Trefethen Vineyards & Winery
Napa, CA 94558 (707) 255-7700
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
9 reviews
Yountville, CA
"Excellent wine, wonderful service, beautiful country... My husband and I were at Lake Berryessa the night before for a wedding gig, and…" read more »
23 Reviews for Trefethen Vineyards & Winery
Lovely and family-run, Trefethen is a must stop especially for those experiencing Napa Valley for the first time. The environment here is friendly and hospitable, and the tasting menus diverse. There's truly something for everyone here, and if you want to pick up a couple of bottles, it won't break the bank.
I really enjoyed their riesling as well as some of their higher-tier cabernets. It's a lovely site, and right off the main drag close to Napa - a nice place to finish your day after tasting further up the road in Rutherford or St. Helena.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
My idea of a good winery is when you plan to go in taste the wines then head on down the road and find yourself ther an hour and a half later. Trefethen is a good winery.
We opted for the $20 tasting and I was pleased with their offerrings. I especially liked the Double T and ended up with a bottle. More impressive to me than the wine was that our good looking host (William) was able to explain the winery's history as a Gravity winery over the distractions of my party (we are a handful sober).
I would defintely visit Trefethen again and would love to go on their vineyard tour.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
The staff was very generous, and let us try everything on the tasting menu for only $10. We even got a private tour of the upstairs facility. Chino (our guide) is awesome.
I usually don't buy wine that's more than $15, but I'm looking forward to drinking what people have called "the best chardonnay in the world". Yeah, it was a bit out of my price range, but was worth it.
I've held off on reviewing Trefethen for two reasons:
1) Here my friends announced to our wine guy that I was a Yelper and would soon review the joint. Our wine guy responded graciously and gave me his card. Nice job, William Dale, tasting room staffer extraordinaire! So I felt a strange mix of obligation and discomfort. Actually, that's not a strange mix at all. Moving on.
2) It was then discovered that another member of the tasting room staff was a long-time friend of one of the members of my party, so we received _special treatment_.
But, I really like Trefethen. The winery itself is beautiful, and reflects its California landscape, unlike the ubiquitous faux-European look that so many of the other wineries in the area shoot for.
Their wines didn't inspire me to take anything home, though that reflects more on my bank balance and disinclination to check bags on my return flight. I especially enjoyed their Library Cabernet Sauvignon ($80/bottle), their Double T Bordeaux blend ($25/bottle) and I even enjoyed their dry Riesling ($20), which was a real shocker to me as I rarely care for riesling.
I will also add that Will, our server, was quite good-looking, not to mention tall and very nice.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (8)
Funny (6)
Cool (6)
I actually enjoyed a lot of what we tasted here.. we opted for the $20 tasting, and I really enjoyed all of it. The girl who was working the tasting bar that we were at was super friendly. I like how she had a way of making you feel like you were some kind of wine genius when you commented on some quality of the wine (i.e. the pinot was jammy) or asked a question (is the cab franc 100% or a blend). You could tell she was a little over confident, but she was at least respectful and nice!
I would like to come here again, next time a little earlier in the day so I can really get a good feel for how their wines tastes before I've stopped at 4 other places!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
PARTY TIME!!
You start off with a long drive through the vineyards, until you end up at a lovely little garden. When you go inside, be sure to visit the library room for your tasting; and it won't be the same if Shannon isn't there. Take your time; some nice surprise tastings will come your way because it's party time at Trefethen! On the weekends, it seems more like a club, as in pickup, but what the hay. The wines are very
good to excellent; for a more serious tasting go midweek.
For a fun, friendly wine tasting, you won't be disappointed.
We came here with a tour group, and went on the wine tour/tasting. We went out to the vineyards, and one of the workers let us try the grapes - it was so tasty. We then went to the wine cellar/storage for wine tasting, and had one of the best Cab Francs I've ever had. This place is an estate winery, and they don't purchase any outside grapes for their wines, which means they handle everything with an extra TLC --- definitely showed in the wines. I ended up buying 2 bottles, and haven't come up with a good enough event to pop a bottle open. I'm sad I didn't get to go back the last time I went, but I will definitely visit when I'm in the area.
So you may be wondering why I would give a winery 5 stars.... Well the wine is very good here, but better yet it is just a fun place to hang out with. Especially with people such as Shannon and Katie working there. With the exception of one time, every time I go to Trefethen I speak with Shannon and sometimes Katie.
After my second time at the winery I actually would help sell their wine by convincing other people to buy it. I like most of the wines that much and my friend is a wine club member so I drink for free which is even better. But I also purchase a lot of wine there. Well the last time I was there I convince a woman who just wanted one bottle to purchase another since I told her she may feel bad after she drank the one bottle and not have another in reserve. Well after buying one bottle she decided to get one more. I told her buy doing so you just helped the environment from driving less. hehe
Well after that I got the response you should work here. And if there is a position open I will get a part time job there. I've enjoyed wine for some part of my life and I always enjoyed being around fun people. What better place than a winery?!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Wasn't sure about Trefethen the first time I came. Partly, because I was botching the pronunciation. But, I digress.
The tasting staff have been mildly eccentric both times I've been here.
A definite plus in my book. Their wines are well executed, but nothing **spectacular** IMHO. However, the Oak Knoll Chardonnay is something else completely! For some reason, the smell/taste factor totally reminds me of childhood memories. (Of drinking wine...?! )
It puts me in total relaxation mode.
The drive up to the winery is gorgeous - they've done a marvelous job with the entire estate.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I had to come to this winery after trying their late harvest Riesling at Copia the day before. Nice treat, but at $50.00 a bottle, I was just happy to have a pour. Their reds are great and I particularly liked their Double T and their Cab Franc. The grounds were beautiful. Service was entertaining, but a bit forced. I guess it helps to be a club member here, because our pourer almost fell over herself to help a member from Chicago once she came into the tasting room... after we were left in the dust, they later redeemed themselves after giving us some good tips on shipping wine...
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Beautiful wines. Their reds are delicious! And I was able go to the reserve tasting room without being shushed away by some witch. They also had a really nice Viogner that was really delightful, not overly sweet like a lot of white wines people make. Their red wines are the stars of the show though, especially the cabernets. Would come back to taste again!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
A lovely family owned winery that produces some good wine from time to time. My latest tasting today, compared to my tasting last year was rather shocking.
Most of the wines this year did not grab me at all. I think the Pinot Noir Rose was the best wine I tasted. The Cabernet Franc was decent as well. Although the Late Harvest Riesling is absolutely devine (and comes with a hefty price tag too). I was shocked by the viognier as it tasted like I was sucking on oleander leaves (which are poisonous and are not very pleasant to taste/lick/eat...I speak from experience). It was also very pale. Not a very attractive viognier.
The complimentary tour is very nice and gives a very basic introduction to trefethen vineyards, the history of the napa valley and winemaking. Once you've had a winery tour you've pretty much seen them all, but I was with my date, so I wanted my date to have an introduction to wine making.
Reasonably priced wines for Napa, but the current round didn't hit my WOW factor. I will be checking up when I can.
I would give the wine 5 stars, but the service was really pretentious.
The place is beautiful
but everyone was so ridiculously quiet..
lighten up...
youre drinking, you're supposed to be having fun
for god sake its ok to smile
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
This is the first 'hidden' winery I ever visited in Napa. They are really nice folks with great wines like the Estate Pinot Noir, the Reserve Cabernet and the subtle Quandary. I always make a stop at Trefethen when I'm in the area and bring home about 4 bottles. Much nicer than the madness of the vineyards on the main drag.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
Uhhh...the last time I came to Trefethen it was my last stop on my way back to SF and I was trashed. The gentleman poured me a couple tasted and asked what I thought and I told him slobbering all over myself, "THIS IS THE BEST FUCKIN WINE I HAVE EVER HAD." At that point he could have poured me some Ripple and I would have sworn it was a Harlan Estate.
They do have some great wines though.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (3)
Cool (1)
This place makes my list on each visit to Napa. The first time I visited we spent a couple of hours exploring the grounds and tasting. When I thought I was through tasting wine and ready to buy a few bottles one of the staff asked if I had tried their truffles. Chocolate and Cabernet...don't have to hit me over the head twice. I graciously obliged and tasted a sample truffle. Trefethen is definitely worth a spot on your itinerary.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I was "hired" to do some secret shopping here last fall. Their service was horrible with a capitol H.
I went back a few weeks ago and things hadn't changed much. The wines (especially the older library 1998 and before Cabernet's) are very well constructed.
However bad service makes me not want to spend money. Catch my drift?
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
As the number of reviews clearly attests, Trefethen does indeed tend to be overlooked when doing the Napa Valley wine tour. Well, I can assure you that if you make the trip to this winery, you'll have a wonderful time and taste some succulent wines.
The cadre is spectacular as you arrive to the winery by driving through the vines. As you approach the old building, a piece of architectural heritage right there, you are protected by a peaceful aura as you can see vines all around you.
Now step inside, and you'll find some wonderful wines. Their reds, especially, are worth a try. Their whites are enjoyable, but not particularly memorable...
Trefethen was one of the few places I planned to visit before my trip to Napa, and I was mildly pleased. It wasn't the best or the worst, it just was. I already knew what I wanted to buy, so we did a tasting, purchased, and left. I enjoyed my time on the grounds more than I did the tasting room, which I found to be the case at several Napa wineries. But their wines are delicious and hard to find in my narrow minded state of Maryland, so I made it work for me.
FAVE WINES: Double T
Trefethen is probably continually overlooked by tourists due to it's location. It's right off of 29, very close to the town of Napa. I'd recommend hopping over to Monticello afterwards as well.
The wines here are great and the staff is very friendly.
Highly, Highly recommended.
HIGHLY recommend the wine here...in fact, if it hadn't been one of the first wineries I visited, I would have joined their wine club! lol
Nice, friendly staff...beautiful room for the reserve tastings...hardwood floors, fireplace, big leather chairs and whatnot. Peaceful...
My first time here was in the year 1992. This place was cool then and it still is.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
Nice to find a winery that isn't teeming with people on a Saturday in Napa. The entry drive through the vines is beautiful, and the woman who was pouring on the day we visited was friendly and answered all of our inane questions (if you ever wanted to know how many grapes are in a bottle of wine, ask here. they have an info sheet full of ridiculous information like that). Good wines, relaxing atmosphere -I'll definitely be back.
One note - the cops tend to hide in Trefethen's driveway in order to catch speeders on Oak Knoll. It can be a little awkward driving out of the winery, right past the cop, when you've been drinking there :)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
wine country
Follow this itinerary, and you're bound to have… -
For the "wino" in you...
Because I have an affinity...a very strong… -
A perfect day in Napa
You can't go wrong with a day of wine tasting in… -
Beautiful California…
I wouldn't presume to call them the best, but…
Hot and New
- Bouchon Bakery
140 reviews
Yountville, CA
- Mumm Napa
54 reviews
Napa, CA
- Taylor's Refresher
8 reviews
Napa, CA
- Ad Hoc - Fried Chicken Night
2 reviews
Yountville, CA
- Cole's Chop House
37 reviews
Napa, CA
