Somerston Wine

This was a beautiful tour. The property is vast. If you do the ATV tour I recommend doing it in the summer. It’s still nice in the winter and they give you blankets but if you have the option definitely visit in the summer. I loved the Stornoway Vintage 2012. My fiancée really liked the Sauvignon Blanc Vintage 2011.

We drove from San Jose specifically to visit Somerston Winery after visiting Continuum Winery. We had a very pleasant visit with Ben who took us around the property and had us taste several of their wines. The wines were not what I expected and fell flat for taste and body. They were fairly weak with limited fruit on the palate. However, Ben was a good host and I’ve got nothing bad to say about him. What left me particularly cold was when he said that we would have to pay tax on the tasting fee. Now the tasting fee is $ 75 per person to begin with and to charge tax on top of that is just wrong. I have never had that happen at any of the other 100 or so wineries we’ve visited. If the government truly does tax tasting fees, it should be incorporated into the original charge. It’s a very bad business practice that has caused us to not want to visit again, to relay our experience to others, or buy the wines. Just saying.

We’d heard good things about this vineyard so we called in the morning of our last day in Napa and Mark was able to reserve an estate tour and tasting for us later in the afternoon. About 15 minutes before our reservation time, we got a call from Mark that he had to cancel our tour because it was Ben’s birthday and Ben decided to take the rest of the day off. I said we were only about 5 minutes away from the estate at this point, and he said that he hoped we at least enjoyed our drive up the valley. This place seems a bit too unreliable, and we felt the way the last minute cancellation was handled a bit too unprofessional, to recommend to others. We won’t be back, approach this one with caution.

I’m a hard grader when it comes to Unilocal Reviews, however, when an establishment distinguishes itself with premium service and products that result in a great customer experience, then I feel very compelled to recognize this accomplishment. Somerston Estate winery is one of these establishments.
My wife booked an ATV vineyard tour and tasting with Chloe while enroute to the Napa Valley the day before Thanksgiving, fortunately there was a last minute cancellation and we secured a tour appointment.
Somerston Estate winery is off the beaten path on Sage Canyon Road but this particular road offers scenic views, little traffic, and connects to I-​505 at Winters if one should want to avoid traffic jams on Hwy 12 & 29. I would characterize Somerston Winery as a boutique winery without the pretense of such as the staff is engaging, pleasant, and very knowledgeable. Unlike the ‘mass production wineries’ in the Napa Valley, Somerston offers the visitor focused time in a relaxed and beautiful environment to learn about their vineyards, production facilities, and their fine wines. The herd mentality is not part of the Somerston Winery experience which enables one to truly enjoy a visit as a memorable experience.
Chloe was our tour guide/​driver on the vineyard ATV tour and also hosted us in the tasting room. She was very knowledgeable about the vineyards history and their wine offerings. The vineyards are meticulously maintained by George who manages a dedicated staff to expertly care for the vineyards and facilities. A large party barn is also available on this site along with a fleet of vehicles to transport guests about.
This estate vineyard speaks to a corporate culture of quality, focus on the customer experience, and a dedication to producing wines of exceptional quality. Although the majority of their vineyards produce award winning reds, their Sauvignon blanc is exceptional. The French oak barrels impart a distinctive and flavorful delight to the palate. Each wine stands on its own with unique qualities that distinguish them from competing offerings. The Somerston Cabernet Sauvignon Estate stands at the pinnacle of exceptional Cabernets and is second to none.
Somerston delivers a premium experience that provides great value for price that will leave you with lifelong fond memories. The experience is priceless.
Get off the beaten path in the Napa Valley and experience a vineyard and winery that has taken the experience and business of winemaking to a new level.

I’m afraid to write this review because this is my new favorite unknown winery in Napa. But at the same time, how rude of me to hide this gem from everyone else. What’s a girl to do?!
Ok, fine, I’ll tell you about it. Somerston is way, way, way up the hill away from everything else. It’s actually kind of a pain to get to but it’s 100% worth it.
6 of us purchased a bloomspot offer for an ATV tour. When we arrived, we were treated to a glass of wine as we sat on their gorgeous patio and waited for everyone else. They were totally unflustered when some of our party was running late, and we didn’t feel rushed at all.
Once everyone arrived they took us on a tour of the wine making facility, over to the natural soda springs, through the vineyards, and up a hill where the view was STUNNING. Their lake is just so cute. Apparently wine club members can come and peddle around in the boats whenever they want. It’s enough to make me want to join!
I thought the wine was good overall, although some of the reds are a little pricey. The whites run about $ 20 – 25. Our wine tastings came with cheese and crackers as part of the deal (most, if not all, of the cheese is made onsite from the animals they have roaming around the property) which was a nice touch.
Overall, an excellent visit to Somerston and I hope to visit again soon!
Good to know: if you take the tour, closed toed shoes are highly recommended.

This is a relatively new winery which we were introduced to at the Taste of Yountville earlier in the year. 8 of us bought vouchers for the ATV estate tour with a wine and cheese tasting.
The grounds are beautiful and quiet. There weren’t any crowds and although there were a couple of other groups there it felt like a private party for just us. They have these great patio chairs you can sink into and large tables to accommodate large groups.
We had our tasting first then our ATV tour after. They said it’s normally done the other way around but we had a great time learning about the history of the land and their wine production process.
Perfect day!

Although this winery is a little out of the way from most of the Napa wineries, it is worth checking out. The tour itself is great, they take you on a tour of the wine process, but they show you some neat spots on the property as they share the story of the land. One of the neat spots at the winery are their natural soda springs that you can actually drink from, the second spot that is really cool is their private lake with a lovely gazebo area (and hopefully fishing?)
The best part about the tour was the tastings. They let you try out their premium wines, not just some cheap-​o generic ones but their best stuff. They were not stingy with the tastings and it was paired with a lovely cheese platter. The tour is not like most tours in Napa, it is a unique experience that is worth every penny.