707-942-9251
2250 Lake County Highway Calistoga, CA 94515
Tasting Room: By Appointment Only2250 Lake County Highway Calistoga, CA 94515
Tour: no
Picnic Area: yes
Hours: Daily 10am to 5pm
Description
Originally the Traulsen Family Estate, Laura Zahtila purchased the winery in 1999. Since then Laura has cultivated the vineyards and winery with a strong focus on learning every step of the wine making process. Zahtila's wines reflect this dedication by using some of the best grapes grown in Napa Valley like Andy Beckstoffer Vineyards and through small quantity production.Grounds
This winery is definitely on the small side. With two building on the property Zahtila has the charm that brought a lot of the fame to Napa Valley. After parking we were excitedly greeted by our first host, Zoe the winery pooch. Zoe is well known for leading visitors up the crushed rock drive way to Zahtila's tasting room. Since we went in late winter the grounds were pretty bare, but you can easily imagine Zahtila's garden in full bloom. Surrounded by the rose garden, Zahtila is a great picnic stop close to Calistoga. The hills behind the winery are covered with vines that are used for their Estate-grown Zinfandel.Tasting Room
Zahtila has a smaller tasting room which can serve only one or two smaller groups at once. Because of this, Zahtila requests visitors make appointments to taste, which are only a plus for you! Visiting Zahtila on weekends will be significantly less crowded than many of the surrounding tasting rooms. This also allows the hosts to provide a lot of personal attention.Staff
Our experience at Zahtila can be described as personal. Our host was friendly and warm. He was very knowledge about the wines being served and had an extensive knowledge about Napa Valley and surrounding wineries.Wines
For $10 expect to taste the following...- 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay
- 2005 Dry Creek Zinfandel
- 2005 Oat Hill Estate Zinfandel
- 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2004 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
Our Rating
Good
