Tamber Bey (www.tamberbey.com) is a unique experience for visitors to Napa Valley, one that hearkens back to the valley’s past. Where today there are vineyards, restaurants and resorts not that long ago were orchards and ranches. Tamber Bey combines the owner’s interests in both wine and horses. The winery and tasting room are located at Sundance Ranch, where you can not only taste wine but also enjoy their horses.
In another article in this issue, we talk about discovering wines at dinner and following up with a visit thereafter. We first discovered Tamber Bey on a small, eclectic wine list where we knew none of the wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon was powerful and rich in the mouth then (and still is), so we drove over to see what else they had. What we found was a ranch house (now a tasting room) with a large area behind it where visitors can lounge and horses can be stabled. There were no vines to be seen.
The tasting room is made of wood, as is the entire location. There’s a large bar with enough space for a dozen or so visitors to be comfortable. We don’t think it was ever meant to be a destination for busloads of wine tasters. If that were to occur, there’s plenty of room out back for them to sit, wander and enjoy their wine. So when you go to Tamber Bey, try to avoid a rainy day.
Service at the bar is unusual, at least one day that we were there. One of the servers was a fellow who we had come to know at another winery. The other one was the Tamber Bey’s owner, Barry Waitte, who made his first fortune in information technology. We hardly guarantee that Mr. Waitte will be pouring you some wine when you visit, but it could happen.
Tamber Bey has three levels of wine. There’s the Vineyard Series, made from grapes grown in their vineyards in Oakville and Yountville. Their best wines are in the Signature Collection, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Bordeaux blend they call Vermejo. All but the Pinot Noir are estate grown. Finally, they have introduced a second label called Three Steeds. (There’s a lot about horses here.) Usually second labels are inferior to the proprietary label, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Three Steeds.
About the horses: Mr. Waitte does own some fine Arabians, but the purpose of the Tamber Bey stables is to care for rescue horses that have been mistreated elsewhere. We’re not horse people, but that seems like a pretty noble endeavor to us.
For the most part, Tamber Bey’s wines are powerful, with a great deal of alcohol in the reds. This may not be to everyone’s taste. Keep this in mind if you are likely to visit Tamber Bey after several other stops.
There is no place in Napa Valley, or for that matter anywhere in Wine Country, quite like Tamber Bey. So come for the ranch ambiance and the horses and have some wine while you’re there.