Ackerman Family Vineyards: Cult Coombsville Cabernets

First Glimpse of Ackerman

From the first sip, I knew that Ackerman's cabernet sauvignon was something special. It stood out above the rest during an amazing Napa tasting event and I knew that I needed to: 1) Get my hands on more 2) Visit the winery 3) Understand what made this such an exceptional cabernet. I can say that, finally, I have completed all three!

Alex Making Friends

 Upon driving up to the winery, farm, and family home of the Ackerman's, we were warmly greeted by Julie Webster, the hospitality and events manager. She handed us our first sips of the delicious 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, and we were off to begin our tour. We strolled around the property, petting horses, meeting dogs, and avoiding several cats (since I am extremely allergic). We looked at the vines and noticed that they were structured differently from other vineyards that we had seen. Julie explained how this practice was to allow the appropriate amount of sunlight needed for the grapes. The vineyard produces a very small production, at only 400 cases, of very high quality, cellar worthy, cabernet sauvignon. The Ackerman family is very involved in every step of the wine making process. Bob and Lauren originally purchased the winery to support their passion for horses and their love for Napa Valley. You will taste their dedication and labor of love, as it is reflected in their perfect bordeaux style cabernets.

Close Up View of the Vines

 After touring the property, we were seated in the Carriage House for a vertical tasting of the 2005, 2007, and 2008 vintages of their prized cabernet sauvignon, the single offering of the vineyard. Each vintage was produced similarly year after year, allowing the taster to discover subtle differences in the growing seasons, but with the same grapes and the same wine making methodologies. The wines were accompanied by delicious cheeses, fruits, crackers, and wonderful conversation with Julie!

The 2008 Vintage

Japanese Artwork in the Tasting Room

This winery is a perfect visit for the cult cabernet collector looking for their next new treasures. All of the cabernets were amazing, and with a price point under $100 for each vintage, they were also an exceptional value for such a high quality, limited production wine. I can't wait to open my 2004 bottle of Ackerman this Valentine's day with my love!

Sipping Wine Near the Arena

Tips - Ackerman Family Vineyards:

• Ackerman offers three tasting experiences: The Carriage House Tasting, for up to a party of 8 which includes a tour, tasting of 3 cabernets, and small bites for $45/person, another great offering is the Picnic Experience, including a full gourmet lunch in the vineyard and a tasting of 3 cabernets for up to a party of 4 for $60/person, the final, most unique tasting experience is the Poolside Vista Experience, allowing a private party up to 12 to enjoy a 3 course meal, passed appetizers, and four selections of Ackerman vintages for $125-$250/person.
• All experiences are by appointment only, please call 855-AFV-WINE or email wineconcierge@ackermanfamilyvineyards.com, to schedule your tasting appointment.
• Expect to spend 1.5 to 2 hours at the vineyard, and plan extra time for the drive. 
• Wear comfortable walking shoes and plan to come on a nice day, the tour is outdoors and you will LOVE the views!

Palmaz Vineyards: My Welcome to Coombsville

The Beginning of an Amazing Tour!

Palmaz Vineyards was introduced to me by my "Work Dad", who just happens to be an extremely knowledgeable wine collector (and a Palmaz Brasas Society member). He told me that if he could pick only one winery in Napa to visit, it would be Palmaz. Naturally, I booked our tour and tasting as my next adventure into a new AVA (Coombsville) and it was beyond amazing!

The Winery

We stared off by parking on one of the many levels of the winery and hiking our way to the main level of the property. We were warmly greeted by Florencia Palmaz who is the CEO (and awesome daughter) of this family run winery.  After taking in the amazing views from the hillside, we retreated into the winery and learned about the Palmaz wine making philosophies and how they guide their grapes into crafting incredible small production wines. I was in awe of their state of the art wine making processes and facility, as I should be - Palmaz Winery is the largest completely underground gravity flow winery in the world! It was the cleanest full production winery that I had ever seen, we were all joking that we could eat off of the ground because it was immaculate.

Views from the bottom

After making our way through several stories in the production area, we took the elevator back to the main level for our seated tasting. Palmaz features four wines and four delicious paired bites to complement. We sat down and enjoyed tasting through the wines with Florencia. She guided us through each wine by discussing them, then displaying detailed information about the wines on a flat screen. The tasting, just like the facility, was cutting edge and different from any other winery that I have visited.

The Tasting

Ultimately, we truly enjoyed every wine and the experience at Palmaz was incredible. I left with several treasures to enjoy on a special occasion. I would recommend this tour for any small groups who would like to learn the difference between gravity flow wine making processes vs traditional, view a truly unique facility, enjoy an intimate tasting with a family member of the winery, and taste several very well made cabernets. I know that we will plan another trip to the winery soon with friends in tow. It is definitely one of those hidden gems in Napa where you will make lasting memories and find very special wines.

Barrels in the Palmaz Cave

*I need to put a quick disclaimer in here: Unfortunately my photo taking skills were not doing the winery justice, so I grabbed a few (with permission) from the Palmaz gallery to post in the blog. Enjoy!


Tips - Palmaz Vineyards:

• The tour and tasting experience is available by appointment only and the fee is $60/person. Please book in advance to avoid disappointment.
• If you're going to plan a tour or tasting here, make this your first stop. You won't regret it!
• Expect to spend 2-2.5 hours here...each group tastes with a Palmaz family member and you will want to relax and enjoy this experience.
• Bring layers, your tour will primarily be inside and you may want to have a sweater or jacket.
• If you are a foodie, ask about the Brasas Wine Society, they have AMAZING upcoming events!

My 2012 Vintage: A WineTastic Reflection

What a crazy, wonderful, exciting year 2012 has been for The WineTastic Weekend! I just woke up in beautiful Oregon wine country and thought that it might be a good time to reflect on the year...and maybe preview a few things to come in 2013.

Here were the highlights:

...bringing two of our favorite SD'ers to The Inn on First and finally sharing our favorite place to stay
...writing a post about buying wine at Costco during GMAT study time, and still receiving hundreds of hits from google searchers
...taking my father to the amazing Kenzo Estate for his first trip to Napa
...wining and dining with friends in the Bubble Room at J Vineyards
...saying good-bye to Cellar 360, which built my foundation for wine tasting
...discovering hidden gems like Petroni, Hunnicutt, Chateau Boswell, and Failla
...attending the Bacchanalia at Nickel & Nickel and literally having the time of our lives
...tasting my first sip of Willamette Valley pinot noir at Cornerstone Cellars 
...exploring my birth year's vintage at Far Niente for my 26th birthday
...discovering my favorite Merlot ever at Swanson Vineyards
...finally getting that picture with Morimoto at Flavor! Napa Valley
...meeting winemaker Julie Johnson and having a truly memorable experience at Tres Sabores
...tasting over 350 wines in 2012 and visiting more than 60 wineries in one year

Sneak Peek for 2013:

...exploring Coombsville (and loving it!)
...deep dive into the Willamette Valley and how to plan your Oregon wine trip
...many more winery posts and unique experience for you to try
...revamp of the site including a new mapping tool that will make planning your trip a piece of cake
...giveaways! Yes, I mean free stuff for my loyal followers!

Thank you for joining me on my journey through wine country. I hope that everyone has a wonderful, prosperous, and extremely WineTastic 2013!  

Cheers to you!