Street view of the town of Saint Helena California in wine country

St. Helena AVA

Welcome to beautiful St. Helena, located in the northern part of the Napa Valley, just north of Rutherford, south of Calistoga, and sandwiched between Spring Mountain to the west and Howell Mountain to the east. Home to over 80 wineries, the St. Helena AVA was blessed in the…

Malbec wine grape cluster hanging on the vine

Malbec Facts

If you didn’t know better, it would seem in the last decade a new varietal wine had been magically invented or finally discovered.  During the last American recession, a new standard for structured reds just magically appeared in the marketplace hailing from Argentina, and its name?  Malbec. The…

Calistoga vineyard in Autumn season

Calistoga AVA

Situated in the northernmost reaches of Napa Valley is the sub-appellation of Calistoga.  Established in 2010, Calistoga is the home to the highest rate of steep slopes to valley floor of any AVA, meaning warm to hot days, cooler evenings, better drainage from the soils, and subsequently higher…

Dormant vineyards in the Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley's winegrowing region

Coombsville AVA

The Coombsville AVA is nestled in the cooler San Pablo Bay influenced area at the foothills of the southeastern end of the valley, hugging the Vaca range, and just east of the city of Napa (proper).  The lesser known 16th sub-appellation of Napa Valley was established in 2011, which…

Sunset shines through a sign welcoming visitors to Napa Valley wine country

Why Napa Valley?

Napa Valley Cabernet is synonymous with quality, luxury, scores, and of course, the subsequent price tags.  But what makes the wines from Napa Valley command such a market presence?  What actually makes Napa Valley wines so special? Let’s skip over the portion of history where its wines were…

Retro vineyard with sunlight

Our Top 3 Hidden Gems in the CA Wine Country!

When planning a trip to the wine country, you’re sure to get tons of recommendations on which wineries to visit—everyone has a favorite they want to share!  While winery tours and tastings are certainly the main event, we want you to know about a few hidden gems that…