Folie a Deux Winery

Folie a Deux Winery was founded in 1981 and is north of St. Helena on the St. Helena Highway.  The original founder, Dr. Dizmang, was a psychiatrist and thus the name, which is a mental disorder when two persons share the same delusions.  In 2004 it was purchased by the Trinchero Family who also own Sutter Home. The Folie a Deux tasting room is combined with Napa Cellars, another winery owned by the same family. I've been there in the past but not for many years.  When visiting you may opt to taste wines from either or both wineries.  We opted to taste the Napa Cellars wines on another day.  At the time of our visit, the tasting fee was only $7 and no appointment was required.  Please check their website or call them for current fees and tasting options.

Our host was very friendly and the setting was very relaxed and informal.  Thirteen wines were offered for sale with four of them at only $10 on the Ménage a Trois label. (Wine club members may actually purchase these for a mere $7.50.)  The Folie a Deux wines were all $18 to $24 with the exception of one $40 Cabernet.  By Napa Valley standards, these are extremely reasonable prices.

The Folie a Deux 2009 Chardonnay from Carneros was worth the $18 with its peach nose and crisp finish.  I liked that it was not overly oaked. The Folie a Deux 2007 Zinfandel at $22 had a nice aroma of blackberries and was rather jammy and fruit forward with some spice and a decent finish.  We also tried the Folie a Deux 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon at $24 which was smooth with mostly black cherry and blackberries.  All three wines were pleasant and reasonably priced, but we prefer their Napa Cellars line of wines.  Folie a Deux is certainly one of the most reasonably priced wineries in Napa Valley, however

Folie a Deux Winery
7481 St. Helena Hwy
Oakville, CA 94562
(707) 944-2565

Visited 3/29/2011