My wife, her friends, and I visited V. Sattui Winery, located in St. Helena, California, which is right outside of Napa, CA. We decided to take the first wine tour offered during the day at 11 AM. Let's just say we were pretty lucky because the tour ended up being just the four of us, so we had our own private tour. The tour after us had 17 people!
My wife and I got a great picture by the fountain at the front before starting the tour. However, she didn't want me to post a picture of her, so you'll just see a white square over her face!
The tour began by taking us into the room where they store much of the wine being produced. They explained in great detail how their wine is made and mentioned that they only sell it at the vineyard or through their wine club—it can't be purchased elsewhere. Honestly, they seem to be doing quite well. I think they get about 300,000 guests a year on average.
By the way, I'd like to mention that I didn't really understand everything they were talking about, so you won't gain any valuable information about wine from me
They did talk about how the barrels are toasted differently and how that can provide different flavor profiles to the wine within the barrel. I also got a quick snapshot of the starting portion of their bottling area as we were walking to the next area.
After this, we slipped into a hallway where we discussed the history of the family and the winery. V. Sattui Winery was founded in 1885 by Vittorio Sattui, an Italian immigrant who followed his passion for winemaking in San Francisco. The winery thrived until Prohibition forced it to close. After Prohibition, Vittorio's wife did not want to reopen the winery, partly because wine wasn't a big deal at that time, according to our guide. It wasn't until 1976 that Vittorio's great-grandson, Dario Sattui, revived the family tradition, rebuilding the winery in St. Helena with an authentic medieval Italian style.
Next, we stepped outside into the vineyard, where they grow a small portion of their wines. In the section we visited, they let the grapes grow to enhance our viewing experience
The wine tasting at V. Sattui was awesome! The wines tasted incredibly clean and refreshing. Is that a thing? Because it sure felt like it! My knowledge of wine is absolutely nothing, but I really enjoyed the experience. My favorite from the tasting was the 2022 Another World Pinot Noir. Even with my limited wine knowledge, I could tell I liked it!
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Once we finished our tasting, we took some time to walk around the winery and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We grabbed some food, which, by the way, makes this winery one of the few places in the Napa area that can serve food. We also discovered that V. Sattui is one of only five wineries in the area that is permitted to host weddings.
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I loved our time here. I loved the private tour that we were lucky enough to get since nobody else signed up at 11 AM. If you're ever visiting Napa Wine Country, I would 100% suggest that you go to this location. There really isn't much like it here. I think the fact that they aren't mass producing and selling wine in your local stores also made it feel like I was getting something unique.