Sullivan Vineyards

I haven’t been to Sullivan, but I have tasted their wine over the years. Always found the cabs to be exemplary. I’m writing this review to comment on the ridiculous comments of others. One person complained because the cabs left the tongue dry. That’s usually a sign of a high quality red wine. It has nothing to do with acidity, but results from the tannins in the wine. Other commenters complained about the prices (Duh, it’s Napa!) or made some weird remarks about not being treated well because they didn’t look «rich». If you are inclined to think like this, stay the Hell away from Napa Valley premium wineries. You won’t be happy. Frankly, I rarely taste in Napa Valley because the tasting prices are exorbitant, just to expensive for an afternoon of wine tasting. But I don’t make up silly reasons for my attitudes.

Obviously the property is gorgeous, but Curtis is by far one of the most friendly, knowledgeable and passionate servers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in Napa. Our experience couldn’t have been better, we will definitely be back… again and again!

Wow! We are Napa residents, so we take visiting guests wine tasting in the Napa Valley quite often and have tried most of them big and small. Sullivan Vineyards is a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the more corporate and tourist wineries. We took my daughter and her husband and one of her bridesmaids there a few days after the wedding this week. Kathy Cooke was our tasting guru and she was friendly, gracious, knowledgeable, and passionate about her job and the wines. We felt like royalty outside in the peaceful and beautiful patio space and tasted some of the best big red wines in the valley. Kudos to Sean Sullivan and family for finding Kathy and for creating such a wonderful memory for the bride and groom and guest.

My absolute favorite winery in Napa Valley! Enjoyed my recent visit so much because Kelly Sullivan — the artist whose amazing work is featured all over the grounds and on the wine bottles themselves — was such an amazing host! Love her, will be back soon!

Loved it!!! Intimate! Beautiful place! Totally worth it if you are going to be in the Napa valley a great way not to spend too much money on wine tasting and enjoy the great wine they have!

Our Friends invited us to spend the weekend in Napa at their gorgeous house they had rented. It was a first time for us and what a treat it was!
They took us to a wine tasting at Sullivan Winery. What a gorgeous winery! From the stunningly beautiful tasting room, to the beautiful outdoor seating area under umbrellas and trees, and finally the most gorgeous home on the property.
Kathy was our server and she could not be more delightful. Her attention to detail and fantastic service made for an excellent, well informed experience. We loved all the wines and purchased a 2012 Merlot, 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate as well as their ‘crème de la crème’ 2012 Merlot James O’Neil!
After the tasting we strolled around the grounds where we met Kelly Sullivan one of the owners of the winery and resident artist. She spent a great deal of time walking us through the black and white family photos and giving us the rich history of this extraordinary winery that has been in her family for generations. What a fascinating story of small beginnings.
We also got a tour of some of her amazing artwork and designs for some of the wine labels. This took our visit over the top! She is such a delight and so passionate about the winery. I would recommend anyone visiting Sullivan’s to try to meet with this wonderful artist. She will inspire you.
All in all this was my favorite winery we got to visit and spend time in.
GREAT WINES, BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, EXCELLENT HOSPITALITY

I wish there were 6 stars for this winery! First of all, the education you receive when you visit this winery is worth the trip. Knowledgeable staff will educate you about the history of the vineyards, and what makes their wine special.
We visited this winery with Platypus Tours and after a long day of tastings (life is rough) this was the perfect winery to end our tour. I would describe the winery as sunny-​chic. Beautiful open windows and lovely quiet grounds made this a winery to remember. I loved the artwork that was displayed (artist isSullivan’s daughter).
The sommelier took his time and explained the different tastes, ingredients, and harvests to the group. He was very engaged with our group asking us questions about what we tastes we picked up on in the wines. Our favorite was the 2012 Rutherford Estates Merlot. The wine is a little more costly than other places you may visit, but it is worth the price.
We will definitely be making Sullivan one of our stops when we visit Napa.

Came here via the Platypus tour. The wine here was amazing and the sommelier that presented us with our wine tasting was an awesome guy from Puerto Rico who really got the whole group involved in the tasting. He was very open minded to what we detected in the wine and was very good at explaining why we tasted what we did. The home we did our tasting in was lavish and well decorated. The grounds were beautiful and a sight to see.

About a half mile from the main road in between Alpha Omega Winery and Franciscan Estate, swing left onto a graveled driveway and drive past the entrance to this small secluded vineyard.
We made reservations for wine tasting at 1 p.m. on a Saturday. When we walked in we were greeted by name right away.
Sullivan Vineyards presents modern style architecture in an already gorgeous setting. The tasting room is simple, with large windows overlooking the outside tasting area and surrounding grounds, which at the time was a bit too cool to be utilized.
We had 5 tastes. Pours were adequate and crackers are available to cleanse your palate. Although their wines leave something to be desired, part of their $ 45 Library Reserve tasting is their 2012 SV337 Cabernet Sauvignon which is dense and bold with hints of bing cherries and vanilla notes and at $ 100 a bottle a bit expensive. The 2013 Chardonnay is dense with lots of tropical citrus notes, but this didn’t appeal to me.
For Pinot Noir lovers, you’d probably prefer their 2012 Sullivan Finley, a light-​bodied blend of 70% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot.
If you’re into Cabs or looking for a secluded and casual wine tasting experience that’s away from the tourist crowds in Napa, come here. Otherwise, you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere.

We enjoyed the patio, as it was nice and cool by the pond. Beautiful property, indeed. Peaceful and lovely. They also had no issue with us eating our own picnic brought food on their property. Thank you!
The wines were not stand outs to us and we did not purchase anything outside of our tasting. We wished they would have done the wines side by side for our tasting, rather than pouring them one at a time. My husband and I did not want to necessarily finish each full wine tasting offered, but we had no choice. We had to drink the entire thing as they didn’t pour the next until the current one was done.
Would not go back if in Napa Valley again.

Our reservation was extremely difficult to get correct and very low response rate from their staff after several e-​mails and phone calls — they just like to send you updated Cellar Pass appointments instead of conversing with you directly to actually get things right. After about 5 incorrect Cellar Pass e-​mails, our appointment was finally correct, so frustrating!
During our visit, service was just sub-​par — slow with empty glasses for 10−15+ minutes (they were not very busy either), they didn’t accommodate requests, and we were barely given any information about the wines that were poured. The wine was just OK. Outdoor setting was nice, but your view to the vineyard is obstructed by the parking lot, so not the ambiance you would expect for how expensive the tastings are. Luckily, we got a discounted tasting due to a friend being a member at one of their sister wineries, but I still thought our price was extremely over-​priced for the experience level. My jaw basically dropped when our pourer told us that we were getting a normally $ 90/​person VIP tasting for only $ 45/​person! This price is for 4 tastings/​person and a shared cheese/​charcuterie plate, and they will not waive any of the tasting fee with bottle purchase. There are much better experiences in Napa Valley that are priced way better, so spend your money elsewhere. This was our worst experience of this trip, and one of my lower level experiences ever in Napa. Overall, not a great experience and extremely over-​priced for what you get!

I had the pleasure to meet Kelly of Sullivan Vineyards.
What a great lady. Informed, smart and a sense of humor.

Wonderful setting with excellent wines. Crisp white Sauvignon Blanc was our first taste and it was outstanding.

Happened upon Sullivan while looking to kill some time between appointments and was completely surprised. Known for their merlot & cab, you can really taste the live in these wines. The 2008 Heart of the Vineyard is mind blowing. The grounds are beautiful & they are so friendly and accommodating. Be sure to say hi to Apollo the dog when you go :)

This is a fantastic winery, it is set on beautiful grounds and the wines are truly incredible. If you are traveling to Napa area and you love the best wines, do not miss an opportunity to visit. You won’t regret it!

I’m COMPLETELY shocked at these ratings.
I’ve been coming to Napa for over 15 years, and I have to say that this was the biggest disappointment I have ever experienced.
We came from an incredible vineyard that charged $ 65 per person but poured wines that cost up to $ 500 per bottle, multiple wines, and included barrel tasting in a cave. Not to mention if you purchased 2 bottles the fee was waived.
So here we were — charged $ 45 for the «library «tasting and $ 25 for the standard tasting was an absolute joke!!! The wines were as my friend wanted me to type #worstwineryever. We all wanted to walk out after the first sip of the red wine. However we didn’t know the place and didnt want to be rude and hoped it would get better. Well at least the reserve wines were better than the standard tasting, but the standard tasting was undrinkable!!! No joke. All of our tongue were super dry from that wine. We thought that we got some type of tongue canker sores because of how acidic the wines were. Our mouths are still raw.
I asked if we purchased a bottle if the tasting fee would be waived, the help said only if we purchased a case or were wine club members. For 4 people, two had standard tasting the other 2 library, was the worst $ 140 I have EVER spent in my life. So then the help had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to add a tip to the cost of the tasting. Sorry, but no I don’t need to put extra salt on my wounds thank you!
All I can say is… run…run as far as you can from this place

This place does not want good business and they will budge an inch at all to help potential customers with deep pockets learn about their venue.
This is a review for Mark, the Events Director. I called and emailed Sullivan to inquire about hosting my 2015 wedding at the venue, Mark responded rudely (no congrats, no warmth at all), with short sentences barely answering my questions. I kept having to email him back to follow up on additional questions that he chose not to answer. What a terrible way to start a potential relationship, we are spending our hard earned money, we want to feel good about making this huge decision!
Here is my last email to Mark before he called me:
Mark,
Thanks for the information. I was also asking about dates but it doesn’t seem as though you want us to hold our wedding at your venue, so we will be considering other options.
Alison
I just received a phone call from Mark a full month + after I inquired. He was upbeat and played dumb and said he was sorry that it took so long for him to get in touch but he was expecting US to reach out to him, shifting blame is not a flattering move when you want us to shell out some serious cash.
HUH? Why would we do that?! That makes no sense, we called you, we emailed you… you barely responded, you were extremely short. And then you have the nerve to call me and blame us. What is your job Mark? I don’t get it. I also love being hung up for no reason when I explain why we are no longer considering your venue.
Smoottthhhh.

This property is a beautiful, hidden gem in Napa Valley. The property is magnificent with an open tasting room, wonderfully lighted with a combination of artificial and natural lighting. It also includes an outdoor tasting area and you can see the Sullivan’s Napa home on the property. In addition, they have collections of art and 3 classic cars to see while you’re there.
Their core tasting had 4 of their wines listed as part of the Sullivan Experience Tasting for $ 75.00 a person. They also shared a few of their other blends and selections in addition to their signature wines that were part of the tasting. In addition to the wine, the tasting included an excellent cheese and charcuterie plate. They can provide gluten free crackers by request.
Their wines are very good and the tasting was a wonderful experience. The only downside was the large party that slowed our tasting experience, to a haunt at times, while the large party was tended.
The story of the property, Jim Sullivan, and the family are all worthwhile. The wines are great and the property is magnificent. It’s an excellent stop for a pleasant afternoon tasting!

Upon arriving we were put on a side table off to the side with other tables open. Over the course of our tasting I feel like little attention was given to us and little explanation was given on each wine. Wines were okay, but not great, and definitely highly over priced for quality.
Over all, I got the feeling, if you did not look rich, they were not interested in catering to you.
Months later after our visit, I received a very pushy sales call where the sales lady made me think I had ordered wine and the wine was ready to ship… when, in actuality, she was just trying to make a sale. Not cool.

Sullivan Vineyards is a small location, off the beaten path, tucked away within the tranquil confines of Napa. The grounds are really pretty, with a nearby pond and lots of ducks. There is an outdoor tasting area with large wooden tables and chairs, and large parasols to keep you shaded.
I came across Sullivan Vineyards on Unilocal,and upon perusing their site, I reserved a party of two for a tour and wine tasting. To my surprise, upon my arrival to their front doors, they apparently «weren’t doing tours» at the time. It was very awkward when I asked them about the tour, as the guy looked confused and told me they weren’t doing them. There wasn’t any warning or seasonal time frame regarding the tours, so it kind of threw off our Napa trip schedule.
Regardless, we were seated right off the bat, and began our tasting. We ordered the current selection wine tasting. It was pretty good. The clearest chardonnay I’ve seen. The reds were also really rich and full bodied.
In terms of our experience, it felt a bit too separated. People were left to their own devices, conversing amongst themselves, and every so often the guy would come to serve us our next wine on the tasting menu. So after the tasting, people would leave, and continue along with their days. I personally didn’t find much that was really memorable about Sullivan.
Warning: Don’t bring your own food. You aren’t able to eat on the grounds. Even a bit of bread and cheese to go with your wine. They didn’t have a food permit at the time of our visit, but were in the process of renewal. Hopefully they get it soon. I felt bad when the guy came to us before we started eating to tell us this fact. My gf and I just looked back, and were like «uh… ok?»