Nestled at the southern end of Napa Valley between Coombsville to the east and Carneros to the west (and just one hour northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge), Downtown Napa may just be the best place to taste, discover and drink wine in Napa Valley right now. While it hasn’t always been considered the most glamorous tourist destination – the idyllic views and sprawling vineyards framed by dramatic mountains begin north of Napa town – Downtown offers diversity, walkability and even, yes, affordability. And its tasting room scene has never been more vibrant.
Unlike in most European wine regions, where one would visit the winery itself to get a flavour of the wine firsthand, in California, tasting rooms serve as a way to experience not just the wine but also the brand when an on-site visit is out of the question. Many small producers work out of co-op or ‘custom crush’ facilities, which either don’t have the resources to welcome guests or simply don’t allow it (with a different permit required in the US to pour wine, which can be costly). Some of these estates are in remote locations, too – and it’s also worth noting that many wineries are, well, just not that sexy. A well-designed Downtown space makes for a better and more convenient showcase.
Tasting rooms represent not just the super-wealthy and big wine brands but small family- and minority-owned businesses
Historically significant wine brands like Mondavi and Buena Vista have made an urban home for themselves here, but you’ll also find those committed to unusual grape varieties grown in remote places like the Sierra Foothills and El Dorado County – places where tasting experiences would be logistically prohibitive.
Gone are the days of natural wine vs. classic wine: now, carbonic Gamay and sparkling Counoise are served effortlessly alongside bold Howell Mountain Cabernet; one winemaker started adding organic oranges to her Chardonnay on a whim and now serves a Blood Orange Spritz on draught along with her Burgundian varietal wines. Tasting rooms represent not just the super-wealthy and big wine brands but small family- and minority-owned businesses that have been hustling to make the wine and life of their dreams in Napa, many of whom are there pouring for guests in person. Some Napa tasting rooms encourage customers to bring their kids, their dogs, even their own vinyl records. Whimsical names, creative branding, wines of all colours and price points, bricks-and-mortar spaces that feel warm and personal, and where the winemaker may very well be the one pouring: it feels good and it all tastes good too.
Ten must-visit Downtown Napa tasting rooms
Benevolent Neglect
1417 2nd St
Visitors of Benevolent Neglect are encouraged to BYOV, or ‘bring your own vinyl,’ to share during tastings; so a loungey, retro vibe shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s also unsurprising, given the name, that Benevolent Neglect specialises in minimal-intervention winemaking. The offering is varied – ranging from single-vineyard Cabernet to Vermentino to sparkling rosé. ‘Drink it & Like it’ instructs the fluorescent script above the bar. And while you’re up, can you flip the record?
Brown Estate
1005 Coombs Street
The Brown family purchased, rehabilitated and planted grapes in the eastern hills in Napa in 1980 and launched their first estate wine, Zinfandel, for which the family is still most famous, in 1996. Since then, the three siblings and proprietors have expanded their vineyard sourcing, varieties and brands, founding The House of Brown, a brand focused on regenerative farming and inclusivity. This Downtown tasting room followed shortly after, opening in 2017. Here, the focus is on the core Brown lineup, primarily single-vineyard Zinfandel, as well as wines driven by Cabernet Sauvignon and fruit from the family’s original estate. Glasses can be paired with cheese and charcuterie.
No Love Lost Wine Co.
960 Clinton St
Founded in 2019 by Jay Nunez, a California-born first-generation Cuban American and former musician, ‘Napa’s premier all-natural winery’ serves classic grape varieties like Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel from hailed terroirs in Rutherford and Howell Mountain alongside, without conflict or irony (and for a modest tasting fee), a chillable red featuring Counoise and a skin-fermented Picpoul. A lot of things are polarising in the world right now, but not the wines at No Love Lost. And thank goodness for that.
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Gamling & McDuck
1420 2nd Street
Founder and winemaker Adam McClary focuses exclusively on Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, the great red and white of the Loire Valley, made from truly incredible terroirs. The wines are serious but the cartoon-like labels designed by McClary himself remind you not to take the wines too seriously – as does the Renaissance meets punk-inspired tasting room décor, a space that’s also had McClary’s touch.
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The Wine Thief
708 1st St, Napa, CA, 94559
This ‘tasting collective’ founded in 2015 offers flights of wine at the bar every day for walk-ins or during guided tastings by appointment. Featuring ‘underground labels’, the list of vintners poured here is an eclectic mix of garagistes and established vignerons. Discover everything from Buoncristiani, made by three brothers who grew up tending their neighbour’s vines and making wine with their father in their literal garage, to Correlation, a second label for Vineyard 7&8 coming from Martha McClellan, who made wine at Harlan and Merryvale and is further exploring the terroir of Spring Mountain. Be sure to ask about the allocated wines of Purlieu and Le Pich, a personal project of the famous French consultant Julien Fayard.
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Vin en Noir
1001 Caymus Street
Founded by television celebrity chef and restaurant owner Leilani Baugh, who is known for her signature ‘Casian’ cuisine (a fusion of Creole and Asian flavours and an homage to her grandmothers), Vin en Noir is committed to pouring wines exclusively from minority- and woman-owned wineries. The wines are as diverse and distinctive as those behind their creation, with at least 20 drops on offer at a time, many of which are small production and poured exclusively here. Everything is offered either by the glass or in customised flights, so there is plenty to explore. This energetic and welcoming space also hosts special weekend brunches and a ‘sip and paint’ class at its large communal table.
Mommenpop / Poe Wines
920 Franklin Street
If you’re suffering from Cabernet palate fatigue (and that’s okay! They are called ‘Big Napa Reds’ for a reason), Mommenpop is exactly what you need. Founder Samantha Sheehan – who was already well known for both the quality of her Burgundy-inspired wine label, Poe, and for her spirit of collaboration and open-mindedness in the Napa community – ‘discovered’ Mommenpop when she threw some just-picked Seville oranges into a small vat of freshly harvested Chardonnay. Witness it for yourself in a light, bright tasting room where Mommenpop aperitifs are pouring, as well as Poe’s limited-production still and sparkling wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from the oldest PM vines in California.
Chateau Buena Vista
1142 1st St
How did an historic Sonoma winery known for rustic red field blends come to have a tasting room featuring Champagne and caviar in Downtown Napa? It’s all thanks to the famously charming and charismatic Burgundian wine mogul Jean-Charles Boisset, who purchased and restored Buena Vista winery in 2011. While the original winery is still a must-visit for history buffs (and possibly too for ghost hunters), outside of Sonoma, this art deco-style tasting room in the heart of Downtown caters to the bon vivant with sparkling wine and caviar, Cabernet and bonbons.
The River Club Napa
101 S. Coombs St. Unit 8
Located in a warehouse space that was originally a tannery and most recently, a brewery, The River Club Napa’s industrial setting is made charming by its location overlooking the Napa River. High-ceilinged and filled with light, the cheery space is pet- and kid-friendly. The by-appointment-only tasting room is shared by two young family-owned wine brands: Paper Planes and Belong Wine Co. A word of warning: you won’t find a single Cabernet Sauvignon on offer. Belong Wine Co. focuses on high-elevation, esoteric reds crafted from the likes of Mourvèdre and Cinsault and made with a ‘light touch,’ while the main focus of Paper Planes is Pinot Noir from nearby Sonoma County, served as a refreshing rosé, a sparkling Pet Nat and a still red.
Robert Mondavi Arch & Tower
930 3rd St.
Mondavi has found a more-than-suitable (albeit temporary) home for its robust hospitality offerings while the iconic up-valley winery is undergoing a long renovation. Tastings at the near-10,000 sq ft Borreo building – built in 1877, with stones quarried from nearby Soda Canyon – range from an introductory flight of the Mondavi range to an immersive (and pricey) flight of Cabernet Sauvignon from the legendary To Kalon vineyard, including rare wines from Schrader and Double Diamond. This beautiful building, in the centre of Downtown on the Napa River, is a wonderful place in which to experience these important wines.
