Viader Vineyards & Winery

This review is long overdue. I’ve been a member of this winery for 3 years now and typically stop to visit about 3x per year when guests are in town. The staff, tasting room, view, and experience is as good as it gets in Napa. I originally found out about Viader in of all places, Fargo. It was the top level wine on sale from a steakhouse who went out of business. The 1^st bottle I had was s 2007 Viader blend, this wine was more approachable and fruit forward than some of the other big Napa reds I have had; cakebread, alpha omega, cliff lede, silver oak, to name a few. Upon visiting the winery and having a cellar full of Viader, I have nothing but the highest grades to give the wine and winery. If you are serious about good Napa wine, that is under the radar, you have your spot. With bottles ranging from $ 50-​$ 200 a bottle, they have a little something for everyone. I would say this is not a place catered towards the «$ 20 taste and not interested in buying» crowd. I’ve found the best value to be the «futures club», buying wine today for a discounted rate, but having to wait 2 years till the wine is produced. Thanks Janet and all the team at Viader!

Love, love, love Viader! Besides having amazing wine, the story of the winery is even cooler. Being a woman run business and planting the vines on a hill, which is so untraditional to Napa wineries is so cool and unique.
Did you know that every bottle is hand labeled? What a personal touch… though exhausting to them, I’m sure!
Amazing, rich wines. We joined the wine club and can’t wait to try some wine club only wines. The Liquid Cashmere is AMAZING! Any vintage, though the 2011 was my favorite.
The view is breathtaking, the tasting room is quaint and feels like you are sitting in someone’s home. Janet Viader and Pablo were our hosts and taught us so much about their process, as well as made as feel very at home.
Viader is at one of the most Northern points of the Napa Valley region, so plan for extra driving to get here, but it is well worth it!
Thank you for a great visit, Janet and Pablo!

Do not skip this vineyard if you’re in Napa! Reservations are needed so plan ahead, it’s worth it! The staff is very, very friendly and knowledgable about the history, the family, and the wine. And the wines are great!
I can’t say enough about the views! Located on Howell mountain overlooking the valley. Beautiful!

What a way to start our trip to Napa! The views of the valley here are amazing, the staff is very knowledgeable and the owner graciously came out to say hello and take pictures with us. The story behind this woman owned winery is something to behold. Other than that, the wines are delicious and Pablo who helped us was great! I highly recommend Pablo, the winery and the wines!

Love this winery! Pulling up to the Viader gate, Jon in his best English accent, «Reservation for the Karl party.» — a great laugh, especially since he didn’t do it on purpose.
Anyways, back to the winery — we were the first there this morning and had Addision who was great! He was super knowledgable about the wine and the wine making process.
He took us to tour the grounds, caves, and crush pad. — the caves were awesome!
Anyways, the tasting was great as always. The last couple tastings are served with some great chocolate. We signed up for their futures club in addition to our wine club membership. A bottle of their Syrah for our friends.
A few facts about their wine club — you get all wines at a discount (you can see the wine club pricing online). Some wines are further discounted with «special pricing». You don’t know this until you get your itemized reciept/​bill. You can customize your order depending on your wine preferences (for example, red only/​white only, Viader blend only, etc.) — they’re very great about only giving you what you enjoy. Free tastings for you and guests (just implemented a new «wine member doesn’t have to be present» initiative.
Best value if you’re considering the wine club is the futures club (we just joined). You can choose the Viader blend or their «V» (or a combination) at 50% of the price. You get the wine after release (in 2 – 4 years), but if you’re going to join their club anyway, this is a great way of keeping your costs down.
On our trip, we purchased over 50 bottles of wine. Out of the 16 wineries that we visited, we would definately go back to four — in no particular order (Hendry, Viader, Hamel Family, and Phifer Pavit — they all get 5 star reviews). We would go back to four (Round Pond, Twenty Rows, Alpha Omega, and Stag’s Leap — all 4 or 5 star reviews). Once is enough for five (Tamber Bey, Del Dotto, Hestan, V. Sattui, Domaine Chandon — mostly 3 star reviews). And would never go back to three (Cline, B. Cellars, and Cakebread). I hope my math is correct. Feel free to check out my other reviews of all the wineries mentioned.

Breathtaking views of Napa and great wines. I found the winery through the owner of a neighboring winery that couldn’t host us on a particular day.
The tasting room and the terrace are absolutely breathtaking. The multi-​layered view of the vines, reservoir and the backdrop of the valley are really stunning. The place is very private, so they will not let you in without an appointment.
Very romantic venue. Wines are great and expensive but the tasting is well worth it.

On our second visit to Napa after seeing a dozen of wineries, this was our lowest point so far.
The most blah experience. A lot of «the firsts» for me.
The first time we had to wait 20 min in front of the closed gate to get into the property.
The first time i felt like no one really cared that we actually showed up.
The first time while in Napa I felt like I wanted to leave the place 10 min after getting there.
It seems like they float by the reputation of the wine and the great views from the winery.
The views are truly great. The wine varies from ok to good to very good depending on the bottle.
We bought 3 bottles to cover their absolutely ridiculous $ 50 per person tasting fee and left to never come back

Beautiful setting and views, great wine and customer service. There were only a few other people there so you could really relax and enjoy the wine. Ian was a great host.

I heard so much about this winery I had to go. The view on top of the mountain is amazing. The cabs are bold and nice. The service and pours were good. It is a bit pricey, perhaps overpriced. I only give it a 4 star because I guess I expected more based on what I’ve heard. My expectations were not exceeded. A solid wine though.

We wanted to visit Viader after reading about the beautiful view and exceptional vine. On our way to the tasting room, we were very rudely asked to leave with a comment that it’s «not a national park.» We did not see any signs anywhere (we double-​checked) informing that tours are reservation-​only, and visitors are not welcome. Thankfully, there are many other choices in Napa Valley and we happily took our business elsewhere.

This is a beautiful spot, with very good red blends. I do not recommend any one to join their wine club unless you are ready to pay $ 100/​bottle. I made it clear when I joined that $ 50/​bottle was my limit; 8 bottles showed up at $ 100/​per. I complained and got a «sorry» in return. Oh well! Live and learn.

The wine is always top notch here. What makes it even better is how friendly the staff is. Can’t wait to our next visit

Great wine — gorgeous tasting room (the views!!) — I want to meet Delia. The cab franc was tops. Pricey, but well worth it.

I very much enjoyed my visit to Viader. Be sure to schedule an appointment, and try to go on a warm day so that you can enjoy the patio and it’s view. Of all the tasting rooms that I have visited in the area, this one has the best view, hands down!
The wine is great. With a focus on Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot, this is already a winery that stands out.
If you want to relax and enjoy a fantastic wine while soaking in the beauty of the Napa Valley, this is a top choice!

Like others that live in the bay area, I try to head to Napa a couple times a year and have been to my share of wineries. A few things to mention:
1. The view from thier patio is amazing. They also have picnics tables around the tasting room where you can pop a bottle and enjoy the view.
2. The wine is exceptional. However that being said, the cost of tasting is $ 50/​person. This is quite costly compared to other wineries but I just thought of it this way… I would rather go to 1 winery where the wine is really good rather than 3 wineries (where tastings are $ 15-​$ 20 each) where the wines are just ok. They will comp your tasting if your purchase $ 100.
3. Tastings are by appointment only. I was hesistant about this at first because I don’t want someone hounding us the entire tasting. But the staff here is excellent. They give you just enough information about the vineyard, the wine and then leave you be. It was a nice balance from the group tasting where you get absolutely no attention vs. other tastings where all they do is focus on selling you up.
4. Viader staff is very personable and not snobby whatsoever despite the cost of thier wines.
Husband and I left with 2 bottles, one of which we popped and enjoyed on site. Loved this winery and will definiately be back.

Ok, WHERE are all of these amazing reviews coming from? Maybe it was the hype. I was so excited to try more Howell Mountain stuff, and it didn’t deliver. AT ALL. My husband and I were also there when some celebrity was there (someone from Sex and the City… not 100% positive who since I never watched it, but not any of the main characters), so we were kind of getting ignored, even though we paid $ 75 a tasting for the reserve. The cheese platter seemed like such an afterthought, and they never brought us water, which is necessary if you try the V. It will strip you of your saliva. Not worth the price in the least. For a blend that costs $ 150 a bottle, I should want to live in bottle and chug it as soon as a taste it, and I didn’t get that.
However, the view is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I would never go back because I quite frankly hated the wine, but I’m perfectly happy to drive there and just look at the view of the valley from the tasting room.

Very few people know about Viader unless you really know about wine. It seems you have to kind of special to even get an appointment. Either way, I feel lucky to have been to Viader.
The wine is top notch for sure. And the views are spectacular. The best time of the day is late afternoon/​dusk, as you sip their wine and watch the sun set over the vines and hills. Really makes you forget about the world…

Viader wines are amazing and have been consistently rated 90+ including the #2 wine in the world per the Wine Spectator.
The entire staff are so welcoming and helpful, it makes for a memorable time every time we visit, especially when we get to sit down with Delia, Janet, Mariela and Cante.
Delia’s story about how the winery came about is quite fascinating. Everyone of the guests we bring with us to Napa Valley are just blown away at the quality of the wine combined with an experience they won’t forget. We’ve known Delia Viader since 2001 and her (and Alan’s [her winemaker son]) wines are always fantastic.
I can’t say enough about the wine and all of the wonderful team that makes it happen except we’ll see you next fall.

This winery is magical and I couldnt help but sign up for a membership here this summer. My husband and I stumbled across Viader a few years back and I am hooked! They are family oriented and the hospitality goes above and beyond.
What pushed our membership over was the wonderful time we spent with Cante, their Hospitality Director, one afternoon when he took a wine tasting on the fly and sat and chatted with us. What a wonderful afternoon hearing stories about the winery and overlooking the amazing view. It was our anniversary which made it even more special.
Bottomline, my favorite winery in Napa/​Sonoma. Just a gem.

I’m in love with this place and with the wine! We are now members!