Kelham Vineyards and Winery

Our favorite winery of the trip! Great wines, food and atmosphere. Can’t wait to come back!

Outstanding grounds and by far the best wine we had while in Napa. The family provided a great experience for all. Simply the best, most relaxing atmosphere we experienced in the valley.

Another great visit to Kelham last week! Perfect day, great food, and (of course) the best wines! Susanna made us feel like we were the only ones there (which is usually her son Ron’s job). EVERY wine we drank and have subsequently bought are the standard by which we compare other wineries. Also, I love that they age it for me and then ship it to me when it is ready to drink (because they know I have no will power). Highly recommend for the wine, the experience, and the friendship.

Kelham is the Crim Della Crim! Located in the beautiful St. Helena. This family provides a wonderful experience of wine with a food paring. Susanna is always warm and welcoming. Her two sons Hamilton and Ron are the best and always attentive. The seating inside or outside is comfortable and very inviting. We come here a few times a year and for our anniversary and they always make it special. All of the wine are amazing.
Experience excellent wine with the best or stay at home with the rest.

Delicious lunch. Great meets great cheese great fruit. Good wine good time. Hamilton was very gracious. The grounds are beautiful. Thank you for letting us try the port.

Unfortunately, I will be giving this winery a very poor review. The property is stunning, the service is not. The owner, Susanna, poured for me and my mom. There was 1 other couple tasting at the table next to us which quickly became very awkward she gave all of her time and «special extra pours» to them. My mom accidentally spiller her rosé and there was no offer to refill it, just reminded me it will probably dry off my dress quickly. Overall rude and snobby.

My wife and I had a private tasting at Kelham Vineyards. After announcing our presence at the main vehicle entrance, the gates swung open and we took the drive down their impressive estate road. Our tasting took place on their outdoor patio next to their beautiful grounds. The wines were very tasty and the last one, a 2002 cab, was exceptional. The cost, however, was high.

This was my favorite place while in Napa seriously a must! The lunch was great and the grounds were beautiful. We had soooo much fun and we will definitely be back!

Celebrated my 40^th Birthday in Napa! Visiting Kelham Vineyards was the BEST part of our trip and an experience I will never forget! I would definitely recommend visiting this vineyard for lunch with a group of friends and enjoying the wine and beautiful grounds.

Loved our second visit to Kelham! Susannah and her sons, Hamilton and Ron, made us feel so welcome and at home. We love it here. Will visit again on our next visit without a doubt!

I write this review with such disappointment. What was once my favorite winery has now left such a sour taste in my mouth. Feeling slightly used, I’m tempted to say that the first visit we had there was «all a show» to get us to become members. Or maybe it was because we didn’t get the luxury of being taken care of by Susanna, who treated us like Kings & Queens on our first visit– which was absolutely dreamy.
Enter the second experience. Knowing this was my favorite stop, I booked reservations for my parents and my husband and I 2 months in advance, via email. Plans suddenly changed and we had more folks that wanted to join us in the experience (and I was thrilled to be able to show them) so I called to change the reservation number. They had lost my original reservation somehow– even though I had an email confirming the event time and date.
We showed up on a scorching 97 degree day and Hamilton greeted us saying, «Your table will be in our new kitchen area! Follow me». Ecstatic, we all followed only to find our group passing the beautiful cabana area to be plopped at «the new kitchen area» which consisted of a large counter space– no chairs, no settings– nothing. Our group was forced to stand the entire time on this hot, 97 degree day with the sun beating down on us. The water came around the second to last cabernet tasting and was completely warm. I am pregnant, to boot, and EVERY other winery we visited that day that was half the cost of Kelham was sure to give us all cold water before the tasting even began. I guess I just expect better service from a winer whose tastings are $ 45/​per person.
Upset about the whole experience and the lack of customer care, I addressed my concerns with Hamilton. After barely getting the words «I just feel bad» out of my mouth, he interrupted telling me «don’t feel bad! It’s OK» as if this was MY issue/​fault. I continued my sentence letting him know that «I feel bad that my guests are standing right now, when this was supposed to be the climax of the trip». I didn’t think it was fair that we were the only ones that were forced to stand in the entire place. He told me that the tables were *priority seating*.
I guess spending nearly $ 1000/​year, being a member and bringing 10 guests to your business isn’t a priority, Hamilton. To make things worse, the 7 – 8 tables that were open remained vacant the entire time we were there.
Needless to say, we were charged for our second $ 500 allocation the NEXT day. They were probably concerned we would cancel on them.

Came here with the lady on the honeymoon.
Tour:
— No real tour, more of a food and wine at the table experience
— You can walk all around to your hearts content and taste grapes off the vine
Food/​Wine:
— Very cool experience. Rod who is one of the owners was circling by every table to pour and describe the wines. Very personal experience. He would pour a wine, talk with you, let you nibble on food and come back to pour more wine. 6 – 8 wines were enjoyed in this peaceful, un-​rushed fashion
— Charcuterie plate was amazing and very planned by the brothers to pair with wines
Other:
— Lots of great dogs roaming around
— Amazing food. Nice vibe. Homely house area as well
— Very personable. No pressure. Can’t wait to go back

Kelham Vineyards and Winery was a fantastic wine and lunch experience. We sat under an oversized cabana and were served a delicious plate full of fresh meat, cheeses, and fruit by one of the winemakers himself. The wine was incredible and the grounds are simply stunning. This was where I was first introduced to White Port, and it was the best I tasted all week — albeit, most expensive! We loved having their two rescue pups accompany us near the table for lunch and take care of leftovers, as we have two of our dogs at home and it reminded us of our «babies». There was no guided tour, but we were permitted to take our time and roam the grounds ourselves. We spent over 2 hours here and loved every minute.

Great family owned winery! I came here on a recommendation and boy was it an experience. I stayed two hours, because everything given was over the top. I enjoyed my lunch platter matched with wine very much. For anyone coming, it is worth getting the lunch platter with the wine matching combo. The grounds are also just as delightful… the staff is very accommodating and recommends walking the vineyard to stretch the legs.
Opposite the negative reviews, I didn’t feel any pressure to buy wines or get rude service. I thought the staff was very courteous and attentive to the needs my table needed. While I did buy two bottles… I only did so, because the wines are that good. You’ll see!
Every time a wine was poured I was recommended what food to pair it with. I had a great expetience. I highly recommend.
In short, I recommend this place and I will come again. Great grounds, great wine, great small production winery.

Be careful not to get too close to the family. They will take your money and then trash you.

Unfortunately I have to agree with some of the other reviews that say that people at this winery are rude and snobby, We were members and were still treated very poorly! We were asked to sit outside in the rain even though we called to say we were going to pick up our membership order and wanted to taste. Instead of being ready for us, they had no room inside and said it would be appreciated it we would sit outside. We tried to be accommodating, but when the chairs were wet, we just stayed standing.
No one offered any other options for inside seating, so we left. As soon as we arrived home we cancelled our membership.

I’m shocked that there are ANY bad reviews of this place. I actually hesitate to give it the glowing review it deserves for fear it will change! I had a great experience here. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, our lunch was amazing and the wines (including the Chardonnay which I’m typically not a fan of!) were outstanding. The atmosphere during our wine tasting/​lunch reminded me of being in your neighbors backyard. The winemakers/​staff were super friendly and I made a new little canine friend who happily helped me with my leftovers.

I will forever be spoiled rotten by Kelham on what a tasting tour of a vineyard in Napa should be like. This place was like finding nirvana for a huge wine fan like myself.
I recently had my first Napa trip this past weekend with my best gals. The 4 of us drove up there and were planning out which places to go. Since one of the girls is moving to Phoenix in a few weeks, and since two of us had never been, we let her pick what her favorite spots were. I’m SO glad she choose, and is a member of, Kelham.
When you drive up you enter a code and a huge wooden gate opens to let you in. You drive down a very well manicured drive way and then arrive at the main hall. As soon as we all walked in one of the owners recognized my friend and greeted her excitedly and asked her how her family was. I thought that was really awesome of him to treat her with such enthusiasm, and to welcome her friends with the same attitude.
He sat us down at one of the gorgeous tables and immediately started pouring wine. It was the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. White wines are not my favorite, but this one was worth a try because of how interesting it was.
After that first tasting we were told to walk around, enjoy the property, try some of the cab grapes that were coming into season and to lay out by the pool. Um, okay, don’t have to tell me twice!
We enjoyed a stroll around the place taking tons of pictures and just really admiring how breathtakingly beautiful everything is. The impeccably manicured garden, the pristine and clear blue pool, the mountains in the distance, the grapes still on the vine right at your fingertips. It was surreal.
When we were done we went back to our shaded table and sat down to a HUGE cheese plate and more wine. I was in heaven.
4 hours later we are all in bliss, a tad tipsy and several hundred dollars poorer because of the wine purchases.
If any of you are going to take my advice on Kelham. GO! You must make an appt to visit, but holy moly is it absolutely amazing. I kinda wish I lived in Napa just to be BFF with everyone who works there and enjoy their amazing property, hospitality and wine all the time.

So, you’re in Napa for a long weekend or maybe even a wallet-​draining week. There’s plenty of choices to feed your wine fix. This charming little vineyard absolutely, positively needs to make your «must visit» list. No tasting room. No walk ins. No boutique to purchase a variety of goods while visiting. You need to call, make an appointment, and then prepare yourself for a truly personal wine experience given where the family that grows it presents their five or six well-​done sophisticated wines. These have become my special occasion wines, and I only wish for the day when my disposable income will allow for more frequent trips to visit and even more frequent deliveries to my home.
I cannot say enough good things about the Kelhams and their wines. Make a point to visit and don’t forget to have a case sent home while you’re there. There are plenty of special occasions to come waiting for a bottle of their red.

The wine tasting is in a house and I think it’s appointment only since there is only one table! It’s a cozy feel to the ranch style house and they have two friendly dogs outside and the vineyards surrounding the house. I loved the artwork that they sell here and the personal attention during the tasting felt like you were at a family dinner table. The temp of all the wines were individually set and she poured the wine in the swisher glass thingy (I’m no wino). There were different sizes and I liked seeing all of the wine glassware that were absent from our other tastings.
Since it is private, there is a bit of pressure to buy more wine than at other tastings. So I recommend this place for people that really enjoy and know their wine (I was here for a work function).