Frog's Leap Winery

Frog's Leap is the antidote to Napa grandeur, a working farm where the tasting is relaxed, the wines are balanced and the jokes are built in. The winery began in 1981 on an old St. Helena property once known as the Frog Farm, where frogs were raised for the table in the early twentieth century; founder John Williams named the label as a cheerful nod to Stag's Leap, and the motto, Time's fun when you're having flies, sets the tone. Since the 1990s Frog's Leap has been based on Conn Creek Road in Rutherford, around a striking red barn, a farmhouse called the Vineyard House, and gardens, orchards and beehives. The farming is the serious part: the estate is organic and known for dry-farming, growing vines without irrigation so roots go deep and the wines show restraint, an approach that has made Frog's Leap a reference point for sustainable viticulture in the valley. Visits are by reservation and mostly 21 and over. The Vineyard House Tour and Tasting walks the vineyard, cellar and winery with a host before a seated tasting; Rooted in Rutherford is a longer tour with deeper pours; a library tasting looks at older vintages on weekend afternoons. From March through October the garden behind the red barn hosts outdoor tastings, including a Family Friendly Garden Tasting on weekend mornings where children and non-drinkers get a seasonal drink. In winter, from November to mid-March, the garden experiences pause, and the winery closes for tastings on Wednesdays. For many visitors it is their favorite stop of the trip.

The farming story. Dry-farming sounds like a technicality but explains the wines: without irrigation, vines on the Rutherford Bench grow smaller crops with deep roots, and the resulting Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc tend toward freshness and moderate alcohol rather than the heavy, oaky style Napa is sometimes accused of. The tour makes this tangible as you walk between rows, past cover crops and the kitchen gardens, and hosts are happy to talk soil, water and the long-term thinking behind organic farming. Two generations of the Williams family have now made the wines.

Choosing an experience. In season, the Garden Tasting is the most joyful way to visit: wine at tables among flowers and fruit trees behind the red barn. Families should book the weekend-morning family tasting, one of the very few Napa experiences designed around children. Out of season, book the Vineyard House Tour and Tasting, which takes you through the vineyard and cellar and is good in any weather if you bring a layer. Wine lovers wanting more depth should choose Rooted in Rutherford or the weekend library tasting. Children and dogs are not allowed inside the working winery.

Fitting it in. Frog's Leap is on the quiet east side of the valley floor in Rutherford, a few minutes from both Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, so it pairs naturally with Inglenook and Robert Mondavi. It is around twenty minutes from Napa and ten from St. Helena. Closed on Wednesdays for tastings and for a few days around Thanksgiving. As anywhere in the valley, share driving duties fairly or book a car, and drink water between pours.