St. Helena · Napa4.6 · 370
Duckhorn Vineyards
Duckhorn pioneered luxury Merlot in Napa and has been making it since 1976.
Reservation
$$$From $65Preview
The Library
Best Merlot in Napa Valley
Merlot in Napa Valley produces plush, approachable wines with velvety tannins and flavors of plum, cherry, and cocoa. Often overshadowed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot rewards those who seek it out with exceptional value and drinkability.
The wineries below showcase Napa Valley's best Merlot producers, from elegant, Bordeaux-inspired blends to rich, single-varietal bottlings.
43 Wineries Found
Sorted by rating — verified wineries appear first.
Mount Veeder · Napa4.6 · 67
Mayacamas Vineyards
Founded in 1889, Mayacamas has held onto classical winemaking techniques since the 1950s.
Reservation
$$From $35Preview
Oak Knoll District · Napa4.9 · 828
Trefethen Family Vineyards
Trefethen has farmed its Oak Knoll District estate since 1968 with three generations devoted to estate-only wines.
Reservation
$$From $45Preview
Rutherford · Napa4.6 · 452
Grgich Hills Estate
Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, who made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the Judgment of Paris, opened this estate in 1977.
Dog OKKid Friendly
$$$From $60Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.9 · 152
Paloma Vineyard
Sheldon Richards pours wines in his living room at the top of Spring Mountain.
ReservationDog OKKid FriendlyPicnic
$$$From $60Preview
Stags Leap District · Napa4.8 · 53
Shafer Vineyards
Winemaker Elias Fernandez has made 40 consecutive harvests here, shaping Hillside Select.
Reservation
$$$$From $140Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.7 · 187
Markham Vineyards
Markham pours Merlot alongside Cabernet—260 estate acres across multiple Napa AVAs.
Dog OKKid Friendly
$$$From $55Preview
Rutherford · Napa4.6 · 635
Frog's Leap Winery
A certified organic estate in Rutherford where kids run through the vineyard rows during the Family Friendly Garden Tasting.
ReservationDog OKKid Friendly
$$From $50
Oakville · Napa4.6 · 450
Silver Oak Cellars
Silver Oak makes only Cabernet Sauvignon, founded in 1972 with two estates in California.
$$From $50Preview
Oakville · Napa3.6 · 203
PlumpJack Winery
PlumpJack pioneered screw caps for luxury wines, and the iconoclasm shows in their Oakville tasting room.
Reservation
$$$From $80Preview
Yountville · Napa4.6 · 125
Goosecross Cellars
Dave and Christi Ficeli built their family wine legacy in Yountville with a focus on evolution.
Reservation
$$From $30Preview
Yountville · Napa4.8 · 309
Jessup Cellars
Jessup Cellars operates a rotating fine art gallery alongside its Yountville tasting room.
Dog OK
$$From $30Preview
Stags Leap District · Napa4.7 · 162
Regusci Winery
Gaetano Regusci bought this ranch in the 1930s, and five generations later his family still farms it.
ReservationDog OK
$$From $45Preview
Calistoga · Napa4.9 · 456
Davis Estates
Davis Estates restored a century-old winery in 2011, opening caves and vineyard rows to visitors.
Reservation
$$$From $100Preview
Oakville · Napa4.9 · 155
B Cellars
B Cellars pairs every tasting with bites from their Hospitality House kitchen.
ReservationDog OK
$$$$From $150Preview
Rutherford · Napa4.6 · 243
St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery
St. Supéry farms 100% estate grown, certified Napa Green fruit across two vineyards.
ReservationDog OK
$$From $46Preview
Downtown Napa · Napa4.9 · 247
John Anthony Vineyards
Downtown Napa tasting lounge open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
$$$Walk-in OKPreview
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.7 · 250
Bouchaine Vineyards
Carneros' oldest continuously operating winery, founded in the 1880s, now owned by Gerret and Tatiana Copeland.
Dog OKKid Friendly
$$From $45Preview
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.4 · 151
Cuvaison Estate Wines
Founded in 1969, Cuvaison grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the 125-acre Tai Estate Vineyard.
ReservationDog OK
$$From $40Preview
Rutherford · Napa4.7 · 675
Cakebread Cellars
Cakebread Cellars bottles four different Chardonnays and leads a dedicated tasting for each.
Reservation
$$From $45Preview
Calistoga · Napa4.2 · 4,718
Castello di Amorosa
A 14th-century Tuscan castle replica in Calistoga pours Italian-style wines.
ReservationDog OKKid Friendly
$$From $45
Rutherford · Napa4.3 · 209
Beaulieu Vineyard
André Tchelistcheff made Georges de Latour Private Reserve here for decades starting in 1938.
$From $20Preview
Oakville · Napa4.6 · 181
Napa Cellars
A geodesic dome tasting room marks the original five-acre site on Highway 29.
Dog OKPicnic
$$From $35Preview
Oak Knoll District · Napa4.8 · 121
Backstage Winery
Angelo Pera opened his own label in 2010 after three decades making wine for others.
Reservation
$$From $45Preview
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.9 · 150
Truchard Vineyards
A working vineyard estate in Carneros where tastings include library wines from the cave.
$$$From $55Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.7 · 449
Rombauer Vineyards
Founded in 1972 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer, this St. Helena winery still focuses on Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel.
Dog OKKid FriendlyPicnic
$From $25Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.7 · 243
Louis M. Martini Winery
Louis Martini built Napa's first bonded winery after Prohibition.
$$$From $55Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.9 · 149
Chappellet Winery
Hugh Johnson called the pyramid winery "the most remarkable wine cathedral in the modern world."
Reservation
$$$$From $125Preview
Oakville · Napa4.5 · 168
Turnbull Wine Cellars
Turnbull has poured estate-grown wines from Oakville vineyards for over 40 years.
Dog OKKid Friendly
$$$From $65
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.5 · 353
Madonna Estate Winery
The Bartolucci family has dry-farmed this Carneros vineyard organically since 1922.
Dog OKKid FriendlyPicnic
$$From $30Preview
Downtown Napa · Napa4.8 · 262
Brown Downtown Napa
Brown Downtown opened in 2017 to pour Zinfandels from the family's Chiles Valley ranch.
$$Walk-in OKPreview
Stags Leap District · Napa4.3 · 229
Silverado Vineyards
Founded by Ron and Diane Miller and Lillian Disney, producing estate Cabernets from Stags Leap District and Coombsville.
$$From $50Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.6 · 218
Rutherford Ranch Winery
Rutherford Ranch sits in the Rutherford District where a 100-year-old olive grove frames the tasting room.
Reservation
$$$From $55Preview
Oak Knoll District · Napa4.6 · 214
Laird Family Estate
Laird Family Estate reserves 3% of its 2,000-acre Napa Valley vineyard holdings for its own label.
ReservationDog OKKid FriendlyPicnic
$$From $50Preview
Calistoga · Napa4.7 · 278
Tamber Bey Vineyards
Barry Waitte left high-tech in 2001 and built a winery on a working Arabian horse ranch.
ReservationDog OK
$$From $50Preview
St. Helena · Napa4.6 · 152
Merryvale Vineyards
René and Laurence Schlatter hold their Cabernet Sauvignons in bottle longer before release.
Dog OKPicnic
$$From $50Preview
Stags Leap District · Napa4.5 · 285
Pine Ridge Vineyards
Gary Andrus founded Pine Ridge in 1978 to farm 47 acres in the Stags Leap District.
Dog OKKid Friendly
$$$From $60Preview
Rutherford · Napa4.6 · 676
PEJU Winery
Tony and Herta Peju founded this estate in 1983, planting Rutherford vines and gardens in equal measure.
Dog OK
$$$From $65Preview
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.8 · 132
Hendry Winery
Hendry has farmed 114 estate acres since 1939, making every bottle from grapes grown on their family ranch.
ReservationDog OK
$$From $50Preview
Stags Leap District · Napa4.4 · 288
Stags' Leap Winery
The Grigsby family planted this estate in 1872, and Petite Sirah remains a signature today.
Reservation
$$$From $85
Carneros (Napa) · Napa4.6 · 155
Trinitas Cellars
The Busch Family opened Trinitas Cellars in 2002 around a philosophy of faith, family, and perseverance.
$$From $45Preview
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HotelRutherford · Napa4.7 · 1,755
Auberge du Soleil
Auberge du Soleil terraces down a Rutherford hillside planted with heritage olive and oak trees.
Adults OnlyWine LoversRomantic Getaways
★★★★★
HotelCalistoga · Napa4.7 · 1,151
Solage, Auberge Collection
The 20,000-square-foot spa runs on Calistoga's geothermal water and books out weeks ahead.
Dog OK*Wine LoversLuxury Retreat
★★★★★
HotelSt. Helena · Napa4.7 · 504
Meadowood Napa Valley
A 250-acre estate on land first settled in 1961, with wood-lined cottages scattered across oak groves.
Kid FriendlyWine LoversLuxury Retreat
★★★★★
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