Acumen Means Good Judgement

By Best Wineries TeamPublished On: March 13th, 2023

Experience warm, intimate hospitality.

The Acumen Wine Gallery offers the best of both worlds: fine wine and fine art. The tasting room is conveniently located in downtown Napa, the setting is stylish and chic.

Guests enjoy Bordeaux varietals with grapes from two prime certified organic estate vineyards on Atlas Peak, one of Napa’s premier American Viticulture Areas (AVAs). The winery was founded in 2012 by Eric Yuan, who has recruited a top team in winemaker Phillip Titus and viticulturist Michael Wolf, who oversaw the replanting of the legendary To Kalon Vineyard in the 1990s and has farmed such iconic sites as Scarecrow, Vecina, Quixote, Meteor, and Vine Hill Ranch.

The winery owns the northeast-facing Attelas vineyard, which was initially planted in 1992.

Layer of fog over Acumen Winery Attelas Vineyard. — Layer of fog over Acumen Attelas Vineyard. Photo Courtesy: Acumen Wines.

In 2014, Yuan bought the 84-acre, Edcora Vineyard, on the other side of Atlas Peak, facing southwest. With diverse elevations, sunlight and other factors, each vineyard brings its own unique traits to the finished wine.

Within the vineyards, the grapes run the gamut of Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Acumen 2019 Mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon bottle inside tasting room. Photo Courtesy: Acumen Wines.

While Acumen sells most of its grapes to other wineries, Titus does get to reserve some of the finest blocks for Acumen’s own wines. The winery offers two distinct lineups. The small-production PEAK wines are lovingly made and built to be aged. Acumen also produces a more accessible brand, called Mountainside.

The Tasting Room

Located at 1315 First Street in the heart of Napa, Acumen Wine Gallery is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 3pm – 6 pm and Thursday through Monday from 12pm – 6pm. Like a farm-to-table restaurant, Acumen adjusts its tastings with the seasons, including flights from four current releases from the PEAK collection. The basic tasting is $50 per person.

Acumen winery Napa Valley Tasting Room Interior. — Acumen Napa Valley Tasting Room Interior. Photo Courtesy: Acumen Wines.

Acumen PEAK Table pairs their premium wines with a charcuterie board, along with insights from one of their wine ambassadors. This experience costs $75 per person and is conducted twice each day, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Friday-Sunday, and once at 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

In addition, take advantage of the ACUMEN PEAKeasy, which offers champagne from Michel Gonet, fine champagne from Epernay, France.