Odette Estate Winery — Attraction in Yountville

I have been a wine club member at Odette since they very first opened their doors in 2012. You can see from my previous reviews my track record visiting this winery. Needless to say, I am a massive fan of their wine.

Since 2021, I've noticed a serious decline in service in the tasting room. Three of my previous four visits over as many years have been dreadful, and today's was the worst of them all. We actually walked out halfway through the tasting because of the atrocious service we received.

I had an appointment at 3 pm, and we arrived around 2:50 pm. My party (just two of us) was promptly and warmly greeted and shown to our outside terrace table. It was warm outside, but our seats were thankfully shaded.

Things only went downhill from there. The tasting room was not crowded, with only two other tables there. The back room was packed with a private event that was closed to other visitors. We found the wine servers to be inattentive and downright neglectful.

After an initial greeting, we were left sitting with glasses empty for over 15 minutes. Finally a young woman came over to pour us water, which was appreciated since the temperatures outdoors were topping 93 degrees. Ten more minutes passed and we were finally poured the chardonnay to taste.

It continued to get worse, service-wise. Odette is known for their big, bold reds, yet we were not poured any of the red wines to taste until nearly 40 minutes after our arrival time. FORTY MINUTES.

Our wine server was very friendly, personable and knowledgeable, but he was super stingy with the tasting pours. I understand this is a tasting and not a bar, but I would estimate we were given a half an ounce of wine, maximum. This was not nearly enough for a proper taste - seriously not even two sips of wine. It was ridiculous (see my photos and video).

I can't say if I liked the wine or not because there wasn't even enough in my glass to properly evaluate the wine. I've started to wonder if maybe the employees aren't allowed to open an additional bottle when it's close to closing time, because they were SO stingy. They were rationing wine, or at least it felt as if they were.

After being ignored for over an hour, we left our 3 pm tasting appointment, to which we arrived at 2:50 pm, at 4:14 pm. To add insult to injury, NOBODY from the tasting room called to ask why we left or showed any concern whatsoever that we didn't stay to complete our tasting.

I'm a published freelance wine writer, so I am professionally trained and know how to taste wine. This visit was so poor that I feel like I can't review the wine because there wasn't enough to swish or spit (we also weren't provided with a dump bucket on the table, which is really unacceptable at any serious winery).

I left Odette disasppointed yet again, and angry that they wasted my time. I'm so upset and let down by today's visit that I will be in no hurry to return, if ever. I really hope the tasting room manager and staff will get their act together, because this is a recurring problem that still hasn't gotten any better.

In the meantime, I cannot and will not recommend Odette to anyone headed to the Napa Valley. There are far better places (wineries who actually VALUE and APPRECIATE visitors) that are more deserving of your...

Odette Estate Winery was a major letdown. While the property itself is beautiful, the overall experience was far from welcoming. The staff seemed disinterested and rushed through the tasting, making it feel more like a transaction than a personalized experience. For the price of the tasting, I expected much better service and a deeper insight into the wines.

Speaking of the wines, they were incredibly underwhelming. Given all the hype, I expected bold, complex flavors, but instead, most of the wines felt unbalanced and overpriced. There are so many incredible wineries in Napa that offer far better quality for the cost, making Odette feel like a waste of time and money.

To make matters worse, the overall atmosphere was uninviting. There was no warmth or hospitality, and it felt like they were more concerned with pushing sales than creating a memorable experience. I wouldn’t return, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it over other, more welcoming wineries...

First the positives: this is a beautiful, modern property with views of Stag's Leap. The cabs from Cade and Odette are very good. The downsides: this is a completely corporate experience. We visited with fiends who are long time members of Cade. They would have a comped tasting but it was clear from the many signs that no other tasting would be comped. This is a big departure from most higher end wineries that want members to bring guests. Our guide came over and proceeded to talk extremely quickly through all 5 wines before departing to sit down with other guests. This is again a major departure from other "private" tastings. Finally we asked to compare the wines poured to others in their menu and we're told this wasn't possible. Overall, the experience was our worst in Napa and Sonoma in the past 5 years (multiple visits) just because of the retail atmosphere. We won't visit Cade, Odette, or Plumpjack again. Too many other options with great wines AND...