Napa Valley Revisited - After Many Years!
Jul 5th, 2005 | 07:43 AM
#1
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Napa Valley Revisited - After Many Years!
Hi, All wine lovers!
I've just returned from a three-day trip to Napa Valley and thought I'd post a few notes for those who are interested in good wine.
Wineries visited:
Artesa
Domaine Carneros
Chateau Montelena
Clos Pegase
Grgich Hills
Niebaum Coppola
St Supery
Cakebread
Van der Heyden
Chimney Rock
Trefethen
Robert Sinskey was closed for July 4th (boo hoo!)
Quintessa was doing wine-and-cheese tastings by appointment only.
A forenote first: I grew up close to the Napa Valley and Napa was just another dusty town, very hot in the summer. In those days, the biggest thing in Yountville was the Veterans Home. The current Culinary Institute of America used to be Christian Brothers and it was a cool place to visit and escape the summer heat. There were a handful of big wineries: Mondavi, Krug, and Inglenook - which has been transformed into Neibaum-Coppola. Well, you get the idea. (and, no! I'm NOT a hundred years old! Napa only started blooming in the 1980's onward)
Today, Napa is a totally different scene. It has certainly grown very wealthy and has some of the ostentatiousness of wealth. Napa today is unlike any other wine region in California. It's lost most of the rural charm and grace which is so characteristic of California vineyards and gained a lot of glitz, with a smathering of culture. Fortunately, it still makes great wines!
We started out with Artesa in Napa and at the southern end of Napa Valley. It is absolutely gorgeous and I am glad we started there, as it set the serendipitous tone for the rest of the trip. We liked their 2003 pinot blanc and I loved sitting out on their terrace and watching a falcon lazily glide with the air currents while keeping a sharp eye out for any field mice or other tidbits.
We've always liked Domaine Caneros wines but, alas, a service person came only after we had been sitting on their terrace for 20 minutes! This was especially annoying as the table next to us was taken over by a bunch of loud and, by then, pretty drunk individuals. They instantly attracted three service personnel! When, at last, someone came and asked how we were doing, I replied, rather pointedly and rather uncharacteristically, that we weren't feeling that great and that we felt ignored! In the next five minutes, five service persons came to ask how we were doing! We didn't order anything because by then we had to go to our dinner reservation at Bistro Jeanty. Great dinner at the Bistro, which is our favorite French restaurant in Napa Valley - so far! They had several specials that night which were to die for!
More later!
I've just returned from a three-day trip to Napa Valley and thought I'd post a few notes for those who are interested in good wine.
Wineries visited:
Artesa
Domaine Carneros
Chateau Montelena
Clos Pegase
Grgich Hills
Niebaum Coppola
St Supery
Cakebread
Van der Heyden
Chimney Rock
Trefethen
Robert Sinskey was closed for July 4th (boo hoo!)
Quintessa was doing wine-and-cheese tastings by appointment only.
A forenote first: I grew up close to the Napa Valley and Napa was just another dusty town, very hot in the summer. In those days, the biggest thing in Yountville was the Veterans Home. The current Culinary Institute of America used to be Christian Brothers and it was a cool place to visit and escape the summer heat. There were a handful of big wineries: Mondavi, Krug, and Inglenook - which has been transformed into Neibaum-Coppola. Well, you get the idea. (and, no! I'm NOT a hundred years old! Napa only started blooming in the 1980's onward)
Today, Napa is a totally different scene. It has certainly grown very wealthy and has some of the ostentatiousness of wealth. Napa today is unlike any other wine region in California. It's lost most of the rural charm and grace which is so characteristic of California vineyards and gained a lot of glitz, with a smathering of culture. Fortunately, it still makes great wines!
We started out with Artesa in Napa and at the southern end of Napa Valley. It is absolutely gorgeous and I am glad we started there, as it set the serendipitous tone for the rest of the trip. We liked their 2003 pinot blanc and I loved sitting out on their terrace and watching a falcon lazily glide with the air currents while keeping a sharp eye out for any field mice or other tidbits.
We've always liked Domaine Caneros wines but, alas, a service person came only after we had been sitting on their terrace for 20 minutes! This was especially annoying as the table next to us was taken over by a bunch of loud and, by then, pretty drunk individuals. They instantly attracted three service personnel! When, at last, someone came and asked how we were doing, I replied, rather pointedly and rather uncharacteristically, that we weren't feeling that great and that we felt ignored! In the next five minutes, five service persons came to ask how we were doing! We didn't order anything because by then we had to go to our dinner reservation at Bistro Jeanty. Great dinner at the Bistro, which is our favorite French restaurant in Napa Valley - so far! They had several specials that night which were to die for!
More later!
Jul 5th, 2005 | 08:16 AM
#2
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DayTwo: We started out with a wonderful brunch at Cafe 29 (St Helena), voted "best breakfast in Napa Valley, 2004 and 2005" by Citysearch. I started out with their "Rutherford" breakfast, which was steak and eggs and that breakfast lasted me the whole day!
We then drove way north to Calistoga and started our second day of wine tasting at the northern end of Napa Valley. We visited Chateau Montelena and were enchanted by the architecture and the gardens. Chateau Montelena, along with Freemark Abbey and others, were the first to put Napa on the international wine connoisseurs' map.
Then we went to Clos Pegase with its strange modern art. We thought the tall pillars at the entrance offered poor feng shui - more like a sign shutting people out rather than inviting people in. I suppose others will find the place more inviting. My favorite piece of modern art were a pair of whirling arrows - so much for my taste in modern art! LOL!
After such a big breakfast, we didn't want any lunch, so drove back along Highway 29 to Grgich Hills, whose chardonnay has been one of our favorite wines for years. Everything was reasonable, the tasting was only $5 a person and the wine glass came with the $5. There was a fuller palette of tastings. This is serious wine business with none of the glitz. We really liked their Fume Blanc.
Next stop: Neibaum Coppola. What can I say? Is this entertainment? Is this wine? Is this entertaining wine? The place was packed, the wines offered for tasting were so-so, the expensive knick-knacks covered the ground floor and were being snatched up by tourists left and right. Limos were parked in a special area reserved for limos. Hollywood has come to Napa!
Last stop today: St Supery. Very late in the day, no more tours. So we did the self-guided tour of one of the best displays about wine that I've seen anywhere. No more tastings, tho, our taste buds are shot for the day.
Dinner is a picnic dinner from the Oakville Grocery. It's amazing that so much gourmet food can be stacked in such a tiny place! The aisles are big enough for two VERY thin people to squeeze by!
Oh, BTW, we skipped Sterling Vineyards. $20 for a gondola ride is not about wine anymore, toto.
More later.
We then drove way north to Calistoga and started our second day of wine tasting at the northern end of Napa Valley. We visited Chateau Montelena and were enchanted by the architecture and the gardens. Chateau Montelena, along with Freemark Abbey and others, were the first to put Napa on the international wine connoisseurs' map.
Then we went to Clos Pegase with its strange modern art. We thought the tall pillars at the entrance offered poor feng shui - more like a sign shutting people out rather than inviting people in. I suppose others will find the place more inviting. My favorite piece of modern art were a pair of whirling arrows - so much for my taste in modern art! LOL!
After such a big breakfast, we didn't want any lunch, so drove back along Highway 29 to Grgich Hills, whose chardonnay has been one of our favorite wines for years. Everything was reasonable, the tasting was only $5 a person and the wine glass came with the $5. There was a fuller palette of tastings. This is serious wine business with none of the glitz. We really liked their Fume Blanc.
Next stop: Neibaum Coppola. What can I say? Is this entertainment? Is this wine? Is this entertaining wine? The place was packed, the wines offered for tasting were so-so, the expensive knick-knacks covered the ground floor and were being snatched up by tourists left and right. Limos were parked in a special area reserved for limos. Hollywood has come to Napa!
Last stop today: St Supery. Very late in the day, no more tours. So we did the self-guided tour of one of the best displays about wine that I've seen anywhere. No more tastings, tho, our taste buds are shot for the day.
Dinner is a picnic dinner from the Oakville Grocery. It's amazing that so much gourmet food can be stacked in such a tiny place! The aisles are big enough for two VERY thin people to squeeze by!
Oh, BTW, we skipped Sterling Vineyards. $20 for a gondola ride is not about wine anymore, toto.
More later.
Jul 5th, 2005 | 08:37 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 248
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What can I say? Is this entertainment? Is this a trip report? Is this an entertaining trip report? Of course, very much so, as we know to look forward to from you, Easy.
I'm glad you enjoyed Chateau Montelena too--it was always one of my favorite, if not my favorite, tasting environments when I lived in the area. If I had worked pouring, I think I would have liked to do it there. And I'm also interested that you seemed to find Clos Pegase, well, too Clos'd and cold. That was my reaction also.
Easy, off the topic of wine, I wrote you a personal aside on the "Big Sur Hikes" thread--not your Big Sur hikes thread, but another thread with that title to which we both posted--and I'm not sure you saw it, since you haven't been posting between then and now.
I'm glad you enjoyed Chateau Montelena too--it was always one of my favorite, if not my favorite, tasting environments when I lived in the area. If I had worked pouring, I think I would have liked to do it there. And I'm also interested that you seemed to find Clos Pegase, well, too Clos'd and cold. That was my reaction also.
Easy, off the topic of wine, I wrote you a personal aside on the "Big Sur Hikes" thread--not your Big Sur hikes thread, but another thread with that title to which we both posted--and I'm not sure you saw it, since you haven't been posting between then and now.
Jul 5th, 2005 | 08:45 AM
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Day Three: We like to start our winetasting with a full stomach, so we stopped at Pacific Blues Cafe in Yountville and had a great big breakfast. By this Day Three we have drunk in so much beautiful scenery along with the wine that we are nothing but melted relaxed piles poured into the chairs on the PB Cafe terrace! The weather has been perfect and most of the wines we have purchased have been wonderful!
We start for the Silverado Trail and our first stop is Chimney Rock. Another serious wine place. We picked up some of their 2001 Cab and their 2002 Elevage. Very serious wines.
Since we couldn't get into Robert Sinskey and Quintessa, we stopped off at Van der Heyden, a winery going back to the old days of rustic places and great wines. This is a small winery with very distinctive wines. We liked their late harvest cab as a dessert wine.
Last stop, Trefethen, another substitute winery which amazed us. Another serious vineyard. Of all the reds that we had tasted this weekend, we loved their 1999 Cab the best. Of their whites we liked the 1995 Chardonnay.
One last winery which I forgot to mention: Beaulieu - a walk down memory lane again. Their 2003 Caneros Pinot Noir is not bad and they make a very good Muscat dessert wine.
That's it, folks! For this trip.
Napa has about 120-150 vineyards with tremendous variety. I encourage you to visit Napa and find your own favorites!
I've gone to several wine producing areas in North America -had gone on an ice wine tasting trip in Canada earlier in the summer - and my favorite region is still Sonoma, but the wines of Napa are truly superb! Enjoy!
We start for the Silverado Trail and our first stop is Chimney Rock. Another serious wine place. We picked up some of their 2001 Cab and their 2002 Elevage. Very serious wines.
Since we couldn't get into Robert Sinskey and Quintessa, we stopped off at Van der Heyden, a winery going back to the old days of rustic places and great wines. This is a small winery with very distinctive wines. We liked their late harvest cab as a dessert wine.
Last stop, Trefethen, another substitute winery which amazed us. Another serious vineyard. Of all the reds that we had tasted this weekend, we loved their 1999 Cab the best. Of their whites we liked the 1995 Chardonnay.
One last winery which I forgot to mention: Beaulieu - a walk down memory lane again. Their 2003 Caneros Pinot Noir is not bad and they make a very good Muscat dessert wine.
That's it, folks! For this trip.
Napa has about 120-150 vineyards with tremendous variety. I encourage you to visit Napa and find your own favorites!
I've gone to several wine producing areas in North America -had gone on an ice wine tasting trip in Canada earlier in the summer - and my favorite region is still Sonoma, but the wines of Napa are truly superb! Enjoy!
Jul 6th, 2005 | 12:40 AM
#6
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
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I enjoyed your report and your perspective. I, too, love St. Supery's wonderful exhibit. I've stopped recommending it as a stop because it's so modern (not your sterotypical winery) but it's one of my favorites ever. I did enjoy Clos Pegase - maybe because it is so different?
I didn't see your Cakebread report. Is it too early in the morning for me? Love their wines and have been curious about the winery/tasting.
Loved that one dinner was a picnic from the Oakville Grocery. Doing the same is one of my favorites in wine country. I even listed that in a "must do restaurant" thread and then felt quite stupid afterwards. Nothing is better during or after a relaxing day in the vineyards of wine country. I'm glad someone else feels the same way.
Thanks for sharing your trip!
I didn't see your Cakebread report. Is it too early in the morning for me? Love their wines and have been curious about the winery/tasting.
Loved that one dinner was a picnic from the Oakville Grocery. Doing the same is one of my favorites in wine country. I even listed that in a "must do restaurant" thread and then felt quite stupid afterwards. Nothing is better during or after a relaxing day in the vineyards of wine country. I'm glad someone else feels the same way.
Thanks for sharing your trip!
Jul 6th, 2005 | 06:27 AM
#7
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Joined: Oct 2003
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JB: There have been some problems with logging into the Fodors' site, nevertheless, I haven't been able to pull up the Big Sur thread you mentioned. Which thread was it? I tend to post to Big Sur topics a lot - when I'm around!
starrsville: Thanks for you kind words!
We seem to enjoy some of the same things in Napa Valley - a kindred soul! That Oakville Grocery is simply wonderful!
On Cakebread: no, it's not you, tho 4:40am (Is that 1:40am our time?) IS a bit early! It's me, I just forgot to mention Cakebread in my report. Cakebread was interesting. It's another "rustic" winery, meaning that it's a fairly standard winery building without the glitz and glamour. The tour was well done. They start visitors out with one wine (believe it's $10 to tour and taste, glass comes with the price)in the front area. My memory cells tell me it was a Chardonnay. Then the tour guide took us through a part of the winery, telling us quickly about fermentation, etc. etc. Then, still in the back, among all the oak casks, he continued the wine tasting. He ended the tasting with a Cab and lastly with a Syrah, which he claimed is so strong that he likes to pour it last as it overpowers the other wines. Of course, by this time, we had done so much tasting, our taste buds were already overpowered - LOL!
The guide mentioned that Cakebread is sold in some 2000+ restaurants and that there were a couple of wines at the tasting which were designed specifically for sale in the restaurants - not too thin, but also not too strong, kind of a middling wine. Cakebread makes good wines, so don't get me wrong. These are gentle wines to go with food. As a contrast, I'd mention Van der Heyden's Cab which was full of character, because it's been aged for almost four years before being bottled. Van der Heyden is a boutique wine, not designed for mass sales and likely to either enchant/discourage an imbiber. Cakebread, on the other hand, makes some wines for the mass market and so these wines are pleasant but less of a taste adventure. (Guess I'm digging myself into a bigger hole, the more I write. Better stop now! LOL! )
One fine thing: Clos Pegase's modern art wasn't exactly our cup of tea, but we did like their wines enough to pick up a few bottles. Some things have to be compartmentalized - not liking the art doesn't mean not liking their wine!
Enough on wine! Too early in the morning! Have a great day, everyone!
starrsville: Thanks for you kind words!
We seem to enjoy some of the same things in Napa Valley - a kindred soul! That Oakville Grocery is simply wonderful!
On Cakebread: no, it's not you, tho 4:40am (Is that 1:40am our time?) IS a bit early! It's me, I just forgot to mention Cakebread in my report. Cakebread was interesting. It's another "rustic" winery, meaning that it's a fairly standard winery building without the glitz and glamour. The tour was well done. They start visitors out with one wine (believe it's $10 to tour and taste, glass comes with the price)in the front area. My memory cells tell me it was a Chardonnay. Then the tour guide took us through a part of the winery, telling us quickly about fermentation, etc. etc. Then, still in the back, among all the oak casks, he continued the wine tasting. He ended the tasting with a Cab and lastly with a Syrah, which he claimed is so strong that he likes to pour it last as it overpowers the other wines. Of course, by this time, we had done so much tasting, our taste buds were already overpowered - LOL!
The guide mentioned that Cakebread is sold in some 2000+ restaurants and that there were a couple of wines at the tasting which were designed specifically for sale in the restaurants - not too thin, but also not too strong, kind of a middling wine. Cakebread makes good wines, so don't get me wrong. These are gentle wines to go with food. As a contrast, I'd mention Van der Heyden's Cab which was full of character, because it's been aged for almost four years before being bottled. Van der Heyden is a boutique wine, not designed for mass sales and likely to either enchant/discourage an imbiber. Cakebread, on the other hand, makes some wines for the mass market and so these wines are pleasant but less of a taste adventure. (Guess I'm digging myself into a bigger hole, the more I write. Better stop now! LOL! )
One fine thing: Clos Pegase's modern art wasn't exactly our cup of tea, but we did like their wines enough to pick up a few bottles. Some things have to be compartmentalized - not liking the art doesn't mean not liking their wine!
Enough on wine! Too early in the morning! Have a great day, everyone!
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Jul 6th, 2005 | 10:11 AM
#8
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 37,459
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Interesting you got to Van der Heyden. I've been there several times with my brother. He's partial to their late harvest Zin. I really like going to the smaller wineries myself. I just find the over all experience much better than the biggies. Plus I like finding wines that I like that aren't in all the grocery stores. Just makes it fun. Your trip sounded great.
