St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Caterwaul with a Private Chauffeur
A Napa Valley Cabernet from grower Matt Hardin and winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, poured at the Royal We tasting room on Main Street in St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Caterwaul grew out of a long friendship between a farmer and a winemaker. Matt Hardin, a sixth-generation Napa Valley resident, owns Matthew Wallace Wines and Hardin Vineyard Management, and farms the sites behind the Caterwaul Napa bottling. Thomas Rivers Brown, winemaker for Schrader, Outpost and his own Rivers-Marie, has more than sixty 100-point wines on his resume.
The idea is simple: the farmer grows the best crop he can, knowing that once it leaves his hands the winemaker can only work with what comes through the door. Caterwaul is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and the partners say it might just be the finest wine in the market in its price range. It is sold online with a four-bottle minimum and through the mailing list.
You taste at Royal We, the tasting room on Main Street in downtown St. Helena, in the St. Helena AVA, which pours the wines Brown makes for several labels: Caterwaul, Matthew Wallace, Aston, RIV and Switchback Ridge. The Collective Tasting is a hosted journey across them, open every day. It is an easy, relaxed start to the day before we head up into the hills.
Tasting Fees
$25 for the Bar Tasting at Royal We (1 to 4 guests). $40 to $50 for the Royal We Collective Tasting across Caterwaul and its sister labels (1 to 6 guests), 50 minutes to an hour.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
929 Main Street, St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
Pours at Royal We Wines, 929 Main Street, St. Helena. Open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tastings are booked and prepaid on Tock; we arrange it on your behalf.
Known For
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon by Matt Hardin and Thomas Rivers Brown
Founded
Not published
Good to Know
Royal We is 21 and over, with on-site parking. The Collective Tasting takes parties of 1 to 6; the bar tasting 1 to 4. Online wine orders need at least four bottles.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Southbridge Napa Valley.
10:00 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Southbridge Napa Valley
Both are at the south end of St. Helena, about 5 minutes from Main Street. The day below runs a little over six hours, and extra time is added by the hour.
10:15 · Caterwaul Wines
The Royal We Collective Tasting, with Caterwaul among Thomas Rivers Brown's labels, 50 minutes to an hour ($40 to $50).
12:00 · Spence Vineyards
About 25 minutes away. A small family estate at 1,900 feet on Howell Mountain, with a new tasting room and seated tastings on a knoll above a canyon. The fee is paid at check-in and confirmed when we book; we allow about an hour. By reservation, seatings at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. on most days.
1:35 · Lunch at Auberge du Soleil
About 25 minutes away. Lunch high on Rutherford Hill with views across the valley. The Bar serves daily from 11:30 a.m., and The Restaurant offers a 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.
3:00 · Mark Herold Wines
About 15 minutes away. A Highway 29 tasting room in Oakville for the Cabernets of Mark Herold, the scientist-winemaker who founded Merus. The Savory Sessions is $75, a flight of both his labels with savory bites; we allow about an hour. Open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; reservations recommended.
4:00 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:20 p.m.
About $115 to $125 per person in tasting fees for Caterwaul and Mark Herold, plus Spence's fee, which is confirmed when we book. Fees are paid directly to each winery.
We leave Royal We a little early to make Spence's noon seating on Howell Mountain. Spence offers seatings on most days; we confirm the day when we book.
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 Caterwaul?
Yes. Tastings at Royal We are booked and prepaid on Tock. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Caterwaul?
$40 to $50 per person for the Royal We Collective Tasting, which includes Caterwaul, and $25 for the bar tasting, as of September 2026.
Where can I taste Caterwaul?
At Royal We Wines, 929 Main Street in downtown St. Helena, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Who makes Caterwaul?
Grower Matt Hardin and winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, longtime friends who started the label together.
Can children visit?
Royal We is for guests 21 and over.
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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