The beautiful tasting room at Hall winery in St. Helena
Last Wednesday we had the chance to tour and taste at Hall winery in St. Helena. Our previous visit to Hall was in November 2006. What dramatic changes since our last visit! In 2013, the Hall winery opened a new winery facility and hospitality center. The owners are Kathyrn Hall and Craig Hall, both successful in business, and Kathyrn once the United States Ambassador to Austria. In short, this dynamic duo have turned the winery they established in 2003 into a very popular tourist center and a state-of-the-art winery, churning out 125,000 cases a year. The winery is LEED certified and their estate vineyards are organically farmed. There are many attractions at the winery, and most evident is the Hall Family art collection and how it is displayed around the entire winery. Along Highway 29, one cannot miss the silver rabbit as it appears to be jumping out of the vineyards. In the Hall winery reception area, entry wine tasters are welcomed by a huge, brilliant quilted medallion. Just about everywhere you turn in the winery, you will find unusual works of art. This includes the barrel room, fermenting area, restrooms, hallways, and outdoor areas.
On the Hall estate is one of the several so-called Ghost Wineries that are found throughout the Napa Valley. This one is the Bergfeld Winery built in 1885. The Bergfeld structure has been completely restored by the Halls and is used for special events at the winery. It’s a beautiful structure and surely, in the after-midnight hours, one or two ghosts are likely to roam the old winery.
Upstairs is where the tasting room is located. The tasting room is very open and spacious. There is also a large deck where visitors can taste wine. The tasting room offers some very pretty views of the Hall Estate, including a great view of the Mayacamus Mountains to the west. There are many different taste and tour options for visitors beyond just a regular tasting of wines. A complete list of these options can be found on the Hall Winery Website. Hall makes many different wines; the server at our tasting mentioned “40 or so.” Only five of these wines are distributed, so the majority of the Hall wines are available only at the winery or to wine club members. Hall is open daily from 10am to 5:30pm and is located at 401 St. Helena Highway So. (Highway 29 just south of the town of St. Helena). Get there early in the day on weekends. It is a very popular spot among wine country travelers.