During this latest trip to the California wine country, we had the pleasure of staying at Graeser winery, which is up on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga. Richard Graeser, owner of Graeser winery, and his partner Rebecca Ahl, have a beautiful guest cottage, which I was lucky enough to secure for two nights at a charity auction event.

Aside from the opportunity to capture some great shots of their vineyard, Lisa and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to meet Richard and Rebecca and share their company while sampling their terrific wines. As guests of their cottage, we had to do our part in running the winery and that included finishing all the half empty bottles that remained after the tasting room closed its doors for the day. Running a winery is tough work indeed. We also had the opportunity to enjoy some of Napa’s finest dining with Richard and Rebecca, including Cindy Pawlcyn’s newest restaurant, Go Fish, which is not to be missed.

If you find yourself in Napa, anywhere near the Calistoga area, you should definitely go out of your way to visit Graeser. There are few remaining Napa wineries where you can stand across the tasting bar and enjoy a well crafted wine in the company of the owner and winemaker himself. Graeser is one of those rare gems.