caldwell winery

My fiance and I went here earlier today and were so blown away...hence the immediate tripadvisor review.Not only is the location and story behind the winery unique, but the way their tours and tastings are run are far superior to any other vineyard. The vineyard is completely underground in a cave, unlike any other. The laid-back, non-pretentious, approach is fun and refreshing. Not to mention, the wine is delicious.This was an incredibly fun experience and we'd strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Napa in a heartbeat!!! It was certainly the highlight of our trip up the coast.

This is one of my favorite winery experiences in all of wine country. pro: John Caldwell is what makes the experience so memorable as he take you thru many of his wines while entertaining you with terrific stories and tales.con: it is a long drive from the main napa corridor

Best stop of our entire wine country weekend. Fun, entertaining, picturesque, good food, great wine. Don't miss it!

Probably one of the best wine tastings that I have ever done in Napa! John Caldwell, the proprietor, is a really cool guy and is part of the experience. Their wines are really tasty and it's just a cool experience sitting in a cave. Off the beaten path, but that makes it even better.

John Caldwell gives the tour and it is so much fun! His stories are both outrageous and fascinating. Nothing better than sitting in a cave with a Napa legend regaling us with his mark on Napa history. Then you sip the wine!! Disneyland for grown ups!

We had a tasting with the owner, John Caldwell. He is a funny man that makes some incredibly good wines. We had our tasting in his smaller tasting room in the caves - great setting. We joined his wine club and can't wait to get our first shipment.

We loved our cave tasting with J. Caldwell! So much fun and Mr. Caldwell was very entertaining ! Staff was very friendly, and saw to our every need! Great information and all around day! A must do while in Napa

Heard nothing but fantastic things about this tasting and our experience exceeded our expectations. We had our tasting inside the cave in a beautiful hollowed out room gathered around a table. The tasting is done with the vineyard owner, John, who is a laid back guy who just wants to make and drink some good wine. He had great stories to tell us and as we were the last tasting if the day, he spoiled us with a few extra of his favorite wines. I will recommend this tasting to everyone I know. A bit pricy but worth the experience. Don't go if you're offended by salty language-he can throw around a few choice words but it's funny! And most importantly all of his wines are delicious! We had such fun-thanks, John!

We were a rowdy group of four couples from the same neighborhood bouncing from tasting to tasting in Napa. We hired a driver and after each tasting, he'd say, "I can't wait until you go to Caldwell Vineyards and meet John, he's quite a character." After a day of hearing this, my anticipation level of the Caldwell Vineyard and its 'character' proprietor was off the charts, which usually leads to a huge letdown.We pulled up a secluded lane which opened on either side to a beautifully groomed vineyard. An elderly man, that I assumed was a field hand, in a straw cowboy hat, jeans and cowboy boots was side saddling a parked atv. He climbed off the vehicle as we got out and immediately joined into the playful banter we were already engaged in.The man short in stature who walks with a limp due to a childhood bout with polio has a larger than life personality and an infectious laugh. He seamlessly drops curse words into his sentences as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. and no one seems to mind.He told us about his farm, but he escorted us directly to his pride and joy, his wine cave carved into the mountain. After an incredible story about who dug the cave, we were ushered into a separate room cut into a half clamshell shape off of the main thoroughfare. John does his tastings here with clients on a round stone table.For two-hours we exchanged stories with our news friend about our families, his family and any topic in between; as he poured us generous samples of his excellent wines, each tasted better than the last. We had two more tastings planned that evening and happily cancelled both to spend more time with John. If you are planning a trip to Napa, don't miss spending some time with John. Make sure you schedule a tasting at Caldwell Vineyards last or you risk being disappointed with the rest by comparison.

This hide away hill top winery is an absolute stop, if you can. The cave tasting is one with an opportunity to hear great stories of creating unique varietal grapes and sharing some of the finer wines in Napa. We just replenished our "Rocket Science".

This is a very unique tasting. Rarely do you have a chance to taste wine with the proprietor present and that is the experience at John Caldwell. Great stories and great history.However, I would only recommend this tasting to those that are serious about wine.

Spent a couple hours being entertained by John Caldwell and amazed by his wines. Drinking wine together in his caves, perfectly paired with cheeses and listening to stories about how Napa grew up is an experience not to be missed.

Annually I take a group of clients to Napa for several days of wine tasting and dining along the way Caldwell was highly recommended to us and thankfully so . If your in the valley make time and visit the winery. John is there everyday and does many of the tours himself. His stories are legendary while embellished they are interesting, fairly factorial and very very entertaining. Enjoy !

My wife and I joined John Caldwell for a wine tasting in his cave. We were joined by another couple. Before we went in, great views and then we sat down for 2.5 hours with him (reservations required - get the 4pm so he can talk longer). John is quite the character and has a very interesting pass. Hearing the history of the Coombsville AVA and him being a pioneer in this area was fantastic. Wide variety of wines and his reds are to die for. John also has a way for words, so be prepare for "anything". Very relaxing and a great time. I would definitely recommend this on your Napa wine stop.

John Caldwell is one of the most interesting wine makers anywhere -- a real character! His wine caves are off the beaten path but well worth visiting. We found that as we traveled throughout the wine country that many folks had not heard of Caldwell Winery and that is a well kept secret. An appointment is necessary and I do not think they offer many during the week. We spent a wonderful couple of hours there listening to his stories and visiting with him and his wife Joy. The wine caves are beautiful and the wine is expensive but excellent. Highly recommend a visit with JFC!