Markham Vineyards — Attraction in Napa Valley AVA

FAR Exceeded our expectations! We have been visiting Napa Valley for nearly 30 years and my wife and I typically try to visit smaller and more boutique wineries where we have found the best wines and opportunities to learn about wines in a more intimate setting. We tend to spend a lot of time in St. Helena/ Spring Mountain and Stags Leap, but we are always searching for new discoveries having visited well over 40+ vineyards over the years here.

This last Saturday we added Markham as the last stop of the day around 3:15PM (yes we had made an appointment, which they require in advance) and were warmly greeted by tasting room manager Jake and Lauren behind the bar. We sat safely outside and we selected from 4 different wines on the extensive list.

Let me cut to the chase by saying unequivocally that EVERY SINGLE wine we all tasted was a 90+ in terms of taste and INCREDIBLE VALUE. There wasn't a single disappointment in the bunch. We all LOVED their Rose as a launch point, and their reds without exception had superb structure, color, and nice fruit without being a typical Napa fruit (too high alcohol) bomb. Wow - we did not expect this level of quality - and we were all won over by the delicious flavor profiles.

Manager Jake was extremely helpful - he knew about each wine, and made recommendations based on our preferences (not his). What was also unique was the opportunity to select which wines you wanted in your assortment of 4 pours within the flight - and holy cow, such an excellent value. Jake answered our questions - this man knew his stuff, with many years in the business yet he was never pretentious.

At too many Napa wineries these days you sometimes get the feeling that the folks serving you are just going through the motions - reciting their scripts, or not really engaging with what YOU the customer like to drink. This is where we all felt that Jake and his Markham crew really excelled - in making you feel welcomed warmly, and serving you wines that match your tastes.

Bottom line is Markham wines won us over big time - because they were ALL damn yummy!!! DID NOT EXPECT THE WINES TO BE THIS FABULOUS! We simply did not expect this high a quality of juice from a medium production vineyard (that apparently goes way back to 1879!) that would typically not be on our boutique radar screens! But yes (as I keep repeating) - we were all impressed as hell with what is happening at Markham.

We took home an assortment of 6 bottles including their Rose, a wonderful Petite Syrah, a cabernet and a very unique & floral dessert Muscat.

I suggest adding Markham to your Napa day as I expect you will also find that it is a dynamite & delicious stop! Without a doubt, we will be returning the next time were are in town as this is a serious destination if you love your vino and seek...

A Serious Vinter!!!

Our last stop on the Napa Valley Trolley tour was 'Markham Vineyards'. This stop was perfect for me as I'm from Markham Ontario in Canada. What a treat, eh? From the moment you drive in and take in the meticulously laid out landscaping and the classic architecture of the stone buildings, you know this place is serious. Markham Vineyards is one of the oldest Napa Valley Wineries which encompasses four separate vineyards with over 350 acres of grapes. This Winemaker means business!!

We arrived at the large courtyard made from stone and entered one of the tasting areas. Our hosts that afternoon were very pleasant and knowledgeable about wines and the history of Markham Vineyards. We were very fortunate to try a selection of very well made reds and whites. Note to tasters!! I stood at the front of my tour group and as our hosts spoke about the various wines we were tasting, they kept handing me glasses of wine which I was more than happy to accept.

The room in which we had the tasting is massive. There literally thousands of barrels of wine stacked, which truly captures the magnitude of the wine this winery produces. It really is a spectacle to behold. Our hosts lead us through the rest of the tour answering questions and pointing out some of the vintages and some of the newer wines. We finished our tour with a trip to the wine/gift shop where I was very fortunate to get my hands on one of the rarer wines that were about to be discontinued for sale. Luckily since it couldn't be found on the newer price sheets they guesstimated the price, so I got a really nice bottle of wine for an excellent price, and I got a couple more bottles of red to take back home with me. This is an amazing winery and I highly recommend it as part of your next...

My wife and I came pre-booked a 3:30pm wine tasting at Markham Vineyards. When we came in - the greeting staff was incredibly kind and offered us a rose while we waited for table to be prepared.

That was the end of any sort of niceties. We were seated inside for our 5 glass tasting. After bringing the first glass of Sauvignon Blanc, our attendant / server did not return to the table for another half hour. Every table around us at that point had been seen multiple times and had breadsticks / snacks being served. I went to the bar to ask for breadsticks, at which point our server appeared shocked and asked whether "we had lunch earlier." Over the next 30mins, we were allowed to taste 2 more glasses of wine and then were told that the tasting was over (we only had 3 of 5 glasses we paid for) given that the tasting room was "low on wine." Meanwhile, every table around us that we asked (even ones seated after) had done a complete 5 tastings. My wife was also ridiculed for asking for separate glasses for red and white wine - even though every other table around us had received this option.

Wine was stellar and this was only a bad experience with one server. That said, this was an incredibly disappointing experience and will proactively avoid drinking Markham wine moving forward...