Yountville · Napa Valley
Visit Blankiet with a Private Chauffeur
A hillside estate above Yountville with a castle-style tasting room, deep caves and Bordeaux-style reds rated up to 100 points, and a suggested day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Claude and Katherine Blankiet searched for years for land on the western foothills of the Mayacamas. In January 1996 they saw an undeveloped hillside above the Napanook vineyard in Yountville and bought it on the spot, naming it Paradise Hills. Claude, raised in a French textile family, is known as the man who brought stonewashing to America; Katherine came from a career in antiques.
Viticulturist David Abreu and winemaker Helen Turley shaped Paradise Hills into four sections on three volcanic knolls, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Today Graeme MacDonald, a fourth-generation grower from the To Kalon Vineyard, makes the wines, and the Yountville AVA site is cooled by breezes off San Pablo Bay.
The visit is the draw. You see the vineyard, tour the winery and its deep underground caves, then sit down in a castle-style tasting room with vaulted ceilings of 18th-century brick, antique furniture and old master paintings. Guests always talk about the room afterward, and the Classic Experience pours five or more wines, including flagship bottlings rated 98 to 100 points.
Tasting Fees
$175 for the Classic Experience, a formal tasting of five or more wines. $750 for the Left Bank First Growths comparative tasting (2019 Lafite, Haut-Brion, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild beside Blankiet's own) and $1,000 for the Right Bank tasting (2019 Petrus, Lafleur, Cheval Blanc and Ausone beside Rive Droite), each with a plate of cheese and salumi. Durations are not published.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
2358 California Drive, Yountville
AVA
Yountville
Visiting
By appointment, booked on Tock or by phone (707-945-0385). The Napa Valley Vintners listing gives visiting hours as Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Known For
Proprietary Red, Mythicvs Cabernet Sauvignon and Rive Droite from the hillside Paradise Hills Vineyard in the Yountville AVA
Founded
1996
Good to Know
The Classic Experience is complimentary for active mailing list members and one guest. A plate of cheeses, salumi, fruit and nuts can be added for $40 (serves 1 to 2). The comparative First Growth tastings can be customized with the estate's sommelier.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Bardessono or Hotel Villagio.
10:00 · Pickup at Bardessono or Hotel Villagio
Both hotels are in Yountville, about 5 minutes from the estate gate, so the tasting starts right on time. Bardessono is a garden hotel on Yount Street, and Hotel Villagio sits at the south end of town. The day runs about six and three-quarter hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Blankiet Estate
The Classic Experience ($175) with the vineyard, the winery and the caves. Blankiet does not publish a length, so we plan about 90 minutes. The First Growth comparative tastings run longer, and we adjust the rest of the day.
12:00 · Staglin Family Vineyard
About 15 minutes away. A family estate on the Rutherford Bench since 1985, certified organic and solar powered, with its winery built underground in caves. The private visit walks the vineyard and caves before a tasting of the estate wines, $150, about 90 minutes. By appointment Tuesday to Saturday, with first access for members, so we request your date early; the estate confirms the start time.
1:40 · Lunch at Auberge du Soleil
About 10 minutes away. Lunch high on Rutherford Hill with the whole valley below. The Bar serves all day from 11:30 a.m., and The Restaurant on the terrace offers a two- or three-course prix fixe lunch. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
3:05 · Rudd Estate
About 10 minutes away. An organically farmed estate on the Oakville Cross Road with 20,000 square feet of caves. Every visit is scheduled in advance with the hospitality team, and the fee is confirmed then; we allow about 90 minutes. By appointment only.
4:35 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:45 p.m., about six and three-quarter hours after pickup.
About $325 per person in published tasting fees for Blankiet and Staglin, paid directly to each winery; Rudd confirms its fee when the visit is scheduled.
Blankiet and Staglin both host Tuesday to Saturday, so this day works on those days. Two cave visits and a long lunch make it a full day, back by about 4:45 p.m.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Blankiet?
Yes. Visits are by appointment, booked on Tock or by phone. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Blankiet?
$175 per person for the Classic Experience (complimentary for active mailing list members and one guest), and $750 or $1,000 for the First Growth comparative tastings, as of September 2026.
What is the Blankiet tasting room like?
A castle-style building with vaulted ceilings of 18th-century brick, antique furniture and old master paintings, connected to the estate's underground caves.
Who owns Blankiet Estate?
Claude and Katherine Blankiet, who bought the hillside in 1996. Graeme MacDonald is the winemaker.
Where is Blankiet Estate?
On the western foothills of the Mayacamas above Yountville, just above the Napanook vineyard, in the Yountville AVA.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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