St. Clair Brown Winery

After visiting this place today we were surprised to find it very underwhelming given the other reviews on here. The space itself is just a patio literally in a parking lot next to train tracks. The flight was nothing amazing. The snack foods they had to offer were better than the wines. Staff was friendly and nice, but that wouldn’t make us return. There are better places out there.

Fantastic experience… will definitely recommend this place … Cole was just great…

I have been coming to Napa wineries for years and years. This urban setting was new to me. And, I have to tell you, it was probably one of the best experiences I have encountered ever. Napa wineries have become soooo snobbish. They need to take note of my experience at St. Clair Brown:
We were a group of 8 with a reservation for tastings. We had already been to two other wineries that were «impressive» establishments, as Napa wineries go. When the tour shuttle arrived, we were greeted personally with hugs all around by Marilyn, a wonderfully down to earth, joyful and full of life person who instantly uplifted the entire group. She led us to our outdoor garden table that was already properly set up for us under umbrellas. She introduced us to Cole, our expert and educator for the afternoon, explained how the session would proceed, and then let Cole begin.
Now here is where education is king here… All other wine tasting hosts will hand you a glass of wine, tell you the varietal, and where it came from… But, nobody before today has ever provided such in depth, yet still utilizing layman’s terms for the most part (Cole was very relaxed, not snooty in his delivery), education as to WHY you want to grow a certain varietal in a specific type of soil at certain root depths, etc.. . to produce a specific ‘flavor’ or type of wine. I personally learned more within this one hour session than I have ever learned at any other winery in my life. Two of my attendees, who are bonified wine ‘experts’ in their opinion, commented, that they were so impressed by his knowledge, imparted education, and his passion for the ‘agricultural’ aspect of the industry. And, as I prefer, he also did not «tell us» what we should be tasting in each wine. More, he asked us if we tasted anything in particular, etc… Then he would explain WHY it tastes exactly that way, where it came from, etc…
It was all very good wine too, by the way.
And, as others note here, you are sitting amongst a plethora of herbs that you can just reach over and grab to eat while sitting at your table. It was all pretty darn cool all the way around.

What a great find close to downtown Napa! My girlfriend and I needed to kill some time between 5−6pm, when most wineries close but before dinnertime. Luckily we stumbled upon this humble, «urban» winery.
You sit outside in a shaded patio area that overlooks the garden, where many of the ingredients on the food menu are hand-​picked. The garden, as instructed by the very welcoming and friendly staff, is open for customers to explore and taste from.
My girlfriend and I utilized the tasting flight to select which wine we would order by the glass (and, spoiler alert, eventually which wine we would bring home by the bottle). I was skeptical that an «urban» winery could produce a quality wine that could compete with the surrounding, rural vineyards in the Napa area, but the St. Clair Brown Sauvignon Blanc could definitely hold its own, in my own non-​sommelier opinion. It was the perfect refresher on a 100-​degree Napa day! It was crisp and slightly acidic with beautiful fruity notes of pear, apricot, and grapefruit prominently shining through. My girlfriend and I were sure to snag a bottle from this small winery before we left, especially because half of their wine selection was already sold out. (Of note: St. Clair Brown, keeping true to being «hip» and «urban,» packages its wine in label-​less bottles, listing wine information on a tag fastened with twine to the top of the neck of the bottle.)
For food, we ordered the burrata which is hand-​made to order, using tarragon and blossoms from the nearby garden and included fresh organic oranges, fennel, and pickled shallots. This dish in combination with our refreshing wines proved to be the perfect pairing on this particularly scorching Napa day.
If you’re ever looking to bide some time before dinner in downtown Napa and can’t make it to the more typical wineries, this urban gem is a can’t miss!
(Update: The Sauvignon Blanc is sold out on the winery’s website as of the finishing of this review)

Fantastic place with a really cute garden, great service (as we had a large party show up late in the day) and everyone was really nice. The non-​drinkers in my group had the lemonade, which was pretty tasty and not too sweet. The wines were also tasty, next time I go I likely will get the flight. Our server told us that they’re planning on opening a brewery across the street soon!
The garden setting was beautiful, and the cheese plate and chocolate bark were perfect. Really cute place and I look forward to coming back in the future.

A very simple, very chill little winery. My wife and I did our best to stay away from the corporate/​touristy wineries, and this was IT! Wines are great and the food looked fantastic, although we did not partake, because we just came from Gott’s Roadside. All was great from the service to the organic garden. Go!

Urban winery?! Yes, kids, yes it is. «But what does it MEAN???» Well folks, it means it’s not on a vineyard, but rather in the middle of an industrial area. It also means they can serve food and stay open later! I know, you’re thinking, «tell me mooooar!» Ok, ok. They have gardens on site where you can sample plants and veggies, a menu that changes daily — featuring local, seasonal food, of course — and super friendly, funny staff!
I had a fantastic time at this winery, enjoying a table bottle and a cheese board. If you come here, I guarantee you’ll love it too!

Love, love, love this place! Excellent service (we had the guy, sorry but cannot remember his name now) and very cute homey ambiance. Came to this small winery by coincidence on our late start day in Napa and I’m so glad! Our party of 8 was accommodated immediately and after some table adjustments, were seated immediately.
Some of us ordered half glasses of wine and the non-​drinkers ordered lemonade. The other best part of this place is they serve food! We ordered one cheese plate and two chocolate barks for the table. The wine was good (nothing that stood out as exceptional though). The lemonade with lavender and bergamot was SO good. I may get that next time even though I drink. Cheese plate was delicious and enough for 8 people to munch on. The chocolate bark was dark and rich and the perfect amount.
I just love this place and can’t wait to go back. This definitely adds to my list of wineries to take visitors to.
My only thing — please continue your wonderful service as you continue to grow. I’d come here just for that.

This was our favorite stop yesterday. My brother absolutely loves this place and he was so excited to bring me, his sister, here cause he knew I’d love it. Jay took amazing care of us… we truly felt loved. The place is small but in a garden. Fresh food and veggies and flowers all around! Everything we tried was delish! My fav were all the wines, especially the sauv blanc, the merlot, and the Muscat! The burratta cheese with fennel was awesome… super fresh and light. Bread was on point. Even got a little tour in the garden by the beautiful, humble winemaker. Such a treat! Now a wine club member too!

All I can say is edible garden at your fingertips as you sip on wine and snack on tapas style gourmet farm to table treats. DREAMS can come true.

Loved this place. A much more urban feel compared to the larger wineries/​estates in the valley and very charming. Very friendly owners that are passionate about their business. My boyfriend and I did the sampler, and I ended up purchasing the merlot which was honestly the best I had during our trip throughout the valley. Will most definitely be returning!

Our first stop in Napa Valley, this place exceeded our expectations. Great service with the owner serving us and making us feel at home. We had the orange fennel burrata, lavender-​bergamot lemonade, and wine tasting flight. The garden is full of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit. Highly recommend you make a stop here while in Napa!

What a beautiful, unique and refreshing experience. This space is something that Napa proper has been strangely missing and the proprietors and staff have done an exceptional job at filling it. The wines are balanced and true to their varietal and priced fairly. Wine is meant to go with food and this winery has done a great job at balancing their wines with fresh ingredients from their garden.
All around what an amazing experience!
Cheers to the urban winery!!!

This is such a cute little place. My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this cozy and beautiful urban winery when we found out most of the winery in Napa requires appointment. Upon our arrival, I was immediately intrigued by the simple yet trendy decors of the place. It gives a relaxed yet romantic ambience. This place really gives a lot of attention to details, from the cute little plant on each table to the Christmas light all around. The bathroom is also very clean.
Our server/​host is the owner’s son, who was extremely chill and nice. He took his time to explain the story behind St. Clair Brown, the wines on the tasting flight and he even sat down and wrote us a list of cool places to visit at Napa. We really appreciate someone who is willing to take his time and give us some suggestions from a local’s point of view. He mentioned that his favorite vineyard is the «Frog’s Leap» at Rutherford (~15mins drive from DT napa). We actually ended up visiting there and had a really pleasant experience. We ended up getting the Pinot Grigio because we both really liked it after tasting it. The place is also walking distance to the Oxbow Public Market and has private parking spots. Thank you St. Clair Brown. I will definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for relaxed and cool place to hangout in DT Napa.

Unexpected is a very apt description of this place.
More a café than a traditional tasting room, the style is clean and modern and if it weren’t raining, i’d have enjoyed the patio seating looking over the garden
The food was good, but the sampler flight of wines seemed pricey for what you get.
To me it would seem a better deal to get a glass or half glass and order some food instead of messing with the sampler.

My husband and I stayed at the River Terrace Inn which was conveniently located across the street from this charming wine bar. The first thing I have to rave about is the delicious water they served. It was infused with kefir lime leaves and bergamot orange leaves, a creative departure from mint leaves. The water kicked off our experience on a happy note!
What we ordered:
Cheese board — the citrus blossom honey that you drizzle in the cheese totally elevated the taste of the cheese. I’m already planning to buy a jar at the oxbow market tomorrow!
Syrah — my husband ordered a half glass which was nice since after having a full flight beforehand. I didn’t really taste it so I can’t say too much about it.
Peach ginger iced tea — sooooo delicious! They make it fresh and infuse the peach iced tea with jalapeño pepper and sweeten it with ginger infused syrup.
And to top off this epic «snack», the service was warm and friendly.
Oh and the fresh organic garden beds and lemon trees right outside round off the experience!

Have to echo what many reviewers already say, this is a very unique and also convenient setting near downtown Napa, and makes a perfect stop to end the day since they keep later hours.
When driving up we weren’t even sure we were in the right spot, as location just seems very industrial. The setting is very relaxing however, I like that so many items are sourced from their urban garden.
The ladies who run this this urban winery are what really make it a standout. A lot of passion for their product and great service.

This is a very interesting winery, because it’s very urban and in the middle of a parking lot. It’s not extremely beautiful like one would imagine when going wine tasting, however the wine and food is delicious.
They only have one sampler, but you can switch out some wines if there is one you don’t like. We also go the cheese platter and hummus platter, both which were amazing. Homemade walnut bread, homemade honey was INCREDIBLE, hummus made with peanut butter. Everything was delicious.
The service was also great and the owner and her son were very sweet. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it is weird that is in a parking lot and not on a vineyard.
I think it is a great place if you live locally, or were staying in Napa for few days, but not a very aesthetic tourist attraction if you are visiting for one day, unless you are interested in urban wineries. However, the food was delicious so I would definitely be willing to come back.

Visited Sunday morning through a wine tour. The winery sits in an unexpected location, just a few short blocks from downtown Napa. The owner is very knowledgable and passionate about her trade. There is a tasting room in a modern industrialized setting and the winery also has their very own garden with beautiful fruit trees and other unique and edible plants. The red wines were quite tasty!
The owner spoke of her plans to open a brewery and restaurant as well. Currently, they serve a few small plates to snack on as you sip on your vino. Try the homemade hummus!

An unexpected highlight of our Napa day trip. We wanted to visit one more winery at the cusp of their 6pm closings, and made a last-​min decision to skip that 5:45pm scramble for a tasting — and opt for St. Claire, which closes at 8pm.
Thanks to the sheer 5-​star perfect recommendations of the Unilocal community, we drove into Napa city into a rather industrial area to find St Claire’s — a hidden gem with greenhouse mirroring those found in England & beautiful vegetable garden.
The warm, knowledgeable co-​owner (had sold another winery & worked for the owner of
& Oxbow & Ferry Building Wine Merchants) was among the most insightful sommeliers I’ve ever met in my life. She took the time to explain where their grapes came from, which regions in Napa yielded the wines, and origins of each of our wine tastings.
Tips:
— Cheese plate (3 generous cheeses) & hummus (organic with almond base & garlic infused oils) with unlimited breads were their best sellers & amazing
— Great for both sunny & rainy weather — the greenhouse with indoor seating is a romantic night /​rainy day spot, while outdoors next to the gardens are great during the day
— Perfect for wine tastings, appetizers & light dinners (portions were really generous) & wine education
Highly recommend & will come again!