It was my first time tasting wine out of a French & American oak barrel in a cave and the experience was phenomenal. Thomas, our guide/sommelier, made it fun and he’s so charismatic. The fresh-in-house pizza that they served at the end of the tour was yummy. The whole staff and venue was outstanding. The tour and cost of the wine was worth it.
Jeff, the wine educator, was super. We learned a lot about wine barrels and tasted many different wines out of the barrel.
Decent tour and the wines were good. Compared to some of the other wineries in the area, it was okay. If you're looking for a lot of sampling, this is your tour. They're not shy about offering a little more, but it felt too much like a sales tactic to get you to buy their expensive bottles. The cave was cool and was the highlight of the visit. You get to taste a lot out of the barrel, but I wish you could compare the barrel to the bottle for a better experience. Your tour also includes a pizza in the middle of the tasting, which throws off your palette. For the price of the tour, I'd look elsewhere first.Also, the tour guide did not wear a mask and the entire tour was indoors. As soon as you have a glass you're encouraged to remove your mask.
I live in the Bay Area and travel to Napa at least 2-3x a month. I decided to make reservations for the cave tour at Del Dotto wines to celebrate my birthday and sadly my experience was the worst experience I have ever had in Napa. I left this winery feeling as if people of color are not welcome here.What made this experience the worst was my tour guide Thomas. Thomas was extremely rude and unprofessional from the moment I met him. When my friend and I arrived, my friend was taking my photo at the entrance, as again it was my birthday, when her and I were rudely interrupted by Thomas. Thomas opened the entrance door, raised his voice at us and told us that we needed to get inside. He proceeded to insult me by telling me how much the tasting cost even though everything was prepaid. I didn’t appreciate being yelled at and spoken down to, but I didn’t want to create any trouble so I looked past it, and shot him a smile. As I walked towards Thomas, I continued to smile, introduced myself to him and asked him his name. He completely dismissed me, rolled his eyes, and told me to have the woman at the counter help me. From those first initial moments, I instantly regretted coming here to celebrate my birthday. I was so uncomfortable from Thomas’ rudeness that I even asked the woman at the counter if we could change our tour guide and sadly, Thomas was the only person available. After we checked in, we ended up waiting an additional 15 minutes to start the tour since one of the people who was on the tour was finishing up a phone call. I can’t help but feel that Thomas’ attitude towards my friend and I was racially motivated as Thomas did not rush the other couple or interact with them with the same negative energy that he gave my friend and I when we were taking photos. During our tour, my friend and I felt unwelcome the entire time. Thomas seemed to be on edge throughout as he barked orders at us and even yelled “come on! We have to go!” I understand that Thomas may run a strict schedule with all of the tours but there is a way to professionally & respectfully communicate to your guests. Additionally, as we went through several tastings, I noticed that Thomas joined us in tasting every wine. In all my experience wine tasting I have never had a tour guide drink with their guests. And maybe his lack of sobriety explains his odd and erratic behavior. Throughout the tour, he bragged about being the most sought after sommelier in the area. Thomas might know wine, but he lacks people skills and professionalism. At the end of the tour, Thomas never directed my friend and I on where to purchase the wine we enjoyed. Honestly, I don’t think I will ever return to Del Dotto and I regret not cancelling the tour from the start. There are several dozen other wineries with better customer service that you can visit in Napa - Del Dotto wines is not one of them
Been here 2 times. It was beyond the best experience among all the tastings we had. We bought a bottle for our 20 year anniversary. Also most 10 years later we cracked open the bottle with a $1300 value. We paid significantly less. This is defiantly a great experience that is all worth the money.PS. you get to taste more wines than advertised….
I think I have read every T/A review posted for this winery, and I must say that most of the one and 2 star reviews are just plain snarky. Complaints vary from "overpriced", to "uninformative", to "oppressive music", to "vaudeville interior". To all of which I respectively say: rubbish ! Some evidently think that Del Dotto is overpriced when they charge $60 bucks and not only give you a lengthy tour and pleasant post-tasting experience, but also pour about $80 to $100 of wine at retail value for each person who chooses to try every offering. Contrast that with the numerous Napa wineries that charge anywhere from $25 to $50 per person, and offer nothing beyond the wines they sell through their distribution chain to super-markets. A typical Del Dotto tour will offer up at least three or four tastings of wines rated 93 to 100 by Robert Parker, of which they have produced three dozen over the last ten vintages. And that's the wine they pour for you! No supermarket junk at Del Dotto. As to the music and the interior, I forgive those who have never been to Venice, but Del Dotto is the real deal. It may not be your schtick, but it is more genuine than all of the ersatz designer crap dished out by most wineries. And the music? Well, Del Dotto loves opera, and maybe you don't. But I'd pay just to spend time in the Del Dotto caves listening to Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart while enjoying the fruit of the vines, and the work of human hands. I am delighted that there are some who have posted their dislike for the Del Dotto experience. It makes it maybe a little easier for me to get a reservation. I live in Napa, I have been to almost all of the better wineries, and in my opinion there is no place as enjoyable for me, and as good a value for anyone, as Del Dotto. Note that there are 3 Del Dotto locations to visit, and the reviewers are not specific as to which they have visited. The original stone cave on Atlas Peak is the least commercial of the three, as it is probably the oldest stone cave in Napa. The Estate winery in St. Helena is Venetian overdrive, and a sensory delight. Maybe ten thousand dollars of Murano chandeliers offends you, but not me! And Piazza Del Dotto has the most spectacular caves imaginable, and fabulous formal Italian garden settings for outdoor tastings. What a sensory treat!
This is an experience for wine tasting. What makes it different is that not only is the wine Devine, they serve food to compliment the experience as well. The pizza was amazing and tomatoes and mozzarella cheese was spectacular, It is a beautiful outdoor area and a fabulous experience! Jonathon was great! A must see in Napa!
Not only is Del Dotto stunning, and the wine delicious, but the service from start to finish was excellent! Jonathan took us through all of the wines and even adjusted the last two tastes based on our preferences. It was a wonderful experience - definitely recommend!
We SO miss going to the Del Dotto wineries as their 3 locations are some of THE best experiences in Napa & even anywhere in the world. The location, design, tastings, staff, foods, experiences, dinners, everything are just perfect. We NEVER had a bad experience and we have brought quite a few friends, partners there from all over the country and a couple other countries and everyone loved it. We can't wait to get back to normal in CA so we can go back and enjoy some amazing tastings. Mille Grazie, see you all very soon, be safe.
I loved this winery. It was beautiful and the customer service was exceptional. I went in July 2019 and can honestly say that the wines were great and Jennifer did great with telling me everything there was to know about the wines and helped my husband and I get around Napa since it was our first time out there. I definitely want to go back and check out their other wineries. This place is a must stop.