The 2003 Wine of the Year

Cabernet Franc winemaking at our Spring Mountain family winery starts decades before the first pour. Read the story behind our vineyard replant.

Napa Valley award-winning wines: Paloma's 2019 Merlot & 2021 Cabernet. Double Gold winner. Aged 20+ years. Read more about these vintages here.

Visiting Napa Valley year-round helps you plan smarter tastings, shipping, and winery visits. Read insider tips and start planning your trip today.

Wine terroir shapes every sip at Paloma Vineyard. From soil and slope to sunlight and elevation, this article explains how place defines our wines.

The holidays are a time of warmth, laughter, and lingering conversations around a table that feels just a little bit magical. At Paloma Vineyard , we believe that the right wine can turn a good holiday gathering into a deeply memorable one. Whether you’re cozying up by the fire or welcoming friends through your front door, choosing a holiday red that resonates with the season adds richness to every moment. Red wines, with their deep hues and comforting aromatics, often feel like the unofficial wine of cool nights and festive gatherings. This year, elevate your celebrations with selections that embody structure, balance, and that touch of elegance holiday hosts crave.

Nestled on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains and overlooking the iconic Napa Valley, the Spring Mountain District AVA offers a truly elevated wine‑country experience. With vineyards planted on steep hillsides, above the valley floor, this mountain appellation is all about high altitude vineyards, dramatic terroir and a hospitality style grounded in family, craft and place.

Wine tasting is more than etiquette and ceremony. It’s an opportunity to listen to your palate — to discover what flavors resonate most with you, so that in later tastings or purchases, you can ask for “more of that. ” When you can name what you like, you unlock a more rewarding, deeper wine experience. Below is your refined guide to wine tasting etiquette — yes — but always in service of helping you tune in to your preferences.

At Paloma, Merlot is the soul of our story. It is the grape that founders Jim & Barbara fell in love with on their journey to Spring Mountain.  Picture this: it’s the late 1970s, and Barbara and Jim are visiting the Duckhorn vineyard, tasting their famed Three Palms Merlot. They lean into a sip and feel stirred—not just by the wine’s richness, but by its quiet elegance. That moment sparked something. They looked at each other and thought, “This is the wine we want to make. These are grapes we have to grow.” Before they even found the site, they had their hearts set on Merlot. By the time they found the raw land at the top of Spring Mountain, there was no changing their minds. Back then, planting Merlot at that elevation was almost unheard of—too cool, too risky. But they trusted their instincts and took the leap.

Wine tasting and aging go hand in hand. Learn how patience and ritual shape each bottle into a story and train your palate with every sip.