Sonny served my friend and I along with three lovely people from Finland. It was a lovely day and…read morewe were a bit early so we chatted and took a pouring while we waited a few minutes for our soon to be new friends. With our pourings Sonny regaled us with the history and specifics of the winery and terrior of this vineyard... we took a tour of the premise and Sonny explained the equipment they use (it being high tech,) the lovely crush pad, and wine cave. The tastings are superior, well finished and the varietals presented are worthy of a taste and buying. The Merlot Rose and the Merlot were what I bought and am looking forward to returning. I'll add I work in the wine industry for near two decades now and I don't give my accolades easily.

Definitely in the top three of the winery/vineyard tours during our stay in Napa…read more I absolutely loved the unique feeling that Bravante offers. First, we had to "climb" the mountain to get to its secluded location. Then you're in for a surprise when you walk in. It's like walking into a cave. We visited on a super foggy day. The silence was almost deafening. Coupled with the fog, I seriously felt like we were in the middle of peace and serenity. Jake did an amazing job of showing us around and the Bravante way of wine making. We loved his warm energy. The wines here were amazing. We have done way too many tours on this trip and had stop purchasing wines at the last few tastings but we had to have some Bravante wine shipped home. Not to mention, Bravante is owned by two women! Girl power. The private tasting was absolutely amazing. Definitely a must-see when in Napa.

I can't imagine a better winery to recommend when visiting the larger Napa area and cannot wait to…read morebe back. Even after visiting others in the region, this truly set the bar too high that no others compared! Located in a beautifully scenic area, we absolutely loved the drive from Winters to Nichelini, stopping at some scenic spots along the way. When arriving, we were blown away by how cool the historic house was and the valley it was located in. Tastings take place inside the historic home, where you can see old photographs of the home and generations of family members who have run the winery. Reservations weren't necessary which seems like more of the exception in the area which was perfect, though e had made some beforehand online to be safe. We absolutely loved all of the wines we tried, and Tony was amazing in guiding us through the tasting process, with us trying wines that aren't normally our style, though we really enjoyed at Nichelini. They walked us through the wines in such a helpful way to really understand each in a very approachable way. We absolutely loved how as people who like wine but aren't very knowledgeable that this really was a really great experience to learn more. Everyone at the winery couldn't have been more nice or welcoming, with us staying to talk and try wines over a few hours. When we mentioned that we were taking a trip celebrating our new engagement, they were sure to make it extra special, which we appreciated so much and will always make this a special place in our hearts! I think this will have to become a special anniversary spot in the future after the wedding to come back and celebrate!

If you had to try one winery in California, I would highly recommend Nichelini. Everything from the…read morehosts to the wine to the atmosphere were perfect. For our first time in the area, this set the bar extremely high for how friendly our hosts were and how beautiful the winery is. After surviving wildfires and the tests of time, the main building from the 1800s holds so much history, as evidenced by the numerous photographs lining the walls. The signature tasting consisted of four hand-selected wines: 2024 Moscato, 2023 Caterina Reserve, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2022 Petite Sirah. I was wary of the moscato at first because i don't like sweet wine, but this one actually has a sweet flavor without the sugary taste. The next wine on the tasting was the Caterina Reserve, an oak-barrel aged white wine unlike any other I've had before. My favorite wine was the Zinfandel, a red wine that had a nice smoothness and semi dry. We got a bottle to take home for a special occasion. Overall, the Nichelini Family Winery is hands-down my favorite winery in the region and a must-try for anyone visiting!

We are the twoooo amigos! Okay so maybe this hidden gem of a winery is not named after one of my…read morefavorite comedy motion pictures of the 1980s...but what they are is an intriguing winery that focuses on the customer, especially their members. Located in the winding hills high above Glen Ellen in the heart of Sonoma's wine country, the namesake comes from two friends and partners Bob Briner and Squire Fridell. What makes the wines at Two Amigos Winery so unique is that the tastings they offer are done by appointment only as they give a tour of their entire estate and wine production facility and their tastings after their tour are complementary to visitors. Bob and Squire have known each other for almost six decades after being roommates in college. Two Amigos Winery is actually two wineries in one as their sister winery is known as GlenLyon Vineyards & Winery, where at one point all of the grapes they have grown on their estate were all outsourced to other wineries. After being unable to obtain a permit to make more wine of their own, they opted to obtain a permit to create a second winery with its own signature label. At Two Amigos, they make no fewer than nine wines, and through our guided tour from managing partner Bob himself, we learned that as a smaller winery they host a number of unique aspects from having all of their own equipment on site, including open air fermentation tanks so their wine ferments naturally with no yeast. This process may take a while longer for their wine to mature, but thanks to this process it not only picks up a nice color with a strong fruit-forward bouquet. After touring their laboratory and cellar that hosts their French oak wine barrels, we then followed Bob and his adorable dogs Theo and Stella up to their main house where they host their annual springtime pick up party for their members for an extraordinary tasting of no fewer than seven wines. Upon walking into their gorgeous estate home, we learned that all of their wines are crafted by a clown, a real one in fact as Squire is a retired actor and former pitchman who served as none other than Ronald McDonald himself in numerous commercials in the 80s and 90s. With a fun look at all of the memorabilia that he has collected as an actor over the decades and a truly remarkable hillside views of their vineyards that were not yet in bloom, but thanks to the abundance of water being stored and managed, it would only be a matter of weeks, before we were blooming. We headed to their shaded deck for our tasting, which began with their 2022 Vino Rosato, which is their appetizer wine, and on the slightly drier side but had a nice grapefruit finish. From there, Bob poured us one of my favorite wines of our tasting, their Viognier was a nicely chilled afternoon wine that had a real subtle taste to it, when paired with spicy cuisine could only add to the umami of your overall meal. For our third pour we enjoyed their non-okay and non-buttery Chardonnay, which was a real change of pace versus your traditional Chardonnays. With hints of green apples, we learned that this originated as a cool climate grape from the Parmalee-Hill Vineyards where Two Amigos also sources their grapes that produce their Pinot Noirs. Bob then had us delve into their red wines, including their signature Pinot Noir, which among all the wines, Bob taught us to swirl the wine in the glass by putting our hands over the top of the glass thereby locking in the bouquet and then when you are able to smell it, it completely changes the profile of the wine. When paired with generous amounts of cheese, this wine along with the next two red wines that we sampled, their Tirare il Dito and their Syrah, both grown on their estate. Tirare il Dito literally means "pull my finger" in Italian and exemplifies the humorous ways that the two amigos approach their wines. This wine was the only blend they source here at Two Amigos and was a highlight of our tasting. To finish our complimentary tasting, we enjoyed their Wee Moor Port wine, which was paired with Toblerone chocolate and was one of the sweetest wines one could enjoy. After ninety minutes of this extraordinary tour and tasting we realized that purchasing wine on the spot wasn't available if we weren't a club member. Not needing that much wine was our only regret as we weren't allowed to purchase any bottles of wine on this visit, as their Tirare il Dito and Wee Moor Port were real winners. But what we did get out of our experience at Two Amigos was a wonderful tutorial in how fine exclusive wine is crafted high in the hills of Sonoma, both Bob and Squire have achieved their goal of simply sharing their passion with appreciative visitors to Two Amigos Winery who love to sample new wines and take it all in, and at Two Amigos you will truly feel like a new best friend.

Verisimilitude. Not a word that trips lightly off the tongue. Nor should it. Yet it is the word…read morefor here. Captivating you at first sip and hooking you at first laugh. Cousins had called to rave to us about this winery they had discovered. I love everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines. So, heck yes. Cousins then quickly arrived to drive us and off we all went for a visit. Here's how our visit went. We sipped. We laughed. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Many thanks to our hilarious hosts, masters of their crafts which are wine and laughter to present what are in effect a series of highly critical, nuanced love notes to the idea of America. They inspire and nurture happiness - one person, one wine and one laugh at a time, while playing characters tailor-made for their wide repertoire of intrusive yet inviting personas. Two Amigos Winery addresses the whole person--mind, body and spirit all the while quite mesmerizing, poignant and full of unearthed beauty. When we bellied up to the bar, we didn't know we were in for several belly laughs also. Gosh. I ended up more drunk on the laughter than I was on the wine, lovely as the wine was, which the wine was. For all its accomplishments - and it has many - Two Amigos Winery has heart, brains and an ability to laugh at itself. I'll be back. For the smiles. For the wine. For the laughter. Because more important than the food pairing is the person with whom you drink the wine. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which boosts immunity and relaxes the whole body leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes afterwards. Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. Today's forecast: sunny with a chance of wine. Wine is appropriate for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and in-between. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. It takes a long time to grow an old friend. Visits by appointment only. In victory, you deserve wine. In defeat you need it. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Wine goes with whole grain Raisin Bran. Shakespeare wrote: "Give me a bowl of wine, In this I bury all unkindness." I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Either give me more wine or leave me alone. Friends and wine have much in common. The older, the better. Keep calm and pour on. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which burns calories. Laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn some 40 calories. As long as we have wine, family holidays will be fine. There's a wine for everything. Wine a little and you'll feel better. Sniff, Sip & Giggle. Taste a wine. Laugh which lightens anger's heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment. Wine is bottled poetry. Wine and laughter are contagious. If I ever go missing I'd like my picture put on wine bottles instead of milk cartons. This way my friends will know to look for me. The Two Amigos Winery likes their Freedom so they have a Military and Veterans Discount as a thank you to Veterans with a publicly disclosed daily Veteran Discount which provides resource to ensure Veterans (rare 7% of the population) and GIs (rare one-half of one percent of the population) opportunity to participate in American Dream Veterans and GIs' sacrifices have made possible for 100% of the population.

You could not ask for a more helpful group of individuals to assist you with making your visit to…read moreYountville and the Napa Valley area a memorable experience. A complementary service with a team of experts that will just make your day. Conveniently located in downtown Yountville on Washington Street, It's a great way to start your stroll through this quaint town. Whether it's information on some of the Michelin rated restaurants, extensive bike trails, wine experiences, art walks, etc in the area, they will point you in the right direction. A highly recommended stop to help you make the most of your time.

While walking down Washington St. on a recent trip to Yountville, we decided to stop in the…read moreYountville Welcome Center. The center is nice and has sofas making it an inviting and relaxing environment. We were welcomed by Marion, the weekend manager. Marion was extremely knowledgeable about Yountville and the Wine Country. She offered great suggestions and tips about wineries and their tastings and restaurants. You can get maps, various wine country magazines and pamphlets from many wineries. Ask about wineries offering two for one tastings and or discounts. If you need information about Yountville and the Wine Country, this Welcome Center is a must visit.

This was my first time at this winery. I've always love Foley in Lompoc but unfortunately, they…read morehave decided to closed down that location. Bummer... As we're members, this is also a sister winery which allows us to enjoy tasting. The property itself was beautiful. Right when you drive in, you're greeted with both sides of rows and rows of grapes vines. The the tasting room itself isn't that big. Decent size inside as well as outside. They do have a nice private room as well as the bar counter if you like that. But everyone was on the patio as it was a nice day. I think the group across from us must be members as well as I did noticed them earlier in the day at a different sister winery. Will was the man on deck taking care of us as well as everyone else. Funny how someone you just meet had so much in common with you. The sweetest and most kindest. And he knows his craft. Even though he was the only one there when we arrived, he made sure that we were all well taken care of. Of course the wines, everything that was poured was great. The nice chilled crisp of the whites to the rich bold of the reds. Everything was excellent. We did spend a nice amount of time here just enjoying the outside on the patio. The shaded seats under the trees with the vineyards around you. Also the nice trickle of the water feature right in front. The property is beautiful. Even though it was nice to just enjoy the place, we did have to cut it short as we had a tasting somewhere else. Overall, the place is beautiful. Service was great and of course the wine was great. Will was the best. Made sure that everyone out on the patio was taken cared of.

We came in for a quick taste . Chardonnay was beautiful. We only tried a couple and then we left…read more Beautiful scenery outside. Toni was our host and was helpful and engaging . They have a variety of wines to choose from. I didn't see any bubbly. Restrooms are available to anyone. No stairs to get in.

We had a great experience with Bliss. Unfortunately we didn't get to have Damon as our host because…read morehe and his wife just had a baby (congrats!). Damon put together a fabulous itinerary and we had a delicious lunch at Brasswood and discovered an incredible new (to us) winery, Parallel Wines. If Damon suggests this itinerary for you, don't hesitate, do it!! We were supposed to have a sub who was a sommelier and he seemed really fun. He unfortunately got sick right before the day we had scheduled, so we had a third person, Louis. Louis was pleasant, although he didn't engage with us much. I would recommend Bliss, they were very professional and the communication was excellent.

Our 2 day trip was amazing! Damon made everything so smooth, easy and FUN!! He has incredible…read moreknowledge about the vineyards and local families. We gave him a list of our vineyards and he planned the rest!

I was lucky enough to find this winery through my searching on google. Fearless Wines is exactly…read morethat, fearless. My group tried a Rosé that changed our lives while we got a walking tour around the vineyard. Once we walked back up to the entrance, Morgan, our tasting specialist, led us to the cave that holds barrel after barrel of wine. An acoustically gratifying place where you see how much care goes into these wines! After our venture into the cave, we were delighted to find out where our tasting was taking place: tucked down into the vineyard valley was a tasting table of our dreams. We tasted three more wines from Fearless and got the history of how Fearless came to be. Morgan was amazing the entire time, laughing with us and truly making our time at Fearless a memory my group is excited to regale for years to come!! Reasonably priced wine with a taste that you must take home with you! We cannot say enough about how great Morgan was thorough out and how good the wines at Fearless are!! You won't regret it--and the icing on the cake is this a female driven winery!!

Absolute best way to experience Napa is to have Happy Napa arrange your visit…read more I just thought I knew Napa, turns out I really didn't. Tim, of Happy Napa, knows what makes the Napa region the jewel that it is. I wanted to visit some small wineries and do some tasting. Tim has connections with nearly everybody who is somebody and that made for a way beyond expectations experience. Not only did I get behind the scenes VIP tours of each facility we visited but Tim really knows his stuff about the tasting process. Happy Napa made me feel like a VIP on winery tours, plus their suggestions on after hours activity was spot on. From lodging to restaurant and nightlife. I think next time I'll have them arrange a morning hot air ballon ride.

If you want an amazing wine experience in the Napa Valley make sure you contact Tim at Happy Napa…read moreTours. He put together a fantastic day for my wife's birthday. Arranged a driver, made all the reservations at 3 wineries and a dinner reservation. Will definitely be using this company again and can't say enough nice things about it.