West Coast 2012: Napa Valley

Our Napa Valley experience began on Sunday afternoon when C and I split tastings of one flight of whites and one flight of current releases at Clos Du Val Winery.  The white flight was extraordinary, which included the Pinot Noir Rose that I definitely want to use to make their Rose Sangria, as well as the Chardonnay.  The Chardonnay was like no Chardonnay I have ever had before because it has no oak (i.e. not creamy and buttery – not a big fan of that type of Chardonnay) due to the process being stopped before the malolactic fermentation.  Next, we decided to enjoy a bottle of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc outside under an umbrella next to the vineyard.  Gorgeous scenery…

After such a great start, we headed north and checked into the Vintage Inn in Yountville, CA.  Wow.  This boutique hotel is ideal for setting the mood for a great experience of wine tasting and relaxing.  We had champagne breakfast each morning and afternoon tea including tea, coffee and delicious sandwiches.

Sunday evening we ate a great french meal at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville.  We enjoyed a pitcher of french table wine which was enough for a small army.  Definitely recommend this quaint french bistro to anyone visiting the area!

After an amazing champagne breakfast on Monday morning we headed out on our very own “winery tour.”  Basically we decided that we would stop by a couple of wineries that people had suggested and then some additional ones based on deals found on the “Winery Finder” app – great app that finds 2 for 1 tasting deals and free tastings!

We began at Peju (which we later found a 2 for 1 coupon for – ergh) and loved architecture inside and out - some great stained glass.  Don, who led the tasting for us and another couple, was very knowledgeable and even let us try the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc that has not been released yet.  This was amazing because you could truly tell the difference between the 2010 and 2011.  The 2010 was lighter on your tongue and 3 out of 4 of us liked that one better.  Crazy!  Well we ended up with a bottle of the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the 2007 Merlot.  Their Merlot does not have the tannins of most Merlot wines so there is not that typical dryness.  We learned that 2007 was a perfect growing season here in Napa and therefore all the grapes were just that much better.  Delicious!

Next stop on our tour was Grgich Hills Estate – amazing!  This winery is family owned and the founder is still alive and around the estate at 89 years old!  With our tasting we got a full tour of the facility looking at the grapes, and learned about the establishment of Napa Valley.  In 1976, the Judgment of Paris – blind taste test in Paris – was where Mike Grgich won the prize for best overall Chardonnay in a blind taste test including French wines.  The French were very upset – maybe that’s where the hostility comes from???  Anyway, the Chardonnay was awesome – again did not go through the MLF process.  The wine was a bit more expensive so we just enjoyed the tour here.  Yum...

We quickly stopped at Alpha Omega for a tasting and would have stayed and relaxed in the beautiful lounge area if it had been a little bit nicer outside.  Anyway, we moved on…

Next was the Honig Winery, which is very eco-friendly, and has a great ambiance to their tasting rooms.  We stopped by for a free tasting (after “checking-in” on FB) and bought a bottle of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc – only $17!! – seeing a theme here?

Turnbull also offered a free tasting (yay!) so we stopped there next and enjoyed the small winery atmosphere.  The Viognier was delicious and so was the Cabernet Sauvignon.  At this point we had discovered that C and I LOVED the Cab Sauv from Napa and it was also VERY pricey.  We probably would have bought more of that but the Sauvignon Blanc was not such a big hit to our budget.  So we bought a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc and I must say I just love the label with this great Bull that looks almost like a Native American sketch.

Finally…. I know – it’s been a long day right?? – it was!  We ended our tour at V. Sattui where we decided we could use a break for food, relaxation, etc.  We completed a 2 for 1 tasting where we got to share 12 wines (wow!) and then had a snack including a baguette, artichoke cream cheese, tomato & mozz salad, as well as a Panini.  Everything was delicious.  This Winery was more of a “market place” I would say.  There were about 20 different counters to taste at and then a huge deli to get food, etc.

Right before the "nap" 

Then I decided a “nap” would be nice… right… two and half hours later we switched things up and went to the Red Hen Cantina in Napa, just about 10 minutes south of Yountville.  Yummy Mexican food. 

What we learned:  I like Chardonnay as long as it has “no oak” or is stopped before the MLF.   2007 was a perfect growing season in Napa.  White wines should be drunken within 3-4 years, while the tannins (dry strong tastes) in red wine become milder when aged.


Where to next?  Mt. Shasta, Northern California... Camping... Until there's something worth posting...