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Del Dotto Estate Vineyard Winery & Caves
Acreage
437 acres with 121 acres planted
Micro-Climate
-Rutherford Estate-Vineyard 887-Howell Mountain-St. Helena Mountain-Sonoma Coast Cinghiale-Spring Mountain-Oakville-Villa del Lago
Soil-Type
Mattapeake Silt Loam 2-5% Slope; Water Table > 6 ft.
Planted
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese.
Growing Protocol
Each vineyard is organically farmed, with no sprays or chemical fertilizers in use, and all weeding performed by hand. The plants are meticulously tended by professional vineyard workers.
The Del Dotto family traces its heritage back to a tradition of family winemaking that began in Venice, Italy, in the 1400s. After purchasing the property in St. Helena, CA, the Del Dotto family built a Venetian-style estate building that features marble floors, fresco paintings, gold inlay, chandeliers, and other elements of a Venetian-style palace. Not many wineries can boast of having four wineries within the Napa Valley area: the original historic winery on Atlas Peak Road (near the city of Napa), Villa del Lago on Pritchard Hill (the old Girard Winery), their property (in Rutherford) and Del Dotto opened a 4th winery (Piazza del Dotto Winery & Caves) in Oakville just north of Yountville on the East side of Highway 29 in September 2017.
History and Overview
Del Dotto Vineyards is a family-owned winery which focuses on small production, premium wines. Real estate and TV infomercial man, now Napa winery mogul, Dave Del Dotto is the brains behind this “palace”. He traces his ancestral roots to the early 1100’s in Venice, Italy. As a result his heritage plays a big part in the style of his wineries as well as the actual wine making. Between 1998 and 1990, Dave and Yolando Del Dotto relocated from Kona, Hawaii, to Napa Valley, California. Working at the time as a wine buyer, Dave Del Dotto stumbled upon a 17-acre Rutherford vineyard for sale, which the family decided to purchase and then restored the winery to age their red wines in the caves.
This winery is everything a classic Italian villa should be from the ancient gnarled olive trees in front to the marble facade on the outside of the building to the gorgeous 1 ton marble columns inside. In addition, check out the colorful and ornate tile work, the Venetian chandeliers, the ancient mosaic marble floors, and a beautiful bright orange onyx window upstairs. It took several years to build this masterpiece. Italian stone masons were brought over to build the intricate brick ceilings as well as to work on the detailed floor tile designs. (The property also contained a 1912 Frank Lloyd Wright Craftsman-style home.)
Since that time, Dave Del Dotto has acquired several other vineyards throughout the region within some of the premiere American Viticultural Areas (AWAs). These include properties in Rutherford, St. Helena, Oakville, Howell Mountain, and on the Sonoma Coast at Fort-Ross Seaview. The Del Dotto family currently owns and operates the Historic Del Dotto Winery & Caves in Napa, the Del Dotto Venetian Estate Winery & Caves in St. Helena, and the Piazza Del Dotto in Napa.
The Del Dotto Venetian Estate Winery features a grand building created in the style of a Venetian palace, with marble floors, gold inlay, Venetian chandeliers, and mosaic tiles that tell the history of winemaking. This estate house was built by Italian stonemasons. It features floor to ceiling frescos by an acclaimed Italian artist. At this location, guided tours of the wine caves reveal details about the family's history of winemaking. Food pairings are offered, which celebrate the Del Dotto's own olive oil produced from old olive trees on the property. These food pairings feature Italian salami and other cured meats, vegetables harvested fresh from the garden on the property, and handcrafted ravioli based on an old family recipe.
Dave Del Dotto has spent the last 20 years acquiring vineyards in some of the top American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) including Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, and Sonoma Coast. Currently, we produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc from our Napa Valley vineyards. Also in production are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and limited amounts of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc from our Cinghiale Vineyard in the King’s Ridge region on the Sonoma Coast.
In just a few years, Del Dotto has become one of Napa Valley’s most sought after destinations! They were the first winery to bottle wines directly out of individual barrels, and continue to offer visitors the opportunity to experience the varied flavor nuances oak can provide to a premium wine. Del Dotto continues to experiment with both ancient and modern winemaking techniques to attain our ultimate goal: Making great wine to bring family and friends together to enjoy life
In just a few years, Del Dotto has become one of Napa Valley’s most sought after destinations! They were the first winery to bottle wines directly out of individual barrels, and continue to offer visitors the opportunity to experience the varied flavor nuances oak can provide to a premium wine. Del Dotto continues to experiment with both ancient and modern winemaking techniques to attain our ultimate goal: Making great wine to bring family and friends together to enjoy life
In 1999, the Del Dotto family opened up their historic cave to the public. (Hand dug in 1885 by Chinese immigrants. Originally built as a winery and later became the Hedgeside Distillery.) Dave’s goal was to host extensive barrel-tasting tours to help educate wine lovers about the effects of different types of oak on barrel-aged wines. Del Dotto Vineyards has been experimenting with over 50 different barrel types from various cooperages around the world. These cooperages can be found in France, USA, Russia, Hungary, and Italy.
The New Venetian Style Estate caves were built with stone, marble and terracotta from Italy completed in 2007 on the property in St Helena. It pays homage to the family’s Venetian heritage dating back to 1150.The new caves are lined with Italian marble and ancient tiles depicting the history of wine. Complete with Venetian crystal chandeliers, mosaic marble floors, and hand-painted gold-inlaid ceilings, this new tasting facility is one of the most beautiful in the world. It elevates wine to its rightful position as a truly sacred beverage.
Piazza Del Dotto, begins with an Italian-inspired “barchessa,” or barn, surrounded by 8.5 acres of cabernet sauvignon, vegetable gardens, 17th century fountains and an outdoor barn with turkeys, peacocks, pheasants and chickens. The wine and food pairings are at the heart of Piazza Del Dotto, embodying our philosophy that wine tasting should be a complete sensory experience.
From the vineyards that it owns in Napa Valley, the Del Dotto family produces cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese, and sauvignon blanc. In addition, the Del Dottos produce chardonnay and pinot noir, as well as small batches of syrah, sauvignon blanc, sparkling grenache, and mourvedre from the grapes at its Cinghiale Vineyard, located in the King Ridge region of the Sonoma coast. (The Italian word, "Cinghiale," means "wild boar" in Italian. Wild boars have been spotted on family's Sonoma-area vineyard similar to how these animals are often seen in the agricultural regions of Italy).
Sources Include:
Hughes, Jenevieve . "Del Dotto Venetian Estate Winery & Caves." Clio: Your Guide to History. https://www.theclio.com/entry/103623
https://napavalley.wine/makers/wineries/Del_Dotto_Vineyards
Typical Estate Tour Experience
No expense has been spared on the construction and furnishing of this winery. As you look at the main winery building from the parking lot it appears to be quite low to the ground – however as you walk towards the building you will see that most of the building is set into the ground so the inside two stories are actually quite spacious. This is the only Napa winery that we know of and have visited that has a cave built right into the valley floor. Almost without exception, winery caves are built into hillsides. Del Dotto came up with some unique engineering to construct this cave. Vines are planted on top of the cave – and from the outside of the winery you have no idea there is a cave on site.
As with tour groups at their winery on Atlas Peak Road near the city of Napa, small groups of people simultaneously take tours with individual tour guides. The tour is approximately 90 minutes (sometimes guests spend up spending 2+ hours here) and for most of it, you walk through the very historical caves which were hand dug in 1885 – among the oldest caves in all of the Napa Valley and among just a handful of hand-dug caves and includes stops at hand painted murals built into the walls which correspond to historical wine making events.. (For reference the other pre 1900 hand-dug caves in the Napa Valley including at Beringer Vineyards, El Molino, Schramsberg, Stags’ Leap Winery and Storybook Mountain.) Visitors wander around following the host from one wine barrel to the next sampling wine. Each barrel that one tastes has laminated cards in front describing the wine – if you like the wine from a particular barrel and are OK with the price take the card with you. That is the core of the tour. Because of this focus, one will taste plenty of wine here – if you like a particular wine, you can even request another taste (the correct terminology is ‘revisit’). Each barrel that one tastes has laminated cards in front describing the wine – if you like the wine from a particular barrel and are OK with the price take the card with you.
A VIP room and several alcoves near the end of the cave contain some of their most sought after wines including the Villa del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon and ‘the Beast”, a proprietary red blend made from grapes from their multiple vineyard sources. Their 2012 vintage of this wine earned a perfect 100 score rating from prominent wine critic, Robert Parker Jr.
Also of note are their two Salumi rooms (very unusual for Napa wineries) – both are located at the end of the cave and contained a number of curing meats used by their culinary team.
As with tour groups at their winery on Atlas Peak Road near the city of Napa, small groups of people simultaneously take tours with individual tour guides. The tour is approximately 90 minutes (sometimes guests spend up spending 2+ hours here) and for most of it, you walk through the very historical caves which were hand dug in 1885 – among the oldest caves in all of the Napa Valley and among just a handful of hand-dug caves and includes stops at hand painted murals built into the walls which correspond to historical wine making events.. (For reference the other pre 1900 hand-dug caves in the Napa Valley including at Beringer Vineyards, El Molino, Schramsberg, Stags’ Leap Winery and Storybook Mountain.) Visitors wander around following the host from one wine barrel to the next sampling wine. Each barrel that one tastes has laminated cards in front describing the wine – if you like the wine from a particular barrel and are OK with the price take the card with you. That is the core of the tour. Because of this focus, one will taste plenty of wine here – if you like a particular wine, you can even request another taste (the correct terminology is ‘revisit’). Each barrel that one tastes has laminated cards in front describing the wine – if you like the wine from a particular barrel and are OK with the price take the card with you.
A VIP room and several alcoves near the end of the cave contain some of their most sought after wines including the Villa del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon and ‘the Beast”, a proprietary red blend made from grapes from their multiple vineyard sources. Their 2012 vintage of this wine earned a perfect 100 score rating from prominent wine critic, Robert Parker Jr.
Also of note are their two Salumi rooms (very unusual for Napa wineries) – both are located at the end of the cave and contained a number of curing meats used by their culinary team.
Del Dotto Vineyards has three locations Open to the Public.
- The Old Historic caves located at 1055 Atlas Peak Road in Napa
- Venetian style Estate caves in St. Helena located at 1445 St. Helena Highway
- Tuscan style winery Piazza located at 7466 St. Helena --Highway (across from Mustards).
Hours: 7 Days a week by appointment only, 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
Phone Number: (707) 963-2134 - To learn more about each location, please visit our website at www.deldottovineyards.com.
Hours: 7 Days a week by appointment only, 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
Phone Number: (707) 963-2134 - To learn more about each location, please visit our website at www.deldottovineyards.com.
Their Wines
These are high octane wines, often harvested riper resulting in higher alcohol, with plenty of flavor and youthful energy. With that said, they are seriously and carefully made. The highlights of the wines I have tasted here over the years are their Cabernet Sauvignon and various red blends. Also their Cabernet Franc is intriguing based on its style – its difficult to find robust and showy Napa Valley grown and produced Cabernet Franc. It is typically used as a blending varietal and more elegant in style. In addition they offer several different dessert wines (only one is included for tasting on the tour). Del Dotto understands the importance of having top brandy fortified in their dessert wine. One of Napa’s best “port houses” is “behind” the brandy which contributes to the high quality of these port-style wines.
They were probably the only winery in the valley to offer such a large variety of wine choices to consumers.
Del Dotto began their operations as a small producer, however as they have acquired vineyard land in both the Napa Valley and in Sonoma County as well as opened additional wineries, their production has certainly grown. And the number of wines produced has also significantly grown including more recently, sparkling wines. The number of wines created by a variety of different wine making methods is probably the single most key factor that separates Del Dotto from every other commercial wine producer in Napa. They produce approximately 20,000 cases of wine per year across all three of their wineries. Del Dotto is probably the Napa Valley’s number one producer as far as making the largest number of different styled Cabernet Sauvignons. They make approximately 35 different types of Cabernet’s with many very small lots, i.e. often 50 cases or so. As a result this is an excellent opportunity to see how various types of aging can really change the characteristics, aromas and flavors of a wine. Your guide will provide samples of the “same wine” but in different types of oak. The nuances are pronounced and noticeable. Any oak used for aging is 100% new, either American or French – they use only organically grown fruit and it is always hand picked and hand sorted. In addition only free run juice is used (the highest quality juice) that comes before pressing.
Del Dotto makes such a variety of wine that it is truly consumer oriented and with their diversity of product they have wine for most every taste. The DelDotto philosophy is that consumers are the king or queen; therefore at Del Dotto you can mix and match purchases from what seems like an almost limitless number of choices! Suggested Wines Del Dotto also owns a 359 acre ranch called Cinghiale in neighboring Sonoma County. The vineyard is located on the Sonoma Coast not far from the ocean. As a result this is completely different growing climate than where there location here. Their coastal vineyard is cooler, foggy (often moist during certain times of the year) and contains different soil types. That property is planted to some 40+ acres of grapes including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Sauvignon blanc. The 2014 Del Dotto Pinot Noir rosé was sourced from their Sonoma Coast vineyard; it shows notes of fresh strawberry with a flinty minerality and as it opens notes of lime show on the bouquet. There is a pleasing creaminess on the front and middle of the palate. The extended and weighty finish is noticeable and somewhat rare for a wine of this style.
The 2014 Del Dotto Sauvignon Blanc was also sourced from their Sonoma Coast vineyard; it shows notes of red apple and pear on the bouquet – as it continues to open the bouquet becomes much more tropical in nature with pleasing aromas of lychee revealed. The palate shows a wide depth of flavor – is rounded and has notes of citrus flavor. It is clean, crisp and very well balanced for such a young wine (at the time of tasting).
Del Dotto began their operations as a small producer, however as they have acquired vineyard land in both the Napa Valley and in Sonoma County as well as opened additional wineries, their production has certainly grown. And the number of wines produced has also significantly grown including more recently, sparkling wines. The number of wines created by a variety of different wine making methods is probably the single most key factor that separates Del Dotto from every other commercial wine producer in Napa. They produce approximately 20,000 cases of wine per year across all three of their wineries. Del Dotto is probably the Napa Valley’s number one producer as far as making the largest number of different styled Cabernet Sauvignons. They make approximately 35 different types of Cabernet’s with many very small lots, i.e. often 50 cases or so. As a result this is an excellent opportunity to see how various types of aging can really change the characteristics, aromas and flavors of a wine. Your guide will provide samples of the “same wine” but in different types of oak. The nuances are pronounced and noticeable. Any oak used for aging is 100% new, either American or French – they use only organically grown fruit and it is always hand picked and hand sorted. In addition only free run juice is used (the highest quality juice) that comes before pressing.
Del Dotto makes such a variety of wine that it is truly consumer oriented and with their diversity of product they have wine for most every taste. The DelDotto philosophy is that consumers are the king or queen; therefore at Del Dotto you can mix and match purchases from what seems like an almost limitless number of choices! Suggested Wines Del Dotto also owns a 359 acre ranch called Cinghiale in neighboring Sonoma County. The vineyard is located on the Sonoma Coast not far from the ocean. As a result this is completely different growing climate than where there location here. Their coastal vineyard is cooler, foggy (often moist during certain times of the year) and contains different soil types. That property is planted to some 40+ acres of grapes including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Sauvignon blanc. The 2014 Del Dotto Pinot Noir rosé was sourced from their Sonoma Coast vineyard; it shows notes of fresh strawberry with a flinty minerality and as it opens notes of lime show on the bouquet. There is a pleasing creaminess on the front and middle of the palate. The extended and weighty finish is noticeable and somewhat rare for a wine of this style.
The 2014 Del Dotto Sauvignon Blanc was also sourced from their Sonoma Coast vineyard; it shows notes of red apple and pear on the bouquet – as it continues to open the bouquet becomes much more tropical in nature with pleasing aromas of lychee revealed. The palate shows a wide depth of flavor – is rounded and has notes of citrus flavor. It is clean, crisp and very well balanced for such a young wine (at the time of tasting).