It doesn’t get much better than AXR Winery in St. Helena. The winery is known for its Cabernets and for being smack dab in the middle of a stunningly beautiful setting. It is a truly excellent experience, whether you are a winery expert or someone visiting for the first time.
A couple of years ago, the big fire in that area came within about 90 feet of their tasting room. Thankfully, the tasting room was spared. The winery is located in a historic estate in the heart of St. Helena. They describe the tasting experience as “down-home” and private, which I have to agree with.
Though the tastings are more on the expensive side, it’s worth it to fully immerse yourself in this lovely winery. The cost makes sense when you realize their bottle of reds range between $190 run you $540; it is a lot, but it is high-quality wine in the most famous wine region of the country. Luckily, I was there with my friend Doug who is a member and our tasting was free!
When I visited, I truly enjoyed every moment of my wine-tasting experience. I highly recommend giving AXR a try next time you visit the Napa Valley area.
I love the description they give for their vision….
If only these vines could talk, they would tell you stories of the old Napa Valley. The history of our estate is compounded in layers; rooted in historic tales of fierce Native American hunting grounds, wild west pioneers and the first woman vintner of California in 1886. It has changed hands over the course of 134 years to become a brewery, restaurant, inn, winery and saloon. Tales of love, lust, heartbreak, murders and great fortune create an imaginative backdrop to our present-day vision of AXR. Today, we are a winery that pays homage to its history and blazes the trail of excitement and innovation in napa valley as the pioneers before us did.
We want to be reminded every day to live fully and to leave a lasting impression on our layer of history. Named after the axr rootstock (aramond x rupestris) that was so prominent in building the modern California wine industry, axr#1 eventually succumbed to phylloxera and most of California wine country was left as a blank canvas. Vintners now had a chance to replant and to rethink the entire structure of the vineyards; attention was paid to the terroir and unique varietals were researched. This was truly a turning point in the wine industry as we know it. AXR invites you to go on a journey through the past, present and future of Napa Valley.
