Pug puppies, cozy bonfires, whiskey collections and killer wine – I don’t know about you but that sounds like a winning combination to me. I’ve been hearing about Aonair for a few years and never made the trek up there. Wow! I’ve been missing out.
Aonair has that special something. That je ne sais quoi. That something you can’t put your finger on, but you fall in love instantly. It’s very cabinesque, except Napa Valley cabin, if you know what I mean. There’s not a whole lot of flare here, but I like the simplicity of it and it’s extremely welcoming. This is the kind of place where you don’t want to leave, but instead curl up in front of the fire with a good glass of wine and stay a while.
Ok, let’s talk about Aonair’s Grenache. Explosion of fruit in your mouth, juicy, thirst quenching – like an adult version of a gusher. Remember gushers? This is a wine gusher – in all the best ways possible.
A couple of other standouts were their sparkling wine. So fun! I hear this one is super limited production as it’s not their focus and more so just a fun project. In addition, their dessert wines are out of this world. They have a late harvest white dessert wine and a port. Their Cabernet is also fabulous. So basically I enjoyed their entire lineup.
Aonair’s wine is extremely small production – to purchase you must either be a club member or visit the winery. The owners, Grant and Megan Long, want to keep it this way in order to preserve their handcrafted and personalized winemaking techniques.
We were hosted by Dan. Dan. Is. The. Man. Dan is also the man that has the cute little pug pup. Dan was so kind to take us girls on a ride through the vineyards. We stopped in the middle to have a pour and admire the views of Lake Hennessey.
As you can see, I am a huge fan of Aonair and highly recommend it. I’m learning I love all of the wineries in this particular area of Napa and really enjoy how small, down to earth and authentic they are. If you don’t mind heading into the hills – add Aonair to your must-visit list!
