Goosecross Cellars, February 22, 2014

Winery - 4 / Wines - 6
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Fun outdoor tasting with friendly staff.  Cabernet, Petite Sirah, and whites.  Reservations requested.
www.goosecross.com

I was thinking of calling this the “Goosecross Redemption”, since my first attempt to visit the winery failed.  After consulting Google Maps, it turns out that the gated and secured winery I originally tried to visit was Kapscandy Family Winery, makers of 100-point wines that sell for many hundreds of dollars.  Had I driven another half-mile up State Lane outside Yountville I would have found their neighbor, Goosecross Cellars.  And Goosecross is vastly more welcoming than Kapscandy, accommodating most guests with less than a moment’s notice.  In good weather (which is about 85% of the time), you may have the opportunity to sit outside next to the vineyards and be chatted up by either the tasting room manager or by the vineyard operations guy (as was the case during my visit).  As I was travelling solo, I joind a group of four others and had a very enjoyable visit.

Outside Goosecross Cellars by the patio

Goosecross Cellars is another authentic winery in Napa Valley.  They know how to deliver what matters – they serve good wine in a comfortable environment.  You won’t find luxury, architecture, or works of art here to distract you during your visit.  They let the wine do that.  In the event that the weather is not very accommodating, you can taste indoors.  Inside their cozy winery operations building, a wine bar has been set up that runs half the length of the building.  There is room for about six to eight people there.  Behind the guests are stacks barrels of wine, slowly waiting to complete their aging process before being bottled up.  The walls are a light shade of putty, with warm oak used in the tasting bar.  Outside, the building is rather plain, resembling a large two-story home painted white with dark chocolate trim.  There is also a patio set up with a bar for tasting outdoors in nice weather, and some tables set up along the vineyard edge to have an intimate tasting with the vines.  (This is where I was seated.)

Inside the tasting room and barrel storage at Goosecross Cellars

My tasting flight consisted of five wines.  I started with the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and followed it with the 2010 Chardonnay.  Next I moved on to the red wines, enjoying the 2010 Merlot State Lane, then the 2009 Cabernet State Lane, and the 2011 Petite Sirah.  I enjoyed tasting the 2009 Cabernet, especially knowing that it abuts acreage with the Kapscandy wines.  But the surprise of the tasting flight was the 2011 Petite Sirah, which tastes ripe, complex, and nearly elegant.


Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 4 and the wines offered as a 6.