Thank you, Del Dotto for the warm welcome!!
Since my tour & tasting was at 10am, my amazing tour guide, Todd started us out with a little breakfast wine, Piazza Del Dotto’s Sparkling Rosé. It’s magnificent and I could drink this rosé all day!
How gorgeous is this bottle?! Designed by Dave Del Dotto’s daughter, Desiree.
Barrels on barrels of delicious wine!
This is the first wine I tried right out of the barrel!
Nothing better than tasting Del Dotto wines right out of the barrel!
See, swirl, sniff, taste!
And into the caves…
Trying some 2016 Cabernet Franc right out of the barrel. Deliciozo!!
Atlas, the adorable cellar cat.
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Drinking fine wine out of the barrel in one of Napa Valley’s oldest caves is an experience I will never forget! Del Dotto offers an amazing Cave Experience and Barrel Tasting that educates wine lovers about the effects barrels have on the flavor of wine. The winery first introduced their renowned barrel tastings in 1999. Del Dotto is a family-owned winery that focuses on small production, premium wines.
Del Dotto’s Founder, Dave Del Dotto is an innovator and interestingly enough developed barrels such as the carved and grooved barrels and the MOFO Barrel, which consists of equal parts Missouri Oak and French Oak.
My tour guide at the Historic Napa location, Todd, was very knowledgeable and had a nice southern gentleman charm. Since my wine tasting started at 10am, we started out with a nice breakfast wine, Del Dotto’s 2016 Rosé Sparkling Wine. It is produced from Del Dotto’s Pinot Noir vineyard on the Sonoma Coast and shows nuances of delicate stone fruits, strawberry, and crisp, red delicious apple. Very delizioso…I could drink that sparkling rosé all day!!
Next, we moved along to the barrel room to taste some Pinot Noir. Todd educated me about the barrel as well as the region the Pinot Noir grapes were grown – the Fort Ross-Seaview area on the Sonoma Coast. Pinot Noir is a variety that prefers cool climates and in California, the viticultural areas don’t get much cooler than the Fort Rose-Seaview AVA (American Viticultural Area).
Walking down the aisle of the Cave au Vin (cave of wine in French) was pretty spectacular! It was rustic, dimly lit, and smelled of oak aged wine. In the cave, I sampled the 2016 Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied red wine that is made from blue-black grapes. It’s loved for its savory, bell pepper-like flavors. It was my first time trying Cabernet Franc and I was pleasantly surprised!
Visiting Napa Valley soon? Make sure to check out Del Dotto’s Historic Napa location in addition to their other locations – Piazza Del Dotto and the Venetian Estate. The Venetian Estate also offers Cave Experiences and Barrel Tastings. Piazza Del Dotto focuses on Food & Wine Pairings and it’s culinary program is led by the renowned Chef, Jason Schwartz who previously worked at renowned restaurants including The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, and Bouley.