I was at the Raymond winery with clients and they had a great time with Devlin who was pouring for them. They loved the wines and the hospitality.Raymond was recently purchased by the French owner of the DeLoach winery in the Russian River Valley. Like DeLoach they are converting their vineyards to Biodynamic complete with chickens, sheep and goats as well as greater plant diversity. Considering that Raymond is in the heart of the Napa valley where excessive amounts of chemicals were used in the past that is a life-enhancing idea.
The tasting room has gone through some nice changes, and outside on the property are some neat sculpture installations. There is clearly a French whimsy on the move here which is all good since Raymond, for all of its previous good qualities seemed to lack much of a sense of humor, that is changing. I’ve heard that they are planning the largest event/conference center in the Napa Valley, so between the conversion to Biodynamics, the French influence and the conference center the place is on the move.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides (Find them on Amazon), and owners of Amicis Tours which does both group and private excursions. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com. Their Apps can be found at http://www.sutromedia.com/apps.html
Call 707-235-2648 for Tours, Books & Seminars Copyright Ralph & Lahni de Amicis 2011 All tasting fees, hours, wine lists, etc are subject to change.