Outpost Wines

Don’t take the time to visit. Overall very disappointing. Unknowledgeable and rude staff that ruin your whole experience. Wine was mediocre

I just don’t get it…$ 40 per tasting and our young hostess (though real nice) lacked the social skills to match the expensive wine. In hindsight not worth the hype…

Outpost is Secluded really off of the beaten path but so worth the trek up the mountain. We were warmly greeted by KC our hostess extraordinaire. She was fun and knowledgeable about the vines, the wines, the soil and the history of the winery and its owners. We were treated to Outpost 2013 Zin for which they are renown, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2013 Immigrant. All of these wines are truly beautiful works of science and art.
We really want this winery to flourish and it’s a must for a serious wine folks so don’t tell too many people about em.

This was our first trip to Napa, but somehow in my research I stumbled across Howell Mountain and we visited two «off the beaten track» wineries up here. Highly recommend making the trip as the tastings were very personal (just us) and relaxed. We were greeted by two super friendly, well-​behaved doggies and Colin was very personable and informative as he walked us around the property to see the tanks and barrels of wine (sigh), but also gave us some time alone to savor the fantastic wines and enjoy the stunning views from the mountaintop. Can’t wait to go back!

Yes it is a drive up Howell Mountain. But this is the source of the best Cabernet grapes in the valley. Outpost produces some of the best Cabs and Zins, and should be on the top of your list of wineries to visit.
Rich and KC will make you feel at home. You will receive a nice tour of the winery and vineyards. The views are magnificent and the wine is divine.
Near the top of my ten favorite wineries. Their Cabs are on my top five list. Consistently great. Perfect to drink now or lay up for a few years.
Remember that you must make an appointment to visit Outpost. Because they are so popular book your appointment well ahead of time.

What a view, great wine, great hosts. Howell Mountain at its best. Visited on 4÷10÷14 for the 3^rd time and will visit again. A must visit for Oenophiles.

Outpost, Schrader, Maybach — all made here. All made by Thomas Rivers Brown.
We arrived in the fall of 2013 to gaze longingly on tank after tank of amazing wines — names above — and tasted through the portfolio. This is another terrific vintage, as the balance between fruit, tannin and acidity is wonderful. This is sure to be a dynamite year upon release.
We spent a few minutes with TRB who was running from spot to spot
The drive to the 2,200 foot winery atop the mountain is amazing — who would think to get al the way to the top and then plop some vineyards and a winery up there? Roughly paralleling the range of the Diamond and Spring Mountain districts, these wines are well endowed with perfectly ripe fruit, and perfect balance. They just lack the jammy edge many wines from Napa exhibit and have replaced it with compelling layers of mineral and savory flavors.
Rich, the Hospitality Director, will guide you through the technical and the artistry behind the winery and Thomas Rivers Brown’s creations for this unique set of vineyards. Take a seat looking out to Dunn, O’Shaughnessy and down the mountain while you sip some mountain-​top zinfandel and cabernet. The views and the wines are both awesome.
These wines are small production, and have a huge fan base — and a waiting list for membership.
Outpost Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — Allocated/​Winery Only
True Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon — Allocated
True Vineyard Immigrant Red Blend — Allocated
Outpost Estate Zinfandel — Winery Only
So if you want some, you gotta make the trip up the mountain… what are you waiting for –GO!

World Class Wines
Visit: July 30
Zinfandel is my favorite grape varietal so while planning for a trip to Napa I was excited to find a recent Wine Spectator focusing on Napa Valley zinfandels. Outpost was listed as one of the Zinfandel Stars located on Howell Mountain. I knew I needed to check out this winery. About a week in advance, I was able to make a reservation for a tasting online. It was very easy using the link on their web site and I received a response in less than a day. I used Google maps for directions, which stated it would be 45 minutes from our hotel in Napa. When we plugged the address into our Garmin, it initially showed an estimated time of arrival in 50 minutes. It took 1 hr and 10 minutes to reach Outpost! There was a little traffic to contend with on Highway 29 but what really slowed our progress was the curvy, very narrow, steep Howell Mountain Road. So put a little cushion time for the drive to the winery.
The entrance to Outpost looks like a private gravel driveway and is only marked with the street number. There’s no sign indicating it is a winery or Outpost. Rich, the Hospitality Director, walked out of the ‘tasting room’ to greet us. After a short introduction, he poured us a glass of the 2011 Howell Mountain Zinfandel and we went for a walk through the vineyards. Rich gave an interesting synopsis of the winery history and grape farming. The property is located at 2,200 ft on Howell Mountain with a beautiful view of the valley and surrounding vineyard. Our appointment was in the afternoon when all the fog had burned off but I can imagine how ethereal the place looks with the misty fog hugging the hills. When we returned to the glass walled tasting room, which held a large farm style dining table that could easily accommodate 10 people, Rich continued the conversation about all the wines created by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. It was a very impressive list and his talent was clearly evident in the zinfandel I slowly savored. In Napa, my favorite zinfandels are Biale and Turley. However, Outpost outshines them both. This sophisticated zin was layered and complex even though it was young. I imagine as it matures over the years, it will become even more interesting. It had an underlying jamminess that gave it a hint of playfulness while maintaining its elegant nature. Loved it!
While sitting at the table, we had the pleasure of tasting the 2011 True Vineyard Immigrant, a blend of cab sauv, merlot, and cab franc, and the 2011 True Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% cab. Rich is congenial, easily likable, and a great conversationalist so it was a pleasure to relax and enjoy the wine in a laid back, leisurely fashion and discuss a myriad of topics. My husband and I greatly enjoyed these wines and took some home with us. What a fantastic find in Napa Valley. There will be more wines from Outpost in our future.

Our favorite of the week spent in Napa and Sonoma late May, 2013. Rich is a gracious host; full of great wine trivia, history and tech notes on what they do there at Outpost. Great tour of the facilities and the fields.
As so many have noted, the view up here is amazing. The tasting room and patio take every advantage of it too! Go for the view, the company and the outstanding wines. It’s hard to narrow down what you’ll want to order!

Interestingly enough… We tried to fill up our day on Howell Mountain after we visit our favorite winery… O“Shaughnessy. I spoke with Kathy at the Outpost winery and she came across a bit arrogant and lacking in both social and customer service skills. I felt like she was blowing us off for an appointment. Especially after I told her we were going to O’Shaughnessy first. All it takes is one bad first impression… Obviously Outpost has an inferiority complex when it come to O’Shaughnessy. I can understand why. Their loss…

I love outpost wines! We had such a great time there on sunday and of course the weather and the view was spectacular. We went for a short stroll between the vines with Coleman, Rich and friends. Second time we have visited and will go back again for the wine and conversation.

One of the best vineyards on Howell mountain! Their wine is outstanding and the staff are friendly and welcoming.

By far, one of my fav wines up here, on Howell Mountain.
Talk about, step back & smell the roses.
Step back, great some awesome wines, & enjoy the views.

What a great spot! The wines are tasty, the view is amazing and the people are so gracious. Rich, our host, was so nice and set us up at the shady table to have lunch because we were starving — we kept the poor guy way too late. We can’t wait to go back. Make sure you make an appointment before heading up to winery!

This place was so welcoming to us! We really enjoyed talking to the owner Kathy and hearing about their unique business model. The wines that they are producing are great and it’s very neat to see what other projects they are working on.

Go for the people, go for the wine, go for the view. Your choice, but make sure you go! We thought we were going to swing in for a quick tasting, but fell in love with every aspect of this vineyard.
Kathy and Rich gave a great tasting and tour. They actually let the wine speak for itself. They were busy telling us about the plots of land and the intricacies of planting grapes in granite, while our small group quietly enjoyed three of their fantastic wines. With wine this good, we didn’t need to be told what to look for in the nose, we just enjoyed it. If our glass was empty during the vineyard tour, no problem, Rich kept the bottle in hand and was happy to refill the glass.
Oh yeah, and the view. At 1400 feet, the tasting room and patio have an incredible view of the valley. Take the 2:30 tasting so you can watch the sun start to set.
Our intended 30 minute run in for a taste turned into more than an hour and a half of winery heaven. I wish we could have spent the evening in their tasting room.
Make this appointment first, then plan the rest of your day.

Came up here for a private (Free! Amazing in Napa) tour and tasting on recommendation. It’s definitely a bit of a drive, but once we stepped foot on the property we were SO glad that we came. The most spectacular views. The tasting room was inviting and well appointed. Kathy, who owns Outpost with her husband, gave us our tour. She was beyond gracious and gave a great history of the property while educating us on their wines, which, by the way, were BEYOND fantastic. No one else was up on the hill during the time except us and in no way did we feel rushed. Amazing experience and I can’t wait to get my hands on more of their amazing product. A must visit if you’re a red drinker. In love with their grenache and zins!

It’s good to know people in the wine industry — a friend took us to Outpost for a tasting and we were all blown away. The views were fantastic, the wines amazing and the people down right nice.
Unlike other wineries where you’re elbowing others to get a taste, Outpost is wine tasting for grown up’s. As we were outside learning about the history of the property, our tasting was set up for us inside. We then worked our way through three fantastic wines, each one more complex than the first.
Howell Mountain is a bit of a trek on winding roads so definitely make your appointment for early in the day. But defnitely do yourself a favor and give Outpost a shot!

Thomas Rivers Brown is the man of the hour. We did a private tasting hosted by Brown. TRB is also the winemaker for Shrader. Pretty much had EVERYTHING except for his Shrader. Outpost wait list is 2 yrs. The 07 out of the barrell is great stuff. Anyway, my wife and I agreed we will name our first child Rivers.

So much hype on the eBob message board for this tasting and it fell way, way short. No organization, the tasting room was a mess and it was rushed. We wasted our time driving up to visit this place.