Napa's quiet overachiever, poured one flight at a time
Central Yountville · Yountville · Winery Tasting Room · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 29, 2026 · How we review
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 →
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.
· Yountville · New American
The Restaurant at North Block sits in one of the most wine-rich corridors on the planet, and somehow managed to put together a list that maxes out at four pours. The prices are fair, but the effort is not. Come for the food, order a glass of the Vetriccie Rosé, and make peace with the fact that the wine program simply isn't part of the draw here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American
RH Yountville is a genuinely beautiful place to drink wine — the room earns that much on atmosphere alone, and the California-forward list will keep most guests happy without any friction. But in Yountville, where the competition includes some of the most serious wine programs in the country, 'happy without friction' isn't the same as memorable. Go for the experience, order confidently by region, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · American Gastropub
Goose & Gander is playing a different game than most Napa gastropubs — the Paul Hobbs curatorial thread pulls the list into genuinely unexpected territory, from Armenian Areni to Galician Godello, without abandoning the California core that belongs here. If you're in Yountville and want a wine list that gives you something to talk about, this is the move.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Yountville · Italian Pizzeria
Redd Wood is a genuinely good place to drink wine with pizza in one of the most wine-saturated zip codes on earth — that's not nothing. The sommelier presence and Old World inclusions suggest real intent behind the list, but Yountville markups are real and the full picture of what's on offer isn't something we can fully map right now. If you're heading in, put yourself in the staff's hands and ask what's drinking well tonight — they're likely to have an honest answer.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Yountville · American
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch is a one-winery show, and that's exactly the point. If you want to spend an evening exploring what a single Napa estate produces across whites, rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, and multiple Cabernet expressions — including older large-format bottles — this is a genuinely interesting way to do it. Just don't come expecting breadth or outside discovery. Send a friend here if they love Priest Ranch or want to.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Yountville · Japanese tasting menu
Kenzo Napa is a singular experience for a singular guest — someone who wants to go deep on one Napa estate alongside a Japanese tasting menu and isn't bothered by a complete lack of outside options. If you're hoping to explore, compare, or find a surprise bottle from somewhere else in the wine world, look elsewhere. This list knows exactly what it is, and it's not trying to be anything more.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
Old Town Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Winery Tasting Room
A one-producer Arizona list that is easy to read: 18 wines, $15 to $45 online, and a $25 five-wine tasting. Put the 2023 Sangiovese or the 2023 Malvasia Bianca in your five, and ask the room which wines are open since no pour list is posted. This unrated guide covers the winery's posted online shop prices and tasting fee, not the Scottsdale room's pours, service or markups.
· San Francisco · Winery Tasting Room
If you're driving through Sonoma and want to understand why Chardonnay still matters in California, Kistler's tasting room makes a strong case — but you need an appointment and you need to want exactly what they're pouring. The cheese, dips, and crackers are incidental; the wines are the entire point. Book ahead, show up curious, and let the vineyard-specific lineup do the work.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Newport · Winery Tasting Room
Greenvale Vineyards is a legitimate reason to detour off Bellevue Avenue. The estate list is small but not lazy — the Ramato alone earns the visit — and at $25 to $40 a bottle, you're paying tasting room prices, not restaurant markups. If you're spending a day in Newport, this is where you buy a bottle for the waterfront, not where you linger over a three-course dinner.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
