Gordon Larum – Eye on Wine Tours

Gordy is simply the best! We spent 2 full days touring some of the most boutique and beautiful vineyards and wineries across the valley. In nearly every instance, we met the winemaker and/​or owner, and every single one mentioned that they only allow tastings for a select few tour guides, but Gordy is always at the top of the list. As first timers in Napa, we were blown away with his knowledge, professionalism, and friendliness! An all around great guy, no doubt we will be returning ASAP to tour with Gordy!

We had a fabulous day with Gordy. We had not planned on doing a wine tour but a work colleague recommended we spend a day with him — we were not sorry! Gordy took us to 4 vineyards and at each one it was clear that the proprieter had a long-​term relationship with Gordy and mentioned that they always do something extra for Gordy’s customers. 3 of the 4 vineyards were between small and very small family operations and the owner spent significant time with us at each. The other was a higher end tasting room (John Anthony) and we got to try some wonderful wines that we would never otherwise be able to try (i.e. v. expensive)! We will certainly be back and would recommend Gordy to anyone.

Spent last Saturday with Gordy and it was my 4^th time tasting with him in the last 7 years. True to form, he did not disappoint. We went to 4 small, boutique wineries, all with amazing wine and great stories behind them. We did everything from eat lunch overlooking a lake, to tasting on a cliff overlooking the valley, to tasting in a vineyard in front of an old church. The winemakers themselves for the most part hosted us, and were so accommodating to our group of 8. Gordy was his usual happy-​go-​lucky-​self, and we took a couple of his wines to-​go and enjoyed them later that night. I’ve recommended him to 4 – 5 friends over the years and they have always had similar things to say. We did run a little late that day due to traffic from a race, so my apologies to the ladies below who were upset… but I can attest that he tried as hard as possible to get there on time for his 5:30 appointment (we even hurried to help him…) and arrived less than 10 minutes late from 5:30. Bottom line, if you want a memorable, fun and safe napa trip, call Gordy!

We have known Gordy for several years and each trip is amazing! We are no stranger to wine tasting and high-​end wineries (members at multiple), but the knowledge and charm that Gordy’s company brings to each trip is why we keep coming back. Our tasting day last weekend was no exception and we enjoyed four of the most spectacular wineries I have been to… we started off the day tasting in a rustic barn with the owner and his family, enjoyed amazing wines on a cliff overlooking the valley, ate lunch and tasted at another winery’s picturesque lakeside gazebo, and finished at a private table in a beautiful vineyard… experiences we would not have had without Gordy. A memorable, enjoyable day, for sure. Gordy was rushing at the end because he had a tasting appointment at 5:30 but we all understood and he left us with a bottle of his wine to enjoy that evening. As noted by a few others, apologies to the ladies who have posted negative reviews about Gordy’s apparent lateness to their tasting event. He was absolutely trying to make their appointment and arrived 8 – 10 minutes late, hardly worth the emotional outrage and accusations of prejudice.
Regardless, our multiple experiences with Gordy have been 5-​star and we highly recommend his company for memorable, safe, and unique wine tasting experiences in Napa!

Gordie came highly recommended, and when he drove us around on Saturday, he certainly far exceeded any expectations I had! He made every accommodation possible that day! From showing up at our door on time with a smile, and another driver since we had a group of 8, with a wonderful bottle of his own wine! He then took us to 4 outstanding picturesque winery’s, and was wonderful company on the way. At lunch time, he took our orders and drove for take out, then took us to the next winery which allowed us to eat lunch by a beautiful lake while chatting with that winemaker. All wineries knew Gordie well, and certainly took care of us! This experience was never to be forgotten! I would highly recommend him and his wine!

I have been to over 150 wineries in the Napa Valley and have never been treated with such disrespect. I planned a tasting for 15 friends for my 40^th birthday. I met Gordy months ago at another winery and HE offered to do a tasting for my birthday. He showed up late, no apology, and said, «I have to give my time to my paying customers that pay my bills.» He made major assumptions about who he was dealing with — and did so blatantly. I reminded him that we were now in a rush because we had a dinner reservation. He said, «I can just leave the wine and you can pour it yourself, I’m tired anyways.»
Mind you, and not that it should matter, we were staying at a mansion that cost near $ 2,000/night. My friends and I were ready to purchase wine and super excited for our tasting. Gordy then thought he was doing us a favor by leaving $ 300 worth of wine for us to pour ourselves (it was three bottles, allegedly at $ 100/​bottle). Please, $ 100 bottles of wine don’t impress me, and especially if they come with horrible service. Do yourself a favor and don’t reward this kind of arrogant disrespect. I have proudly brought many people to Napa over the years and I can guarantee that ALL of them will know to never patronize this man’s business.

If I could give him negative stars he would not be worth that. We rented the house on the Aonair Vineyard and had an absolutely marvelous time celebrating a dear friend’s birthday. At 5pm Mr. Larum was to come to the estate for a wine tasting session. He was 45 minutes late and we had dinner reservations. One of the attendees stated that she was glad he’d finally made it and his response was appalling. He stated that he was busy with paying clients, that this was his fourth tasting and he was tired… huh? He finished his diatribe with a ‘you can just pour it yourself!’ put the 3 bottles on the table and left.
I was absolutely appalled, embarrassed, and just plain astounded that someone would treat his patrons so poorly and why! I hope he has an honest moment of reflection and reach out to the young lady this celebration was in honor of and wholeheartedly apologize.
P.S Mr. Larum, $ 300 is not much when it comes to wine, you were among enthusiasts and would have made that back and then some. I think you took one look and the crowd and assumed… I’ll end it there.
For the record, Gordy was 45 minutes late not 10! I love how we are being made to look unreasonable!

This man is THE most rude, obnoxious & inappropriate person I’ve ever come across in my entire life. First of all he showed up 45 minutes late to a private estate tasting that he OFFERED to give for my friends birthday weekend. The first thing out of his mouth was that he has to «take cake care of his paying customers»! First strike. We told him we had dinner reservations and he then says «well I can just leave the wine here & you can pour it yourselves because I’m tired & how he rushed over to pour for us…» Second strike… He then says he’ll just leave «$ 300 worth of wine because he had a long day…» & left! We’ve been coming to wine country for upwards of 15 years; many of us hold wine club memberships at high end wineries and I have never been treated so poorly. «Customer service» leaves much to be desired. I’m appalled, disgusted & frankly embarrassed by this mans behavior and would never patronize his business nor purchase any of his wine (which was not that great! BTW!)

Oh my goodness, I am soooo disgusted with the customer service, we received by Gordon Larum of Eye on Wine Tour. First of all he arrived 45min late to my girlfriend’s bday wine tasting appointment, he didn’t apologize to us, and then he had the audacity, to tell us that he was at another party and goes to where the money is at «to what pays the bill». We were all offended and taken aback by his rudeness. It was nothing what we expected and have ever experienced at other wine tasting events!!! Who does this! He also says that he can leave the wine and we can pour it ourselves because he was tired!!! What is happening to today’s customer service! If you are a business person you need to cater to your customers to make sure they spread the positive word! Shaking my head, the only reason I’m giving him a star because it will not let me post my review without giving it a star ! I would give him negative stars if I could!!!

Honestly I was a little nervous to start this trip off. First time to Napa and a huge wine enthusiast so much so that you might be shocked to know my age. I found out about Gordy online randomly when I found out about his estate, Witchery. Tell Gordy Greg told you about it and it will make his day. He is extremely passionate about the wine industry and took us to some of his family friends estates and they were phenomenal!
Gordy ended up taking to four different locations were we learned about the wine growing and making part of the business from the owners and winemakers. Additionally we were able to try is Witchery Proprietor Reserve (which I highly recommend!!!). Overall the experience was amazing, next time we come to Napa I will be doing multiple days with Gordy, it is worth it!

As a first-​timer to the Napa Valley, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when we signed up for a trip with Eye on Wine. Gordy took us on a tour of the most private and established vineyards in Napa, where we had the chance to taste some of the best wines from many different decades and learn about the history of Napa Valley along the ride. His knowledge of the vineyards and wine-​making process are unrivaled having grown up in the valley himself. On our trip, we stopped at four different vineyards, some larger than 800 acres, and some much smaller, family-​owned locations. Regardless of size, they all proved to be special in their own way with the knowledgable owners onsite at most locations to meet and talk with our group.
As I told him on the trip, I don’t think there is another way to go to Napa. Gordy and his partners easily made the day we spent with him the highlight of the vacation. All of the tastings were beautifully orchestrated including an unbelievable lunch on a vineyard lake (canoeing included!). Going to Napa with the help of Eye on Wine is great for anyone staying the weekend in San Francisco, but looking to get out of the city for a day. Gordy picked us up at our hotel, then took us door to door to make sure we had fun without ever having to worry about how to get from one tasting to another.
If you’re going to be in the Bay Area, call Eye on Wine and arrange a tour. You’ll never forget it.

Gordy was amazing! He picked us (11 girls) up from San Francisco and was very prompt. We went straight to Napa — to many amazing wineries we would not have been to otherwise. He set lunch up for us and ensured that we had the most beautiful day filled with delicious wine, cheese and snacks! He made my bachelorette weekend incredible for us all! We all felt like queens! I highly recommend Gordy!

Gordy is the real deal. He knows Napa Valley, having lived there his whole life, so you get lots of the backstory of the different families, very entertaining.
He will take you to some small production family wineries. These are places off the beaten track where the wines are excellent, but undiscovered. We visited Black Cordon, a beautiful setting and wines that are theist affordable wines made by Paul Hobbs. Can’t say enough about Gordy, and he makes his own wine, Witchery, which is fantastic.
If you are into wine and are looking for a one-​of-​a-​kind experience, this is the guy.

Gordy is from the Napa area and has an incredible background on everything and everyone there. So a tour with Gordy is a real treat in that you get a real local’s knowledge of the area, the vineyards, and the wine. That means you are going to visit some of the local best and get a personal experience with the various vineyards he books you with.
We did 2 days of tastings and Gordy didn’t let us down a bit. He provided us with all the essentials (bottled water) and was extremely accommodating when it came to shipping wine for us. He can literally help you plan your whole trip – where to stay, eat, along with taking you on his arranged tours. His stories are epic and will have you cracking up – he should write a memoir.
So, if you are looking for a more personal and entertaining wine tasting tour, I highly recommend you book/​contact Gordy.
Cheers!

My two friends and I were in Sonoma for the Napa to Sonoma Half marathon and of course had to sneak in a wine tour. Gordy came highly recommended from friends who used him another time and he didn’t disappoint. Gordy picked us up in Sonoma and we were on our way. He was very knowledgeable and outlined our day for us. We visited four wineries and the highlight of the tour was that three out of the four times it was just us at the winery. We were able to sit down with the winemakers and learn their process. Everyone was super friendly and the wine was delicious. He drove us all around Napa and our lunch spot had the most stunning views. It was a full day, but we never felt rushed or pressured into buying the wine (even though we did!). I would definitely recommend Gordy and use him again in the future. His tour was worth every penny!

I select one star for this review only because there is no lower option. I can’t articulate where to begin with the negative experience we had with Gordy/​Eye on Wine. But allow me to take a step back; to be clear, I was highly recommended an afternoon with «Gordy» after a close friend went out with him only a mere 4 weeks before my scheduled visit. As a result, myself, my wife, and our two friends were in the Napa area for ‘crush’ and did not hesitate to book «Gordy» on the recommendation. All went according to expectation through the week leading up to our visit, and then…
…Things started to turn slightly sour.
We had two morning reservations scheduled during our time in Wine Country (a couple of personal must-​sees). Upon confirming the scheduled itinerary with Eye on Wine, he made it clear that he did not condone «corporate appointments» but would work with us on our schedule. He informed us that the time necessary to travel from our hotel on the morning of our reservation would require 45min of transportation and, as such, to be ready at 9:15 sharp.
9:15 came and went. No Gordy.
By 9:25, without a sign or a communication from Gordy, we attempted to reach out… After a call to voicemail and a text message that was immediately responded with ’20 minutes away’… we came to a hard bypass.
With a strict 10am reservation that is comfortably 45 minutes away and driver that is now «scheduled» to arrive almost 35 minutes late — we were beyond backed into a corner. We went into contingency mode trying to express an effort to reschedule our day’s appointments and in the process try to define Gordy’s delay. In an attempt to define ETA– my wife made a call to Gordy on her cell phone only to be received with a taciturn driver, clearly exacerbated with the current situation, that, in response to the question, «what is your ETA», was returned with a yelling «WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, FLY!!!»
Obviously the clouds were rolling in on our parade. In response to the frank rudeness and offensive behavior of Gordy, I made the call to confront our situation. What started with soft inquiry on the developing situation was returned with an aggressive response. We fired his service immediately. There is no place for this level of behavior to my wife, my friends or myself. Period. Thankfully to the Westin Verasa, we were able to schedule a rescue operation and still had a great day with the company and wineries that would accept us without reservation.
I write this review, simply, because I have never been so compelled to react to a service as my experience with Gordy and Eye on Wine. The treatment of my wife, the treatment of my friends, and the outright rudeness of my receipt with Gordy on the other end of the phone is unacceptable.
I have since done some follow up research of Gordy/​Eye on Wine on TripAdvisor and there are some interesting posts/​comments that should serve enough fear to ever schedule with this company including, but not limited to, post claims of self-​advertising.
I highly suggest CONCERN and CANCELLATION with reservations with Eye on Wine and, after my experience, I fully expect an ugly email rebuttal from the owners that I am committed to sharing on this forum, the Better Business Bureau and any other forum for Napa wine tasting.
I would opt for a negative or zero star option if available. Worst customer service experience of my life.

This is my second review on Gordy and his company Eye on Wine Tours as well as my third tour with him in three years.
I would like to note that I have been to Napa for wine tasting about 3 other times without Gordy since my first tour with him, and it never is the same.
Of course, we were NOT disappointed. It was a group of 3 of my girlfriends and myself along with our husbands. He took us to four wineries, three of them I had never been to before. The only reason why we went to Mumm again was because it is hands down one of my favorite wineries. Plus, who doesn’t like a little bubbly in the morning?
The best thing I can say about Gordy is that he is so unique and passionate. When you combine those two traits you get pure amazing-​ness! Just talking with him you know that he loves what he does. He caters to all of your needs and desires, tells some pretty amazing stories, and is so sincere. There aren’t a lot of people out there like this guy.
No other guide out there that I would recommend when you visit the Wine Country.

Another amazing day with Gordy!
This time my ladies and I brought the husbands :)
Everyone had a great time. Like our last trip, Gordy introduced us to noteable wineries we would have never found on our own!
Gordy picked us up in Concord, a central location for our group. We rolled in a comfortable van. Gordy had cold waters ready for us at each stop to keep us hydrated throughout the day. He prepared an amazing Cheese and Meat plate for our lunch picnic. As always just great company. Gordy is so personable and down to earth! Must I add, very patient! Especially toward the end of the day if you know what I mean!
We visited — Handwritten, Mumms, John Anthony Vineyard and Pure Cru.
Handwritten would be the stop that wow’d me. Loved the boutique yet homey feel of the place. Our host was great and had their wines been within my budget, I would have purchased a case!
I recommend Gordy Eye on Wine Tours to anyone looking to get a VIP tour of Napa.

I am writing an update after my mom told me how she was treated during her last trip… Usually, Gordy used to take us to really very secluded wineries and private ones with private tastings… and the trips were always different. Not sure what happened, but my mom and I spoke, and we had the SAME itenary… During one of the tastings (I wish I remembered the name of the winery) the 30 year old owner was so full of himself… he was very patronizing to my group of girlfriends… when I spoke to my mom, who went with an older crowd (who has gone with Gordy before and knows how he used to do business) the man was rude. Nobody said anything at that time, but later talked about it and all felt the same way.
My mom’s group went with 18 co-​workers. My mom set it up and made the arrangements… They were told they would hit up 4 wineries and lunch was included in the $ 150/​per person price. On the day of, Gordy requested the money upfront (which he had never done before). When it came time for «lunch» he only provided a baguette with salami. When they went to the 3^rd winery, my mom found out that was the last winery. It was a shock to her since they had talked about going to 4. After the last stop, he didn’t even drive them back to the inn they were staying at. My mom didn’t say anything at that time.
Another thing… One of the ladies husbands was going to meet them during the day, but for some reason was unable to… Since they had paid upfront, the $ 150 was gone. My mom decided to email Gordy and just let him know that her experience was not as good as previous ones. She thought he deserved to know that nher experience was not good so he could change his ways back to before. She also requested a refund for the person that couldn’t come.
After about a week, she received an email; not from Gordy, but from the «rude 30-​year old.» He was even more rude in the email telling her basically that wine tasting is a privelage and its meant to be for people that actually buy wine. (My mom’s group bought several bottles from that winery).
Then, my mom did end up receiving a check in the mail refunding the $ 150 for her friend that couldn’t come.
2 stars because he used to be a good tour and she did end up getting the $ 150 back.
Unfortunately, after several trips with Gordy, I don’t think I will trust that he changed; AND, I didn’t appreciate how the after math of my mom’s email was handled.

We spent two days with Gordy and it was an awesome experience. Gordy drove 8 girls around for two days. He took us to many unique wineries. We were able to talk to the owners and taste wine right from the barrels. We really enjoyed going to the smaller, off the beaten path wineries
He planned everything for us and made our trip fabulous. His knowledge about wine and wine country was wonderful. We learned so much from Gordy.
Gordy is also a blast. He is hilarious and likes to have fun. He had to deal with 8 ladies drinking lots of wine…
I will make sure to tell anyone that visits Napa to hire Gordy for their trip. Our trip wouldn’t have been nearly as great without him!!! Can’t wait to plan another trip with Gordy.
Go Gordy!