The Napa Valley Wine Train, a hallmark of luxury rail travel through the heart of California wine country, is proud to announce the launch of its newest offering: the Grgich Hills Library Tasting Experience.
In partnership with the iconic Grgich Hills Estate, this elevated experience offers guests a rare opportunity to taste limited-production library vintages and go on an immersive journey through the scenic landscapes of Napa Valley to reawaken the senses and pay homage to the 1976 Judgement of Paris Blind Wine Tasting. This blind tasting competition, held by 11 judges, pitted the best of CA against France. California proved victorious in both the Chardonnay and Cabernet categories, turning the world of wine upside down. Mike Grgich, the storied winemaker of the winning Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, was launched to fame and Grgich Hills Estate began producing world class wines in 1977.
Available on Mondays and Fridays from November 2025 through August 2026, the Grgich Hills Library Tasting Experience builds on the Wine Train’s popular Grgich Hills Estate offering with an exclusive seated tasting of five exceptional wines. This selection includes select library wines paired to their current vintage release curated from Grgich Hills’ private cellar. The experience runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and includes a three-course gourmet meal, a two-hour train ride, and a one hour seated Library Tasting at Grgich Hills Estate, offering wine lovers a deeper connection to Napa’s heritage and winemaking craft.
“Napa is a very different and exciting place 50 years later after the 1976 Paris Tasting. This tasting experience was designed for food and wine lovers who want more than just a tasting – they want history, context, craftsmanship, and connection. This tasting experience shows, by pairing wines of differing vintages, how they mature and get better with age. Something we all aspire to on a personal level, like our deep relationship that has endured with our Grgich Hills Estate friends and colleagues,” said Nathan Davis, General Manager of the Napa Valley Wine Train. “We’re honored to partner with Grgich Hills Estate to bring these rare library selections to life in a setting that celebrates the artistry and heritage behind every bottle.”
The experience begins in the Wine Train’s elegant dining car, where guests are welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and a gourmet lunch prepared onboard. Midway through the journey, guests disembark at Grgich Hills Estate, where a dedicated host welcomes them into the winery’s private Library Room for a guided tasting of five wines, including three aged Library selections paired with two current-release counterparts. This tasting aims to highlight how time transforms a wine’s structure and flavour, revealing the nuance and complexity only found in well-cellared vintages.
Following the tasting, guests will reboard the train to enjoy a house-made dessert with coffee or tea while soaking in the return views of Napa Valley. As the train winds its way back through the vineyards, the relaxed pace and scenic beauty offer the perfect conclusion to an experience that promotes a deeper appreciation for Napa Valley’s winemaking legacy.
The Grgich Hills Estate Library Tasting Experience is available to guests 21 and over and can be booked as an elevated version of the current Grgich Hills Estate Experience. “Come taste history in a glass and feel the deep connection to our sense of place and responsibility to our craft in honouring my dad’s vision where he wants every Grgich guest to feel like there are the most important.” said Violet Grgich, proprietress of Grgich Hills Estate and the deceased Mike Grgich’s daughter.
For more information or to reserve a seat on this elevated tasting journey, visit winetrain.com.
About the Napa Valley Wine Train
One of the few active historic passenger railroads in the United States, the Napa Valley Wine Train offers an engaging and memorable experience that echoes the glory days of train travel, with fine dining service, multi-course meals cooked to order, Napa Valley scenery and ultimate relaxation aboard exquisitely restored antique rail cars. The Napa Valley Wine Train features vintage Pullman rail cars faithfully restored with Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents, etched glass partitions and luxurious armchairs that evoke the spirit of luxury rail travel at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Napa Valley Wine Train holds a level 1 Green Key Meetings rating. It has been identified as a destination that has taken first steps to reduce environmental impacts by analyzing its meetings and conference operations and identifying opportunities for improvement. An action plan focusing on resource conservation and waste minimization has been established, and is supported by a firm commitment to continual improvement.
In 2015, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. – a collection of luxury hotels and resorts purchased the historic and iconic Napa Valley Wine Train expanding its portfolio to include attractions in the destinations its hotels call home.