Winery Exclusive Wines

[Jaebster]

I am planning on taking a trip up to wine country (Napa-Sonoma, California) next month and I have heard that some wineries (such as Chateau St. Jean) have wines that they only sell from their winery (not marketed anywhere else). If anyone knows of any of these "exclusive" wines of good quality in the range of $10 - $30, please post message or e-mail me. Please be specific is to winery, type, name, and vintage. Thanks, I really appreciate it!

[Innkeeper]

A trip up to Sterling is always worth it, if only for the ride, view, and a taste of their current releases. They usually have some of their previously released Reserve Cabernet's available for visitors, but they will run a little more than $30.00.

[VRVixen]

In Sonoma County, Matanzas Creek Winery has a Sangiovese for $30 that is great. Matanzas is a place everyone should go to at least once in their life.

In Napa I've found a lot of smaller wineries where the people are wonderful and the wines are good finds. You may be able to find some of these wines in your area, but they're worth the trip, nevertheless.

In Calistoga there is Dutch Henry Winery. When I visited the winemaker, the owner, the cellar worker, and their dogs all came to greet us. They poured their delicious, well-priced wines, talked with us, and answered all of our questions.

In Saint Helena there is Ballentine Winery. Call ahead and make an appointment. Now Ballentine is my type of man making Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot (all Reds! all between $15-$30 I think). He and his wife stayed late in the evening and poured their wines for us. Then took more time to show us their crush pad and tank room. They were so open and welcoming.

Those are three suggestions. Best idea when coming to the wine country is call ahead, make appointments and let the wineries know you're coming. Ask questions, maybe they have special tastings or tours that interest you. They can definately let you know if they have any special winery exclusive wines on the phone.

Have a great trip! Try to plan on visiting during the week because weekends are packed!

Cheers!