There are lots of fancy wineries to tour and excellent wines to taste in Napa Valley. But if you’re looking for something unique and off the beaten track (or Highway 29) then look no further than Tres Sabores.
Tres Sabores (three flavors in Spanish) is a small, family owned winery located just west of the highway on Whitehall Lane Road on the western Rutherford Benchland. The winery grows certified organic Cabernet, Petite Syrah, and Petit Verdot grapes, as well as olives and pomegranates.
The first time my husband and I visited Tres Sabores, we took a wrong turn and ended up part way up the mountain before being able to make a tight U-turn on the one lane road. With no cell service, we were at a bit of a loss on how to find the winery. Fortunately, we went back to the fork in the road where we should have gone left, but went right. We followed the left fork and arrived at the winery for their last tour of the day.
We were greeted with a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc and began our tour of the ranch. The winery is self-sustaining; for example goats are used to cut the grass. The way the winery is run is fascinating and unusual and I won’t ruin a few of the surprises you will get. We did get to see them de-stem the grapes, see the grapes that had been crushed and view their barrels stored in a cave.
After the tour, we tasted three more wines: Por que No? (which is a red blend), a Zinfandel and a Petite Syrah. All three were very drinkable for different reasons. We bought Por que no? as a go-to, drink anytime wine. It’s great with BBQ or pizza or by itself. We also purchased the Zinfandel to drink with Italian dinners. And of course, I had to have the Petite Syrah…my favorite. It had a wonderful complexity and a long finish.
While we loved this winery, it wouldn’t be the same without their gorgeous Labs: Moose, Duke and Boozy. On our last visit, we skipped the tour and sat at a table overlooking the vineyards, glass of Petite Syrah in one hand while petting one of the dogs with the other. Boozy had just had puppies five weeks before and the owner treated us to a sneak peak of the litter. We felt extra special when we left and this winery will always be one of our favorites!