Goats and fine wine combine at Napa Valley's Casa Nuestra Winery.
Written: Sep 22 '09 (Updated Sep 22 '09)
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Pros: We had SUCH a great afternoon at this winery.
Cons: Many will skip it in lieu of the more well-known wine behemoths.
The Bottom Line: I wish this place was actually my home.
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| chelledun's Full Review: Casa Nuestra Winery |
In describing Napa Valley's Casa Nuestra Winery, perhaps the website says it best:
Casa Nuestra means "our house" and that is what most say it feels like here.
I agree with "most" - out of the literally dozens of wineries we visited during our five day stay, the little yellow house that is Casa Nuestra was by far the friendliest, coziest, homiest, and most fun!
Know Before You Go
We stopped in at Casa Nuestra Winery thanks to our wonderful Platypus Tours guide. Thank goodness, because we almost certainly would otherwise have overlooked it. Casa Nuestra is tucked quietly off of the Silverado Trail. Look for a quaint little yellow house. Parking is available near the vineyards.
This is technically a "by appointment only" winery, but our experience was that any such place could usually make an immediate "appointment" for those who showed up! Appointments are available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I believe a tasting of four wines is normally $10.00, but we were offered a price of $5.00 per person due to being part of a Platypus tour. The tasting fee is waived with the purchase of a single bottle.
In addition to selling its wine onsite, Casa Nuestra offers four "Clubs Casa" offering a wide range of delivery options.
Tasting Room
Prior to our stop at Casa Nuestra, our guide excitedly informed us that we would be visited the "hippy winery." Casa Nuestra truly is rather mellow in its approach to life and wine. Tastings take place in a tiny, cozy room of the charming little yellow house. The walls are covered with Elvis memorabilia, peace signs, and photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. While the folks there obviously love making wine, they apparently don't care as much about making money - we learned during the course of our tasting that only about 2,000 cases of wine are produced annually and these can be produced only at the winery or via its website.
We opted for five separate tastings for our five group members here, unlike at some other wineries where we shared. This turned out to be a good thing, as Casa Nuestra's wines were some of our very favorites of the trip. We tried six different wines over the course of forty-five minutes or so. The undisputed favorite was the 2008 Chenin Blanc, which is a signature wine of sorts for Casa Nuestra. This light, crisp white wine made for a perfect contrast to the many red wines we'd been drinking, and the $24.00 per bottle price was definitely right. Among the red wines we most enjoyed the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with its hint of cherry. We also tried a nice Rose and an interesting blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes called a Meritage.
I enjoyed Casa Nuestra's tasting experience more than any other we tried. This was largely due to the casual, friendly, and non-rushed atmosphere. We never felt pressured to buy, and it seemed as though the individuals serving us (who I believe may have been the owners) were as happy to have us as we were to be there. We also loved the fact that we got to try some wines that were different from those we tasted elsewhere. All and all, we had a very positive experience that left us eager to purchase multiple bottles of wine to drink with our lunch and to take home with us.
Facilities
While the tasting room itself is rather small, Casa Nuestra's public space extends out into the fresh air. There are multiple picnic tables providing an ideal place for guests to enjoy a meal and a shared bottle of wine. We took advantage of this and had a blast enjoying the fresh air while drinking a bottle of Chenin Blanc with our lunch meat sandwiches. Picnicking is permitted at many of the wineries, but it was nice to dine at a place where we felt particularly welcome.
Animals abound at Casa Nuestra, indoor and out, adding to the winery's laid-back air. In the tasting room we met Romeo, an aptly named and ridiculously friendly house cat. Outdoors we played fetch the tennis ball with two eager Labrador retrievers. Best of all, we shared the apple slices from our lunch with some friendly goats. Ahhhh, nature! We had a great time taking pictures with all of the animals.
We spent a little time wandering in the vineyards adjacent to the tasting room, but did not have a formal tour. I imagine one is offered upon request although the place is so small, it probably wouldn't take long!
Overall . . .
Casa Nuestra is a wonderful hidden gem of Napa Valley. We had a downright magical time here, tasting delicious wines and playing with the goats. If you want to feel truly welcome during your time in wine country, be sure to stop in and pay a call at this fabulous little "hippy winery."
Recommended:
Yes
Winery Name: Casa Nuestra
Country: USA
Date Visited: May 2009
Tours Offered: Yes, by Appt
Tasting Cost, Per Person: 5-10
Guidelines for rating scale: Plan your trip around this!
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