Piazza Del Dotto Winery & Caves

This was the last winery we toured while in Napa and it did not disappoint! Upon entrance in their main building you’re greeted with friendly staff and served a glass of wine (which we ended up buying one of these bottles because it was so good) and were then paired up with two other couples (from NJ and IL) and our host, Simon. Simon made this tour exceptional! He was friendly, informative and most of all his personality is what made all 6 of wanting to spend the rest of the afternoon there chatting and having fun. The wines we tasted progressively got better and better. The caves were impressive and learning about the history was great. After the tour we sat down in their patio which was equally impressive with all the arches with vines growing throughout. It was absolutely beautiful! They served our group our pizza (which they asked what we would like before the tour) and some tater tots with dipping sauce. This food was icing on the cake after the wonderful tour with our outstanding host, Simon. Yep, we ended up having a few bottles shipped home as we loved this wine so much. Can’t wait for it to arrive. Highly recommend to tour this winery when in Napa!

Amazing venue, world class wine and top notch service! These are big cabernets so make it your final tasting of the day, otherwise tasting after Del Dotto will be disappointing as your pallet will be done. This Piazza location is one of the most expensive wineries in Napa with all the materials, scull, art coming from Italy. The wine barrels tasting is phenomenal. While most are cabernets they do have Zins. Pinots, and sangiovese but save your sobriety for the cabernets. If you’re lucky and on a tour with VIP members you’ll tasting their big cabs behind the curtain. Villa Delago is Pritchard Hill and known as the Beauty. Their Villa Delago tasting location is still under development. The Beast is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from all of their Estate Vineyard. The Beauty, Beast, 887, St Helena and the David are some of the best wines in Napa. Following the tasting you’ll enjoy pizza and salumi in the garden area. VIPs also get their famous tater tots. Overall, an amazing wine tasting experience. Del Dotto is an upper class winery with the widest range of cabernets (15 versions) ranging from $70 to $500. They have an excellent Zinfandel and pinots, bubbles and port. Construction is ongoing to the $350 million+ project with expansion to include more caves, balcony tasting, crush pad and fountains and bridge on the lake. While membership perks have diminished post-pandemic, the service and quality of the wine is world class. For your expectations, since the fires, the number of barrel tastings were reduced. At one point they literally didn't have any David to barrel taste. So while the tasting fees are high, it is Napa and you are walking on structures built by Italians artisans (saw them working) with stone and materials shipped from Italy. All the cabs are fantastic, big , bold, lots of structure and high alcohol. Make this your last stop otherwise you won't make stop 2 or 3. And the wines are so big you'll get palette fatigue anyways. The nickname for Del Dotto is Del Blotto. Everyone is always friendly and very knowledgeable. Oscar, Simon and Roseanne are my absolute favorite hosts! End our tour food is always awesome and if you're lucky you'll get the tomatoes. Do enjoy the garden if the weather is great and say hi to the chickens and peacocks. Spring time all the blooms are out and the garden is beautiful. We've done Barrels and Beast and that is such an amazing experience. We've also done the food pairing and everyone was matched perfectly. Food pairing is a one stop day event. People coming here complaining about the lake bridge not open or the construction and high tasting fee cost are coming here for instagram pictures not the wine. Piazza is a "must do" experience and you just might see Dave among the guests.

2 years later, ive returned with my husband for a birthday trip. I have to say it was a totally different experience. Although the wine was still amazing, the tour was so rushed and unrelaxing. We felt that the whole time we were on fast forward. I had to dump most of my wines or slam them back as if i was in a college frat party, so I did not miss out on the next barrel tasting. For the cost of the tour, you should at least be able to sip, savor and enjoy. Definitely not the experience I had the first time and Definitely Would choose another winery on our next return for a little more enhanced experience. Previously visited Vegne vineyard and they were personable, informative and non rushed. We ended up wine club members. Choose your experiences wisely, they determine if you will return.we visited 7 wineries during this trip, we became members at 4 of these, ordered from another, and we're currently members at the 6th one. Guess which winery we did not join? I've learned that it really matters who conducts your tour, and boy did we luck out with ROSANNE! She was an amazing host who shared her love of the piazzo, her knowledge and enthusiasm. This is the best wine I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The wine tapped from the barrels in the caves are utterly amazing. Once done with the barrel tastings, we were lead out to a stunning garden patio, where we enjoyed delectable pizza, Tater tots, and more wine! We were able to walk the grounds and experience the stunning gardens and statues. So unforgettable, unbelievably beautiful! If you have the opportunity to go here, do not pass this up! I will most definitely be back.

This was my first formal tasting visit to Del Dotto Piazza which is a mere 5 minutes from my home in Yountville. The property is beautiful with inviting gardens, a view of their Oakville Vineyard and their aviary is off the patio with peacock, chickens and turkeys. My tasting started with their Sparkling Rose' and some bread bites with Del Dotto Olive Oil. The Rose' was a lovely color, light and perfectly sweet. That was followed by a generous plate of tator tots with ketchup and aoili...Great because I was HUNGRY! Next was their Chardonnay which was a nicely balanced wine, not a butter bomb and just the right amount of oak. Highly recommended based on my opinion. I was then given a side-by-side of their 2021 Pinot Noir which was a great combo of light and refreshing with delightful acidity and mouth feel. The older 2016 was decidedly dry and while complex I would lay it down for another 5 years to appeal to my taste. I moved into their Merlot forward red blend which included Cabernet Savignon, Cabernet Franc, Verdot, Syrah, Malbec and the surprise of a touch of Grenache. This was a very easy to drink wine which would likely pair with almost anything. I then proceeded into Cab country with their '21 Cab Sav which is 80% Cab and was a nicely approachable Cab that is ready to drink now. Then came my absolute favorite Del Dotto creation, their 2021 Reserve...in a word...WOW!!! It presented complexity and simplicity in a single sip...90% Napa Valley Cab with 10% Howell Mtn. Merlot. I'll take a case...thank you very much. Finally I tried their 100% Oakville Cab and frankly while it was similar to the Reserve, I would choose the Reserve as the best value at Del Dotto. My recommendation...GO TO DEL DOTTO and note that they have great Napolitano Pizzas if you reserve the barrel tasting and cave tour. Cheers...Robert@Jessup Cellars

Had an excellent tour with Todd! He was knowledgeable and generous with the pours. The pizza and tater tots on the patio after the tour was a fantastic end. The wines were incredible and I would definitely recommend!