Revana Family Vineyard

My wife and I are members of the owner’s sister winery in Oregon, Alexana. We scheduled tasting through our fantastic club Mgr, Amber for our vacation in Napa. $ 75 per person was definitely pricey but we figured since we were members from Oregon it’d be a neat experience and worth it.
They sat us down at a table, gave us the schpiel, and poured three wines. That’s right, three. The wine was fantastic… and after we went ahead and bought three very spendy bottles that was it. They actually didn’t charge us for the tasting — which was nice, but this was kind of a big deal to us.
When people travel 700 miles and have a relationship with your company, they want more than three wines and 20 minutes of your time.

I want to start off by saying that their wine was not bad, in fact pretty good. But no matter how good the wines were, we didn’t buy any of it and I probably will NEVER EVER buy their wine. The service was just horrible!!! I was embarrassed and felt bad being the person who picked the winery.
Their wines were good but not that good that would overcome the bad service!!!
$ 75 per person to feel awkward and pissed off is just not right! I have no idea why our experience were so different from those 8 other reviewers… I picked this winery partly because of the good reviews, so I felt obligated to give my honest feedback and warn future visitors of the possibility of having the same experience.
I went there as part of a large party of 13. I made the reservation a few weeks in advance and they seemed very accommodating when I booked it since a lot of the smaller winery were reluctant in taking reservation for a large party of 13. I have never been there before and This was a place recommended to me by someone from Peter michaels. The tastings were $ 75 per person and I was asked to prepay the full amount at the time of the booking.
On the day of the reservation i found out that one of the guest has a birthday coming up so I bought a cake from bouchon and called to see if we could probably blow the candles there and celebrate a little bit. And I got a firm no from the guy on the phone. I was like okay maybe they have a no outside food policy.
So we got there, got out of the party bus, was greeted by a guy named Lionel. And It was most AWKWARD wine tasting ever!!! He greeted us with some Chardonnay. Then we moved on outside to the outdoor seating area, then we started tasting the Reds.
We paid $ 75 for the tasting but we were asked to use the SAME wine glass for all the wines!!! I consider myself a wine snob and I was like if you wouldn’t give use new ones, can we at least have some water to rinse the wine glass before moving on to the next one. His response was just rude and shocking. He told me to just rinse it with the next wine and as he said it he started pouring the next wine in to my wine glass!
Then we asked if they offer crackers or cheese platters for wine pairing, and I got an awkward look and a NO…
At that point everyone was pissed. Not only was it awkward, he was rude and by his tone we could tell that he was looking down upon us.
As part of the conversation starter, we told him that one of us is more of a whiskey person and he was like oh which brand. I’m not a whiskey person so I don’t remember the brand, and he some more question and then he said very arrogantly that he like the 1940 something of the brand.
At the time of the third glass we just want to leave! And we left as soon as everyone finished their wine! GOODBYE and NEVER coming back!

We arranged for a private tasting for 12 people and the cost was $ 75 per person, prepaid. Lionel met us after we unloaded off our bus and introduced himself. To be honest, he was a bit cold, but I figured that it would get better once we started getting into the tasting more. He began by taking us to their barrel room where there were 12 glasses of Chardonnay waiting for us. He explained that they, up until 2013 (I think) only produced Cabernets, and that our first tasting would be their first try at a white wine. He spoke mostly in short sentences with awkwardly long pauses in between so the atmosphere felt off.
We then headed out to the tasting area which was a long table in a lovely courtyard that unfortunately did not have a view. He then brought out the second wine, a Cabernet, and one of the members of my party asked if we could change to new wine glasses for the next wine and he promptly refused and continued to pour the second wine. We asked if we could have some water to rinse out the glasses and he said that water would ruin the taste of the wine so we should just rinse with the wine instead. For $ 75/​person, you think we could at least have new wine glasses or maybe water and some paper towels to rinse and dry our own glasses. The way he just flat out said «no» with no explanation was extremely off-​putting.
I tried for a bit to ask him engage him by asking questions and making small talk, but he wasn’t very friendly and there were many periods of complete silence. Not everyone in our party was drinking at the same pace, but it felt as if he was rushing us because he brought out the third wine and began pouring it before several people had finished with the second. He never asked what our experience with wine was (we had some people who know wine very well and some who were wine tasting for the first time), and his short explanations seemed to be catered more towards people towards more experience wine drinkers. At this point, I was pretty turned off by him and just wanted the wine tasting to be over. The third wine he brought out was very good, but to be honest, I don’t remember what it was because I was so appalled at the service we were receiving. I think it was the 2012 Cabernet. The fourth wine was good (I liked the third one better), and as soon as everyone was done, we quickly left.
I wish we had had a nice of an experience as everyone else on Unilocal did because the wine was pretty good, but I think for the price we paid, there should have been more interaction and engaging us on his part to make the tasting experience more enjoyable. Some people in my party liked the third wine very much, but didn’t buy any because of the service. I would have given this place just one star, but their wine was not awful by any means, so I can give them something more for that. We had a much better experience at Opus One, V. Sattui, and Robert Mondavi.

Excellent cabernet from this place. Some of the nicest staff at any winery in the Napa Valley. You will need an appointment. I highly recommend the 2012 vintage.

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Revana Family Vineyard is a beautiful vineyard and winery, offer an exceptional vineyard site, meticulous farming and masterful winemaking result in world-​class Cabernet Sauvignon.
Thomas Brown, Food & Wine Magazine, a Napa winemaker known for his hands-​off style, 2010 winemaker of the year is the winemaker now for Revana, before that, it was Heidi Barrett, the winemaker famous for Screaming Eagle and others, was the winemaker for Dr. Revana for vintages from 2001– 2010. So you can see that their wines are source after, and limited production.
The Revana Estate Vineyard is situated at the far end of St. Helena HWY 29 pass Culinary Institute of America. It’s amazing how Revana is comprised of 9 separate blocks totaling nine acres. They make killer Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vineyard manager, Jim Barbour, planted each block of rootstocks matched to each block’s soil type, to preserve it and nurture it separately to get the best terroir out of each block.
You can only get your wines via their allocation list. However, you can visit the winery for a small quantity of wine to offer guests for their current release. Available by appointment only, tastings are $ 55 per person. 10AM — 4PM, phone: 707.967.8814
It’s a beautiful vineyard, and if you get a chance to visit the garden where the pizza oven is at, such a beautiful and peaceful here.

Super low key — love the large table in the tasting room. We had an awesome time hearing the history of the winery from our French hostess.
Get the Pinot Noir (Alexana — named for Dr. Revana’s daughter) and the 2006 Cab (by Heidi Barrett. I believe she was there until 2009 or 2010).
Beautiful setting, intimate, hidden. And I have to love the caduceus on their logo.

Revana Family Vineyard
Heidi Barrett, the winemaker famous for Screaming Eagle, Paradigm Winery, among others, was the winemaker for Dr. Revana for vintages from 2001 through 2010. She definitely put her mark on the two Cabernets we tasted in a very intimate tasting. If you want to keep up with all that Heidi touches — check these out.
2930 St. Helena Highway North, St. Helena, CA 94 574, Phone: 707−987−8814.

Great wines and services, what’s not to love?
’09 cab is still rough, ’06 cab is great but there are other better wines @ that price range. I wish I can taste the ’07 cab.
Their Pinot Noir (Alexana) is great.

The best wine I have ever tasted! Ok, that’s quite a statement but when I consider other Cabernet’s in that price range, the 2006 Revana Cab blows all the others out the water.
The tasting room is the stuffiest I’ve ever been to. We walked in a room with a large table with one sad glass and bottle sitting on top. The woman wasn’t terribly friendly but we overlooked that fact bc the wine was so great. Unlike Powell Y. we did not taste any other wines that day, perhaps it was because we look like we belong in High School Musical… what I wouldn’t have done to have me a sip of the Amuse Bouche and I what I wouldn’t have done to bring home that Blue Dog print with me! We «splurged» and bought one bottle (that was all that we were allowed to buy anyway) and that bottle also earned a place on their mailing list, what a privilege! Normally I wouldn’t put up with that… but then I just think of that smell and that taste and I have to let it slide. I would not recommend this tasting room to casually drinkers, its not worth it. But if you are looking for a killer, unique cab, this is the place!

originally posted on
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Date: March 22, 2007
Winery: Revana Family Vineyards
Winemaker: Heidi Peterson Barrett
Tasting: Tasting by Appointment
Contact: 707.967.8814 — Todd Newman
In the past, starting with Revana’s inaugural release, I’ve never been impressed by their bottling. Not saying I wouldn’t drink the wine, but definitely something I would not consider picking up at their asking price. The numerous visits were always nice and pleasant, but the wine just didn’t do the trick for me. However, that’s now changed with the visit this morning.
Situated on Hwy 29 north in the north end of St. Helena, Revana is also home to other Heidi Barrett projects including La Sirena, Amuse Bouche and Barbour Vineyards. While the focus is Revana, but depending on the day of your visit, you may find some other wine from Heidi available for tasting as well. This is not your two hour long tours and tasting by any stretch of imagination, but if you are looking for a nice casual sit-​down environment for about 60 minutes or so, give Todd a call and make the appointment.
2003 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark cherries laced with vanilla on the nose. Tons of dark fruit with firm but well integrated tannin. Touch too ripe for my taste, does not seem to be in complete balance. A luscious wine with solid mid-​palate. Medium finish, still not impressed.
2004 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon
Now we are talking, the first Revana bottling that get’s my vote.
Complex and intriguing aromatic of dark fruits, graphite and touch of volcano ash. Layers of black fruits and cocoa is the first thing you notice. Further dissecting the wine will lead to blueberries and black cherries. Silky smooth tannin helps to achieve beautiful balance in this wine.
2005 Amuse Bouche — barrel sample
WOW! I must of smelled this thing in the glass for a good five minutes, what intoxicating beautiful stuff is this? I never had a taste of Amuse Bouche before today, the concept of a $ 200+ Merlot from Napa is just well… you fill in the blank.
Roasted coffee beans, dark cassis, chocolate, spice and layers of black fruits. Just about any flavor one ever look for in a great Merlot based wine can be found in this glass. As far as the texture goes, I do not recall when the last time I had a California Merlot that’s so nice and chewy but also shows the acidity needed for long term aging. This is by far the best barrel sample I tried since the Sloan experience.
I am really trying hard to not spend money on wine, but I REALLY want this wine…
2005 Barbour Cabernet Sauvignon — barrel sample
This probably would of showed fine on any other given day. Loads of ripe dark cherries, big wine, fun but lacking depth and complexity. Certainly, following the Amuse Bouche doesn’t exactly make is a fair fight. With that said, Barbour still sits in the minor league for me.
Tried four different wine, one good, one great and two ho-​hum. However, what’s important here is that the line-​up shows that Heidi Barrett as a winemaker is not trying to make cookie-​cutter wines. The emphasis is letting the terrior do it’s trick and let the wine express the result of each unique plot of land. A concept that sometime seem to be forgotten.