Yountville · Napa Valley
Visit Cosentino with a Private Chauffeur
The winery behind The Poet, which it calls the first designated Meritage, once poured on Highway 29 north of Yountville. Cosentino does not receive visitors; here is what to know, and a day at sought-after estates nearby that do host.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Mitch Cosentino, a self-taught winemaker, founded the winery in 1980, starting as Crystal Valley Cellars in Modesto before moving to Napa Valley in 1990, to a winery on Highway 29 just north of Yountville, near Mustards Grill. Its best-known wine is The Poet: the winery says Cosentino created the first designated and licensed Meritage, a Bordeaux-style blend, in 1986.
Cosentino grew from about 6,000 cases in 1993 to 75,000 by 2005, then ran into debt. Wine Spectator reported in November 2010 that it had closed its doors after trouble with its lender, and Mitch Cosentino went on to start a small new label, PURECru. At the end of 2010 Vintage Wine Estates of Santa Rosa bought the Cosentino assets for $10.5 million and kept the brand going.
After Vintage Wine Estates' 2024 bankruptcy, the Cosentino brand passed to Bill Foley's Foley Family Wines, and the Highway 29 property was sold separately. The wines are still made and sold online, but there is no longer a public tasting room. The day below goes to three estates nearby that do host, starting with To Kalon Cabernet in Oakville.
Tasting Fees
Cosentino does not offer tastings.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
7415 St. Helena Highway, Yountville
AVA
Yountville
Visiting
Cosentino no longer has a public tasting room. The brand is now part of Foley Family Wines, which sells the wines online; the former winery on Highway 29 does not host Cosentino visitors.
Known For
The Poet, which the winery calls the first designated Meritage (1986)
Founded
1980 (in Napa Valley from 1990)
Good to Know
Cosentino wines are sold online through the Foley Family Wines shop linked from cosentinowinery.com. Questions go to Support@foleyfamilywines.com or 855-883-8688.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Hotel Villagio or North Block Hotel.
10:00 · Pickup at Hotel Villagio or North Block Hotel
Since Cosentino no longer hosts visitors, this day takes you to three sought-after estates nearby that do. Hotel Villagio, at the south end of Yountville, and North Block Hotel, at the north end of Washington Street, are each about 10 minutes from Oakville. The day runs about six and a half hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Schrader Cellars
About 10 minutes away. Collectors' Cabernet from the To Kalon Vineyard, poured in a private tasting of five wines with small plates at the To Kalon Collective in Oakville. $195 plus an 18% hospitality fee; we plan about 90 minutes. By reservation, with times from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for parties of 1 to 8.
12:00 · Lunch at Brix
About 8 minutes away. Lunch at Brix on Highway 29 near Yountville, a sit-down restaurant beside its own gardens, just down the highway from the old Cosentino winery. Lunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day but Tuesday. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
1:30 · Tres Sabores
About 15 minutes away. Julie Johnson's organic farm and winery on the Rutherford Bench, where you taste at your own table by the vines among sheep, guinea fowl and olive trees. The Portfolio Wine Tasting Experience is $65 for five wines, typically 90 minutes, for groups of up to 6. By appointment, Wednesday to Monday; last tasting at 3 p.m.
3:20 · Handwritten Wines
About 15 minutes away. An intimate, seated room in Yountville devoted to hillside and mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, where the Classic Experience compares four Cabernets from different Napa Valley AVAs side by side. $75 (waived with a $100 purchase); we allow about an hour. Daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., by appointment only.
4:20 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:30 p.m., about six and a half hours after pickup.
About $335 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery, plus Schrader's 18% hospitality fee.
Brix and Tres Sabores are both closed on Tuesdays, so plan this day for any other day. It runs about six and a half hours, back by about 4:30 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
Can you visit Cosentino?
No. Cosentino no longer has a public tasting room, as of September 2026; the brand belongs to Foley Family Wines and is sold online. We can plan a day at nearby estates that do host.
How can I buy Cosentino wine?
Online through the Foley Family Wines shop linked from cosentinowinery.com.
Who owns Cosentino?
Foley Family Wines, Bill Foley's wine company, which took over the brand after Vintage Wine Estates' 2024 bankruptcy. Mitch Cosentino founded the winery in 1980.
Where was the Cosentino winery?
On Highway 29 at 7415 St. Helena Highway, just north of Yountville near Mustards Grill, in the Yountville AVA. It no longer hosts Cosentino tastings.
What is Cosentino known for?
The Poet, which the winery calls the first designated and licensed Meritage wine, first made in 1986.
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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