Recently, we had the
pleasure of visiting William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena. This passionate wine making family creates exquisite Napa Valley wines.
Winemaker William and Jane Ballentine acquired this sensational vineyard in 1999. They renovated the original 1873 building and opened in 2004. The property was marked as a historical landmark and became the first stone winery in Napa Valley to be a fully functioning winery.
Their son Cole is William’s assistant winemaker. They dedicated their fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon to their daughter Claire who works in Sales and Marketing.
Our knowledgeable and passionate host was Marli. We
began with the 2021 100% Cuvee Jane Marie Chardonnay named after William’s wife
while taking a tour of the facility. It was a wonderful way to start our
tasting experience.
We were then treated to an elegant tasting of their great red wine in the renovated stone building complete with a fireplace that warmed the room on this chilly Napa morning.
We began with the 2019 Stonemaiden perfectly blended with 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petite Verdot that was sensational.
We then sampled the 2020 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Claire named after daughter Claire. It was a rich full-bodied wine that soothed your senses. We especially enjoyed the Cuvee Claire and took a bottle home with us.
We would highly recommend that you schedule a visit to
enjoy these world class creations from this passionate wine making family.
For lunch, we met friends at the iconic Bistro Don Giovanni and enjoyed their deep-fried olives, cool crisp Caesar salad, lamb kabobs on a bed of fresh risotto and Branzini also known as Mediterranean Sea Bass. They have recently opened a second restaurant, La Scala in downtown Napa that will be added to our ‘must do’ Napa experiences.
For more information and to make a reservation at the winery go to:
https://williamcolevineyards.com/
