Napa/Sonoma Trip Report
Apr 25th, 2005 | 11:16 AM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Napa/Sonoma Trip Report
First, many thanks to all who offered suggestions and advice regarding this quick trip. Major kudos to razzledazzle for your invaluable insight. This was a quick 4 day trip as DH was in Calif. on business, and I joined him once biz was over.
Flew on AA direct JFK to San Fran. Was able to get on the 3:45 flight standby, which made a world of difference. DH was already at the Grand Hyatt on Stockton, and he met my BF for drinks til I arrived. Took a cab from SFO to hotel, took about 30 minutes and cost $40. Ate that night at Scala, on Powell, next to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Nice decor, packed for a Tuesday, food was good, but I was exhausted.
Picked up car next day and headed to Napa. This was a first time trip for both of us. We always wondered why we never went, since we collect wines, particularly California Cabs. It should be noted that we did not take any tours, as we have taken many before in France and Long Island. We also always bought one tasting for the two of us, lots of Calif Highway patrol around and St Helena is a major speedtrap town.
Wineries -
Gloria Ferrer in lower Sonoma. First stop 10:30am and already drinking champagne.
Gorgeous chateau on the hill with a terrace overlooking the vineyards. I believe tastings here were $10 for a full glass of champagne each. Downside - you got a full glass of one kind, not a tasting. Would've preferred tasting a few. There was only one other couple here so it was peaceful and quiet.
Domaine Carneros - owned 50/50 by Taittinger and Kobrand Corp. Taittinger is one of our favorite champagnes, and DH was wearing his Taittinger shirt direct from Taittinger in Reims France. He was a hit with our waitress. Gorgeous chateau modeled on one in France (nicer than GF) with a terrace overlooking the gardens. There was a bus group here so it was crowded and noisy (can't anyone ever leave home without their cell phones!?). We got a tasting of 3 different champagnes - blanc de blanc, a rose, and a brut. I preferred the brut.Nice gift shop, but we were quite surprised that they did not sell champagne buckets with their name on it (we collect these too!)
Artesa - stunningly gorgeous, up the mountain, and built into the mountain. Very modern looking with the million dollar view. On a clear day you can see San Francisco from here. We had a coupon for a complementary tasting,and also did the reserve tasting. We are big fans of their wines. Dan our pourer was extremely nice, and gave us extra tastings of wine that was not on the list. Bought a bottle here. Probably my favorite.
Flora Springs - Not so much a winery, just a tasting room, but Joe from the Bronx was a hoot. We love the Trilogy (except for the 2001 - not as good), so it was nice to taste other wines that they make. Bought a bottle here.
Joseph Phelps - our number 1 wine is the Insignia so this was a must see. Tours and tastings are by appointment only, but it was slow so they took us for a tasting. Again, gorgeous view, and Peter was one of the nicest pourers (seconds etc.) Didn't buy here as the Insignia was $115, and we can get it for as low as $80. There is a great painting by Thomas Stiltz here of an Insignia bottle with a wine glass (filled of course) that we just love (a friend bought it and has it in his living room). He does great paintings of several wines - see his work at www.piersidegallery.com
Burgess & Viader - it took a while to find these two, up Deer Creek Road. Burgess had a great view, but alas, tastings were by appointment weekends only, and they meant it. Viader I guess was appointment only - the gates were closed. Oh well, at least we saw them.
Flew on AA direct JFK to San Fran. Was able to get on the 3:45 flight standby, which made a world of difference. DH was already at the Grand Hyatt on Stockton, and he met my BF for drinks til I arrived. Took a cab from SFO to hotel, took about 30 minutes and cost $40. Ate that night at Scala, on Powell, next to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Nice decor, packed for a Tuesday, food was good, but I was exhausted.
Picked up car next day and headed to Napa. This was a first time trip for both of us. We always wondered why we never went, since we collect wines, particularly California Cabs. It should be noted that we did not take any tours, as we have taken many before in France and Long Island. We also always bought one tasting for the two of us, lots of Calif Highway patrol around and St Helena is a major speedtrap town.
Wineries -
Gloria Ferrer in lower Sonoma. First stop 10:30am and already drinking champagne.
Gorgeous chateau on the hill with a terrace overlooking the vineyards. I believe tastings here were $10 for a full glass of champagne each. Downside - you got a full glass of one kind, not a tasting. Would've preferred tasting a few. There was only one other couple here so it was peaceful and quiet.Domaine Carneros - owned 50/50 by Taittinger and Kobrand Corp. Taittinger is one of our favorite champagnes, and DH was wearing his Taittinger shirt direct from Taittinger in Reims France. He was a hit with our waitress. Gorgeous chateau modeled on one in France (nicer than GF) with a terrace overlooking the gardens. There was a bus group here so it was crowded and noisy (can't anyone ever leave home without their cell phones!?). We got a tasting of 3 different champagnes - blanc de blanc, a rose, and a brut. I preferred the brut.Nice gift shop, but we were quite surprised that they did not sell champagne buckets with their name on it (we collect these too!)
Artesa - stunningly gorgeous, up the mountain, and built into the mountain. Very modern looking with the million dollar view. On a clear day you can see San Francisco from here. We had a coupon for a complementary tasting,and also did the reserve tasting. We are big fans of their wines. Dan our pourer was extremely nice, and gave us extra tastings of wine that was not on the list. Bought a bottle here. Probably my favorite.
Flora Springs - Not so much a winery, just a tasting room, but Joe from the Bronx was a hoot. We love the Trilogy (except for the 2001 - not as good), so it was nice to taste other wines that they make. Bought a bottle here.
Joseph Phelps - our number 1 wine is the Insignia so this was a must see. Tours and tastings are by appointment only, but it was slow so they took us for a tasting. Again, gorgeous view, and Peter was one of the nicest pourers (seconds etc.) Didn't buy here as the Insignia was $115, and we can get it for as low as $80. There is a great painting by Thomas Stiltz here of an Insignia bottle with a wine glass (filled of course) that we just love (a friend bought it and has it in his living room). He does great paintings of several wines - see his work at www.piersidegallery.com
Burgess & Viader - it took a while to find these two, up Deer Creek Road. Burgess had a great view, but alas, tastings were by appointment weekends only, and they meant it. Viader I guess was appointment only - the gates were closed. Oh well, at least we saw them.
Apr 25th, 2005 | 11:24 AM
#2
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Continuing:
Quintessa - also by appointment only but again it was slow so they gave us a taste. We tasted 2 wines - the 1998 Quintessa and the 2001, paired with local cheese. I love the 1998 so we bought a bottle here.
Merryvale - Probably our biggest disappointment. Very commercial like feel to it, and the wines were not very good. IMHO, the Profile hasn't been good since 97. In and out.
Sonoma
Chateau St. Jean - the 96 Cinq Cepages has to be one of the best wines I have ever had (and we still have some locked away). Stunningly gorgeous gardens with picnic tables and a terrace. We had a coupon for a free tasting and then walked across the courtyard for the premium tasting. Most of their wines are not widely distributed - I loved the higher end Fume Blanc so we bought a bottle here.
Gundlach Bundshau - we were sent here by Ann Marie from Tra Vigne. It is in the town of Sonoma - very laid back. The tasting room is a trailer! Good wines, not great. One of the oldest family owned wineries in the valley, now owned by 4th generation. These guys in 1990 held up the Napa Valley Wine Train on horseback, and gave the 'hostages' Sonoma wines. Bought a bottle of Pinot here.
Hit Costco and Cost Plus on many recommendations for low cost wines, but didn't find any we wanted to buy.
Quintessa - also by appointment only but again it was slow so they gave us a taste. We tasted 2 wines - the 1998 Quintessa and the 2001, paired with local cheese. I love the 1998 so we bought a bottle here.
Merryvale - Probably our biggest disappointment. Very commercial like feel to it, and the wines were not very good. IMHO, the Profile hasn't been good since 97. In and out.
Sonoma
Chateau St. Jean - the 96 Cinq Cepages has to be one of the best wines I have ever had (and we still have some locked away). Stunningly gorgeous gardens with picnic tables and a terrace. We had a coupon for a free tasting and then walked across the courtyard for the premium tasting. Most of their wines are not widely distributed - I loved the higher end Fume Blanc so we bought a bottle here.
Gundlach Bundshau - we were sent here by Ann Marie from Tra Vigne. It is in the town of Sonoma - very laid back. The tasting room is a trailer! Good wines, not great. One of the oldest family owned wineries in the valley, now owned by 4th generation. These guys in 1990 held up the Napa Valley Wine Train on horseback, and gave the 'hostages' Sonoma wines. Bought a bottle of Pinot here.
Hit Costco and Cost Plus on many recommendations for low cost wines, but didn't find any we wanted to buy.
Apr 25th, 2005 | 11:36 AM
#3
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Food and Lodging:
Already mentioned San Francisco.
Napa: We stayed at the Mount View in Calistoga and we spa'd here. They had a midweek spa package which included room and bath/massage for $299. We were here for 2 nights in queen suite. Calistoga was quaint and quiet, it was interesting watching all the people come in on Thursday night tho - it was hopping that night.
Santa Rosa: - the Hyatt Vineyard. Nice, typical Hyatt, but the staff was great. They gave us passes to Chateau St.Jean, got us dinner reservations at the last minute, and when we returned and there were no parking spaces - Chelsea personally walked around the lot(in the rain) and then gave us hers.We of course commended her to the manager the next day and are writing to Hyatt corporate.
Food:
French Laundry - what can i say except I will have to work the rest of my life to pay off this one. There are 4 menus to choose from, each one is $175. Wine prices are very very high, we kept the cost down (?) by only ordering a half of champagne and a half of wine. We had read that for $125 extra you could do a wine pairing with each course, but they no longer do that. The food was wonderful. But, I thought the meal was way too long! We got there at 7:30 and had to ask for the check at 11:45 (I had had enough and wanted to sleep, I kept telling DH I was fading fast around 10:30). It was about 20 to 30 minutes between courses, and while I don't want the food thrown at me, it was too long. I felt the kitchen was stressed, maybe because Keller wasn't there? The sommelier was very helpful, and our waiter, Kevin, was a sweetie.
Taylor's Refresher - good roadside burger shack with some interesting food (fish tacos anyone? - won't find that at McDs). Great fries too.
Boskos - in Calistoga. The night after the French Laundry all we wanted was pizza and it was good too!
Brannan's - went here for beers at the bar the same night as the pizza. Yes, you do get wined out!
Santa Rosa - Willie's Wine Bar - all small plates with wine in 2 oz tastings, 5 oz glass, half bottle or full bottle. Loved the concept and the food was really good.
Omelet Express - for breakfast in Santa Rosa. 50 different kinds of omelets. They are huge.
Then back to SF for our flight back to NY. It was a great time. Oh yeah to R5 - you're right - I would never drive the Petrified Forest Road at night!!!!!
Already mentioned San Francisco.
Napa: We stayed at the Mount View in Calistoga and we spa'd here. They had a midweek spa package which included room and bath/massage for $299. We were here for 2 nights in queen suite. Calistoga was quaint and quiet, it was interesting watching all the people come in on Thursday night tho - it was hopping that night.
Santa Rosa: - the Hyatt Vineyard. Nice, typical Hyatt, but the staff was great. They gave us passes to Chateau St.Jean, got us dinner reservations at the last minute, and when we returned and there were no parking spaces - Chelsea personally walked around the lot(in the rain) and then gave us hers.We of course commended her to the manager the next day and are writing to Hyatt corporate.
Food:
French Laundry - what can i say except I will have to work the rest of my life to pay off this one. There are 4 menus to choose from, each one is $175. Wine prices are very very high, we kept the cost down (?) by only ordering a half of champagne and a half of wine. We had read that for $125 extra you could do a wine pairing with each course, but they no longer do that. The food was wonderful. But, I thought the meal was way too long! We got there at 7:30 and had to ask for the check at 11:45 (I had had enough and wanted to sleep, I kept telling DH I was fading fast around 10:30). It was about 20 to 30 minutes between courses, and while I don't want the food thrown at me, it was too long. I felt the kitchen was stressed, maybe because Keller wasn't there? The sommelier was very helpful, and our waiter, Kevin, was a sweetie.
Taylor's Refresher - good roadside burger shack with some interesting food (fish tacos anyone? - won't find that at McDs). Great fries too.
Boskos - in Calistoga. The night after the French Laundry all we wanted was pizza
and it was good too! Brannan's - went here for beers at the bar the same night as the pizza. Yes, you do get wined out!
Santa Rosa - Willie's Wine Bar - all small plates with wine in 2 oz tastings, 5 oz glass, half bottle or full bottle. Loved the concept and the food was really good.
Omelet Express - for breakfast in Santa Rosa. 50 different kinds of omelets. They are huge.
Then back to SF for our flight back to NY. It was a great time. Oh yeah to R5 - you're right - I would never drive the Petrified Forest Road at night!!!!!
Apr 25th, 2005 | 11:56 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,489
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Lor,
You get the spicy sweet 'tater frieds at Taylor's? Them's good eatin'!
"Le Dazzle" knows her stuff, yah?
OK. I'm ready to go to NV/SV again.
Life's too short to work!!!
BTW...did you meet your "Dear Hubby" (DH) and your "Boy Friend" (BF) in SF. That's SOOOOO Californian!>-
You get the spicy sweet 'tater frieds at Taylor's? Them's good eatin'!
"Le Dazzle" knows her stuff, yah?
OK. I'm ready to go to NV/SV again.
Life's too short to work!!!
BTW...did you meet your "Dear Hubby" (DH) and your "Boy Friend" (BF) in SF. That's SOOOOO Californian!
>-
quot;>
Apr 25th, 2005 | 12:22 PM
#8
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 287
Likes: 0
Your trip sounds just great - makes me want to go back. We had better (?) luck at French Laundry...in and out alittle faster, but not rushed at all, and we stayed in town so we were able to walk back and forth, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone contemplating dinner at FL. You packed alot into a short stay. Now you can rest !
!
Apr 25th, 2005 | 12:29 PM
#9
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
If anyone ever wants smaller tasting, small wineries (where you might even meet the winemaker) try Amador County. We had more fun on our trip here than to anywhere in Napa - so small, personalized and fun - most of the tastings were free and they have great Zins up that way. Plus on the weekends the traffic in Napa can be bad (don't even bother trying to turn left - just go up one side of the highway and come back the other!)
Sonoma and Napa have gotten very commerical and Amador and the foothills are still very relaxed, informal and friendly.
Sonoma and Napa have gotten very commerical and Amador and the foothills are still very relaxed, informal and friendly.
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