We had an awesome experience today at Lewis Cellars! Needless to say, the wines we tried were fabulous, but what made the experience was a combination of the facts that they don’t have a big bustling tasting room with multiple parties, but rather, you are in a one-on-one setting with a host that only works with you, in fact, we had the whole place to ourselves, on a Saturday. The other key thing that made the experience so special eas that our host, Thomas, was so passionate about wine and about the winery, he also had a great background from being in wine production so he knew a lot about the process. Anyone can pour a few wines and rattle off some data but his knowledge made it a lot more interesting and fun. This will be a given stop on every trip to Napa!
K. J.
We had a wonderful, private, and intimate tasting experience for the same price as other wineries with excellent wines. Our somm was very knowledgeable.
Brian Strange
Our host Matthew was awesome!! He's so polite, knowledgeable, kind and really made it a special experience. The wine was amazing!!!
Miguel Lucero
Our wine tasting was very pleasant and the host was personable, informative, and helpful.
Yanssel Delgado
Great wine tasting today. All their wines are exceptional.
Tom B.
My wife and I visited Lewis Cellars on a getaway trip. Lewis' Guest Relations Director David Gibson made us feel like we were family and shared the fascinating family history of this winery. We have been fond of this boutique winery for years. We learned about wine barrels, terroir, yeast, sulfates, tannins, block selection and management and reserve vintage designation methods. We appreciate this winery even more now after learning about their skilled mix of science and art and tasting their expertly crafted wines. Highly recommend.
Ariana S.
Truly an amazing experience! The wine, the people, the story and David made this an unforgettable experience. David even helped us with recommendations and a last minute tasting appointment at another winery!! If you go to Napa, you have to try Lewis!! It was our favorite
Ron M.
Very impressed with Lewis Cellars! Of course this Winery caught the eye of my wife....her maiden name is Lewis, but had never drank any of the wines or know the story behind this Winery. Very interesting story of the founder Randy Lewis and his racing heritage and humble start to making wine in the Napa region. The Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon sources are very interesting and highly developed. There are some quality wines at this establishment. Check it out and make sure to make a reservation. My favorite was the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2015!
Lissette E.
We had a private tasting performed by David. He shared the story of the Owners and how it all came together. Loved the Chardonnay but love love the Vin Gris, yes it's sold out but they had 2 bottles left. He opened one to see if I'd like it and of course I did. I highly recommend visiting this winery, it's a must.
We enjoyed a lovely afternoon today at what turned out to be a private tasting for my husband and I. David was wonderful with great stories and hospitality; spending more time with us that we ever expected. Definitely recommend this stop for a quaint, personal experience in Napa.
Karl P.
We arrived at Lewis Cellars on our last day for our last tasting. We were greeted outside and served a taste of their Sav. Blanc while we waited for the tasting to begin. There was a total of six of us for the tasting (two other couples and us). Unfortunately, while waiting outside, it turned into a very pretentious conversation between the other couples (us remaining silent). Basically, it was a "oh, we have a reservation for the French Laundry tomorrow, do you?!" and "Well, their Pinot is only $200 a bottle." etc. While, I would love to go to French Laundry and some Noirs at that price point are great...why are we having a pissing contest right now? Anyways, that's how the tasting started and it put us in a weird mood. The tasting did not include a tour or anything (which is fine), but included a history of Randy Lewis and his family - basically, he was a race car driver. Onto the tasting, we tasted a few of their wines - Reserve Chardonnay, Alec's Blend, Merlot, and Reserve Cabernet. The tasting did not include their well reviewed "normal" Cabernet. My notes for all of their wines indicate a ton of oak...on everything. The Chardonnay, very oaky...buttered popcorn. Alec's Blend, overpowered oak. Merlot, too much oak. Etc. - you get my point. I enjoy oak when it's used to balance and enhance wine flavors. Unfortunately, it can be used to cover up crappy wine. I'm not saying they did that...just too much oak that it's not balanced. I do not think that I finished any of my tasting pours. The tour ended sharply (awkwardly) when one of the couples leaving for another tasting and the host almost shooing us out. He indicated that he wasn't trying to rush us, but the damage/awkwardness was already there. We left without purchasing any wines (I do not think the other couples purchased anything either) The tastings are $65/person, which I think are expensive. They did not indicate that the fees would be refunded with a purchase - but we were so rushed out that I didn't ask (and honestly, the wine wasn't that great, but still "free" wine is still wine). We will not go to Lewis Cellars again. Our 2017 Napa/Sonoma trip included Hamel Family Wines, Viader, Schramsberg, Neyers, and Lewis Cellars. Check out my reviews of the others for some comparisons.
Carol S.
Good but I expected more. The story behind Randy Lewis is pretty cool. I enjoyed the tasting but it was not my favorite winery.
Trusted Source
Let me start by saying that the wine is exquisite. Buy it.The host is a disappointment to say the least. He is the quintessential snooty, arrogant, "professional." We showed up for our appointment, on time, only to find out that he forgot to write it down on the schedule. When we showed up, he was perplexed and did not know how to handle his error. We provided him a confirmation email (FROM HIM) and he still struggled to find words. It took the 6 other people sitting in the tasting room to invite us in for him to admit his error and ask us to sit down. The struggle continued throughout the rest of the tasting.I have held this wine in high regard for 6 years. My opinion of wine has not changed, but my taste and appreciation for the brand overall has diminished to a degree that is regrettable due to the host they've selected.Having visited multiple other wineries, I can without a doubt encourage Lewis to FIND ANOTHER HOST!!! There are inferior wines with a superior experience that are taking your business.
Excellent cabernet sauvignon
We had an awesome experience today at Lewis Cellars! Needless to say, the wines we tried were fabulous, but what made the experience was a combination of the facts that they don’t have a big bustling tasting room with multiple parties, but rather, you are in a one-on-one setting with a host that only works with you, in fact, we had the whole place to ourselves, on a Saturday. The other key thing that made the experience so special eas that our host, Thomas, was so passionate about wine and about the winery, he also had a great background from being in wine production so he knew a lot about the process. Anyone can pour a few wines and rattle off some data but his knowledge made it a lot more interesting and fun. This will be a given stop on every trip to Napa!
We had a wonderful, private, and intimate tasting experience for the same price as other wineries with excellent wines. Our somm was very knowledgeable.
Our host Matthew was awesome!! He's so polite, knowledgeable, kind and really made it a special experience. The wine was amazing!!!
Our wine tasting was very pleasant and the host was personable, informative, and helpful.
Great wine tasting today. All their wines are exceptional.
My wife and I visited Lewis Cellars on a getaway trip. Lewis' Guest Relations Director David Gibson made us feel like we were family and shared the fascinating family history of this winery. We have been fond of this boutique winery for years. We learned about wine barrels, terroir, yeast, sulfates, tannins, block selection and management and reserve vintage designation methods. We appreciate this winery even more now after learning about their skilled mix of science and art and tasting their expertly crafted wines. Highly recommend.
Truly an amazing experience! The wine, the people, the story and David made this an unforgettable experience. David even helped us with recommendations and a last minute tasting appointment at another winery!! If you go to Napa, you have to try Lewis!! It was our favorite
Very impressed with Lewis Cellars! Of course this Winery caught the eye of my wife....her maiden name is Lewis, but had never drank any of the wines or know the story behind this Winery. Very interesting story of the founder Randy Lewis and his racing heritage and humble start to making wine in the Napa region. The Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon sources are very interesting and highly developed. There are some quality wines at this establishment. Check it out and make sure to make a reservation. My favorite was the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2015!
We had a private tasting performed by David. He shared the story of the Owners and how it all came together. Loved the Chardonnay but love love the Vin Gris, yes it's sold out but they had 2 bottles left. He opened one to see if I'd like it and of course I did. I highly recommend visiting this winery, it's a must.
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing flavor and knowledge... Fun and fabulous
We enjoyed a lovely afternoon today at what turned out to be a private tasting for my husband and I. David was wonderful with great stories and hospitality; spending more time with us that we ever expected. Definitely recommend this stop for a quaint, personal experience in Napa.
We arrived at Lewis Cellars on our last day for our last tasting. We were greeted outside and served a taste of their Sav. Blanc while we waited for the tasting to begin. There was a total of six of us for the tasting (two other couples and us). Unfortunately, while waiting outside, it turned into a very pretentious conversation between the other couples (us remaining silent). Basically, it was a "oh, we have a reservation for the French Laundry tomorrow, do you?!" and "Well, their Pinot is only $200 a bottle." etc. While, I would love to go to French Laundry and some Noirs at that price point are great...why are we having a pissing contest right now? Anyways, that's how the tasting started and it put us in a weird mood. The tasting did not include a tour or anything (which is fine), but included a history of Randy Lewis and his family - basically, he was a race car driver. Onto the tasting, we tasted a few of their wines - Reserve Chardonnay, Alec's Blend, Merlot, and Reserve Cabernet. The tasting did not include their well reviewed "normal" Cabernet. My notes for all of their wines indicate a ton of oak...on everything. The Chardonnay, very oaky...buttered popcorn. Alec's Blend, overpowered oak. Merlot, too much oak. Etc. - you get my point. I enjoy oak when it's used to balance and enhance wine flavors. Unfortunately, it can be used to cover up crappy wine. I'm not saying they did that...just too much oak that it's not balanced. I do not think that I finished any of my tasting pours. The tour ended sharply (awkwardly) when one of the couples leaving for another tasting and the host almost shooing us out. He indicated that he wasn't trying to rush us, but the damage/awkwardness was already there. We left without purchasing any wines (I do not think the other couples purchased anything either) The tastings are $65/person, which I think are expensive. They did not indicate that the fees would be refunded with a purchase - but we were so rushed out that I didn't ask (and honestly, the wine wasn't that great, but still "free" wine is still wine). We will not go to Lewis Cellars again. Our 2017 Napa/Sonoma trip included Hamel Family Wines, Viader, Schramsberg, Neyers, and Lewis Cellars. Check out my reviews of the others for some comparisons.
Good but I expected more. The story behind Randy Lewis is pretty cool. I enjoyed the tasting but it was not my favorite winery.
Let me start by saying that the wine is exquisite. Buy it.The host is a disappointment to say the least. He is the quintessential snooty, arrogant, "professional." We showed up for our appointment, on time, only to find out that he forgot to write it down on the schedule. When we showed up, he was perplexed and did not know how to handle his error. We provided him a confirmation email (FROM HIM) and he still struggled to find words. It took the 6 other people sitting in the tasting room to invite us in for him to admit his error and ask us to sit down. The struggle continued throughout the rest of the tasting.I have held this wine in high regard for 6 years. My opinion of wine has not changed, but my taste and appreciation for the brand overall has diminished to a degree that is regrettable due to the host they've selected.Having visited multiple other wineries, I can without a doubt encourage Lewis to FIND ANOTHER HOST!!! There are inferior wines with a superior experience that are taking your business.