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9 reviews for White Cottage Ranch Winery
9 reviews in English
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Review from I C U.
McKinney, TX
5/1/2011
Came up here for a tasting. Had a 1 pm appt. Steve Hare greeted us and we sat down family style at a table for a tasting. No fancy tasting rooms here. No t-shirts, hats, etc..
He lined up all the bottles as what treats were in for us today and we just started talking while he began opening bottles. The Sav Blanc was out but on futures but all others were exceptional. Steve has been around Napa for some time and took us all the way back to the start. I honestly felt like I was getting cliff notes on Napa and he brought us up to date on not only the winery and where it was headed but Napa in general and some of the reasons wines are priced like they are and how the whole process works for larger and smaller wineries. I'm talking about price points from winery to distributor to restaurant/grocery store to the consumer. It was a wealth of information.
How the movie bottle shock only portrays half of the story (I'll let you figure out the other half)
Back to wine though. we tried 5 different kinds. The Merlot was about as good as one gets. I'd put it up there with my favorite from Pride. The Cab Franc was out of this world. If you love Cab Franc please visit. Next was the Howell Mountain estate Cab. Needless to say it was top notch as well. Then there is a premium blend that was like liquid gold. Also did a few barrel samples of upcoming juice out in the winery and we were laughing it was that good.
So 3 bottles of Cab Franc (on sale now 39 instead of 50)
1 bottle Merlot (50)
1 bottle estate Cab (75)
Damn those are some good wines. And Steve couldn't have been any nicer -
Review from K F.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2012
We ordered wine from here on recommendation of friends who had a great experience while visiting the vineyard. We ordered 4 bottles on a Monday. Their website says that they ship Monday or Tuesday so you have the wine by that Friday. This shipping was $30. I received my wine the following Monday. I called the vineyard and sent one or maybe two. I have received no communication from White Cottage yet, it has been over two weeks. The one bottle we drank so far was great, the wines we have drank with our friends have been great. We were considering joining their wine club, but given the radio silence from W.C., we will never be ordering wine again from them. Horrible customer service.
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Review from Meg W.
Charlestown, MA
7/11/2011
This was a recommendation from a friend of mine and we mapped out a few wineries that we wanted to go to- this being the first on my list based on the overwhelming positive reviews that I had read and heard.
Every expectation was met and exceeded. We met Rudy, the manager and winemaker for White Cottage Ranch. He was welcoming and so knowledgeable and you can just tell how passionate he is about his wines by listening to him talk about how he organizes and works across the vineyard. It was one of the most enjoyable vineyards I have visited in my last two visits to California's wine country.
I will absolutely come back! -
Review from Jessica M.
San Francisco, CA
3/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
We came to White Cottage as friends of ours were part of the wine club here. We had an absolute blast on our visit. We were the only four people there - and had our full run of the place. It was a little windy for patio seating, so we opted for the large family style table inside. During the tasting, our host set up a blind tasting - asking us to rank order our favorite wines and then we were asked to guess the varietal. While we were not wine experts, we had a great time playing along and learning all kinds of things about the history of wine making in Napa Valley. I would highly recommend this as a stop if you're in the area - and if you're not, it's worth going out of your way to visit.
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Review from erica f.
Los Angeles, CA
11/27/2007
This place is a gem. White Cottage Winery is removed from the highway and far enough from the wine country towns to give you a real sense of serenity. Its set on a on hill with vineyards surrounding the small main processing room and adjoining "coat room." The winery is part of large 500 acre ranch that was purchased in 1989 by The Johns- former St. Clement folks. (A good sign if you like SC wines--which I do.)
White Cottage is private; don't drive up there on a whim. Make reservations; bring a group of friends or family. Sit out on their patio on a warm afternoon and taste their delicious wines. My personal favorite is the Mtn Cabernet Savignon. But I also really enjoy the "Elana" Rose.
White Cottage provides a nice break from the typical tour or tasting trip and their wines are soo tasty you will want to bring a bottle or two back with you to remember them by. -
Review from Cory S.
Berkeley, CA
5/24/2011
I visited this winery with my parents, and it blew us all out of the water. The tasting was fun and informative (Steve is really awesome), and the wine is spectacular. When we went, there was snow on the ground and everything was just gorgeous. I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I've been to Napa a few times and this winery is my hands-down favorite.
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Review from austin g.
CA
5/21/2008
I consider myself a wine lover, fanatic, and White Cottage offers some of the best wines in the valley. For the past two years, every cork-dork I know has said "you've gotta go up to meet the gracious people at White Cottage" I'm sorry I waited so long to discover this jewel of a winery. Before you call up to these folks to make an appt. (appt. only) there is one rule that they have that you should know... a "no assholes rule" simply stated no pretentiousness. These people are some of the most laid back people I 've ever met in the valley that can many times be very snooty.
However, don't confuse laid back with average wines...these wines as Denise the winemaker/proprietor of w.c.w. are "fruit in a bottle" If your a Howell Mntn, fan you'll understand what this experienced winemaker means. As for my favorites:
Rose-delicious fruit, dangerously easy to drink
Sangiovese/Zinfandel blend (Ezvese)-what a fun wine, the beautiful fruit of zin,with the bright acidity of sangio making this a definite food wine
Syrah-I loved this fruity forward syrah that breaks the myth that all good wine must come from Napa, this wine maker isn't afraid to source his grapes from out side of Napa...I wish more winemakers would share this ideology.
Risa (bord, blend)-out of control for the price...straight ,easy drinkin' yet complex, lush dark fruit, with lots of spice.
Cab-Howell Mntn cab made by a winemaker who's been in the biz for his whole life...need I say more, stellar.
Enough blabbering, you get it...go there, enjoy the hospitality they offer from the first phone call you make to book your tour, to the friendly/knowledgeable experience. P.S. buy more than you think, they're wines are hard to hold on to and you'll thank yourself latter! -
Review from Ryan G.
Loma Linda, CA
4/19/2009
Very, very, very nice. This is my favorite Napa winery to visit, and buy from.
My wife and I were taken here by Bruce of Wine Country Safari tours - and we owe him a big thanks. Call ahead, make reservations, and enjoy! They'll sit you out on the patio overlooking their vines, serve up yummy bread and very yummy olive oil, and bring out tastings of their wines.
No crowds, no rush, no pressure and, no crappy wines. The sauvignon blanc (~$20) was very good. I won't get all wine-geeky about it (because I don't know how to), but I can say it was the best sauv. blanc I've ever had and it is my wife's favorite wine of any varietal.
The reds were great too: the cab (~$65) was very, very good and they also have "Howell Mtn. Red" (probably a mix of all the stuff they have left over) that they sell in what they call "upscale packaging." Okay, it's a 1-liter jug. But even at $35/L it crushes stuff 3x the price from BV, (IMHO). I am a big fan of Howell Mtn reds in general: there's something about those gravel-dust notes. It reminds me of eating a tri-berry Gu packet while running down a gravel road during the Hood to Coast relay... but without the breathless agony. -
Review from M. W.
Minneapolis, MN
1/13/2010
Definitely one of the best wineries in Napa County. A true gem. I can't recommend this winery enough for its unbelievable wine and its equally unbelievable, fabulous, unpretentious and down-to-earth staff.
