Elyse Winery — Attraction in Napa Valley AVA

Had an appointment here. We sat outside, which was pretty laid back and spent time with the winery dog, Hank. Garrett was our host- goes by "Cubby". Do yourself a favor and get another host if you do decide to come here. I've been to many tastings in my life, over many visits to Napa and Sonoma. Have encountered so many wonderful people. This one was unlike anything I've ever experienced. "Cubby" covered every label during the tasting and would not describe the wine during the tasting. When I asked if he was going to tell us what he was pouring (so I could mark the paper with notes and if I wanted to buy something, imagine that), he got upset and went into a snarky diatribe that he wanted consensus from the table before telling us the wine to make sure we liked it. He also wanted to ensure that the tasting was not comedy hour, this was "his stage" and he needed control of the table (wow). Last I checked you, my friend, are in hospitality and you sell wine to patrons - I think that's the goal of these tasting rooms anyway - IF you tell them what the wines are and are friendly to your guests and they enjoy the visit they buy from you - none of this occurred, but it had potential to initially. Can't comment on the wines because I have no idea what I tasted before I walked out....Probably should've just hung out with the dog, he's...

My family went to this winery yesterday and were blown away with what a great tasting experience we had. First off, we went with our infant and two year old toddler, and this winery was very accommodating. We were seated on a patio section and it was very private so my two year old could run around and play. Second, the wine was extraordinary. But, what made this tasting truly the best we experienced in Napa, was our host, Dean. He sat at the table with us and really got to know us and what we liked. He tailored the tasting based on that. He also had the best stories and was so easy-going and fun. He made our tasting truly memorable. We tried probably around 8-10 wines with very generous pours for $50/person. However, if you purchase three bottles (all ranging from $35-200/bottle), the tasting fee was waived. We ended up buying 6 bottles to get the tasting fees waived and left very happy. We will...

When visiting Napa Valley, and only planning to visit a couple wineries, this is my recommendation. Your first stop should be Elyse. Not only do they have some of the finest handcrafted wine, at an unbelievably reasonable price, but you get the true experience of what you should expect from wine country. With guests, my second stop is always a massive well known winery, where they get the “Dog and Pony show”. They then realize how unauthentic the big producers have made their experience, and it feels like Disney.

Pull up to the unassuming Elyse Winery, meet their 4 legged greeting committee, and see the difference in the knowledge and passion of their tasting room, versus Chandon...