7801 St Helena Hwy, Oakville, CA 94562
Stacy’s company has an office in San Fransisco so I joined her for an office visit one week. We went out early and had the pleasure of renting a car and heading up to Napa for some general R&R that included wine tastings. One of our stops was at the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville.
Our connection to Mondavi is pretty simple – my dad always loved Mondavi wines so was at a time the brand I was most familiar with. It was directly off the road we were driving on so we stopped in to check it out.
I have to say, it was the most welcoming and approachable winery we visited that day. I can’t precisely put my finger on it, but I think the vast selection, personalized tasting we enjoyed, friendly staff, and let’s be honest, affordable prices, added up to a very pleasurable experience. We didn’t visit many wineries that day, I believe four, so the number of selections and different price points really stood out from the rest.
We joined the wine club which offers shipping for a penny on all orders, plus discounts on the required quarterly orders of three bottles. Again, the spectrum of pricing tiers and flexibility of the program prevents anyone from getting in over their head from a spending standpoint. Now, the wines are great, so my level restraint is fairly non-existent and I tend to order 4-6 bottles at a time.
Stacy’s current favorite summer wine from Mondavi is their Unoaked Chardonnay – not a traditional Chardonnay drinker at all, she likes this one because it is aged in steel containers as opposed to wooden barrels, so the flavor is far crisper; you probably wouldn’t recognize it as a Chardonnay during a blind taste test. I like it as well. I have 2 go-to red’s I enjoy, the Maestro red blend and the BDX red blend Oakville.
There are plenty of areas to explore on the grounds, including a bustling gift shop, cafe, and private tasting cellar we were able to go to upon joining the club. Repeat visits afford us other perks as members, including complimentary tastings in the private cellar.
Check it out, it’s a great place to sip and enjoy good company.
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