Brian Arden Winery

Napa idyllicism meets farm country chic at its finest without the pretension. Whew, what a mouthful. And, this tasting + in-house chef experience definitely was. Warm vibes greet you as you stroll through the tasting room.

The view from your seated tasting looking out across the Silverado Trail and vineyards after a stroll around the crushpad is so calming.

Naturally, the line-up doesn’t suck. Perhaps one of the better kept secrets of the area is the Chef’s Tasting Experience that winemaker Brian Arden and Chef Spencer Conaty put on for guests at a very reasonable price point.

I mean, when Chef tells you that it takes him four days to laboriously assemble the sauce used on this New Zealand King Salmon, be glad that you’re sitting because it’s a knee-buckler.

We’d be lying if we said we’re not members here, so we walked away with more than one bottle. But, in the spirit of just picking one, we’d have to go with the B.A. Red. Berry upfront transitioning to pleasant leatheriness that finished with some spicy heat and a lingering dried prune-y taste - it won the day.