Bourassa Vineyards

Warm welcome and lots of wine education given for free as part of the tasting. Not a run of the mill wine stop. Get the wine club membership. Small batch case production only!

Really good wines. Zin was very nice. The ambiance was great and staff really friendly. Our visit was enjoyable.

I would never have anticipated there was a special tasting room in a tired industrial complex in Napa. But that is exactly where the Bourassa winery does its business. It certainly had a spruced up entry, with a classy custom awning over an elegant oak door, some patio umbrellas, signage, and potted plants to call attention to their presence. But once inside, it was yet another complete transformation.
Dark drapes on walls and ceilings, intimate, candle lit rooms, elegant tables and chairs, oak barrels stacked to the ceiling that were made even more unique by graffiti (actually signatures of all their wine club members), soft music, and classic winery smells (you know what I mean). All these things are unexpected and inviting.
Vic, the owner and pourer for our experience, is a relative newbie to this business. And he does not own acreage and grow his own grapes, but his elbow rubbing with the master, Robert Mondavi, gave him all he needed to jump in and give it a try. Glad he did.
I was fortunate to have a friend who was already a proud wine club member here, and through his association, encouragement, and name dropping, we were invited to come and taste. I am not sure how tight the brotherhood of Bourassa-​ites is. We did not get invited to barrel taste, as some do, but the experience was a fine one regardless.
He makes some wonderful high end reds, the zins and cabs were outstanding. The Chardonnay had a very special fresh taste, one that I, the one with a very picky palate, could drink over and over again. And the prices were commensurate with reasonably priced wines for this region (that are not nearly as good).
We had collected several different excellent reds and even some fine whites from a 3-​day wine tasting extravaganza, so it wasn’t until we tasted his dessert wines that he really got our attention. The winners were… the 2011 Solera Port @ $ 65.00 and the 2012 Late Harvest Riesling @ $ 35.00. These will be the magic that transforms a special holiday dinner into something incomparable. Vic suggested a pound (or yellow) cake soaked with that Riesling. It’s something special that is pleasingly not syrupy, something I can already «taste» without tasting and know it will be right.
It was a real pleasure to experience Vic, his wines and his very personable hospitality.

The warehouse location makes you think twice about going in but the wines are exceptional and the tasting room is so unique. The overall experience is very intimate and we had the winemaker host the tasting. The owner stopped in at the end and chatted with us as well. I will definitely come here again.

Don’t be deceived by the office park you drive through to here. All the rave reviews are spot on!!! Very personalized experience with Rob as our host. We didn’t have reservations (which are the norm) but easily accommodated us.

Best. Experience. Ever. Our first tasting stop this trip and the Unilocal reviews don’t lie. Rob the winemaker and Vick himself showed us an amazing time in the most gorgeously appointed tasting room.
Obviously, wine taste is critical on a tasting trip, and each wine we tried was an absolute gem. Great soft reds (yummy Zin!) and awesome stories to accompany each. The experience of chatting with the winemaker Rob made everything taste that much better.
We are now happy wine club members, and all from an unscheduled stop at this beautiful little tasting room.

I went wine tasting with a group of 11 to Napa last weekend, and Bourassa was our first stop. I made the reservation and was pleased with how graciously they handled the prospect of such a large group. We arrived a few minutes late and they seated us at this massive table in a somewhat romantic setting. Our host Rob was friendly, entertaining and knowledgeable. He provided us with bar snacks and water which was very much appreciated. We agreed to do the Reserve tasting, which ended up being 6 wines and 2 barrel tastings. I am normally not a sweet wine person, but their Riesling ended up being my favorite. I would absolutely visit again after my experience!

Really cool winery, though it doesn’t look it from the outside. The reserve tasting includes the regular tasting and is definitely worth it. The Riesling is delicious! Expect to spend about 90 minutes in a party of 11.

This winery is the bomb! The private tasting room is themed a bit like a speak easy with a Harry Potter/​Victorian twist. Rob has a fantastic sense of humor and he’s incredibly knowledgable and accommodating. We tasted their zinf, blend and even did a barrel tasting. Their wine is kickass! We had a wonderful experience here, and it’s such a hidden gem. We’ll definitely be back!

Rob is the man. All the wines are great but The Port is awesome, go in if only to taste that! Wine club is enticing too.

What a great experience! The owner poured for us and told stories the whole time. What an honor and amazing wine… all in the middle of a business park. Best port we’ve ever had, don’t let the business park fool you. Worth it!

Great tasting room, very classy! Super friendly staff, and have us great recommendations for the day. Their wines are high quality, very tasty!

This was our last stop on a 3-​vineyard day trip in Napa. We rolled in about 30 minutes before they were supposed to close. It was a very odd location but once we were inside the building the rest was excellent. My girlfriend and I unknowingly walked in during their annual lobster dinner which was a private event. The owner actually welcomed us, insisted we stay and do some tasting, got up from his dinner and took us to an empty table in the back. He then personally sat with us through four different wines and helped us try to become tasting experts after I admitted we were very new to this.
The last wine he gave us was a very sweet Riesling, which was easily the best wine we had tried all day. Maybe our less-​mature tasting experiences lends itself to sweet wines, but it really did have a lot of rich flavors. We bought two bottles of that wine and enjoyed one later that night.
Location: Don’t expect to see any actual vineyard. The space itself however is very intimate and charming making it easy to forget you’re in an industrial park. Visit Artesa if you want to see a great vineyard. Four stars for not being on-​site.
Wine: As good as any, and the Riesling was amazing.
Hospitality: Better than we could have ever imagined. Made the whole experience five-​stars.

Awesome wine. I bought smoked brown sugar and smoked olive oil there too. Yum. Straight out of the barrel tastings offered as well.

My husband and I were in San Jose this past weekend on business and decided to take a drive up to wine country on Saturday and do a little wine tasting. Neither one of us had been to Napa before, so we were kind of exploring. On the way up, I found this winery on Unilocal and saw that it had great reviews and was right off the highway. We decided to stop by and check it out.
When we got to the parking lot, I noticed that there was a check-​in offer for a discounted tasting. We were already going, but why not take advantage of the savings? So, my husband and I both checked-​in on Unilocal and headed in the door.
When we entered, the tasting room was unique. Dark, quiet, and unlike any other tasting room we’d been to. We were about to find out just how different…
A dark haired tall man approached us, I’m assuming it was the owner or Manager and he asked if we were interested in tasting. We said yes and he said «I’m assuming you don’t have an appointment»…we replied no. We hadn’t looked at the details on Unilocal and missed that they were an appt only winery. He said no problem and proceeded to show us a tasting menu. He asked if we wanted to do 2 tastings and we said yes. As he was showing us to a tasting table, I mentioned that I had Unilocal check-​in coupons that his business offered. He immediately stopped dead in his tracks and told us we couldn’t use them. He said they were appointment only and since he was letting us squeeze in, he wouldn’t take the offers!!! What???
I looked at my husband and we had felt completely baffled by this response. How could he say it was no problem to taste without an appt and then use that as an excuse to not accept a discount that THEY chose to offer Unilocal customers. The two points have nothing to do with each other!!!
I told him very nicely that we would just go then and didn’t need to taste their wine. He tried to stop us, but only to state how great their wines were. We left.
Just because we wanted to take advantage of the offer, meant nothing about who we are or what kind of customers we would have been. We went to two other wineries and bought 3 bottles. We live in San Diego and are regulars in Temecula, we belong to 4 wineries there and even considered membership in Napa.
This winery managed to drive us right out the door and lose a potential great sale and wine club member! We will be sure to let our friends and co-​workers in San Jose know that this is not the place for them either!
RUDE RUDE RUDE!!! This business needs a lesson in customer service, sales and ethics… badly!!! No wine is good enough to be treated like garbage! I will be reporting them to Unilocal for refusing to accept their own offer as well! Shame on you!!!

Loved the service and how intimate it felt. The wine was great and the atmosphere was fantastic! One of the best wineries I’ve been to.

The owner was really nice, we were a little late but they took us in anyway. (But still, making a reservation ahead of time is a must.)
He was talkative and shared some history of his winery. We did the $ 20 per person tasting, if I remember clearly. Some of them tasted great, but none that was purchase-​material.
One thing that irked me a little was the fact that the owner was so hesitant when it came to us using the Unilocal discount. He said something along the lines of «you didn’t say you were going to use it, so now you can’t». And that really made our visit end on a somewhat sour note. But eventually he budged and we got the discount.
There was also a bottle of chocolate sauce that was available for tasting. That was really good. But again, not crazy good enough for purchase. Other than sitting down and tasting wine, there really wasn’t much else to it. They didn’t own a vinery and got their grapes from suppliers.

Where do I start? This place was a huge surprise. On the drive up I had to check the GPS to make sure we were in the right place. It is located in an industrial park but once you walk in you will be amazed. We were greeted and told to have a seat. There were two other guests receiving a barrel tasting who joined us at the table. I purchased a Groupon for a wine and cheese tasting and I was not disappointed. The cheeses were absolutely delicious and went perfectly with the wine. I wish they would have given us more. Rob was very nice, shared his life story and made us feel right at home. My only complaint is that the wines were a little too pricey. I would have purchased more because they were good if they were cheaper.

Pulling up to what looks like an office complex… you might get a tad confused. But when you go through the Bourassa doors, you’re definitely in the right place. It’s a dream wine tasting room, with barrels all around and an elegant table setting. A personal tasting with the winemaker is very educational. Great tasting wines. Would definitely recommend to fellow wine enthusiasts.

Vic Bourassa has done a really cool thing with this place. An unassuming warehouse has been turned into a really nice tasting room that could rival some of its much swankier neighbors down the road in the Napa valley.
All the wines we tasted were very good and Vic’s passion for their creation was contagious. My wife and I were given a private tasting (including a few tastes straight from the barrel) on a day which they were normally closed. If that’s not A+ service, I’m not sure what is. The wines were all fantastic and we purchased a few to take home — not quite ready to splurge for the wine club but perhaps we’ll be back for that later.
With such an attention to detail, well crafted wines, and inviting atmosphere, I am sure this place has a bright future ahead of it. Watch out Silver Oak!