The first stop Day Two of our Napa Valley Vacation was for an early morning glass of wine at... read more
The first stop Day Two of our Napa Valley Vacation was for an early morning glass of wine at... read more
Excellent tasting hosted by Cameron with lovely wines on the patio overlooking the vineyards of the... read more
I love visiting and picnicking at this winery. The views are incredible and the staff is SO friendly. We've gotten to know most of the regulars by name--Rikki, Rosslyn, Nate, Maddy, Ben, and others. They always make you feel like a VIP, and there's no pressure to buy wine or join the club (though you may want to--more on this below). And since it's a bit off the beaten path and tastings are by appointment (not hard to get, just call ahead), I've never seen it crowded, unlike the big wineries on Hwy 29. Some of the small wine country tour groups have discovered it's a great place to stop for lunch, so I'll occasionally run into a group of maybe ten people here.
The winery and vineyards are on what is called the Silverado Bench, just beyond the Silverado country club. They are at an elevated altitude, so you can look down on the beautiful rolling hills of vineyards a couple of ponds below, with mountains off in the distance. There are several large picnic tables overlooking this view, nicely shaded by an arbor. If you'd like to do your tasting out there or at any of the sun basted lounge chairs overlooking the same view, the staff will bring each wine out to you when you are ready for it. We will usually come up with friends and make this our first stop so we can have a picnic lunch while we sample their wine. Have done that maybe 5 or 6 times in the past year. You can (and have to) bring your own food since they don't sell any on site which is nicer than the wineries that won't let you bring food because they want to sell theirs (like Domaine Chandon which we also go to often). But the staff usually gives you a large bottle of water and has sometimes brought crackers to us as well. I know they were also planning to install free wi-fi at the picnic area too (I haven't tested that yet). If you are planning to picnic, it's best to let them know that when making an appointment so they'll reserve a picnic table for you as well. There is no charge for using the picnic area.
They now offer a self-guided vineyard tour which is very nice. The staff will lend you an iPod that contains a very professional audio tour (along with pictures and text if you want to look at those). You can use the iPod's built-in camera to take pictures if you've forgotten to bring your own.
The William Hill wines are generally good. The "Bench Blends" are really excellent and sold only at the winery. A friend who came with us a few months ago thought their Bench Blend Chardonnay was the best chard she had ever tasted so she bought six bottles and asked me to pick up a couple more when I was there this past week. It's a bit richer than their "Napa Valley" chard, but I like both even though I mostly drink reds. They also make a good Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Meritage, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and an unfiltered Chardonnay.
Like quite a few small wineries, William Hill sold the operation to Gallo to get access to their giant distribution system, but Gallo gives them the freedom to operate and make wine as they wish. So it's hard to identify any connection with Gallo if you're not in the industry. I believe tasting costs either $15 or $20 depending on the flight. If you have an iPhone, you can download an app called Tasting Pass which will give you a 2 for 1 tasting at this and many other wineries in Napa Valley. If you join their wine club, you'll get a 25% discount on their wines (30% the first day) and they will ship you 2 or 3 bottles every few months (you buy these with the discount) plus invite you to special events like library tastings, their annual lobster dinner, cellar sales, etc. A big plus for me is that you get free tastings for up to four people whenever you visit William Hill or any of their sister wineries owned by Gallo including Louis Martini in St. Helena (with which the same staff rotates so they treat you like VIPs and family there too) and Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo. The sister wineries extend William Hill wine club members the same discounts as they do for their own club members, and vice versa. I actually belong to the Louis Martini club, but they treat me as one of their own members here. These free tastings for members and their guests are great for those of us living in the Bay Area who come up often with friends. There is no charge to join the club and unlike Domaine Chandon whose club I also belong to, you can cancel whenever you like--no minimum purchase required.
If you want to picnic or just have a relaxing time tasting in Napa Valley with beautiful views and super friendly staff, be sure to include William Hill on your itinerary.
wine tasting is outdoors at your own table & chairs. water & crackers provided. views are unbelieveable
The tour with the iPod and the tasting is not too bad. But they charge nearly full price for my pregnant wife (she can not drink). In my perspective it is really cheap. I do not recommend this wineyard.
Great Winery. Started out a winery tour here with our guide from the Gallo Wine Group. She was very informative and friendly. It was a private tour between me a thee friends. It was intimate and the wines were fantastic. The winery itself is very modern and sleek in its design. It looks like is is part o the landscape and is very earth friendly. It looks like it would be a great place for an event or wedding. Very open and the views were amazing! Excited to see the wine in my local grocers wine aisle! Brought back good memories of the trip. Go during the week, much more relaxing.
very nice views from the deck overlooking vineyards and the staff is most hospitable
We didn't take the tour here, but it was limited due to harvesting anyway. Which is odd because Mondavi had the full tour although they were harvesting too. The wine is average and owned by Gallo. If you are close, stop by, but this winery is a bit removed from the others and we didn't feel it was worth the extra time.