Napa's quiet overachiever, poured one flight at a time
Central Yountville · Yountville · Winery Tasting Room · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 29, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Hope & Grace Wines Tasting Room’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into Hope & Grace feels like ducking out of Yountville's tourist circuit and into someone's well-appointed living room. The list is short — deliberately so — and that focus signals confidence rather than laziness. These folks know exactly what they're pouring and why.
Don't show up expecting a sprawling cellar book. Hope & Grace runs a tight, producer-focused lineup anchored in Napa Valley, with bottles like the 2019 Malbec from Oak Knoll, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena, and the 2018 Merlot rounding out the small-lot portfolio. The regional specificity — vineyard-designate bottlings across distinct Napa sub-appellations — is doing real work here, telling a story about place rather than just slapping 'Napa Valley' on everything. The gaps are real: no white wines visible in the data, no sparkling, and zero old-world representation. But within their lane, the curation is sharp.
By-the-glass details aren't publicly confirmed, but in a boutique tasting room format like this, the expectation is that you're working through a poured flight rather than ordering by the individual glass off a menu. If you're hoping to mix and match at the bar, call ahead — the tasting room model here is appointment-friendly and worth the advance planning.
Hope & Grace 2018 Merlot, Napa Valley — $75
Merlot still gets overlooked in Napa, which means producers who do it well tend to price it more reasonably than comparable Cab. At $75, this is the most accessible entry point into the Hope & Grace lineup and a smart pour for anyone who left their Sideways prejudice at the door.
Hope & Grace 2019 Malbec, Oak Knoll, Napa Valley
Napa Malbec is a genuine rarity — most producers treat it as a blending grape and move on. A vineyard-designate Malbec from Oak Knoll at $85 is a conversation piece and a genuinely interesting alternative to the Cab-everything routine that dominates tasting rooms up and down the valley.
Hope & Grace 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley
At $95 it's not a rip-off, but if you're coming to Hope & Grace and ordering the Cab, you're doing exactly what every other tourist does at every other Napa tasting room. The Malbec and Merlot are the reason to come here — the Cab is just the safe fallback.
Hope & Grace 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley + Charcuterie and aged cheese board
Tasting rooms live and die by the snack board, and a structured St. Helena Cab with some aged cheddar and cured meat is a classic for a reason. The tannin structure cuts through fat and salt; the fruit holds up without overpowering. Low-effort, high-return.
The Bottom Line
Hope & Grace is for the Napa visitor who's tired of Cabernet tourism and wants something with a point of view. The list is short, the prices are fair for the appellation, and the small-lot focus gives you something to actually talk about on the drive home.
Southern Yountville / Washington Street corridor · Yountville · Lounge / Bar
Hotel Yountville's lobby lounge is a perfectly fine place to decompress with a glass of something Napa-famous after a day on Washington Street, but we wouldn't make a special trip for the wine list. Send your friends here for the vibe; tell them to know their order before they sit down.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Yountville · Yountville · Wine tasting with artisanal cheese pairings
Jessup Cellars is a genuinely good time if you go in knowing what it is: a focused, house-wine tasting experience in one of the most expensive zip codes in American wine country. It's not a deep list, it's not a bargain, but it's warm, well-executed, and a smarter afternoon than most of what's on Highway 29.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
South Yountville · Yountville · Bar / Small Plates
R+D's bar list isn't trying to be a destination wine program and it doesn't pretend to be — it's a well-executed, fairly priced casual list that punches above its weight for a Hillstone concept sitting in the heart of wine country. Send a friend here if they want good wine without homework.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Yountville · Yountville · Wine Tasting Salon
The JCB Tasting Salon is a one-house show — and if you're good with that, it's a well-run, beautifully staged one. The steep pricing and narrow scope keep it from Rager territory, but the cross-continental angle and proper sommelier guidance make it a legitimate Wild Card worth booking once.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Central Yountville · Yountville · Dive bar / neighborhood bar
Pancha's isn't a wine destination, it's a Napa Valley institution that happens to stock Krug — and that alone makes it worth a stop. Send your friends here when they need to remember that wine is supposed to be fun, not performative.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Yountville · Yountville · Wine bar / tasting room
The Yount Room is what Yountville wine culture should be more of — unpretentious, walkable, and genuinely interesting without requiring a second mortgage. If you're in town and want a bottle that isn't just a brand name in a fancy room, this is where to land.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Las Cruces · Winery Tasting Room
This is a Wild Card in the truest sense — a desert-state tasting room that's actually swinging for something more interesting than you'd expect, at prices that make the experiment low-stakes. If you're in Las Cruces and curious about what New Mexico wine can actually do, this is the right room to be in.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Rochester · Winery Tasting Room
Salem Glen is the Wild Card because almost nobody expects to find a legit wine experience in a barn outside Rochester — and yet here we are. If you're open to cold-climate grapes and a laid-back afternoon, it earns the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Downtown Parkway · Gatlinburg · Winery Tasting Room
Tennessee Homemade Wines isn't trying to be a serious wine destination and it's better for it — this is a fun, honest, local-first tasting room that delivers exactly what Gatlinburg visitors are actually looking for. Send your friends here if they want a taste of Appalachian winemaking culture, not if they're chasing a Riedel-and-Rhône experience.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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