Our experience at Cimarossa with John will be what defines our honeymoon. It's what we will be talking about decades from now. I would like to use this review to shed some light on Cimarossa, the experience and explain just how special this was for us.
We are visiting Napa on our honeymoon and have never been to northern California. Our hotel is a little place in Oak Knoll and the hotel manager arranged our visit to Cimarossa because we said we wanted a unique experience. We were given no information about the experience, what to expect, how to get there, etc. We simply had a reservation booked for us and went on our way. None of the following should reflect poorly on Cimarossa, I was never in direct contact with them and our hotel manager is the one arranging things. I want to illustrate some important points about visiting Cimarossa so the same doesn't happen to you.
Getting to Cimarossa is a journey in itself. If you're not from the area, it is going to be challenging without directions. VERY IMPORTANT: You 100% need directions from John or someone at Cimarossa. Google Maps was insane and confusing, you need to talk to John before going up Howell Mountain because you may lose cell reception and be totally lost.
We are from Chicago, so we Uber everywhere. We did that to get to Cimarossa because we had no idea what to expect. Big mistake. You absolutely DO NOT want to Uber to Cimarossa. It is up Howell Mountain, there is little to no cell reception, and no one will be around to take you back down the mountain. Again, DO NOT UBER HERE.
Cimarossa is located up a winding mountain, down private roads with unmarked gates that say "Private Do Not Enter" - it is confusing as hell if you don't know what's going on. We eventually flagged someone down, asked them for directions and finally made it to Cimarossa. At first, this was extremely stressful. Now, it is a fond memory.
The Cimarossa experience is so intimate, words cannot do it justice. It is literally you and John, riding around in a four wheeler, through the vineyards, perched on mountain sides. He explains what makes Cimarossa wines so special, he shows you the different areas of the vineyard that make the wines you're about to taste. He drives you to a small cabin, light jazz music plays inside and a table is set for five wine tastings and an olive oil from olives grown on the vineyard. He lays out a small charcuterie spread to taste with the wines. Everything is delicious. The wines are fantastic. You're able to fill out a card to purchase wines which we did. Nothing is pushy, there's no pressure to buy - but it would be hard to resist after the whole experience.
Please keep reading because I'd like to explain some more about John and Cimarossa. Cimarossa is small, they do 100% of their sales at the tasting table during a private visit like we experienced. This means they take their appointments seriously. If you flake out on an appointment, it would make sense that they may be upset about it. I would say only book the appointment out of respect for them if you are going to spend money on wine. The wines are $45-95 / bottle so plan accordingly.
After we took an Uber to the winery and were told it was going to be impossible getting one to take us down, we were freaked out. Neither of us were familiar with the area, and it took about 15-20 minutes to get up the mountain. John told us he'd drive us down to an area where we could get cell coverage and that we should relax and enjoy the tour. This really settled our nerves and allowed us to open up and have a great time.
After the tour, John drove us down the mountain in the four wheeler, to a little area with some shops. We still didn't have cell coverage. Keep in mind, John had another appointment within an hour that he had to prep for and went out of his way to make sure we had a good experience. He had reception, so he downloaded / installed / setup the Uber app, got us an Uber, and waited for us to get picked up. I gave him cash for the Uber cost that I got at an ATM. He didn't have to do ANY of this. On top of this, we weren't even his ideal customer - we only spent $200-250 ish on wine.
But he never once made us feel less special and it was an unbelievably considerate thing for him to do for us. We got picked up and went on our way and I'm so grateful to John for making this trip even more special. Again, this is the defining moment of our honeymoon to Napa. I highly recommend this tour for individuals looking to purchase some unique wines while experiencing a memorable tasting experience. read more