Truchard Vineyards

We had a spectacular experience at Truchard, we arrived early but Lauren poured us a glass and let us enjoy the grounds until our reservation. Justin our host was amazing and went above and beyond for our tasting and tour. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about the grapes and wine making process we learned so much and felt like family. The Cabernet is delightful but all their wines we tasted were great. Such a relaxing and beautiful atmosphere complete with baby goats! Definitely recommend we will be back!

A hidden gem! Justin was an amazing host to guide us through the wine and the property. A yummy selection of wine and a beautiful tour pairing with the tasting experience! We became members and will be back!

Must do in Napa. Truchard is wonderful! Love that you get to walk the grounds and go in the cave. Great wines, priced right. Loved it so much that I became a member! Justin, our host, was awesome and knowledgeable.

Justin and little Paprika (one of the vineyard cats, although she must be a paid actress for how sweet she was with us) were the best!! I visited once 8 years ago and received the same amazing tour today! The greatest vibe in the whole area, not to be missed!

Spent a lovely afternoon touring the winery and vineyard. Our host was very knowledgeable but not pretentious. Gave a great presentation about each of the wines we tried along with the history of the property all while answering all our questions. The wine was great too! Definitely worth your time to check out.

Justin at Truchard Vineyards gave me an unforgettable memory. My wife and I went here on our honeymoon and it was far better than anything I had expected. The tasting was much more personal than other vineyards we visited with a one on one experience and having wines poured and described for us in what was essentially the backyard of the owners estate with a beautiful view of the vineyard in the background. We also went on a short walk through the rows and were invited to sample a grape as we went. Justin was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and really gave us a splendid experience I will certainly revisit next time I come back to Napa and recommend to all my friends and family.

Justin was amazing!! We had a group of 6 and we all really enjoyed the wines and the tour. Such a great experience!! Highly recommend!

We had a delightful time today! Lauren, our host, was friendly, funny, and engaging as she shared the story of the family, winery and wine. I felt I spent the day with the family. Most importantly, the wines are amazing! We'll be back and will send our Airbnb guests too. Oh, meeting the baby goat Noel was an unexpected pleasure!

We had a spectacular experience at Truchard, we arrived early but Lauren poured us a glass and let us enjoy the grounds until our reservation. Justin our host was amazing and went above and beyond for our tasting and tour. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about the grapes and wine making process we learned so much and felt like family. The Cabernet is delightful but all their wines we tasted were great. Such a relaxing and beautiful atmosphere complete with baby goats! Definitely recommend we will be back!

A hidden gem! Justin was an amazing host to guide us through the wine and the property. A yummy selection of wine and a beautiful tour pairing with the tasting experience! We became members and will be back!

Must do in Napa. Truchard is wonderful! Love that you get to walk the grounds and go in the cave. Great wines, priced right. Loved it so much that I became a member! Justin, our host, was awesome and knowledgeable.

Justin and little Paprika (one of the vineyard cats, although she must be a paid actress for how sweet she was with us) were the best!! I visited once 8 years ago and received the same amazing tour today! The greatest vibe in the whole area, not to be missed!

Spent a lovely afternoon touring the winery and vineyard. Our host was very knowledgeable but not pretentious. Gave a great presentation about each of the wines we tried along with the history of the property all while answering all our questions. The wine was great too! Definitely worth your time to check out.

Justin at Truchard Vineyards gave me an unforgettable memory. My wife and I went here on our honeymoon and it was far better than anything I had expected. The tasting was much more personal than other vineyards we visited with a one on one experience and having wines poured and described for us in what was essentially the backyard of the owners estate with a beautiful view of the vineyard in the background. We also went on a short walk through the rows and were invited to sample a grape as we went. Justin was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and really gave us a splendid experience I will certainly revisit next time I come back to Napa and recommend to all my friends and family.

Justin was amazing!! We had a group of 6 and we all really enjoyed the wines and the tour. Such a great experience!! Highly recommend!

We had a delightful time today! Lauren, our host, was friendly, funny, and engaging as she shared the story of the family, winery and wine. I felt I spent the day with the family. Most importantly, the wines are amazing! We'll be back and will send our Airbnb guests too. Oh, meeting the baby goat Noel was an unexpected pleasure!

Truchard was the best decision we could have made!!! Go here!!! Very laid back, relaxing vibes, with a great host Justin. We truly left blown away and it exceeded our expectations... Justin rocks!

Do yourself a favor and reserve a tasting here!Incredible vineyards, views, history and of course great wine. Justin was amazing! Expertly guiding us through some of the finest wines we've had anywhere. Skip the 'industrial tours' and experience a personalized tasting and tour a superb family owned winery.

We started our first wine tour at Truchard Vineyards. Justin greeted my friends and I with a welcoming smile. First tasting was the Chardonnay and every wine we tasted after that was pure bliss! We were hooked and ended up purchasing 4 bottles of wine. The family owned property was amazing and the hospitality melted our hearts. Justin was really patient with us girls as the tour went on and took the time to answer all our questions. Overall an amazing experience! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!

I've been a club member here for about a year, but just did my first tasting and tour (which is the only downside -- a bit difficult to get a tasting, as they are open on weekdays until 3:30, and only by appointment.) Justin did a good job as pourer/guide. Nice atmosphere/environment - beautiful grounds and cave, while being laid-back and unpretentious - and good wines. Some are better than others, but there is good variety and most of the prices are reasonable, especially by Napa standards!

This wine club is great (referring to the red wine club as that's what I like; I imagine the others are similar). The wines are very good and reasonably priced, with a nice selection each quarter and the opportunity to choose which wines you like. Customer service is stellar - they always answer the phone, and it's very easy to make changes or special requests. I once had to change my shipping address and they even graciously helped me do that after the change deadline. I visited once a few years ago and had a small group tasting which was a really nice experience. Highly recommend

If you are looking for an intimate family run winery excursion try Truchards. It is a once in a lifetime experience. Lauren is exceptional and wine are amazing. I will do this tour multiple times The time within the working winery and vineyards is spectacular A must visit if you are in Napa

If you want the Napa Disneyland experience don't bother coming here Anyone who rated this place less than 4 stars probably wanted that and does not know wine or is simply super bougey. This was the best tasting I've ever been to. On Tock their scheduled filled up but I called DAY OF and the owner answered the phone. Folks the Owners are in their 80s. They manage 400 acres. How incredible is that? Arrived early and was greeted by Justin who ended up being our guide around the property and our sommelier. Justin was absolutely AMAZING. A true treasure of this establishment. For 2 hours Justin poured us wine, and told us everything about this unique amazing vineyard. Folks this is what Napa used to be. I'm not interested in the flashy nonsense the big corporate guys have. I want to step on the soil, understand the microclimate, know the history of the owners. This tasting is worth far far more than the $40 they charge. It's one of the bargains of Napa Valley. Check it out before things change.

We are happy wine club members who brought friends here for a tasting yesterday. The wine is spectacular, the property is gorgeous, their story is inspirational, and host Justin is truly a rockstar. He is patient, knowledgeable, funny, and makes the guests feel so special. Truchard never disappoints and should be at the top of your list for a unique and delicious winery experience.

Fantastic experience! A breath of fresh air amongst the numerous wineries in Napa / Sonoma. The tasting includes a guided tour of the property (which is beautiful) and their wine is very palatable - both complex and subtle at the same time. Justin gave us the tour and tasting and knew how to make the experience more than just shoving wine in front of us (as many wineries do) - he fostered conversation, taught us a bunch about the property and wine, and was genuinely interested in any questions we had. Can't recommend enough! Just go there!

Amazing experienced with Justin the person who help us understanding the making of this wonderful vineyard. I am not a wine person because I don't know about wine nor a drinker person but never imagined this is the most wonderful amazing experienced I've ever been, simple but the feelings with the environment while drinking variety of tasteful wine never ever imagine I would enjoyed it the most for my whole life... the feelings that you only feel the positivity in your life that you more appreciate the nature and life with this simplicity of the environment connected with the nature bonus with the dosing anti depressant wine..I mean the best of the best anti depressant medicine in my whole life is this wine in this wonderful vineyard. I can't control my self but crying because I'm thankful for all the blessings I've had and that's the only feelings I can feel at the moment on that place after drinking there wine... I will never ever forget this place and 100% will recommend it to everyone to try this experience with this vineyard. PRICELESS experienced with wonderful people specially Justin our tour guide, thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. For all the people who are depressed, lonely...you should try this and you will never regret it.. as what they said "money can't buy happiness...will this is a priceless happiness experienced I've ever had". For the people behind this vineyard I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart..you make my life lighter and reminds me life is beautiful.....

I had the most amazing experience here. The vineyard is gorgeous. Visiting the Truchard family and their amazing staff will make you feel like you were there visiting friends. Carlix was our wine tasting guide, he was extremely knowledgeable (probably because he is one of the guys who actually makes the wine). He shared all the history and stories behind the Truchard family and how they came to have their Vineyard and answered a TON of questions we had because we were not the most wine savvy people. He took us down into the cave where we got to smell fresh new barrels and sip some delicious Cab . We finished our tasting with a walk through the vineyard to see their inspiration for their iconic Truchard logo. I left feeling extra special as Carlix gifted me a birthday present (it was actually my birthday). 10/10 would recommend and would definitely return when I'm back in Napa.

I am born and raised in SF Bay Area. I have been a customer of Truchard for more than one decade. This is the only wine club I belong to. This is the only winery in which I buy wine for friends, family, and customers. I just got back from Italy, and I toured Tuscany. Tuscany is nice, but overrated. The wine and surroundings at Truchard far exceed the Italians.

I really enjoyed my visit to Truchard Vineyards. It was worth the wait to get an appointment because the entire experience was special and memorable. We visited during harvest so we got to see grape crushing and learn about the process. We took a tour of the vineyards and the property is breathtakingly beautiful! The wine is delicious and the prices are incredibly reasonable. A cab franc for $38?! Serena was our tour guide and she was AMAZING! She provided a hands-on tour and really took the extra step to personalize our tasting. If you're looking for more than just a bar or seated tasting, and want to actually explore the property and learn about wine-making, I would 100% recommend Truchard. Just keep in mind that you need to make an appointment, but it's definitely worth it! Thanks Serena!

My husband read on a Wine Blog that Truchard Vineyards was definitely a place to visit (tour and taste) while vacationing in Napa. He definitely steered us correctly. It is a smaller family owned winery experience. Reservations/appointments are required. We were greeted by Matt who provided us a tour of the property and a wine tasting. We also got to explore their caves which has a beautiful entrance. He provided us an in-depth history of the family and the property and the beginning of the winery. The wine we tasted was delicious! It was so good we had to join their Wine Club. Their prices are beyond reasonable and your tasting fee is waived with a wine purchase. (I don't remember how many bottles needed to be purchased). I highly recommend making a reservation and visiting Truchard. Give yourself a minimum of 2.5 hours to enjoy the tour and tasting without feeling rushed. They do not sell in stores so you must purchase wine on property or through their Wine Club. It was also cool to learn that they supply grapes to many popular Napa wineries such as Mondavi, Nickel & Nickel, and Far Niente, just to name a few.

A lot of vineyard tours are geared towards wine tasting but Truchard offers a great all-around experience. What I most appreciated about Truchard was the authenticity. It's a working vineyard that is family owned and you'll see that when you're there. You'll get an opportunity to visit the wine cave, walk around the grounds, and learn a little bit about the history of the vineyard. You may even spot Mr. and Mrs. Truchard since they still live on the property. Their wines are delicious and since they grow a large variety of grapes there is always a large selection to choose from. I'd highly recommend scheduling a tour and when you see how much care and passion goes into their product, you'll likely walk away with a bottle or two or twelve. BONUS: They have a bunch of kitties running around!

It's an experience. It's all true and Truchard will not disappoint. By appointment only ofcourse but you can't go wrong here, beautiful estate.

By all means make sure you hit this winery while in Napa. We visited 10 wineries for tastings while we were here this trip and have probable visited 30 wineries overall Will have to say this was one of our all time favorites. Very small but very personal!

Truchard was the first winery we visited once we arrived in Napa and the experience set the tone for the remainder of the trip. The staff was warm, friendly, and infinitely helpful. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking, and their wines are excellent. I'm personally not a white wine fan, but when I tried their Chardonnay I couldn't believe how great it was. I would definitely recommend Truchard Vineyard to anyone visiting Napa. Of the ten + wineries we visited, Truchard was a favorite.

Classic Napa. Old school farming, winery cats, vineyard walk and a tasting of wonderfully crafted, elegant wines of very high quality at super reasonable prices considering it's Napa. No frills, just great wines, a great story and a great location. Make a reservation and go.

Emailed two days before I needed to visit and they were able to accommodate two people. They responded fairly quickly and during our two hour tasting we did a lot for the price of $40. We tasted about 6 wines, toured the vineyard as well as the cave. It's a very family oriented operation. You can tell how passionate our guide Carlix was about the wine because he also wears other hats for the wine made onsite. Would definately recommend for someone looking for a different type of wine tasting.

If you are looking for a "big vineyard with a family feel" this is the place. They are family run and the employees have been there for many years. I appreciate the individual time the server took - walking through the vineyards tasting the grapes!!! Affordable but high quality. Authentic. Great quality. Great

Wow.... This was my favorite stop of our 4 day winery tours. When we were in Napa, I remembered that a year ago I was in San Diego and had a wonderful Carneros Chardonnay with dinner and that I had taken a picture of the bottle. So... naturally I thought it would be a great place to visit to buy some of their wine. It was the highlight of my trip. Tastings in the cave, learning about how it started, seeing the grounds. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. I loved all of their wines. A+ Thank you. Cheers

We had a very friendly and personable afternoon tour of the family owned and run vineyards at Truchard. My wife and I are just really learning about wine so naturally we had plenty of questions. We were guided through their history, what makes their wine unique, which made us come away from this experience impressed and very pleased. We ordered three bottles when leaving and look forward to recommending Truchard to anyone who is looking for a tour that is nice break away from the bigger wineries in the region.

Myself and a friend decided to call on a Monday to setup a quick tasting with no tour and we were delighted to have a nice personal setup with our host and pourer Pablo. He was very informative and wonderful to talk to. We loved the wine cave and every wine served to us. As mentioned by many others, the prices were all very reasonable especially for the superb quality of the wines! We plan on coming back in the future for a full tour and tasting! Pay attention to the custom wine barrel shelves they have! They have a contact in case you are interested in some for your wine setup.

What a gorgeous winery! My boyfriend recently took me here. He booked a tour for us (all the tours are private). Our guide took his time and gave us the history of this family owned and operated winery. The property is absolutely beautiful. There are places throughout the grounds if you want to bring a picnic. My favorite part was being able to walk around the vineyard sipping wine. The caves were very cool. When we were there, they were doing some work to improve the space. I enjoyed listening to the stories and tasting the different varieties. My favorites were the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Simply delicious.

This was truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life and by far the best tasting/tour that we had during our time in Napa Valley. We were woefully unprepared for our trip, but Carlix (the Cellar Master) was able to squeeze us in for a last-minute tasting (thank you!!!). Whereas tastings at other vineyards were primarily just sitting at a table, this tasting started off at a picnic table outside, wandered into the wine cave to smell new oak barrels, and then into the vineyard where we got to try grapes straight off the vine! We learned so much and had such a wonderful time seeing the Truchard property and getting to know Carlix. An incredible experience with extraordinarily friendly hosts. Please make sure you visit Truchard when you go to Napa Valley!!!!

Joanne and Tony are the kindest people you will ever meet! Their vineyard is beautiful, and we had the best experience! We would highly recommend visiting their vineyard!!

Tony Truchard has always given wine lovers great QPR, and still does. Maybe not top tier, but honest-to-God good quality with CARE written all over their wines. Unfortunately, the volume of visitors has forced family wineries like this to be more business-like ( pushy sales people and so on ), but that is what is happening all over Northern California.

We made an appointment for one of the hour-ish long tours/tastings here and I was truly wowed by the love that our guide Aida described goes into literally every vine. She was all warm smiles as she greeted us and walked us into the tasting room. After a fascinating background talk on Tony & Joanne, the couple who own and still work the vineyard with their youngest son, Aida started us off with a pour of their buttery (yum!) Chardonnay. Glasses in hand, we all walked up into the grapevines, growing in the backyard of the main house. Aida poured us Merlot & pointed out the different types of grapes growing across the acreage that stretched far beyond our line of sight. In between the vines and alongside one of the 8 clay-lined pools on the grounds (all built to catch rainwater & sustain the whole 400-acre vineyard for a whopping 3 years!) were various fruit trees. Tony's passion for growing has translated into most every kind of fruit tree thriving on the property; we saw pears, figs, olives & plums. Somewhere on the property, there's even a vegetable garden. Fascinating guy, Tony - Aida actually said that he knows each vine and they even (offsite) press their own olive oil! After a pour of the Pinot, we headed into the caves. Whereas the full sun heated us up while walking through the grapevines, the 60-degree cave cooled us right down. Oak barrels lined the expansive cave, and Aida even showed us the far end where they held an event for their club members. Neato! A pour of their (very good) Cabernet finished off our tour as we headed back to the tasting room where we started. Aida graciously answered lots of questions & offered a pour of their chilled Roussanne dessert wine as we perused the different bottles for sale. Prices were all in the $30-ish range, & the purchase of two bottles waives one tour/tasting fee. Aida made this tour/tasting experience truly special with her warmth and obvious respect for the family. What a great way to taste and experience Napa!!

I made an appointment for 4 at Truchard because I read online they have vineyards and include a tour of the cave. The tour itself didn't feel very informative, it was rather short, and we spent very little time in the cave. It was cool that they tried to be interactive and poured wine while we toured the grounds ("toured" is a bit misleading since we walked a total of like 100 feet into the vineyards). Overall, it's not a terrible vineyard to stop at, but if you are looking for a more complete vineyard tour and experience I would go somewhere else like Kunde. The tasting room here is very mom and pop, I actually think the vineyards are someones backyard, so I guess you could call that personable, but it felt a little ghetto and the wines were unexciting.

Hard to find and by appointment only. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/truchard-vineyard-napa?select=r80gMg_wwEQqwPDQXYWuSA#8IDCkCpSwu3M-MsMuzTZ8A Three small tastings per day, so beware, you may not get to tasting here. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/truchard-vineyard-napa?select=r80gMg_wwEQqwPDQXYWuSA#gQvxNz5H_BaO16DOoMIomQ Very good price point on Chard and Merlot, considering the high quality of the two wines. Second best Chardonnay in Napa. Tastes like champange without the bubbles. No malolactic fermentation for the Chardonnay. Fruit forward with a full palate of stone and citrus notes. Second best Merlot in Napa valley. I truly hate Merlot after the movie Sideways tried to make it out to be more than it is. This Merlot is very special. The Merlot is done in a Cab style. It is quite good and worthy of a purchase. It actually tastes more like cab than their cab.

Great tasting, I have never had a tasting where I have liked ever wine. They did a nice job explaining the family history and story about the vineyard. We enjoyed the tour and the beautiful wine caves. It was a great experience.

Who needs a guidebook when you have Yelp app on your iPhone!?!? We were on a road trip and driving to Napa from SF. I found Truchard on the way there, and called to make an appointment. Luckily, we were able to get an appointment that afternoon. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Adrian. When we got there, we were the only ones there and he told us 4 other people would be joining us on the tour. Adrian was a great host, he was very friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and funny. I loved that there were only 6 of us and the tour felt very casual and intimate. And very informative. Quite frankly, I showed up at Napa Valley not knowing too much about the region, so I really appreciated the short "lecture" he gave us with the map of the region. He even had us taste their Cabernet Sauvignon right out of a barrel in the wine cave, where the wine is being aged. The tasting consisted of 6 kinds of wine and the fee is $15. But they waive it if you purchase a bottle (that's such a great idea). I am a Chardonnay lover and they had one of the best Chardonnay I've ever tasted. Picked up two bottles. Could not be happier with this visit. Would definitely be back when we are in the area again!! Thank you Adrian! Thank you yelpers!

Last minute visit but they were able to accommodate us(group of 4). The initial phone call to set up the visit was kinda weird, the lady who answered didn't sound happy or welcoming. It actually kind of made us second guess our decision to visit lol. We arrived early and we assume the same lady who answered the phone was the lady who "greeted" us. She seemed more annoyed then happy that we were there. She said something along the lines of us being really early, we told her we knew and didn't expect to get started and would just hang out. Again, she looked annoyed and said for us to keep it down because the owners lived on the property and that maybe we should sit and wait in our car? LOL. (We weren't loud) Fortunately very shortly after that CARLIX came out of the barn and gave us a super warm welcome and friendly greeting. We apologized for being early and told him no rush but he insisted it was no problem and brought out the wine immediately. The tour was short but very informative. Carlix definitely made the experience an exceptional one. The place is very charming and beautiful. If you're a cat person there are lots of cats roaming around. $40 for tasting/tour but if you buy 3 bottles the tasting is free. Wines are very reasonably priced for Napa and delicious! Of all of the places I've visited in Napa this is very different. Really sweet mom and pop type place. A true gem if you can appreci

Although we bought 12 bottles , Matthew made us feel bad that we did not buy the expected 1 case per person. This expectation was never mentioned when we made our reservation for 4 couples to have a tasting. We loved the tour, and even Matthew. The end was awkward and an unusual experience after traveling to this area 5 times. Otherwise it was a great experience. I suggest asking for the expectation u front.

We became wine club members after the tour! What more can I say? Adrian, the wine marketing director, who gave us the tour was very personable, warm, gracious, and knowledgeable. One can even forgive him for being a loyal Packers fan because his personality definitely compensated for this major setback... This tour is a definite stop because everyone is allowed to drink the wines while touring the vineyards and caves. Every single varietal we sampled were smooth, complex, and palatable. I was a major fan of the Roussanne wine before this tour and Truchard's version has converted me to a cult follower! Truchard believes in creating quality wines without the exorbitant price tag. I am looking forward to our first shipment.

After some research and going back and forth between so many options, I decided on Truchard because of such great reviews. Now Im writing one because our experience was great! Im going to keep it short and simple. It was intimate, personal, informative and beautiful! Our host Adrian was very knowledgeable and passionate about the vineyard. We enjoyed our tour and samples of wine...purchasing about 6 bottles. Definitely recommend coming here and would agree with other viewers about it being a "hidden gem" of Napa.

A must if you like the small feel wineries. But don't be fooled they are a "small winery, big vineyard" with nearly 400 acres. Why go?! Their wines are great Tastings are $30 but waived with a purchase of 3 bottles Their wines are extremely affordable particularly for Napa ranging from around $25 to $45. (Even for a Cabernet Sauvignon) Nice people Beautiful area Takes you around the vineyard Knowledgeable team Tastings in a cave! We wanted to add one more person last minute and they said no problem Take this as a plus or minus but it's by appointment only which we liked because all attention is on you (or a small group) Again we had a wonderful experience. Was a great way to start a bachelorette weekend.

What a story. We were lucky enough to get our tour from the Matriarch of the family Jo Ann. This couple got to Napa in the 60's and 50 years and 400 acres later the rest is history like they say. The tour was personal and private and it was like a tour of a family home because it is their home. We walked the estate and visited the caves and got a great understanding of Napa Valley and the wine business. I have toured many of the large wineries and what I remember from those tours are some of the buildings these wineries have built in Napa. This property is beautiful but what I will take forever was their family story. The story that brought them here, the story that made them believe in Napa, the love they have for their business and their dedication. What a story.

On Saturday, we were moving a little more slowly and didn't hit our first tasting until 11am. Our first stop was Truchard Vineyard. It's on a private residence so you have to have an appointment (but the tasting is free). Their tasting area is in a cute little barn and the grounds were beautiful. I also purchased two wines here - the Rousanne and the Petit Verdot. My friend joined their wine club. We were there on a morning where many local wine club members were picking up their loot. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We also met the owners of the vineyard. Tony stopped in briefly as he was out working in the fields. Jo Ann is so friendly and visited with us a while. Truchard Vineyard is small and intimate. It was a welcomed change from all of the touristy vineyards and was one of my favorite stops on our trip. Add it to your touring list...you will not be disappointed.

Working from a selection of high-ranked Yelp wineries, I selected Truchard as the first of our several stops in Napa. Little did I realize just how much it would influence the rest of our trip. From the requirement of a credit card to hold our reservation, along with the call the day before to confirm we were showing, I expected a big, flashy, and expensive winery. While the winery is certainly big in terms of grape production, the actual tasting room is a tiny room inside a surprisingly nice barn. We were greeted by Jo Ann Truchard, who was more than happy to share with us the history of the winery and how she sold grapes to a lot of flashier wineries in the area. We received a tour of the intricate caves and mentioned our desire to return after our day of tastings were over. Several hours later, on a late Saturday afternoon after visiting several other wineries, we were excited to return to Truchard and make our big buy before returning home, but were dismayed to find the place closed when we returned. Jo Ann was nice enough to provide us with her home number, and a little while after calling and leaving a message, she returned my call and was more than happy to take time out from her family and open shop long enough to make our purchase. We all bought something, some of us a large amount of something, ranging from their award-winning Chardonnay to the award-winning Syrah (they're all pretty much award-winning). What struck me is how much this woman loved what she was doing - the passion with which she talked about her vineyard and how willing she was to help some fledgling wine enthusiasts bring some of their great wine home. After a collective $1,000 purchase and more wine than we knew what to do with, we left the vineyard happy and lifelong Truchard fans. It's difficult to walk into the wine section of a large liquor store and decide which brand to purchase, but after visiting Truchard Vineyard, the decision process just got a whole lot easier.

Not sure what's going on with this place! After reading the wonderful reviews I took a spin to the beautiful Truchard Vineyards. The sign just outside the place lists the hours and the words "Tastings by appointment only!" I get that. But here is what I don't get.... I called Truchard to make an appointment and I got the voice mail. No problem, I'll leave a message. I never heard back from them. I called again, and still nothing but the voice mail. While I'm pleased to know that this place gets rave reviews, frankly, I believe their customer service stinks.

Jo Ann and Tony Truchard were pioneers in being among the first to plant extensively in this cooler end of the Napa Valley. We spent a Sunday afternoon with them recently and while I've seen and worked in a number of wineries, Truchard Vineyard is truly a work of life as well as art. Extensive plantings on a large, contiguous piece of land yield the best varietals to be made into well balanced, high varietal definition wines in this region. This is a cooler area of the valley than those north due to proximity to the bay, which is why Carneros is considered the best for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But the Truchard cabernet is especially interesting in this regard. Being a cooler area of the valley means fewer vineyards here are planted in this grape. But with warmer summers the cabs north of here tend to be higher in alcohol and lower in fruit acid, and as a result lack the classic Euro balance found here. On a personal level, this couple is open, welcoming and without pretension in relating to their visitors, which is in itself a balance that is harder to find in this industry. I liked the Truchard family and their wines, very much.

We visited Truchard mostly on the basis on the yelp reviews and a picture in a book in our hotel. Seeing that we needed an appointment we called ahead, which I considered not doing because I didn't want to place time constraints on a day that I wanted to be unhurried and kind of free flowing. Boy was I glad that I got an appointment and shifted some things around so we ended up here at the right time. IF YOU GO TO NAPA AND CAN ONLY GO ONE PLACE GO TO TRUCHARD. The wine was the best that we tried, though that is something of a personal preference. What wasn't preference and is just fact was the excellence of our tour and our experience at Truchard. The guide was helpful, unpretentious, and knowledgeable. He showed us around the grounds walking through the vines talking about what hill holds what grape for which varietal letting us pick and taste and unripened grape. Then we went into the wine cave to learn all about the barrels and aging process. It was a truly lovely experience as there was just one other couple on the tour and the personal attention was really appreciated. If you buy a bottle of wine the tasting fee is waived, which makes it a super affordable spot to go for top notch wine because if you go with someone special, you can turn the two 15 dollar tour and tasting fees into one bottle of their outstanding chardonnay or zinfandel. Ill definitively be coming back here as it was a great time.

A group of six of us turned into Truchard in the afternoon on a weekday, only to see, much to our chagrin, the "Appointments Only" sign. Undaunted, we forged ahead and ran into a very nice lady who explained they were too busy with harvest for a tour, but would gladly let us taste their wine. Here is a synopsis of our approximately 30-minute experience: Cost: Free tasting for 3 pours (although they usually charge) Ambiance: Nice grounds with a picnic table for us to sit at Food: None Service: very accommodating of us with no appointment Wine: Chardonnay - tart, citrusy, minimal oak - the best of the three Pinot Noir - sharp at the beginning with a smooth finish, dry, little smokey Syrah - medium-body, plum, peppery - didn't really like (5/5) For hospitality/service (3/5) Wines (3/5)Ambience/food

This is the best vineyard I have ever been to. And given that I live in New Zealand with some of the best wineries in the world, that's a big call. It's all about the people. The guy who runs the vineyard tours is crazy good. He's totally into his wine, and will give you a fantastic tour of the vineyard - wine glass in hand. And he pours some decent size glasses! Their wine is delicious and came all the way back home with us. Make a reservation for a tasting - we made one about an hour and a half before hand - and you'll have a really cool experience.

Our guide, Aida, was very welcoming, non-pretentious, and very chill. She poured generously for our tasting and provided us with detailed history of the vineyard, and the couple that started it all. Still owned by the original family, this winery is beautiful, rustic, and definitely a place to stop by for good wine and lovely scenery. Make an appointment even if it's the same day.

First off, I cannot comment on the actual taste of the wines at this winery as I have not been able to visit. This review is purely based on the customer service when I called to schedule a tasting. I realize that many wineries do not accommodate large parties, and therefore making a reservation is important - I have planned many group tastings and birthdays in Napa Valley and understand the process. I called Truchard to schedule a tasting 3+ weeks in advance. The conversation started off pleasant in that I was asked how many people, and as I stated 12, was told that is okay as I am right on the cusp of their accommodations. We confirmed the date being a Saturday. Then a few more questions came as to what type of event and "what is the group like?" I stated that we are 12 women coming to Napa for a birthday. The following question was "How old is this group of women?" I stated that we are 25. The lady had to go then check the schedule. As she returned she stated that she thinks that the winery may have a smaller staff that day and will not be able to accommodate us. It may be true that the staff is smaller and that was that - however, a weekend day is usually when most people taste. The questions leading up to Truchards decision also were not applicable to whether or not Truchard was staffed appropriately.

Isn't Yelp great? I would never have discovered this gem of a winery otherwise. My husband and I are SO not the Beringer/Mondavi/Opus One types and were concerned we wouldn't be able to find a down-to-earth, friendly winery that didn't make you feel like you needed to dress better or drive a faster car just to drink their wine. Well, Truchard is perfect. Very intimate group tasting (by appointment only) with a tour of the caves and the vineyard. Adrian and Chris, our guides, were knowledgeable, approachable, friendly and had just the right amount of enthusiasm to make our experience memorable. The tour lasted about an hour (much longer than I expected) but it flew by as we tasted the wine, learned about the casks, fondled grapes on the vine and petted the new baby goat that wagged her tail for us. Oh yeah, and the wine was excellent. We will DEFINITELY be back.