neal family vineyards

This place you will not find in any books or tours, but if you can get in I suggest going. Very reasonably priced wines and a really cool location and facilities.

This is a reservations only winery and a small vineyard. We received a tasting from Gove, their winemaker. It was one of the most informative wine tastings I have ever done. It was very interesting to be able ask him many questions that we had wondered through our trips to the napa valley. It was a great tasting and tour and you can tell that at Neal they do things the correct way, that is more labor intensive. As an example they let their fermentation go the full length in some cases 65 days, and they also will age their wines for several years, until they believe they are ready to be released. Some of the "current" releases we were drinking were from 2009 and had just been released. It was very refreshing to see a winery sticking to their beliefs and doing things the old fashioned way. Overall the visit was a great experience and like I mentioned we learned a lot and Gove was able to answer many questions that other vineyards couldn't for us before. The wine was very good and the tasting is free as long as you aren't over 15 minutes late or miss your tasting. We were happy to buy a few bottles and support such a winery. If you are seeking to go a little off the grid Howell mountain is worth a visit and Neal is a great place to spend a few hours.

I booked a tour of Neal Family Vineyards simply because our last name was Neal. My wife was skeptical that this was sound logic for picking a vineyard to visit. We were both pleasantly surprised by both the tour and the quality of the wines.We got to spend over an hour with Gove the chief winemaker for Neal. He was extraordinarily candid and knowledgeable. We got a personalized tour and got to taste the freshly pressed grape juice as our visit was during the harvest. There was no sales pressure or rush for us to leave (even though it was obvious that Gove was busy as it was harvest season). In essence, our tour was a Q&A session with a California winemaker. That is about all you could ever hope for in a tour.The wines spoke for themselves. The Cabs are great and the Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and fresh without the acidity or grassiness of most Sauvignons Blancs. Gove was kind enough to supply us with an airline safe box to allow us to transport our wine home.Overall, one of the best winery experiences we've had. Don't miss it.

Wow! Where do I start? My husband had booked us a tour at Neal. Now I had never been to Napa before but had consumed many bottles of the Neal Family wine (one of our favorites)! Upon our arrival we were introduced to Gove the winemaker. What a passionate man! We toured the vineyard, learned when the grapes are ready to be picked, tasted many of their fine wines and learned how much work got into producing one bottle of wine. I certainly have a new appreciation for a great glass of wine. On your next trip to Napa make a reservation to visit The Neal Family Vineyard. You will be glad you did.