So after the absolute joy that was last night, I wake to a spectacular Napa Day.
Sun shining, bright blue skies, a nice balmy day.
I’ve got a couple of recommendations from Sian and Tim, and head of to the first one – Cade Estate.
25 mins of driving up a goat track on the side of Howell Mountain, Garmin having taken me the “Silly” way, I’m greeted at the gate with a “by appointment only” sign.
As a Napa newbie, I don’t know that making an appointment is often required out here – and not what I’m used to back in OZ. I learn a little more about this later.
I try to find their online appointment but coverage is sporadic and that fails. So I fall back on that old standard – an actual phone call to a real person. Despite telling them I’m sitting at their gate, I’m told that Cade is full up today, and if I want to visit it will have to be tomorrow.
Given the strength of the recommendation, which had been seconded by the Bounty Harverst bar tender, I agree to an 11 am session the following day. So I’m forced to spend another day in Napa wine tasting – quelle horreur!
I find the easy way back down the mountain, and pull over to assess options. Just up the road is Mumm Napa, a descendant of France’s GH Mumm. Bubbles for breakfast – why not?
I pull in, the setting is lovely (I’m at the slightly less exclusive Patio rather than the Oak Terrace), the service highly professional but a little “practiced”. The “deluxe” tastig – I’ve since forgotten it’s name, is 3 small flutes of champers, to which I ask to have a pinto added. Mumm, like many wineries have a 2 flute max, so they afford me a little splash, rather than a full tasting.
I learn something new – all “good” champagne flutes have a little unpolished glass ball at the bottom to help with dispersing the champagne’s effervesence. (Yes Dave, you knew, and proceed to explain this as a Nucleation site via facebook!)
A lazy 45 mins later, I pay up and head back to the road.
Barely half a mile away is ZD wines, and on impulse I pop in. I’m their first for the day, get a welcome white at the front counter, before being taken inside, and upstairs to a pretty tasting room with a balcony overlooking the vines.
I’m introduced to Maryanne, and as I’m the only one there, we fall into a lovely chat about travelling, wineries etc. Maryane let’s me know the “by appointment” is mainly a licencing requirement for newer wineries, and that given we are now post season most places will be happy to take me as a walk in (ah yes sir, your appointment for right now magically appears to be in my books just know). Nice to know.
ZD have “SPECTACULAR” reds – their Reserve Pinot from Carneros grapes is the best I’ve ever tasted, but at $75 USD per bottle falls out of a sustainable price range. (Patrick – can you source these back home at all?) Given my love of the reds, Maryanne offers a few suggestions of where else to visit which I carefully jot down
On reflection, ZD was my equal favourite winery visit – such friendly knowledgeable staff, generous with time and pours – I winkle an extra couple of splashes of the Reserve from Maryanne before I have to move on.
It’s now a little after lunch (I’m taking my time of course) and I’m due at the first of Maryanne’s suggestions, Saintsbury, around 2, but it’s a little way down the road – so I decide to slowly wander my way there without haste. It’s a great drive – sunlight vineyards with barely a car on the road so I get to dawdle and do a little rubber necking.
I’m told Saintesbury’s is the grand father of Napa Pinot, and once there, Hannah and Peter give me a tour of the place, talk me through the wines, introduce me to the winemakers and I get a lovely seat first outside in the sun, then a little later amongst the casks.
Peter challenges me on my opening gambit of how his wines are – “nice” being a poor choice on my behalf, to which he quite fairly pointed out that he wouldn’t serve me wines if they were not “nice” – and we get into a more complex discussion. I actually surprise him with finding a slight nose of kerosene in one of the whites which he hadn’t noticed himself
He’s passionate about his wines, and it shows. Again time passes quite quickly and before I know it I’ve been there over an hour, waxing lyrical, before I finally have to leave. Saintsbury’s may not be the best known outside of the valley, but their wines stack up next to anyone’s.
By this stage I’m thinking I’ve probably reached my intake limit, so it’s off to nearby Sonoma to park and walk around. The council make a good effort to make the place look pretty spectacular.
Once Charlotte is safely ensconced, there are are a huge amount of little wine bars and tasting spots to drop into.
I end up in Soujorn Cellars, where the fabulous Amy is serving. We quickly get chatting like old friends, and she helps me with a couple of suggestions (I’m getting a little tipsy here so am at my most garrulous and engaging). A short time later, a young lady walks in, takes a seat next to me (apparently I’m in her usual spot) and opens a book to enjoy whilst she has her normal 2 glasses. Safe to say she is drawn into conversation, and I find out Emma used to work in the wine industry, is also taking a little manana time and before you know it I have suggestions for Napa Day 2.
Gradually patrons depart, including Emma, until I find it’s quite late and I’m almost last at the bar – one of Amy’s friend and regular patrons has popped in late and somehow he get’s talked into subscribing to the blog – before I finally stumble out the door and head back to Charlotte.
I’ll probably have a headache in the morning, but it’s been a brilliant day – sun, wine, conversations, meeting new people and I can’t wait for Napa and Sonoma Day 2 to arrive.
V, ZD…. Appears not in OZ
disappointing. Cade?