How To Taste Wine Like A VIP In Napa Valley This Fall
In the tiny town of St. Helena, two tasting experience deliver outsized flavors.
It’s harvest season in Napa Valley through the end of October, and there’s no better time to explore Northern California’s legendary wine region. Retreat to the valley this fall for the rolling landscapes, golden foliage, booming restaurant scene, and understated luxury hotels— punctuated by 200,000 acres of the country’s most revered vineyards.
There are now more than 450 wineries across Napa, and you’ll never experience them all in one weekend. But in the small town of St. Helena, where the main street shops are long on charm, two tasting experiences stand apart as exceptional showcases for Napa’s unique terroir.
Go Deep at Louis M. Martini Winery
Known for its iconic Cabernet Sauvignon, Louis M. Martini has been producing some of the region’s best wines for over 90 years. Sourced from historic vineyards like Stagecoach and Monte Rosso, coveted for their superior grapes, Louis M. Martini has deep roots in Napa. When you pair its wines with local, seasonal ingredients grown in the same soil, the natural harmony is actually meant to be: what grows together goes together.
For the winery’s exclusive Underground Cellar tasting experience, Napa-born Chef Aaron Meneghelli pairs Martini’s rarefied small-lot releases and library wines with dishes sourced from Napa farms, carefully heightening the flavors and textures of both. Set in a cavernous 90-year-old barrel cellar, the $325 per-person tasting serves as a guided tour through the wine-making history of the Martini family, and by extension the larger story of Napa itself.
Helmed by Head Winemaker Mark Williams, Martini’s portfolio only continues to expand. For a complete picture of everything the winery has to offer visitors, check out their full menu of tasting experiences.
VIP Passes For a Different Kind of Swiftie
When winemaker Dave Phinney sold his immensely popular label, The Prisoner, in 2008, he had to agree not to make Zinfandel for eight years. After the non-compete was up, the founder of Orin Swift Cellars released 8 Years in the Desert, cementing his reputation as Napa’s master of the Zinfandel blend—and winning him a fresh crop of loyal fans.
In Orin Swift’s newly refurbished and expanded tasting room in St. Helena, designed and decorated by Phinney himself, the personality behind the brand’s creative force is on full display. The interiors of the historic bank building have been transformed into a modern refuge, where the eclectic art on the walls sets the stage for the vinicultural art in the bottles.
Orin Swift Cellars tasting experiences are tiered by concept into Rock, Paper, and Scissors. At $45 and $60 per person, Rock and Paper offer a great overview of Orin Swift’s most popular wines in the main tasting room. For $80, you can do an extended 90-minute tasting in the old bank vault.
At $125, Scissors takes you out back and through a hidden gate to a private wing, where you get to sample rare, limited-production wines crafted exclusively for Scissors. Orin Swift considers the Scissors portfolio to be the most ambitious wines they’ve ever made, and this might be your only opportunity to taste them for yourself. For this special, two-hour private experience, cell phones are checked up on entry, and reservations are always required.
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