Domain Carneros once said. read more

Chateau Boswell is a remarkable Napa Valley winery on Silverado Trail near St. Helena, where the utmost importance is placed on attention to detail and perfection of their wines. The produce only very small lots of premium wines and take extreme measures not to compromise quality. Although main emphasis is on terroir, or the uniquely individual qualities of very special, site specific vineyards, Chateau Boswell also obviously values the highest quality fruit and goes to great lengths to use only the finest. So, we have a beautiful setting, gorgeous stone buildings covered in ivy, lovely wine caves, highly personalized assistance, plus exceptional wines, all at one winery. Do yourself a favor, if you are a serious wine lover; indulge yourself. Visit Chateau Boswell and Jackqueline Winery if you ever have the opportunity. For photos and additional information please see: http://bachtobacchus.blogspot.com/2012/11/chateau-boswell.html Our first tasting was the Jacquelynn 2010 Cuvee Blanc ($45) which is 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillon blend. It is hand sorted, whole cluster pressed with natural yeasts and Sur lies fermentation. Grapes are from Sonoma County and see 35% French oak. Production is only 465 cases. On the nose I got some lovely pineapple and honeysuckle. Although it had good acid, it was quite smooth and extremely well balanced with tropical fruit, white peach, melon and lime on the palate. This full bodied Sauvignon Blanc blend has a very good mouthfeel and long smooth finish. It is not as crisp and bright as some Sauvignon Blancs, the Semillon giving it a softer, more sumptuous presentation. Next was the Chateau Boswell 2009 Sebastopol Vineyard Dutton Ranch Russian River Chardonnay ($75). Again this is hand sorted, whole cluster pressed, native yeast with Sur lies and 60% new French oak. Only 216 cases were made. This also sees 100% malolatic conversion or malolatic "fermentation," otherwise known as MLF. (It was pointed out to me some years ago by a winemaker that this is technically not a fermentation but a conversion and I verified this by Internet searches and a discussion with a chemist.) I don't usually like Chardonnays that have full MLF because they end up too buttery and unbalanced. I'm not even that keen on using oak with Chardonnay because it is so often overdone. This is a powerful Chardonnay with great fruit, good acid and a huge, rich, lush mouthfeel so that the malolatic acid and oak are beautifully balanced and compliment the wine. This is not your typical California Chardonnay. I don't know how much of this is due to the soil and how much is due to the old vine Wente clone. This is not a soft Chard, although it certainly is not at all harsh or overly bright. It is full bodied and intense. I got peach and some minerality on the nose with concentrated citrus on the palate followed by a long finish. The balance is spot on. I'm not sure what you would pair this with, however. The next wine provided an excellent example of exactly what terroir means. It is grown in the same area as the Sebastopol Chard. but on higher elevation in different soil. Both wines were produced identically. The difference in taste is entirely due to the differences between the two vineyards. Enter the Chateau Boswell 2009 Russian River Chardonnay "The Voyage" ($75). This does not have the dense richness of the Sebastopol Chardonnay, although it is still full bodied. The nose is earthier with some apple and citrus. Again it is beautifully balanced but has much more minerality and seems more Burgundian if you will. As good as The Voyage Chardonnay was, our next tasting, the Jacquelynn 2010 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($175) was certain not to be anticlimactic. This is from the famous vineyard in Oakville and only 200 cases are produced. It sees 100% new French oak and has 14% Cabernet Franc. It is 100% free run. After a decent nose and soft but substantial entry, I got a divine mouthfeel of complex flavors of cherry, blackberry and spices with good but extremely well integrated tannins and numerous, complex undertones. I was reluctant to allow the first sip to go past midpalate, it was so decadently pleasurable. But when I did, I got a long, wonderfully soft finish. This is an outstanding Cab. Although it is a big Cab, it does not have the extremely ripe fruit of some Napa Cabs that offer an intense fruit experience nor is it big as in tannic and bold. It has substantial body and is intense while being extremely well balanced with lots of subtle layers. It has a lot of texture and is very multidimensional. I sipped it slowly and didn't want to finish the sample I had. read more

If you are in Napa on the east side of the valley, certainly stop by and say hello to Josh and his wife Jacquelynn, for whom one of the wines is named after (if you are lucky enough to get a taste!). Great cabernet producer from one of my favorite parts of the valley. read more

Great experience! Jeff was a tremendous host and this was the best experience we have had in Napa. Great wines and a truly beautiful property. read more

A MUST VISIT WINERY - The most amazing experience I have had at a winery. We worked with a wonderful Sommolier who spent almost an hour with us. I am not a big white fan but their whites were exceptional and the 100% Cabernet out of the barrel was to die for. Luckily we are local and go and pick u a bottle when we want one, at $150 per it can't be my daily drinking wine :( read more

Thank you Rem for the incredible tour, hospitality, and conversation! Some of the wine we tasted would easily make it into our top 10 of best wines we have tasted! Facility is beautiful, and it's minus all the crowds of Napa. If you can secure a tasting, it's a must! read more

I don't think there is anything I can really add to the other reviews. Boswell was the conclusion to my wine tour and what a fine conclusion it was. Josh was gregarious and passionate about his wine. I can honestly say I did not have a bad wine there- period. My one regret is that I didn't get enough pictures. When I go back to the valley, I will get an appointment at Chateau Boswell. And take lots of pics. And buy even more of their wine. read more

I've visited Chateau Boswell multiple times with numerous friends, and have always had a fantastic time. Matt is extremely knowledgable without being snooty, and enjoys questions and interacting. The cellar is beautiful but you may have to ask to see it. The wines are absolutely fabulous! I never thought I'd pay over $100 for a white but their chardonnays are so good, I end up buying a lot of it. A definitely must visit! read more

Not what I'd hoped for from all the five star reviews. Our party of eight had a reservation for about a month prior to going today. From all the hype I was expecting a very private, elevated experience. We were greeted by a wide open gate, a number of large working trucks, lots of cars and only one parking space as someone was leaving. The place appeared to be under construction. There is a very long, very narrow, one way driveway, and upon leaving you have to back out the entire way! This is after a long wine-tasting! As for the wine tasting itself, you're standing in the cave the whole time, no seats. You're tasting white wines then red wines, no change of glasses, no water to rinse out the glasses, but the most disappointing aspect of our tasting was that most of the wines were literally just bottled yesterday and were WAY too young (by years, as explained to us by the employee) to taste! Why? And, yet, when we were in the store prior to leaving we saw bottle after bottle of wines dated 2006, 2008; we probably would have gladly purchased them if we'd had the opportunity to taste them since they were most likely the most drinkable wines there. The best part was when we were taken to the barrels and the women and men were given different wines to taste. We exchanged glasses so everyone tasted the two wines; then we blended the two wines together and voila, a great tasting blended wine. Overall, would I recommend this to anyone, not sure. I'd have to explain that if you're adventurous and want to taste mostly young wines and invest in them and are willing to wait to see how they mature, then go for it. We went there hoping to come home with some great tasting wines we could enjoy now, and instead my husband and I left disappointed. Sorry. For Chardonnay we still prefer Chateau Montelena and for reds there are so many other wineries! read more

This winery has very limited hours; I would call before venturing out to the Chateau. Along the roadside it is passed more often than people venturing in. It indeed looks Chateausque. This is a very small producer with very nice wines--Chardonnay, and outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon. Very personable and friendly service. read more

I was perhaps a little jaded by this point in my Napa trip, but I did find the wine making information interesting...this was a nice way to have a little intimate group tour of the caves. It feels very exclusive when you enter through the gates and are a world away from everything else. Though we were early and interrupted our host's lunch, we were welcomed and shown around. I learned a lot, enjoyed the wine, and would recommend making a reservation for your trip! read more

If you want to attend a fancy, intimate tasting in a beautiful location... this is it. After being buzzed into a gorgeous gate, there were only 4 of us sitting inside the nicest cave I've ever seen (and I'm a fan of caves, so I make a point to go when possible), being educated by a gentleman more passionate about wine than anyone I've ever met. This being said in retrospect of everyone I met in the multiple wineries and restaurants we went to on our 3 day Napa vacation. My partner and I were sitting next to someone on a "research day", aka she works in the wine industry as well, and even though we were novices and she was clearly an expert, the gentleman attending to us seamlessly geared the conversation toward all of us so she wasn't too bored (because she already knew xyz) and we weren't too bored (because we knew very little in comparison). It was a really great tasting, with excellent wines. Granted, 3 of the 4 we tasted were whites, and that's not my favorite... but these were strong enough for us to leave with a bottle. If only we had enough money for the Cabernet... it was exquisite! I didn't realize wine could taste as good as that. As we were leaving Chateau Boswell, the gentleman in the other couple asked us what else where else we had been to which we responded that CB had been our first stop. "Oh that's too bad," he said "because everywhere else will pale in comparison, this really is as good as it gets." Note: In some ways he was correct, though we appreciated getting a vast array of tastings and hearing different perspectives on wine and wine-making from the various other wineries we visited. That said... I highly suggest making Chateau Boswell one of the places you visit if you can get a reservation. read more

Wow - what a terrific experience I had at Chateau Boswell. Josh conducted an incredible private tasting...yumyum...the Jacquelynn is the winner. I just enjoyed a bottle last night - so perfect. It is a party in your mouth! read more

Was worth the wait! Matt was our personal host and this was amazing. The personal interaction makes all the difference. The wine is amazing from the Cuvée to the beautifully crafted Cab. read more

Went to visit Chateau Boswell this week end. Spend an hour and a half with Matt and Josh trying their different wines as well as discussing the different techniques that they use. Compared to all wineries I have visited, they are the most advanced in term of thinking and refining and the wines we tasted (their Sauvignon, Chardonnays and Cabernet) were outstanding. Top top notch and worth a visit if you want to learn about the latest wine techniques. read more

Beautiful winery, good wine and great atmosphere ! All the staff were very knowledgeable and extremely friendly! Will definitely be back !! read more

Amazing tasting with Jeff. Such a special experience that we will never forget. Amazing wine!!

Great tasting and tour with Jeff. The caves are cool and Jeff was very knowledgeable. All the wines were delicious especially the Cabernets.

We had the pleasure of a visit and tasting in mid-Oct. These wines are fantastic and I would be very hard pressed to pic a favorite. Boo was genuinely hospitable and gracious as our hostess and wine guide. I must admit, I did scan for arrowheads but unfortunately found none. Maybe next time. Make Chateau Boswell part of your tasting excursion-as not only are wines wonderful, maybe you'll find an arrowhead! read more

We had such a special experience at Chateau Boswell Winery. Our host was Matt Simpson, who greeted us with enthusiasm and charmed us with his fun stories. He expertly described and poured 5 wines (3 white, 2 red) for us to taste. Matt shared wonderful history of the family vineyard and of the area. The wine was so delicious! I especially enjoyed the reds. Thanks again Matt for such a fun afternoon! read more