Artesa Winery is one of the most spectacular wineries you will ever visit. The views are magnificent and everything about this winery is elegant. The Codorniu Family, a Spanish wine company known for its Cava in Spain, owns the winery. The Family has spared no expense in building a very modern and impressive winery.
As you climb the stairs to the entrance of Artesa not only will you be treated to magnificent views of Carneros, but also to some wonderful sculptures by famed artist Gordon Hunter. The modern sculptures seem to complement the beauty of the Carneros vineyards below.
This is perhaps one of the busiest wineries in Carneros and Napa. It is no doubt a tourist attraction, luring big crowds throughout the week. It is a destination stop for many limousines and tour buses.
The tasting has two levels, $10 for the basic tasting and $15 for the premium wines. There is not much time to chat with the hosts, as they are all quite busy attending to the crowded tasting room. We had a coupon good for a free tasting at the $10 level.
For each wine we received a well-rehearsed spiel, describing the excellence of the wine. We like the more casual approach but that probably would not work with this many visitors. You can wander around the beautiful tasting room, sit at a table, or enjoy the view on the small terrace.
We enjoyed all the wines, but after having tasted the wines at Robledo shortly before, we have to say the Artesa wines don’t seem to have the same character and structure as the Robledo wines. Maybe it’s the “David versus Goliath” influence, but Robledo was more fun. We do, however, recommend a visit to Artesa; the total experience is well worth it.
The Good: The views, the architecture, the sculptures.
The Bad: The big crowds, especially on weekends.
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