Davies Vineyards — Attraction in St. Helena

When I tell people I visit Napa often for wine tasting, I'm surprised how often I'm told how unfriendly, pretentious, and over-priced Napa wineries are. That is, until I visited Davies. Having been a fan of Schramsberg I was delighted to learn of the new Davies tasting room. The price seemed a bit high for a simple tasting, but I made the reservation anyway. The place is very new, and the people were reasonably accommodating, but that's where it ends. The design of the tasting room is rather bland and uninviting, the atmosphere is stuffy and cold (pretentious a bit?), the staff is eclectic and confusing (greeted by an overly sophisticated assistant, then hosted by a retired rancher turned cowboy wine host), and the tasting fee is WAY over-priced for what you get. For that price I'd rather visit Joseph Phelps with those stunning views and world renowned wines. Davies has no views, and their wines are mid-grade, benefiting mostly from the Schramsberg legacy. Even if they were "amazing" wines (they're not), this is Napa after all... there are MANY amazing wines here. And if you're going to attempt a personal touch with guest names printed on the tasting menu, it might help to get the correct guest name on the card. Embarrassing. Until things improve or tasting fees come down, this one should be skipped. Davies represents everything tainting the once inviting Napa Valley with images of over-priced, pretentious, unfriendly...

The best Napa experience!

My friends and I came out to Napa for my joint bachelorette/birthday party, and our first tasting experience was Davies. Well, let me say that we set the bar WAY too high for the start of the trip - literally everything after that paled in comparison.

We had a private tasting for the reds & sparkling tasting and I couldn't have hoped for a better experience. We were taken to a private room where we were given special menus with my name on them, and greeted by Rimple. Rimple was THE BEST. We had a wide range of people in our group of 8...several were from Nashville, some from California, and 2 Indian ladies (one of which is Vegan). Rimple was fantastic as not only being personable and informed on the wines, but he even shared unique tasting ideas for Nashville restaurants (he had visited a few years prior), Indian food, and even Indian vegan options. He completely blew us out of the water when it came to associating each wine with what we would actually drink it for in everyday life. He even surprised me at the end of the tasting with a complimentary bottle for us to celebrate with.

I will 100% be going back to Davies when I take my fiance to Napa...and if Rimple isn't there, I hope I can find him at another Napa...

Walked in here 45 minutes before closing time. Was told that the three of us can buy a bottle - no glass, no wine tasting... Walked out again. End of story. There should be a sign on highway 128: "Do not dare to slow down here. We don't want you."

PS: And no, the reply doesn't explain anything. If I walk to a bar 45 minutes before closing, I can get a drink or two. If I walk into this winery 45 minutes before closing, I can get a blank stare? So fine, don't give me a wine tasting, if you really believe it's too much involved. At least give me a glass. Everybody...