Cain Vineyard & Winery

wow. well worth the ride. my favorite wine didn’t disappoint. the «tour» was so personal and Yosef was an outstanding host. great views and value for such a fine wine.

This winery has some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.
We were lucky enough to have Matt Strayer as our host when we visited about a month ago, and he was amazing. He took us on a walk up a slight incline to see the vineyards that are shaped lake a beautiful green bowl dug out of the mountains.
He was witty and entertaining and really added to how special the winery experience was. We inquired about the production facility and he gave us a background peak of the facilities. They really went above and beyond. And, of course the wines. beautifully made mountain fruit wines. We came home with a 2004 vintage Cain Five that I am saving for a special occasion.
Good job Cain winery and staff ya’ll are the best :)

Visiting this winery was a wonderful experience. You will need to make an appointment, but it will be well worth your time. The drive to the winery is a little scary — very narrow, winding road off the beaten path for sure. Once there, you will be greeted with a wonderful view of the countryside and their winery. They have a nice outdoor patio to relax on while you wait for your personal tasting. Once inside we were treated to a private tour of the facilities and a chance to ask as many questions as we wanted. After the tour, we enjoyed a tasting that proved to be my favorite of our entire trip this time. We started with a generous pour of Cain Cuvée and then followed that with Cain Concept, 2 different Cain Fives and then their Syrah. The wines were so good, I couldn’t be a responsible taster and pour any of them out!

The wines have changed throughout the years and only for the better. Spring Mountain vintners will not disappoint you and Cain will surpass all expectations.

Spectacular Wines.
Amazing views.
Spring Mountain Rocks!!!

LOVED this winery.
We were there last summer, 2012, for a private tasting. The road up is a different story (all together) but the vineyard, the grounds, the staff and then the wines.
Perfection in every thing Cain!!! We now purchase their bottles here in Boston.
Give yourself some time to get there but you will ENJOY YOURSELF!!!
I make no promises, but please… drink wine, be happy… it should not be that hard! ;)

This is a very special place. Elegant wines, and stunning views. I would recommend to any friends wanting to explore mountain vineyards.

What an amazing time. We began our private tour in the main lobby and then walked the grounds. Cain grows their five varietals all over the mountain, far above the Napa floor and you can see various plots from their balcony. We were blessed with perfect mid 70’s weather. After a brief tour, we sat down with several bottles and tasted the juice. I’ve had Cain before but mostly during the more difficult Napa years… these were 06 – 07 wines and were beautiful! After our tasting we asked if it was okay to sit on the patio and drink a bottle with some food we purchased at Dean and Deluca. My rule with vineyards is if they are selling jam, olive oil, have a massive tasting room, have lots of merchandise, then skip that circus and go somewhere where the wine matters… Cain is that place.

We visited Cain with a Napa local who had been wanting to visit them for years. We were a little put off when we met our «tour guide» who is also the Operations Manager as he told us all about the fact that they tell people not to come visit unless they have had their wines before! It was pretty obvious that their focus is the Napa restaurant trade so I was a little nervous about how it would go.
They don’t really have a tasting room and their regular tasting area was setup for a larger group so we tasted at the edge of one of their production areas.
Big bold reds is all you will find at Cain and I can see why they want to make sure they get only those that like their wines as I suspect many folks do not.
Both Concept and Cuvee are very good and it was nice to taste a 2000 next to a 2006 to get an idea of who the Concept ages.
It would have been nice if the manager had let my friends buy two bottle of Syrah but he insisted they get only one as he wantd them to be sure they liked it before buying a second. I’m not sure their accountant would like this approach to wine sales and had my friends not been locals who can take advantage of free delivery, I don’t think they would have either.
I liked Cain alot and that’s why they get 4 stars but be forwarned, customer service may not be quite what you would expect from a great winery! Oh yeah, it is appointment only — make sure you have one, otherwise it is a long, long drive up the moutain for nothing!

Pretty good cabs. The ’99 Cain Concept was tremendous. The Cain Five was decent. The drive was a bitch. The tasting is free if you’re on their mailing list.

The drive up Spring Mountain Road alone is worth the trip. Several of the vistas are strunning. Cain is situated in a bucolic high-​mountain bowl that holds in morning fogs. Small facilities and crowds. Nice. All of the barreling and crushing/​sorting facilities are very modern and clean.
Tasting room could use a slight décor upgrade but it does not take away from the complex and subtle Bordeaux blends pouring at Cain. It’s obvious from first sip that this vineyard is out to create intricate and long-​lasting wines that better with age. Surprise of the visit was the 2006 Syrah — improved immensely as the bottle went on and shows high promise for this varietal.

I love this winery. Excellent wines and just a beautiful location. Need to make a reservation, but it’s so work it!

We were overwhelmed with the ambiance, graciousness and sophistication provided by the wine maker (Chris) and his wife — Katie. A one-​hour visit ran much longer than we expected.
You will not find the Cain wines reviewed in WINE SPECTATOR… seek and find, as they say: CAIN was highly recommended by friends and we called in advance to visit and relish.
A true joy. Now, frankly, a memory not to be forgotten.
Bravo.
Thank you Katie, thank you Chris!

The tasting and experience at Cain, in my mind, is exactly what a Napa tasting should be– a very small group with a very experienced guide who shows you around, explains the terrior of the vineyard and the other places the grapes are sourced from and then commences to a tasting that progresses in a logical sense.
No tour busses or fancy tasting rooms, no ostentatious displays of wealth, and no attempt at mass marketing– just you, the winery staff, and the wine.
Our guide, the operations manager JJ, got right down to business– if you took the time to make the drive up and schedule the appointment that far out in advance, there is no need to start at the beginning– everyone there was serious about their wine. As we were present during crush, there was plenty to see with the fermenting tanks, crush machine, and even a worker filling up the oak barrels.
Our tasting was in the aging «cellar» (not so much a cave as an adjacent room in the side of the hilltop), amongst the stacks of barrels. We worked thru all 3 wines (the cuvee, Cain concept, and Cain Five) and tried different vintages of the higher end guys. What is great about these wines is the consistency of quality and the philosophy they put into their product, at whatever level– these wines are meant to be laid down and aged. At the end, no high pressure sales and gimmicky discounts, just options– take them or leave them.
The drive up is as harrowing as it is portrayed– while the mileage is not that great, it will take very bit of 25 minutes to make the climb, amongst the narrowest of roads and switchbacks– don’t take this for granted.
You do need an appointment and it does need to be confirmed by e-​mail. Response can be a little slow, but if you care enough to go try this wine, you understand it is worth the wait.
I recommend the morning appointment, at 10 a.m. Nice views of the valley below from atop the mountain, plus once you are done it is the perfect time for some lunch in downtown St. Helena before heading off to an afternoon appointment.
Even if you’ve been to plenty of other wineries in the area, make the time to go to Cain– you will appreciate the difference and the quality.

I have to echo the sentiments of J.E. and quite candidly take some pity on Food E. — because what else would explain his boorish behavior and posting? (Anyone who is truly a fan of Cain knows that it is by the very rare appointment — made weeks in advance and confirmed in writing by the winery staff — to join them for a special experience.)
We had an absolutely fabulous experience at Cain with Holly (who certainly knows her way around making a customer feel special), the wine, and their entire team!
Those of us who are serious about wine and wine tasting in the valley, treasure those places that — while they may be very difficult to get an appointment — take the time to make incredible wine and treat those who are courteous to them incredibly as well.
If you can get an appointment, trust me it will be worth every minute of the drive up. Enjoy!!!

Dear Holly Evans-​White (Customer Relations Manager @ Cain),
Allow me to give you and Cain Vineyard & Winery a lesson in customer relations and customer service.
I recently attempted to visit Cain on a trip to Napa. Having called 2 weeks prior, I was told by a man on the phone that I would not need an appointment on the day I wanted to visit.
Fast forward 2 weeks… I take the time to drive all the way up to Cain (~ 20 minutes up a curvy road from St. Helena). I was soooo excited to finally visit Cain since I’d been enjoying its Cuvee and Concept wines for years. Whenever I needed to give a gift, I always bought Cain.
Upon arrival at the winery, I was great by Holly Evans-​White, Cain’s «Customer Relations Manager.» I politely inquired about a tasting. Holly gave me a look like I was crazy and informed me that they only do tasting by appointment. I told her about my conversation with the man on the phone 2 weeks prior telling me that I wouldn’t need an appointment on this particular day. Holly laughed. She told me I must have meant to call Caid or some other winery. I politely informed her that I drink Cain’s cuvee and Concept all the time and that I’m pretty sure I dialed the correct phone number directly off their website. Holly then dug deeper for an excuse and said that, and I quote, «Guys aren’t allowed to answer the phone here. They never know what they’re talking about. You shouldn’t believe what they say.»
Really, Holly? Really? Do I detect some sexism there? Is that your idea of an acceptable thing to tell a client? How is it that you have the title of «Customer Relations Manager» and choose to treat a long-​time customer like myself like this??? You should be ashamed of yourselves.
After this little back-​and-​forth between Holly, I simply apologized (although that should have been her job) and said it must have been my mistake. Unfortunately, it was not. I know how to use a phone, and I know I talked to someone at Cain. So I left.
Holly offered NO apology, no abbreviated tasting, nothing. Did she have time to simply pop open a bottle since I’d come all the way up there — of course she did. But, that would have taken knowledge of customer service.
Way to go Cain. Because of the sub-​par customer service provided by your «customer relations manager,» you have lost a customer for life (actually four since my friends were with me).
My advice to anyone thinking about visiting Cain is to read this review and then consider if you really want to support a business that would treat a long-​time customer so poorly. There are hundreds of other wineries that will treat you better. I hope you check them out and save yourself a trip to this snooty winery.

You will have few wine tasting experiences as personalized, intimate and insightful as that which you may enjoy at Cain. I say «may enjoy» because you need to understand that Cain does not open its doors for the foolish in search of a free glass of wine. If you choose to make an appointment, give it a little forethought — read about Cain first and tell them why you’d like to come taste. This is not out of any preconceived desire to be pretentious but just that they are resource limited and would prefer to host those who will appreciate it (and are not after mid-​day intoxication).
With that out of the way — what you’ll find here is an amazingly beautiful property near the top of Spring Mountain — about a 20 minute drive from downtown St. Helena. Be careful as the road narrows at times and you never know who’s coming around the corner. The winery facility is beautiful — the vineyard manager has a house right on the property (originally owned by the Cain family who is no longer involved) which is absolutely unreal with an pool right on the edge of a cliff over looking the valley and the vineyards. Holly, our guide, was kind enough to show us things like this house that others may not have chance to see. She pointed to the distance to show where the fruit for their 3 bottlings come from. They own quite a bit of space — the top wine Cain Five (has the 5 Bordeaux varietals) has its vineyards at a very high elevation versus Cain Concept which is nearer the valley floor in the benchlands. We got to meet some of the staff, including those interns who had fought hard to get in there.
What I hope many will notice is that these are well structured, age worthy wines that are not going to blow you away with huge up front fruit bombs and high alcohol content. In fact, they are the most old world, Bordeaux-​style wines that I’ve had in recent memory. This makes them certainly one of the more unique vintners in the area.
Of course the best part was the tasting — we were sat down in their expansive multi-​purpose room and started with the Cain Cuvee which is a non-​vintage based on the best fruit from the last two ready vintages, in this case 2005 and 2006. The comes the Cain Concept, made from 4 Bordeaux varietals of which we tasted the current release, 2005, and the 2000 vintage. Next came the Cain Five which had an amazingly penetrative nose that just shot up the sinuses… followed by a sample of the 1996 vintage that we felt very fortunate to be able to get to taste. I wound up putting in an order for two bottles.
With the limos and tour buses showing up en masse along Highway 29 this kind of tasting experience is much sought after. If you really want something special, give these guys a call.

Can’t Say enough about Cain… Phenomenal wine, exceptional views and
and Luke is a very hospitable and Knowledgeable host (He is virtually an encyclopedia of wine and wine related topics). Do yourself a favor the next time you are in The Napa Valley, schedule an appointment to visit Luke at Cain Five Vineyards.
«Definitely worth the trek up Spring Mountain. ***Highly Recommended.

This was our first visit to Napa and Cain was a great way to start our wine tour. It’s worth the advanced planning to schedule an appointment, and then a precarious climb (in the car) up Spring Mountain. The tasting itself is free and you are guided through Cain’s Cuvee and Concept — both thoroughly satisfying. But the real jewel — a pricey one — is the Cain Five. It was probably one the best, if not the best, I’ve tasted on the this trip. Unfortunately, you won’t find Cain in stores. Most of their bottles go to existing club members and a select number of restaurants.
I highly recommend a tasting here. In addition, you get a very brief tour of the premises and ample opportunity to soak in the great views.

Simply put, this winery has become the top of the benchmark. Normally I don’t give full 5 stars to a winery unless I really like their wines, but this is a rare exception.
I highly recommend to make an appointment few weeks in advance if going there during weekend. There is only 1 ~ 2 tastings offered per day (except Sunday when they are closed) for about dozen people, so availability is very limited.
And, BTW, the tasting is FREE.