FRIAS Family Vineyard

FRIAS Family Vineyard dates its beginning to 1985, when the Frias family began making wine under its own name. Today it is a small Napa Valley winery whose fruit comes from the Oakville and Yountville appellations, the stretch of valley floor south of Saint Helena that grows much of the region's Cabernet. Manuel Frias is the owner. The address on file is on El Centro Avenue in north Napa, away from the Highway 29 tasting-room strip.

The wines and the vineyard

The winery's own description is brief: premium fruit from Oakville and Yountville, made into small lots under the FRIAS label. That places it among the boutique producers who sell mostly direct, through a mailing list, a tasting appointment or the winery's website, rather than through wide distribution. Expect the list to centre on Cabernet Sauvignon and its Bordeaux companions, since that is what those two appellations are largely planted to.

At a producer of this size, the people who make the wine are often the ones pouring it, which is the main reason to seek out a small label over a visitor-centre tasting room on the valley floor.

Visiting

Ask whether tastings are by appointment only, which is the norm for small Napa producers, and how far ahead to book at harvest and on holiday weekends. Ask what the tasting fee covers and whether it is waived with a purchase. If you want to buy, ask about the mailing list, allocation of limited wines, and shipping rules for your state, since wine cannot be shipped everywhere. Groups larger than six should say so up front; many small wineries cap tasting sizes. Designate a driver; the roads between Napa and the up-valley towns are patrolled.

Napa Valley and beyond

Napa is the home city, with American Canyon, Yountville, Saint Helena and Calistoga up and down the valley, Sonoma to the west, and Vallejo and Fairfield within half an hour for visitors coming from the East Bay or Sacramento.

The number on file is 707-927-5106. The winery's website and Instagram account are the best places to check current releases and visiting arrangements.