Eagles Trace

This was my first wine tasting and let me to tell you — it was the best introduction I could ask for. But let’s take it from the top.
Booked my appointment weeks in advance. Had the 1PM appointment on Friday and had to use it before the expiration for my livingsocial coupon. Day of, my girlfriend and I were driving up and we were pretty sure we were going to be late. I was thinking of calling Ben, the person in charge of the tours, and let him know but he reached ME before and gave me a heads up and the route to take and whatnot. We realized later that it was pretty much the same route the GPS gave us which was good. haha
You really do have to drive slowly when you reach the smaller trails because it’s so easy to miss the mailbox number. At first we thought we had to drive all the way to the top where it seems like there would be a gave but later called Ben to find out it was the right turn BEFORE. Also keep in mind that there is NO SERVICE in this area. As soon as you turn into Howell (?) from Silverado Trails, you will begin to lose service. Verizon (which I have) has a little more service than AT&T (what my girlfriend has)
To our arrival, we realized that we were the only ones doing the tour that day which we LOVE! It felt super private and personal. Ben was charming and funny and as the others have said, very knowledgable. We tasted several wines (even from the barrel) and got to take home the one we liked best. It was a variety and my girlfriend and I learned SO much about wine. I loved the tour and I don’t to spoil anything.
Unfortunately, Gus, the original wine maker at Eagles Trace, is retiring and Ben is leaving well the end of this month so if any of you have the LivingSocial deal that expires soon, I’d recommend using it soon because who knows if the next tour guide will be as charming!

Wonderful experience! I purchased the living social deal based on the great Unilocal reviews and we were not disappointed. Definitely off the beaten path but that adds to the charm. Ben, the tour guide, is extremely knowledgable and caters to all levels of wine knowledge.

I came here with my fiancé with a livingsocial deal to do a cave tasting and receive a bottle of wine — the cave is very nice, moderate sized, the guide was very knowledgeable, we got a barrel tasting, and the wines were all very impressive. A little bit tricky to find the place, but it was a fun experience!

This really was as good as it gets — cave tour, wine tasting, wine deal. We did the Living Social deal it was awesome — must do it! We learned so much! The wine was delicious! Each one was phenomenal — it was worth it! The property itself is beautiful. Drive up there is beautiful. Ben Martin is a great guide and teacher! Ben also suggested some other wineries off the beaten path which really educated us more on trying some other lesser known wineries. We had a wonderful time! Go!

The tour was interesting, and Ben is great.
However I was expecting more on the cave from the living social deal description. The saving is not as big as the living social deal advertised either

I too did the living social thing and it was a really great experience for fantastic value. For some reason the reservation system on their website was down, so I called the number on the website and was told to e-​mail Ben Martin, the director. He responded to me immediately, and was kind enough to honor our voucher even though it was expired by the time we were able to book a tour. The winery is small, quaint, personal, and very serene. Ben is very friendly and knowledgeable, and we were able to taste many different varieties and years of wine. The cave where the tasting/​tour takes place is also pretty cool, literally and figuratively (it was like 85* outside when we went). Our deal included a bottle of wine of our choosing, and we were able to get one for $ 1 that they normally charge $ 67 for now, so you can’t beat that. If I had some friends that really wanted to go wine tasting, I would definitely take them back here, or recommend it to anyone.

A friend offered me his LivingSocial voucher for wine tasting in Napa, which was about to expire. I scheduled a wine tour online at
and received a confirmation the next day (from Ben Martin, director of hospitality). Before the tour, Ben answered emails and questions promptly, which was greatly appreciated.
Tip: Make sure you write down the directions ahead of time rather than relying on your smartphone because reception drops once you get off 29. Look carefully for the signs because they’re small and you can miss them easily.
We went on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a 1pm tour. Having never been wine tasting before, I think this was a GREAT experience. Ben was friendly funny, knowledgeable and welcoming, and the wine was fantastic. The tour and tasting are highly recommended, and the man-​made cave is awesome! With the LivingSocial voucher, we also got a bottle of wine with the tour/​tasting. We chose the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (retails for $ 60). We ate at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, which was about a 5 – 10 minute drive from the winery:
All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we would definitely go to Eagles Trace again.

The wife and I did the Living Social thing and were not expecting the two-​fisted awesomeness that is this winery. Don’t let the drive into the wilderness fool you. Don’t be fooled by the lack of ostentatious, third rate Basil Rathbone-​esque structures designed to draw in the drunk and the doomed. This place is all about the wine. This winery is by far the best Living Social deal that we have purchased: tour, barrel tasting, bottle o’ your choice.
The tour was fantastic. Our tour guide, Ben, was knowledgeable, funny, but most importantly proud to be working at this winery. It was refreshing to not have someone tell you how good their wine is, but rather have the product speak for itself. And speak it does, especially the Latitude 38. I will echo many of my fellow Unilocalers and say that this is one of the better tasting experiences I have had at any winery In Napa. We came out with the «vertical» of the Cabs (2006-​08) for $ 75, which is one hell of a deal.

Cannot rave enough. I don’t even want to write this review and ruin this perfect gem of a place. This is as legit as they come. Tiny operation in the hills-​so secluded you will probably get a little lost getting here (apparently this is common). This place isn’t about selling cases, they are all about the love of wine. Awesome cave tour and barrel tasting. Amazing tasting wines. One of the best Napa experiences and certainly one of the most genuine. Be sure to make a reservation beforehand if you are going.

My husband and I absolutely loved this tour. I would have never known of the winery’s existence. We too had a Living Social deal, but you can believe we’ll be back. Ben made the afternoon really fun, and the wine was excellent!

We finally got a call back, and were able to go and have our private tasting that we bought. Wines were very very good. Ben was very interesting, and although new at the winery, was very capable of spinning a good yarn about the history, wines, and wine making philosophy. Loved the location. Beautiful. Wines were very good, and well made.

One of the most amazing winery with some of the best wine I have tasted in the Napa/​Sonoma area. I am in no way a wine expert but I thought that this place was completely worth the trip up the mountain (and way, way worth the 50% LivingSocial Coupon that they were having).
Anyways, this place doesn’t joke around when it comes to its wine and the pride they have in their winery. Ben, out cave tour guide, was very engaging and informative, explaining the history of the winery, the cave, and the different types of wine we were having. The tour lasted about an hour where we got to taste four or five different wines and even one out of the barrel The biggest plus of this place was the choice of wine, yes you heard right, your choice of any bottle of the list (minus one), that you can take home with you if you came with the LivingSocial coupon. Woot!
I will definitely be back here next time to do some more of their tastings and pick up some more of their Latitude 38 wines. Come check this place out!

Great wines, but only negative was that we DID NOT get our «free» bottle of wine as previsously advertised by the Living Social deal. My girlfriend and I had gone up there for a tasting through the deal and left out feeling like we had been forced to buy a bottle. Not something I want to do after wine tasting and expecting the deal as advertized. I would not go back here again. Sorry.

We found out about Eagles Trace via LivingSocial. The coupon covered a tour and tasting for two along with a complimentary bottle of wine. We got to choose the Cab, Melot, or Latitue 38. It was a difficult decision to choose which wine to bring home. All of them are good. The tour and wine tasting was a great experience, and a great find. If you are looking for a more private and casual wine tasting, this is for you. Our tour was scheduled at 3pm. We got there on time. A couple tasters were there already, but we have to wait for another couple. Tour guide Ben poured us some of their amazing Pinot Noir and we chatted while waiting for the rest of the tasters to arrive. Ben gave us a lot of information about wine, and even where to have dinner after. Their wines are excellent for the price. How could we do not know this place before? If Living social has this wine tasting and tour coupon again, I will definitely purchase it, and will recommend it to my friends and family.
Tips: 1. Tours are by appointment only, so be sure to schedule a tour via their website as early as possible. Weekend tours are booked pretty quick.
2. There is no phone reception in the area. If you have any questions or want to know how to get there, call them in advance.
3. When you arrive to the winery, don’t park in front of the tasting room. Drive up to Eagle Trace instead.

I have to echo all of the great comments listed. This tour and tasting was a first experience with LivingSocial and it was a great one. We arrived early and were met by Gus and Phyllis. Gus poured us some of his amazing Cabernet Sauv and we chatted while waiting for the rest of the tasters to arrive.
If you want to visit a place where you can relax and chat with the owners, where you can get to know the winemaker’s philosophy and where you can just sit back and relax, this is the place for you. Gus does not release his wine until it has been in the bottle six-​ish years, so the wine you are tasting and buying truly shows well.
We left with a bottle of the aforementioned Cab. It was a great start to a really nice day.

We (like many others here) found out about Eagles Trace via LivingSocial, and we couldn’t have been more happy with our visit! We visited on a Monday afternoon (3pm being their last tour), and it was really the first stop on our honeymoon (we got married the day before!). It’s one of those little places, we may never had found if we weren’t looking for it. A nice winding road lead us back into the hills, and then there it was, beautifully tucked away. The grapes were still on the vines due to the late crush this year, so it was even more awesome to look around.
Walking up to the cave, there’s a little lagoon, and there were a number of blooming flowers. The winery itself is small (considering how many giant ones there are), but the cave was very awesome to get the tour of; being able to look at the barrels, talk about them, and talk about their wonderful wines made it all better. It was just two of us and Ben, and he did a fantastic job making us feel happy and relaxed. We got two tastings from the barrels, a number of bottle tastings — and they were all great. We came away with two bottles of 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (one from the coupon), and 2008 Pinot Noir, and would’ve bought more if we weren’t on a budget!
We highly recommend this as a stopping point for you, and we certainly hope to return!

My wife and I just recently did their tasting and tour. If you are looking for a more private and casual wine tasting this is for you. This is a very small privately owned winery deep in the Sonoma hills. Beautiful drive to a very cute cave. We were greeted by a very friendly and knowledgeable guide who poured the wine as soon as we arrived. The tour was limited to six of us which gave the private feeling you wouldn’t get going to a larger winery. We even had the pleasure of tasting their wine right from the barrel. To top it off the wine was very good. At the end of the tour we were given a free bottle of wine of our choice to take home with us. If you wait for the Living Social deal it is beyond worth it.

Similar to some of the previous reviewers, we bought a LivingSocial coupon for a tour at Eagles Trace. The coupon covered a tour and tasting for two along with a complimentary bottle of wine.
Gus and Phyllis, the proprietors, were delightful and listening to them speak about Eagles Trace, as well as tasting their wines, makes it obvious how much they have put into this winery. We can’t wait to crack open the complimentary bottle of wine we brought back with us!
Just one piece of advice if you are going with a group, make sure you coordinate in advance of getting there. There is no cell phone reception on the property and if the members of your group are traveling separately or become separated this could be a problem.

I bought the Living Social deal as well and had an amazing experience! The experience Samanta V. had may have been due to the previous tour manager, who has been let go, which meant that our tour was conducted by Gus and Phyllis Anderson, the owners. They were great and so was the wine! Beautiful property too! My mom and I, along with the two other people on our tour, became members of their wine club! Such a great find!

We went to Eagle’s Trace after getting a LivingSocial coupon for a tour here. We otherwise wouldn’t have known about this place.
It’s in a secluded location and they are dog friendly, but tours are by appointment only, so be sure to call/​email ahead of time.
The owner, Gus, has put his heart and soul into the art of wine making and the final product is proof of that. I’m typically not a Merlot fan, but the barrel tasting of their Merlot was fabulous. Their’s is known as the «Merlot for Cab lovers» (aka, me).
They also sell a blend called Latitude 38, which turned out to be our mutual favorite, but we also got the Cabernet, because I’m just in love with all things Cab.
We definitely want to check out the winery again around June to get to taste the grapes straight from the vine.