2008-03-27
Tasting Room of the Week:
VINTNER'S COLLECTIVE
by Michelle J. Baker
If you’re looking for that “all-in-one” spot to taste the best small-production wines Napa Valley has to offer, there are certainly plenty of reasons to pick the Vintner’s Collective. The Vintner’s Collective, a five-year-old co-operative tasting room located in the heart of downtown Napa, is home to 18 of Napa Valley’s top boutique wineries.
All those wineries fit snugly under the roof of the 130-year-old Pfeiffer Building, the oldest stone building in Napa. The two-story building has quite a history itself, as home first to a brewery, then a saloon and brothel in the late 1800s (the staff can point out with a wink the worn stone threshold to the entrance of the second floor brothel). The building was later a Chinese laundromat, a delicatessen, and now, the outpost for some of Napa Valley’s most exclusive wines.
The vintner roll call at the Collective reads like a who’s who of Napa Valley, including Philippe Melka, the Bordeaux-blend specialist who has made wine for Vineyard 29, Marston, Seavey, Constant, Quintessa and now his own label, Melka; Rolando Herrera, the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars veteran who makes wine under his own label, Mi Sueño; Jeff Cohn, long-time winemaker at Rosenblum and now at his own winery, JC Cellars; and cult Cab winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, who makes the wine for Vintner’s Collective member Showket.
And then there are those wineries you may not know yet but will want to know better after you visit the Vintner’s Collective: Parallel (whose winemaker is Melka), producers of a don’t-miss Napa Valley Cab; distinguished Zinfandel producer D-Cubed Cellars; and Chiarello Family Vineyards, whose proprietor is the renowned Napa Valley chef and Food Netwook star Michael Chiarello. And that’s just to name a few.
What’s best about the Collective is that they’ve got exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s a rich, creamy Chardonnay; a spicy, juicy Zinfandel; or an age worthy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The well-informed Vintner’s Collective staff can help you select a personalized flight of four or seven wines suited to your tastes. When the weather is nice, take your samples out on the second floor deck and enjoy the hum of spring in Napa.
Most of the wines at Vintner’s Collective are made is such small quantities, when you purchase wine here you can feel assured that you won’t see them back home at your local wine shop. The Vintner’s Collective offers several wine clubs that you can tailor to your wine preferences. Whichever club you choose, member benefits include first offering on all new releases and highly allocated wines, complimentary tastings, invitations to private events, and complimentary annual private tastings at the Vintner Table or outside on the private deck. In addition, the Collective offers a generous 15% discount on all wine purchases and retail merchandise.
Visit the Vintner’s Collective at 1245 Main Street in downtown Napa. The tasting room is open Wednesday till Monday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. and Tuesdays by appointment.
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