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13 reviews for Bremer Family Winery
13 reviews in English
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Review from Shannon B.
Atlanta, GA
1/23/2012
I had the fortunate opportunity to visit the Bremer Family Winery in early November of 2011 but am just getting around to a review. A friend had visited the winery previously and was happy to turn us on to this special place!
Our timing on arrival was perfect. We ran into Laura Bremer who was happy to give us some of the history of the winery before introducting us to their winemaker, Bob Bolan. Bob was kind enough to spend a little time with us talking about his winemaking process and showing off the winery's new cave(s). This was NOT part of our tasting reservation but these folks are so nice and so laid-back, you got the impression they would spend all afternoon with you, if they could.
Cathy handled our tasting. She was relatively new to Bremer at the time but not new to Napa and the wine business. She is a pro. Because we were there with a previous visitor/customer to Bremer, Cathy had already done her homework and was prepared with an "individualized" tasting menu. That said, if there was ANYTHING we wanted to taste that wasn't on her list, Cathy brought and opened a bottle. The Bremer wines are wonderful....high quality! These folks know what they're doing and certainly care about creating a high-end product. I even enjoyed their Chardonnay and I am not a Chardonnay drinker.
Our 11:00 tasting lasted until 1:30. I suspect that may not be common but we had a fabulous time and bought quite a bit of wine. I ended up purchasing bottles of their Cimarossa Howell Mtn Cab, their Claret, their Cab Fran and their Syrah. A productive (albeit expensive) day all around!
From now on, a trip to Napa will NOT be complete without a visit to see the Bremers! In fact, if I only get to the Bremer Winery, I will be a happy camper. Cheers! -
Review from Derek S.
8/29/2011
I went here on a thursday a couple weeks ago on a beautiful sunny day.
It's not to hard to find up on deer creek. Nice secluded and great location.
Tom is fantastic, he came out and greeted us and started to tell us about the facility and the things that have been done to the grounds so far.
Seems like a good place to have a social gathering and weddings.
The history of bremer I thought was pretty neat, he answered a lot of our questions since we were new to the wine scene. They also seem to be doing a lot of work on the grounds and expanding the business, which is a good thing after tasting their wines.
Now the tasting we started with the Chardonnay. It was actually one of the few that we have liked so far. Usually I find them dry and not balanced, this one was.
I also have never really had ports and theirs were both quite good and we even got a bottle of the red port.
All the reds were great overall, they seem to put a lot of care and time into their wines than I've seen and heard most other places do. So I'm starting to know what to ask.
After going to a few other places that day, this was the best quailty and all around goodness. I hope it didn't mess up future tastings and wine I have, becasue this is one best I've had so far. -
Review from Joseph W.
Los Angeles, CA
7/1/2008
Wow, after reading the other reviews of this place it's really hard to imagine that we visited the same winery and met with the same tasting room manager (they only have one, and yeah he's old and rambly :)
I really enjoyed this experience, and not just because the wines were very fine. The group ahead of us were running long (trying to decide what to buy FOREVER), so they manager kept coming out and apologizing to us (this is an appointment only winery) and bringing us samples of their wares, which we enjoyed while strolling their lush and amazing grounds up on the mountain.
Once inside, the private tasting was such a refreshing change from the experiences we'd been having thus far. We were taken through their entire current release, and we did indeed have the port as well which was very good but not really to my liking (I really love the Tawnys...).
Anyhow, we dropped some serious coin here and had a great time. Definitely a place we'll be stopping by on our anniversary trips! -
Review from Scott and Katie B.
Denver, CO
2/20/2011
If you are heading to Napa, make time to visit the Bremer Family Winery tucked away on Howell Mountain just outside St. Helena. You'll need to make a reservation ahead of time, ask for Richard. He's the perfect host and will not steer you wrong. Some say he has more stories than Dr. Suess. Richard made the tasting a truly memorable experience.
When it comes to the wines, the 2005 Claret is a great wine, but the Howell Mountain Cabernet is amazing! I recommend taking home both.
Cheers! -
Review from John R.
El Monte, CA
4/9/2009 1 photo
2002 Austintatious Bremer Family Winery
Big Bad Ass Mountain Fruit. If you like in your face California wines. This one is for you. The Austintatious is a Bordeaux Blend. I did not get the blend off the bottle or there website. The wine has heavy chocolate, leather notes like a big California Cab usually has. A very soft feel on the palate. My friends mentioned that Bremer is making wines to be drank and not cellared to long. The age on this wine still didn't show much wear. It could of easily layed down for another 7 years. Overall I was pleased with this wine to drink. I think the boldness and not a lot of elegance does something to me as to having it with food. That has always been my beef with Howell Mountain. It is always it or miss.
This was another bottle that my fellow wine geeks shared with me.
Give them a try
Cheers -
Review from Larry M.
1/28/2009
***My winery/tasting room reviews are rated based upon many factors. First is QPR or quality to price ratio of the wine. In other words, is the wine priced according to how good it is. The second factor is the tasting room experience. This involves the staff, grounds and anything unique about the winery.***
Tasting room fee: (Do not recall, thought it was free), Appointment Needed
Wine price range: $45-$85
A wonderful intimate family winery in the Howell Mountain region of the Napa Valley area.
We went here on a recommendation on the last day of our trip. The family makes small amounts of specific varietals. Their wines are awesome. The tasting for us took place inside their wine cellar which is built into the side of a mountain. This was a very old setup, you can see where the mountain was hollowed out using hand tools. The staff was knowledgeable, fun and friendly.
I loved the zin. We were at the end of our trip and I had blown my wine budget. So, I only parted with 3 bottles of zin. All of them are now long gone. Now I am pissed. I will be sure to stop here again next trip up. -
Review from BIll W.
Napa, CA
8/20/2010
The wine quality here is above 5 stars. The wines are truly amazing.
The Chardonnay is quite balanced with solid acidity. If you are looking for a food pairing chardonnay this will work quite nicely.
I loved the Zinfandel. It is good to drink on its own, and it is quite different from what you would get on the other side of Napa Valley or from Dry Creek/ Alexander Valley. It displays all the signature characteristics of a quality Zin but none of the overextracted qualities. I picture this with Duck or BBQ chicken. Anything off the grill.
And the Merlots were divine. When people bad mouth Merlot they should come and try them here. The acidity and tannins and fruit create this unique balance that will obviously develop in the bottle over the next few years.
And the Cabernets are incredible too. They do a Claret and a Cabernet. They are both bomb. Your tongue and cheeks will hardly be able to handle it.
Bonus: you get an awesome host while you are there. His name is Richard and he tells some stories and gives you some insight on what Napa is all about.
This is what I expect from the Napa Valley. Very few places would be able to top this experience.
An appointment is necessary, but I called in the morning and was able to book an appt for the afternoon.
5+ stars -
Review from Katie Anne N.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2010
Bremer was suggested to us by the owners of Glass Mountain Inn. We called and set up an appointment for a tasting and when we arrived we found that we were the only ones there. Of course, it was 11am! We were brought into an office and did our tasting there. We had heard that they do pours outside by their trees but I guess since we were the only ones there, we got a more intimate tasting in one of their offices. It was intimate and we were able to share stories from the guy who was hosting us (can't remember his name). Our tasting lasted 1.5 hours with just the 3 of us! The experience was different but I thought it was great. The guy told us stories about wine makers and wine country. I don't know much about wines so it was a treat to learn some new things. Try their ports. Delicious!
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Review from Jason Z.
Santa Barbara, CA
9/23/2008
Bremer Family came highly recommended to us from a friend at Duckhorn. Ensconced in the mountains a few miles off the Silverado Trail, the winery feels quite removed from the bustle of Highway 29 and the normal Napa tasting room. It certainly is worth the drive to taste these premium, limited-production wines.
The tasting is delightfully informal; we had a young man about our own age (early 20s) take us through the portfolio of eight new releases. We munched on almonds, crackers and cheese and talked about the wines and Napa in general; other wineries would charge about $20 for the snacks, but at Bremer Family the food and tastings are complementary.
The wines- one Chardonnay and the rest reds- were excellent, but very expensive. Bremer Family, unlike most Napa wineries, holds their wines for a few years before releasing them; they are well-structured, made to age and usually sell out. The creamy 2005 Napa Chardonnay with hazelnut-laced tropical fruit ($45) was one of the best expressions of this varietal that I've had with great balance and elegance. Of the reds my favorite was the 2004 Napa Zinfandel ($45); its spicy mountain fruit with pepper and touch of jamminess danced upon my tongue. The 03 Napa Merlot ($55; a blend of fruit from Howell Mountain and the valley) was also very good, with a nose of mountain fruit and dust; I liked it better than the 03 Howell Mountain Merlot ($75), which had bell pepper and a jammy berry sweetness. We also tried a trio of Cabernet Sauvignons, all from 2003; the Napa ($60) had methanol, mint and fruit but seemed off balance, the Cimarossa ($85) featured concentrated tarry berry aromas and flavors and the Howell Mountain ($85) boasted rich mountain fruit, prune and chocolate notes.
If only the wines were not so expensive I would have bought more. I understand the pricing, though; the market (i.e. consumers) determines prices and a small family-owned winery needs to charge more in order to make a profit or at least break even. I'll definitely return to try the new releases and, in the meantime, look forward to drinking the bottle of 05 Chardonnay that I purchased. -
Review from Chelsea E.
San Jose, CA
5/30/2010
What a great find!! This winery is off the beaten path, but so well worth it!! Free tastings but wines are $45-70/bottle. I am no wine expert, but the chardonnay was the best chardonnay I have ever tasted. My husband loved the syrah (they only made a limited quantity of this) so we bought a bottle. We are not used to paying a lot for wine so it was kind of a splurge for us at $55. The best part was the couple giving the tastings....they were soooo nice during the tasting part and gave us a tour of the barrels in the back. Great place and awesome family winery!
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Review from C R.
South Pasadena, CA
8/3/2010
My introduction to Bremer was by one of my closest and oldest friends, thanks Scott! We tried Bremer together on a guy's weekend and I have been going ever since. The Bremer experience is not complete unless you have had at least one tasting with Richard. Linda is great and so has been some of the other people but you really need to sit with Richard at least once. Of course the wine is some of the best I have tasted in the valley. Bremer does not bottle every year and is limited in distribution. You cannot buy them via retail channels. The wines are limited supply and priced accordingly. The tasting room is small and can seat as many as six but is a wonderful experience with two people and Richard giving you a local history lesson as well as educating you on all wines. There are picnic tables outside for large groups which I have experienced. If you come out with six or more friends I suggest outside on a sunny day. Bring food so you can snack while tasting. Start your day at Bremer, and then you will appreciate the experience and quality. The last trip I picked up some ports.....uber yummy!
Listed in: Napa
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Review from Mary V.
San Francisco, CA
3/4/2008
i'm going to have to give bremer the big 4.5 stars. it really annoys me that we can't do half stars. and i never seem to give 5 stars. hmmmm. you don't need to be here for this part.
OK.
we've been here twice: once when we crashed the place after someone highly recommended it (thank you mr random drunk midwestern guy!!!). you have to have an appt but we arrived unannounced at the end of the day and they took us in. what a great find. bremer has the best chardonnay in the valley. it's a bit rich but very oak and vanilla, if you like that style. their claret and their merlot are both excellent too. we went back a second time with a group (and our dog, who frolicked free on the property while we tasted outdoors). i think john is his name, but he was our host both times. super nice guy. they fed us snacks this time, and we were fortunate enough to try both the zin and the port. both are spectacular. everyone in our group loved the port, which featured chocolate and cigar notes. i bought the chardonnay, the zin and the claret. all wines are superb. we'll continue to return. a bit pricey, but these are wines you hold onto.Listed in: Oenophilia
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Review from dan h.
8/1/2010
off the main road and they haven't finished their caves nor hardly any of their construction but go ahead and get there now so you can say that you've been there before the construction was done. richard was an absolute fountain of funny stories and wine wisdom. he also asked a bunch of interesting wine experience questions to get to know the guests. the gf and i had the unusual experience of having an 11am tasting. yeah, i know what you're thinking. alcoholics! start drinking at 11am.... well, um, yeah. we'd already done our shopping the day before and had to kill some time before lunch. so we were the only ones there and had plenty of time to shoot the breeze and talk international wine trade agreements that affected wine naming conventions in various countries along with a bunch of other stuff that would be totally boring out of context. .... did you know that port, bordeaux and champagne are all internationally protected words documented in a treaty signed by multiple nations in 1921... however, the US did not participate in the signing because we were under prohibition at the time. but we still stick to rules like everyone else except that we don't tend to respect the portugese and their ownership over the word 'port' as much as we respect the french. i guess international relations with france are more important than relations with portugal. the people i know from portugal are still, in fact, a bit pissed about that. anyway, this and more tidbits of wine wisdom can be yours if you head up the road to bremer. fun place and a lovely outdoor area to enjoy your wine tastes as well.
