Del Dotto, a family that embraces its Italian heritage, offers an eccentric wine-tasting experience. Our tasting took place in their man-made cave, which felt prestigious and secretive because of their no photos allowed policy! This added an intriguing layer to the wine-tasting experience. Each glass was poured straight from the barrel, bringing an exciting flair to the visit.
Del Dotto stands out in Napa for the beautiful but not too over the top setting. It truly makes you feel as though you have stepped into a small slice of Italy. The specially crafted caves where the barrel tour takes place were not at all what I was expecting upon hearing the word "cave." Imagine a beautiful marbled and chilly space built into a mountainside, with Italian opera music quietly echoing throughout the space as you swirl your sixth sample of wine.
There is a term I learned after going and was asked about- "Did you get 'Del Dotto'd?" Having no need for context clues, I had to laugh. It seems that most everyone that ventures into the illustrious caves of Del Dotto finds themselves having quite a bit more bounce in their step when they exit. The sheer number of barrels is overwhelming, but you're not there to try every single barrel. I believe there were at least seven barrels we tasted from, with dump buckets nearby and plenty of water stations. The samples were on the smaller side, yet so delicious. You learn so much about how the barrels play a large part in how the wine tastes and how wood from France ages and tastes differently from American wood, for example.
From this experience, I feel that I learned significantly more about the process of how wine comes to taste the way it does rather than learning about each individual note of blackberries, for example, that is hidden in each sip. This was a different type of tasting for sure yet I feel more confident in my knowledge of wine as a whole. And I had time to rest and regroup enjoying the beautiful gardens at the winery, where they served pizza and tater tots after your tour. Absolutely hits the spot!
I must include this piece of important information for my gluten sensitive people: they did what they could with what options they had! I will say that while the food is not the main focus (lol), they were able to realize there was an allergy. The food is included with the price of the tour and is the same for everyone, so they were not able to accommodate for gluten free allergies super well. I believe that the tots were the safest thing they could provide, but my sister-in-law Kayleigh adores nothing more than a fried potato in any form!
Actually, I would say her favorite is popcorn, but all the same!
If you want to read more about them, go check out their website!