Nickel & Nickel produces single-vineyard wines that originate in Napa Valley and the Russian River region of Sonoma County. Having driven by the winery on Highway 29 in Oakville for years, it seemed time to get past the gate for an adventure.
Unlike many U.S. wineries that put a lot of effort into looking like they were built in France in the 1800’s, Nickel & Nickel is fronted by the John C. Sullenger House, a roughly 150 year old Queen Anne farmhouse that was renovated in 2002. After being buzzed through the main gate (reservations required), tour guests are greeted at the farmhouse with a sip of Chardonnay in the drawing room until the tour is ready to embark.
The grounds and facilities have the look and feel of a well maintained farm or ranch as much as a winery. Adjacent to the farmhouse is a pasture with horses (rescues) and wine making operations are housed in a series of barns, with barrel rooms underground. In a field among the vineyards is a solar panel array capable of powering operations.
The tour presentation focused more on vineyard locations and soils than the winemaker’s art, which seemed appropriate given the wide range of vineyards from which their wines originate and the fact that all their wines are single-vineyard products. The tour is scheduled for an hour and a half, of which the first hour is spent in the facilities and the final portion is a very nice sit-down tasting in the farmhouse.
On this particular adventure, the tasting flight included four Cabernet’s that represented the diversity of soils in their various vineyards. Check out their full range of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel and Chardonnay offerings online. Cab’s are around $100, Chardonnay’s around $55. Ending your tour adventure with a purchase of half a case or more might get you a discount and a tasting fee waived. I took home the Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay (Russian River) and State Ranch Cab (Yountville), both excellent.
Nickel & Nickel is under the same ownership as several other well-known labels that include Far Niente, EnRoute and late harvest wine Dolce.
You can call for tasting and tour reservations, though I recommend using CellarPass.com. If you haven’t browsed this site, check out the wide range of wineries, tasting rooms, events and usable Wine Country information available there.
Nickel & Nickel
8164 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, CA 94562
Phone: (707) 967-9600
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Disclosure: Wines and other products or services described in this article were provided by the winery pursuant to purchase of a tour and tasting package. The winery provided no free samples or other inducements in return for this review.
