Swanson Vineyards Review

Beautiful atmosphere. Great food pairings with our tasting. We respect that this was the first winery in the area to do food and wine pairings - kudos to you! Would definitely recommend visiting if you re in the Napa area.

We had a fantastic time tasting at Swanson. The grounds are gorgeous and wine is top notch. Sarah was great! Super knowledgeable and funny. Hope to visit again soon and will definitely ask for her again.

The highlight of our trip to Napa. Great tasting room decorated for the holidays. A tasting catered to what we liked. And Amy and James were so great and entertaining. Can t wait to return.

I recently applied to work at Swanson Vineyards, I received an email from the Tasting Room Manager Sarah Dennis to schedule an interview at 1pm on August 22nd, I waited for the phone call and after an hour I received an email saying she was sorry for not calling, she asked me if I was available the next day August 23rd at 12pm, I accepted and again waited for her to call and that never happened, this time not even an email or an apology.
Honestly very rude and disappointing.

Our tasting at Swanson was fantastic!! Our host, Nancy, was phenomenal!! She was informative & friendly & the wines were fantastic! Been to many of the best vineyards in Napa & this was one of the best!!!

A magical place, where you re greeeted immediately by name with a glass of rose! You feel like you ve discovered a hidden gem. Michel, the musician who sings Edith Piaf and plays the street organ, is incredible. Thank you for a beautiful introduction to Napa, Swanson!

Wonderful experience. Will returnas we became members. That great.

Swanson Vineyard was the 1st stop on our two day tour and they did not disappoint! Nancy took great care of up and their pairings were amazing! So much value for the price. The Nawlins theme and lush gardens were beautiful!

Nancy was incredible!!! A great and memorable experience with her. She was so personable and helpful. We became club members because of her!

On another note, the estate is beautiful. The garden and interior were specifically wonderful. We will be back for sure!

Pretty garden and knowledgeable host. Tasting fee is kind of expensive but the pours are generous and the wine is quite good. Sarah helped us out today and she was very sweet and accommodating. Definitely try the salon Chardonnay!

What a wonderful tasting and food pairing experience for me and the hubby! The grounds are beautiful with a New Orleans inspired styled salon room! We had an amazing time with Skip who was very knowledgeable and informative regarding the wines and family history - loved his storytelling! We enjoyed the entire experience and it was worth every dime - delectable wines with tasty bite sized food pairings. We had a hard time picking it favorite between the Rosato, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Salon Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Tardin! Everything has such a smooth finish and delicious taste... We decided on the Tardif since it was pleasantly sweet but not overly sweet.

I'd definitely recommend the Salon tasting and you'd be happy with Skip as your host! Thanks Swanson's for a delightful experience, we'll definitely be back!

Of the 3 wineries we had tastings at this was my favorite! Nancy was such a fun host for our wine and food pairing. The wine was delicious and fun to learn about and the vineyard was so beautiful!

Amazing experience and beautiful place to sit and relax. Eric was great hosting us for the Salon Tasting. Will come back again.

One of our favorite experiences In the valley Every year. Thank you.

Boutique winery, very quiet by appointment only. Serving in outside New Orleans's style garden. $40 was a little pricey for a wine flight tasting. Wines by the glass much more reasonable.

Swanson vineyards/tasting room was amazing! Nancy was an absolute delight ! She was so knowledgeable, fun and really made the entire experience enjoyable ! The food pairing was delicious and different from most Napa wineries since it added a southern flare of New Orleans. Fun fact: it was designed by Kate and Andy spade and has a cool details such as a circus tent as wall paper. Definitely recommend it as a trip must!

*The Angelica desert wine is out of this world*

I love Swanson wine! There is not one that I haven t enjoyed. Sarah at Swanson is exceptional at explaining the differences between varietals, and gave my husband an I wonderful suggestions. Thank you Swanson and thank you Sarah!

Swanson is so cute! The wines are fantastic and Sarah was so welcoming. Perfect place to relax in the garden, even with a 9 week old!

We loved our tasting experience! Sarah set us up with a beautiful view of the vineyards and delicious food pairings with the tasting. I can't wait to come back.

Had an amazing experience with walkin. Our host was extremely knowledgeable about the history and we had a great time!

Loved my visit to Swanson Vineyards! Sarah D. was incredibly knowledgeable and took us on an amazing journey in the salon. The food pairings were exquisite and the staff was delightful. I truly enjoyed our visit and will definitely come again! Many thanks to Sarah for her Napa Valley knowledge and recommendations.

Our group of 6 enjoyed our visit to Swanson's.
The wines were very good and the foodie bites were delicious!
Nancy was a very knowledgeable and personable guide who took time to engage with each of our group. Thanks Nancy!

This was a pretty disappointing experience. For $40, the tasting promised chocolate and wine. We got about 3 tastings and an extremely dry "chocolate" macaroon. Lame.

Exquisite wines. Be sure to try the salon experience, worth every penny!

Roy gave us a great history of the winery and Napa in general. The setting was beautiful The wine was delicious.

Swanson is a great find! We love the tasting room, we love the wine, and best of all we love seeing Sarah when we come to visit! The service is second to none. I only wish they accepted walk-ins!

Swanson is absolutely WONDERFUL! 5 stars for the wine, ambiance, food and our host, Sarah. The Sip Shoppe is adorable and highly recommend the space for a unique experience compared to other places in the Valley. We had a full tasting which was paired with fabulous small bites! Sarah was extremely knowledgable and patient She had a smile on her face the whole time and answered all of our questions and providing in-depth detail about each wine. Highly recommend Swanson for fantastic red wines, ambiance and service. Thank you!!

Upon arrival, I am reminded of a small village home in France. The garden is vibrant with seasonal flowers and if you look closer, there are some hidden vegetables as well. Now let s get to the wine! Swanson features an excellent representation of almost every varietal with my favorite being the Face Cabernet Sauvignon. The warm hospitality here makes me feel like a welcomed guest rather than privileged to be allowed through their gate. I felt very safe with the spacious outdoor seating and am looking forward to returning for the next wine club event included with my new membership!

We had a great wine tasting with an excellent setting! The staff was informed and expressed all the wine nuances extremely well! We all enjoyed the experience and would be happy to return for another tasting!

Amazing venue with secluded feeling. Outstanding wines paired with a perfect location. Relaxing at its best

Personal, private and excellent wine and bites experience. We joined the club and bought wine to ship home. Highly recommended.

My wife and I had a lovely late-morning private tasting at Swanson. Our host was attentive, but not overbearing, informing of us of each wine and then providing plenty of time to sip our wine and relax. The garden was well shaded and produced a comfortable atmosphere to start our day in Napa.

We had a very nice experience at Swanson, with the Salon Tasting. Interesting pairing with the bites and the 5 wines. Not average bites. Caviar, creme' fresh, bresola, caponata and several others. The most fun was the carrot panna cotta.
Different tasting room, French influences with a lovely Rose'

My best friend and I went to Swanson for my birthday in April. Sarah took care of us and we had the best time, felt like we got the celebrity treatment! We will definitely be back to Swanson!

We had a great afternoon tasting at Swanson with Sarah! She was a knowledgable and fun host and we will definitely be back for a second visit.

Swanson is a slice of heaven in the valley. I had a great tasting hosted by Sarah. She went above and beyond giving us one of the most specialized tastings I ve had. Amazing wines, great atmosphere and extremely friendly staff.

The location completely took us by surprise. We pulled up and thought we were on a movie set. Birds chirping, sun shining gently through shaded trees. The host was knowledgeable and entertaining. He's definitely one who helps keep Napa's reputation. And the wines were wonderful. Swanson totally made our wine country weekend, enough that we became members. Can't wait to get our first case and visit again.

Great wine and delicious food pairings. Sarah is a knowledgeable and delightful host.

Outdoor tasting with Danielle. Good experience and ambiance. They allow dogs and the wines were tasty. Especially enjoyed the merlot and the blend. Highly recommended. Just off route 29 quiet and serene.

Phenomenal wines, beautiful atmosphere, excellent tasting experience! Swanson Vineyards was so completely unassuming and perfectly refreshing. Out of the 9 vineyards we visited during our trip, Swanson had the most memorable wines, so much so we joined their wine club. Don't miss this vineyard!

Stellar property. Great unique tasting room. There wasn't a wine we didn't like!! And the food pairings were incredible.
Nancy and Sarah are the best.
Perfect Napa experience!

Fantastic and personal experience. James, our host for our experience, was knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining. We had a lovely time at their Sip Store and tasted some exceptional and innovative wines. Recommended it to any wine enthusiast.

We have been a member here on and off for the past three years (cancelled membership while I was pregnant). Love the wines and the cozy ambiance at the winery. Mostly, its the people and warm service. We haven't been back since last November, and this time was welcome by Tess. She is mostly warm, but she did mentioned about receiving tip at the other place she worked at before. I am not sure why she mentioned that but I didn't appreciate hearing it. Other than that, its great. I miss the previous people though.

Sarah was such a great host! We started off our girls trip with a Salon tasting and had an amazing time. The food pairings were delicious and we loved getting to try some of Swanson s more exclusive wines. Can t wait for our next trip!! Thank you, Sarah!

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful time at Swanson Vineyards. Danielle was so nice and knowledgeable and the wine was some of the best we had in Napa. We cant wait to be back!!

This was my first time to Swanson Vineyards and I'll definitely be back soon! The experience was absolutely delightful the service was excellent - Sarah was extremely knowledgeable about all the wines. My favorites were the Alexis and the Merlot, but the Rose is perfect for summer! Will definitely recommend this winery to my friends!

James was great, good conversation and laid back approach. Thoroughly explained the process and enjoyed listening to him nerd out about wine.
Very good wine as well!!!

Born and raised in Pittsburgh in the 50's, I was raised on "Jumbo" ( Pittsburghese term for bologna) on "chipped ham" (lower grade ham originally sold in Isaly's stores and chipped to very thin pieces who also sold the Klondike bar) and finally Swanson TV dinners. Swanson dinners were a mainstay back then & Carl Swanson from Sweden before moving to Omaha, had a revolutionary frozen food item. Too young to drink any wine and the "Burgh" was only known for Irom City Beer, I could never have imagined my roots would take me to running frozen food companies, exploring wineries in many countries as a hobby and recently just taking it all in at Swanson Vineyards. Amazing the full circle we can go on this wonderful journey called LIFE.

You probably already know most of the history about Swanson since W. Clarke Swanson, Jr. purchased the 100 acre property on Oak Knoll Rd. in 1985. What he & the rest of the family has done since then that makes them true trailblazers and visionaries for the crafting of the wines, the Interaction with the guests, grape varieties used and ingenious ways that they market, perfext planning, so here goes my brief tour from Vino Geno's perspective.

When I arrived by myself for my scheduled appointment I was met by my Salonnier, Sarah Dennis, yes a Salonnier who is the Keeper of the Salon. Very cool.

I just relaxed a bit outside in the very comfortable and shade filled area and had my first vino, a smooth '15 chard. That set the tone but wanted to move on from there. Swanson has focused on some core wines, most notably the trend setter merlot, the pinot grigio and the Alexis cab. Few know nor have enjoyed the bevy of other offerings here such a petit sirah, semillon, late harvest chard and a jacked up Petit Sirah.
Sarah was always available, gave me space and interacted when she felt I wanted to talk with her. Great Salonnier/ first one I ever met!
The property sits in the prized region of Napa with it's amazing DIRT. This property was among the first to design by appointment only but have taken it a few steps further with the other family members now contributing. The daughter, Alexis, launched the tasting salon and then the Sip Shoppe, almost 20 years ago. The Sip Shoppe is often referred to as the "CANDY store for adults". One gets the library vintages and a unique tasting menu. You have to check this out. Wines are poured in mini Riedel Os. Other gift ideas are there as well. If you are getting married the gift for you is there but I will not reveal it.

Sorry about the sidebar. But Swanson Winery has some incredible neighbors so it must be special. Not bad when your neighbors include Opus One, Caymus, Cakebread, Silver Oak, Plumpjack and Groth. Great company. Also phenomenal team members have worked at Swanson as well. It all started with a famous winemaker by the name of Andre Tchelistcheff and ramped up ever since with a tremendous list of winemakers over last 30+ years.

This brand knows how to market to their visitors and club members. Clarke focused on merlot and not cabernet sauvignon, and the complex and list of offerings is interesting. Easy to read up on all of these but just go and visit and snag a great Salonnier when you get there. It is easy to do but watch out guys as the women will want so many of the goodies they have there. But they are worth it. For me, I will savor the pour and the people I meet on this journey. I have a speccal list of Swanson wines, craft your own list, but I no longer crave Swnason TV dinners. Start with the bon vivant tasting & go from there with the chocolate later. OK, my choice is the Face Cabernet Vertical set of '08, '09 and '10, and throw in a bottle of 2012 Alexis cab, and while you are getting those also a 2013 merlot!

On my Napa Valley tour, Swanson offered the best tasting experience as well as delectable wive offerings. The Salon Merlot and Chardonnay are absolute winners along with Angelica, a smooth dessert wine with the nose of a Madiera and a caramel finish. Kryztoph and Skip provided an exceptional experience and were immediately welcoming and hospitable.

We enjoyed our wine and food pairing appointment with Sarah. Our favorite wine was the salon Cabernet Sauvignon. The chocolate macaroon pairing was exquisite. We had a great visit with our fellow tasters and Sarah was knowledable, friendly and fun. Highly recommend.