Hess Persson Estates

The Hess Collection is the rare Napa Valley winery that is equally renowned for what hangs on its walls as for what pours from its bottles. Founded in 1978 by Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess, the estate occupies a historic stone winery on the slopes of Mount Veeder alongside a world-class contemporary art collection that Hess spent four decades assembling. The combination creates a tasting experience that is part winery visit, part museum tour, and wholly unlike anything else in the valley.

The estate encompasses a vast 900 acres, with vineyards on Mount Veeder producing the most intense and complex wines in the portfolio. The mountain vineyards sit at elevations up to 2,200 feet, above the fog line, where intense sunlight and rocky volcanic soils create conditions of natural stress that concentrate flavors in the grapes. Additional vineyard holdings on the valley floor and in other appellations provide fruit for the estate's more accessible wines, creating a portfolio that spans from everyday drinkers to cellar-worthy mountain bottlings.

Winemaker Dave Guffy works with the diversity of the estate's holdings to produce a range that includes the flagship Lion Tamer Cabernet, the Mount Veeder estate Cabernet (the most powerful wine in the portfolio), and an approachable Allomi Cabernet from the valley floor. The Mount Veeder wines show the wildness and intensity that mountain fruit delivers, with dark fruit, firm tannins, and a mineral backbone that reflects the volcanic soils. The Allomi range, designed for broader appeal, offers genuine Napa quality at prices that allow for regular consumption.

The tasting experience begins in the art museum, a stunning two-story gallery housing works by Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and other major contemporary artists. The collection is curated with the same discernment that Hess brought to his vineyard selections, and walking through the galleries before tasting the wines creates a sensory preparation that enhances the entire experience. Wine tastings take place in the restored stone building, with options ranging from a standard flight to a reserve experience featuring the mountain wines.

The Hess Collection demonstrates that a winery can be a cultural institution without compromising its winemaking. Donald Hess understood that wine and art share a common purpose: to enrich the experience of being alive. By bringing them together under one roof, he created a destination that appeals to visitors who might never set foot in a traditional tasting room. The art justifies the visit; the wine justifies the return.