Artesa Winery

The first time we ever tasted wines at Artesa (http://www.artesawinery.com), it was a rather exclusive visit.  We needed a reservation and as we approached the property, we had to enter a code that they had given us.  A large gate opened slowly and then we drove up a long road to a mountain top.  Okay, maybe a hilltop, but it was pretty high up.

Today, the gate is left open during business hours.  The road and hilltop are still there but it is hardly exclusive.  In fact, in recent years the tasting room is quite busy, seemingly every day of the week and twice on weekends.  Aside from the wine, of which more later, the reason for Artesa’s popularity is the architecture of the winery and its view out over Carneros.  Oh, it’s a Napa palace all right and those aren’t always to our taste.  (See Not for Everyone.)  But in the case of Artesa, the winery itself make a visit worthwhile.

As you walk towards it from the parking lot, you’ll pass lovely terraced fountains but you won’t see the winery, just the hilltop.  Oh, wait, there’s something black jutting out of the hill over there.  And there’s a portal entering the hill.  You’ve arrived.

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The modern interior is airy and spacious and has a lot more than a bar and a gift shop.  There are side rooms and reflecting pools, with paintings and sculpture everywhere.

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The utter joy of visiting Artesa is the view, as you can see in the photo below.  The term “sweeping vista” hardly does it justice.  That little dot in the distance is Domaine Carneros, the champagne (oh, excuse me, sparkling wine) house and its impressive chateau.  At the horizon is the north end of San Francisco Bay.  And in front of it all are vines, lots of vines.

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The actual wine tasting experience is a bit dodgier.  The tasting room space is quite large but it also can be quite crowded.  Because of the aforementioned beauty of the place, Artesa has become a tourist attraction as much as a wine lover’s destination.  So you may well be there with large groups or families with children.  We well remember one visit in which a baby was literally crawling between our legs as we sipped our wine near the child’s parents.  We do love little kids, but there are times and there are places.  (See Taking or not taking your kids to wine tasting.)




Before our first visit, we were familiar with some of Artesa’s wines, especially the Sauvignon Blanc.  A wine store had recommended this wine as an accompaniment for asparagus, which worked quite well.  We have also enjoyed their Merlot in the past.  To be honest, we weren’t as impressed in recent visits as we have been in the past.  That’s the beauty of wine tasting, though; maybe next time we’ll fall in love with Artesa’s wines again.

 

 

 

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