ZD Wines

What a gem! We came here with our friends who live in Napa and assured us this had one of the most beautiful views of the Napa Valley’s landscape. And they were right! For our tasting, we were taken to the second floor outdoor seating area that overlooks a field of mustard flowers with rolling hills in the backdrop. And the Chardonnay was delicious! We tried 3 different Chardonnays that blew me away. This spot is a must on your next winery visit.

ZD wines is a small Family owned winery right in the middle of wine country. The Winery keeps a focus on 3 varietals which are Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. They also have their Rosa Lee selections which are one time productions and winery only. If you’re looking for a great selection of top quality wines, definitely plan a visit to ZD! The California Chardonnay, Founders reserve Pinot noir and Reserve Cabernet are without a doubt some of the best wines in the Valley. Another Plus is that they only source Organically certified fruit and are on the list for Napa Green Wineries. A can’t miss!

Ok, I REALLY want to give this vineyard 5 stars. But I cannot. The reason being that the day we were there, the sommelier was really rude to me. He was very cool with all of the gentleman with me (my two bestie guy pals and my husband), but he would not make eye contact with me, refused to talk to me when he was telling us about the wines, and seemed as though he never heard me when I asked a question or asked for anything. It was to the point, where my husband always got his attention to ask for anything that I had questions on.
It was very strange to me that he would not even look at me. I will say this though, I LOVED the tasting room. It was beautiful. The fireplace mantle is so stunning and warm and the room itself feels so comfortable and familial. The wines are absolutely gorgeous and the chardonnay is now one of my favorites of any wine.
Like, I said, I WANT TO GIVE THIS 5 stars, but in good conscious cannot at this time. Maybe we should head back up and give her a go again. See how that turns out and then come back and update this puppy to a five. Will keep you all posted on the outcome.

ZD Wines — A Napa Gem
We have visited Napa wineries large and small over the years but this was our first trip to ZD Wines. What a delightful time it was! ZD is one of California’s pioneering wineries originating in the late 1960s, is family run and its tours provide an exceptional view into the history and skill of winemaking.
We knew we were in for a special treat as we entered the intimate winery courtyard where we were surrounded by seasonally colorful landscaping and a soothing fountain. Rafael, our winery guide, greeted us warmly at the door and he was very personable and informative throughout our group’s private winery tour.
The winery’s foyer and store is gorgeous complimented by an excavated vine dramatically displayed as a unique art piece. Every detail of the winery has been well planned from the layout, grape processing, cask room, cellar organization, wine chemistry and aging process, and bottling efficiency. Rafael expertly guided us through the art of blending, the use of different casks, and the science of the wine aging process. Rafael taught us a little Winemaking 101 in such an engaging way and took time to thoughtfully answer our questions. We were impressed by the entire winery operation but the automated bottling machine was a real treat to see both in its design beauty and efficiency in insuring ZD’s wines are bottled, corked and foiled at the height of their perfection.
As we exited the building, we felt we had entered an Impressionist painting with the sun dappled harvested vines surrounding us and back-​dropped by the misty western hills. While taking in the landscape, Rafael explained the winery’s commitment to organic farming, biodiversity and renewable energy practices. In fact, the majority of the winery’s power comes from solar panels. This is a very forward-​thinking winery.
We enjoyed our winetasting on ZD’s upstairs patio overlooking the scenic vineyards. We sampled the 2013 Chardonnay, Reserve Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Standard, Founders Reserve Pinot Noir, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. All were extraordinary wines but our favorites were the Reserve Chardonnay (dry, yet fruity), the Founders Reserve Pinot Noir (smooth, fruit forward and easy to drink), the Reserve Cabernet (earthy and balanced), and the Cabernet Franc (absolute perfection). Our wines were nicely paired with delicious, locally sourced artisanal cheeses.
I highly recommend ZD Wines for your next trip to Napa. You will have a unique and memorable winery experience that will bring you back each year to explore more of ZD’s wines. My compliments to Rafael for a wonderful tour and to the ZD Family for producing great wine — our group had the best time!

Came here with family and we did not leave disappointed. The Chardonnay was rated best white in the US and for good reason. Even though they are known for the Chardonnay, I couldn’t decide if I preferred that, the Pinot Noirs or their Cabernet’s! Great views and very knowledgeable staff. A must when visiting napa!

The winery property was beautiful and the staff were helpful/​nice, but the wine, in our opinion, wasn’t worth the $ 40 tasting fee each for the Unwined Tasting (Or even $ 20…). For $ 40, you choose 4 tastes each (they had 6, 2 each of chardonnay, pinot noir, cab on offer), we tasted all of them between the two of us. Average in depth/​taste. We are from the area and usually love these varietals, and like to support smaller/​family wineries, but w chose not to purchase any after this tasting and were disappointed in the quality, particularly given the price. Visitors may enjoy based on scenery/​hospitality though.

If you’re looking for a spectacular view, ask for their seated tasting upstairs. Our host, Greg, made the experience that much more spectacular. We got deep insights not only into the wine making process, but also into the history of ZD (which is pretty fascinating). Ask for upstairs seating, and ask for Greg.

ZD Wines was an absolutely beautiful way to start our winery tour of Napa. The chardonnay in particular caught me off-​guard with how delicious it was. Our host Greg was informative and charming, providing tidbits of history about ZD and insider knowledge that made the experience that much more magical. Will definitely be coming back!

I came here on a Sunday with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. The wine was exceptional. I especially loved the cab. Greg, our host, was delightful and informative — definitely made our experience memorable. Can’t wait to make a trip back here!

Zepponi and deLeuze, Zero Defects– from rocket fuel to premium Chard, Pinot, and Cab. ZD has been in the valley for 47 years now and continues to impress. Their seated tasting upstairs offers an incredible view of the valley and allows you to select the wines you’d like to taste. Pleasantly surprised to hear they’re still family owned and were recently certified as a green winery in addition to being organic. Must make time for this stop, ask about their Abacus if you’re a true oenophile.

ZD wines is an absolute beautiful property! We arrived by chance on a Saturday and they weren’t too busy to take us. We had two options when we arrived a regular bar seating and then and upstairs seated tasting. We decided to do the upstairs tasting, it was 10 $ more (I think 35 $) but it was more relaxed. From reading the other reviews it sounds like there are quite a few other winery experiences if you make an appointment. On the terrace the views were absolutely stunning, I mean that alone was worth the extra 10 $ it was gorgeous up there! We started with their only white that was not a chardonnay, sorry I don’t remember what it was I had never heard of the grape before. It was a really nice light white wine. I was really surprised I like it because I usually don’t like whites. We then tried the CA and reserve chardonnay, the reserve was too buttery for me but I did enjoy the CA. I did not like either of their pinots– but to be fair I am not a big pinot drinker. The cabs were okay. Overall I think this place is beautiful and the staff are beyond amazing. I just wasn’t crazy about the actual wine.

ZD has in my opinion, the best wines in Napa! If you enjoy Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet then I highly recommend visiting. If you are looking for a more relaxing experience with a view, try the UnWined tasting out on their upstairs patio. With stunning views and incredible wines, you will have a fabulous time. The staff is friendly and unpretentious. I love ZD Wines!

Okay, let me start off by saying that we did the $ 95 Vineyard View tasting. So, I can’t speak for people just coming in for a walk in tasting.
Our experience was amazing… and it better be for $ 95.00/ a person lol.
THE WINES HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD IN NAPA. I don’t enjoy white wines but I enjoyed both their reds & whites.
Jorge was very kind and welcoming, along with the rest of the staff. They even offered to call our next appointment for us and reschedule the time, as we were running a bit behind. We sat at a beautiful table overlooking the vineyard while Jorge walked us through the wine selections. We got to try and bunch of different wines, and eat cheeses/​meats. I’m pretty much a sucker for any wine experience that includes food. After that we did a quick tour, but obviously I was more intrigued by the wine/​food. Needless to say, we bought a few bottles of wine and I am sure we will be back.

This is about wine only! ZD is the stop you have to make if you like Pinot Noir.
Premier tasting is worth it. Founders Reserve Pinot Noir from Carneros region impresses year after year! Chardonnay is not my cup of tea, but I do like ZD’s.

Nice impromptu visit to ZD yesterday. Our host was super energetic about the wines and made us feel her time was ours. We enjoyed the wines and the very reasonable fees and price tags!

So one of my pet peeves when tasting in wine country is arriving at a winery to find a large tour group who obviously have been tasting at numerous vineyards that day, swarming the bar, taking up all the servers time and attention, being loud and obnoxiously drunk. So I’m going to try very very hard to not let that fact color this review! The staff at ZD were very accommodating when we arrived, finding a quiet, secluded spot away from the large tour group however the acoustics in the room made the noise level almost unbearable at times and I couldn’t hear myself think let alone understand what the server was telling me about the wine! We went with a shared traditional tasting for $ 15 which included one white and three reds. We struggled a little for attention from the servers due to the large tour group taking up most of their time but they managed to remember us without us having to flag them down. The dreaded tasting fee charge regardless of purchase reared it’s ugly head again here! We walked out with a bottle of their cellar only Rosa Lee Cabernet Franc and still had to pay for the tasting. Not one of my favorites on this trip but a solid Napa winery and one you should stop in and visit if your in the area.

Wines were tasty and staff friendly though we were sort of left a lone and had to flag the wine pourer down a few times. The tasting room is decent size and there is an amazing view from the grounds.

Some of my favorite wines are ZD. Take a tour. They’re also organic, which is a plus. And don’t skip the wine & cheese pairing. Just divine. Highly recommend!

While they have been one of my long time favorites, I was disappointed they did not waive the tasting fee with purchase.

ZD Wines.
Zero Defects.
Beautiful wines but you are definitely paying for the name (aka «the Napa mark-​up»).
Their Reserve Cab is an American-​style Cab that is beautiful. Gorgeous by itself or with a fatty, well-​marbled rib-​eye. American-​style just means that it’s close to using one single grape variety. The French would probably look down on this wine since it’s not blended but hey, beautiful nonetheless.
LOL at the «I expected more» comments. It’s like, who died and made you Robert Parker? The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a work of art and always be skeptical of some idiot claiming that s/​he can school ZD Wines on making wine.
At $ 125, it’s too pricey for my wallet and unlike Jancis Robinson, I can’t take a tax write-​off.
Other wines we tried:
2007 Reserve Chardonnay (oaky and yummy)
2004 Pinot Noir, (Carneros)(great wine, but too pricey for what it is)
If you visit ZD Wines (which is a must), pay just $ 5 more for the premium wines. These wines are so expensive you probably won’t get to try samples at a restaurant so instead, this is probably the only opportunity to try these fine wines.
My sister bought a bottle of the 2008 Chardonnay. I took home a bottle of the 2007 Rosa Lee Petite Sirah.