A unique winery in Napa!
Last Sunday we had the privilege to visit one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa: The Hall Winery, located in the charming town of St. Helena.
I must admit it’s absolutely my favourite so far, it’s a mixture of modern art, excellent wines, sophisticated architecture and respect for nature.
As soon as you reach it you know it won’t be a common winery, Napa Valley countryside is full of rabbits and when you get to The Hall you are welcomed by one of them without even getting out of your car 🙂
It’s the giant stainless steel “Bunny Foo Foo“, he is the mascot of the winery as it represents the intersection of art, nature and technology.
Our private tour started with a delicious glass of “T Bar T Ranch” Sauvignon white surrounded by another surprising piece of art: an albino camel contemplating a needle, while Chris, our super nice guide introduced us into the world of The Hall.
The story is fascinating and it all began with Kathryn and Craig Hall, a husband and wife team who turned a passion into a real business, they started to produce a perfect wine and always looked out for the best art and the attention of even the smallest detail.
Our visit continued with the exploration of the cellar, the mezzanine and the loft, once on the roof Chris opened the big window and… OMG! I was speechess, an amazing view opened in front of us over the great lawn.
The vineyards outside were amazing, you can feel there is a great respect for nature and these guys are really committed to sustainability, as a matter of fact all of their vineyards have been certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). There were plenty of flowers everywhere and beautiful olive trees.
The winery is huge, upstairs there is the actual bar counter for the wine tasting, an unconventional library and amazing pieces of art. Not to be missed the “Red Rain”, several drops of red blown glass and the 1728 led lights that look like hundreds fireflies on a starry night. I’m totally in love!
When I thought I had seen it all, Chris told us it was time for our wine tasting and escorted us downstairs, into a room I won’t easily forget….Hall Rutherford.
I was amazed by the delicacy of how the table was perfectly set for us and the atmosphere was incredible. The lights were another amazing piece of art by the Italian artist Tristano di Robilant, representing the different shades of wine through the translucency of the glass.
Every detail was flawless, for each of us there was a book (which they complimentary gave us) and a list of all their wines. Here I am ready to take notes and to taste some Platinum Collection wines.
The wine of course was incredible and one of the three we tasted, “Jack’s Masterpiece” Cabernet Sauvignon is ranked 46th in the list of best wines in the world!
Big shoutout to the breadsticks too, it might seem silly but after sipping wine during the tour is really important to munch something and these ones were to die for!!!I”m Italian and a little picky with food, so trust me when I say I’ve never had breadsticks as good as these anywhere else, neither in Italy! Guess what? when I asked Chris about them, he told me a bakery especially makes them for The Hall to pefectly pair the wine!Absolutely amazing!Even the smallest detail is perfect here!
The tour came to an end but before heading out there was another awesome art work in the hall ready to say us goodbye, and I’ve to say perfect instagrammable! 🙂
If Napa is on your bucket list, this is absolutley the first winery to visit! Highly, highly recommended guys!!
You can find all the info you need about it and how to book your tour here:
https://www.hallwines.com/
p.s Check out the restrooms!They are wonderful and you will have a hint about Kathryn’s favourite colour!:-)
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