Chase Cellars — Attraction in St. Helena

I have friends in St. Helena who said, "You have to go to our hidden gem!" Background these guys....world travelers, CIA students and they drink lots of wine. It seems they have a double refrigerator size wine cooler in every closet in the house. So....who am I to argue when they recommend a winery.

Upon arriving at Chase I found it to be sort of a small family affair. In fact during tasting we were asked to walk out amongst their 100+ year old Zin vines while sipping our wine. A truly great experience when compared to standing jammed into a tasting room at some of the big wineries.

For some tasting in the Valley it is all about the fancy tasting room and all the associated swag that goes with them. For us it is about the wine. Frankly I grow tired of many of the fancier places where every third or forth taste is a good one. At Chase...in their no nonsense tasting room we were treated to a succession of very good to fantastic wines. Seriously....not a hummer in the bunch! So, if you a fan of good wines, particularly big Cabs and Zins you need to go here. Just beware, because you will end up buying a bunch of bottles. Doing the 2014 Haynes Reserve Zin for my...

This was a nice gem that we were able to squeeze in a private tasting for. We were recommended to this winery from several other great wineries. Their wines were great and the history of the winery. They have some of the oldest producing vines in Napa and the quality is top notch. Price points are great and the people that work there are very pleasant. We were "wined out" by the end of our trip, but very glad to have made it here. It's definitely a place to try if you enjoy high...

This is the essence of Napa Valley. Chase Cellars demonstrates how to work with the earth and vine to create wines that outperform. Part of Napa historic royalty, this property/family has preserved its dedication to authentic site focused wines above the trends and glamour of hwy 29. Zinfandel achieves greatness here as well as Cabernet and Petite Sirah. THEY ACTUALLY DO MAKE A CLASSY WHITE ZINFANDEL, which I paired with Vietnamese food and it...