Husband and I are just back from California and are posting this long trip report from the Napa portion of our travels. Comments about our accommodations (Yountville Inn) and restaurants (Gillwoods, Uva, Mustards, Hydro Bar, Bistro Jeanty) appear in the Reviews section. Thanks again for the input from everyone here; your comments and suggestions were invaluable in planning (and enjoying!) our first trip to Napa.
Though the disappointment didn%26#39;t last long, our trip started on the wrong foot before we even left New Hampshire because, as we were packing the night before leaving, Copia called to let us know that they were closing (';temporarily';) and we would not be able to take their Winetasting 101 class. (We were sorry to read that Copia filed for bankruptcy and hope it can find a way to re-open in the future.) As novices, we really looked forward to starting the trip this way, but it was not meant to be. We did take a look at shops in Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, but our focus really was on tasting wine in a low-key way. Our days%26#39; descriptions are below, followed by comments about the specific wineries and tasting rooms we visited. We bought a case of bottled water, kept ourselves hydrated, made sure we ate, and didn%26#39;t have any difficulty as we drove our own car and did not use a wine tour van/bus at all. Sometimes we split a tasting flight, other times we each got one and selected different wines from one another. We always asked for a copy of the day%26#39;s tasting sheet and took notes on it. We were typically out of the hotel at about 9:30am and returned around 4:30pm. This left plenty of time for downtime and naps before 8:00 dinner reservations. Despite missing out on Copia, our trip was terrific. Like others, we would also highly recommend reading ';Moveable Thirst'; ahead of time. We also recommend stopping in at the various Visitors%26#39; Centers you%26#39;ll come across; the pointers from the people there, along with excellent printed materials and maps were extremely helpful to us, even though we had done a bunch of research beforehand. We found several coupons on-line, from the wineries%26#39; and other napa-related websites, in advance; we were also given many more at the Visitors%26#39; Centers and at our hotel. (We chose to use some but not others and couldn%26#39;t possibly have used all of them in one visit anyway.) Also, if you%26#39;re interested in having a winery ship wine home for you, doublecheck to be sure that they can ship to your state. We were in the Napa Valley for the 4 days just prior to Thanksgiving. Though we didn%26#39;t see many grapes on the vine or see a harvest or crush, one major benefit was going during the off-season when there were no crowds or traffic.
Day 1 (Napa/Yountville) - Gorgeous weather! We drove from SF to Napa, stopping at the first Visitors%26#39; Center we came to; though the woman there was not particularly talkative, she did give us several wine tasting coupons. On to Napa proper, we drove to Copia just to take a look, then got out of the car to explore Oxbow. We found it to be fairly empty at about 10:30am and it took about 5 minutes to walk through. It struck us as touristy, not unlike the SF Ferry Building, but on a smaller scale. We imagine it would be better to be there on a farmer%26#39;s market day. We also stopped at the Model Bakery next door and grabbed a loaf of excellent Asiago bread to have with us in the car. We then went to the Visitors%26#39; Center at the Napa Town Center where the woman who helped us was fabulous. She got us situated, made suggestions after we told her that Copia was closed, gave us more winetasting coupons, and gave us pointers about taking wine home with us. New Hampshire can be a tricky state to ship wine to, so at her suggestion and others%26#39;, we later bought two wine shipping boxes at a couple of wineries and checked them as luggage on our flights home; they made it through completely unscathed. Brunch at Gillwoods in Napa. Tastings at Hagafen, Trefethen and Andretti before checking in at the Yountville Inn. We then walked through Yountville, again stopping at the Visitors%26#39; Center there. Another wonderfully helpful woman answered questions, gave us maps, and yet more winetasting coupons. One more tasting at the Hill Family Estate tasting room in Yountville. Dinner at Uva Trattoria.
Day 2 (Oakville/Rutherford/St. Helena) - More beautiful weather. (The locals kept apologizing that it was chilly at 60 or 65 degrees. We thought the weather was perfect - We had just come from 20 degrees at home.) Got sandwiches at the Oakville Grocery for a picnic later in the day. I know others have posted that it hasn%26#39;t been the same since being bought by Dean %26amp; Deluca, but we weren%26#39;t there to buy anything else, didn%26#39;t have anything to compare it to, and thought it was fun to walk around the cramped store which looked liked many old New England general stores that we%26#39;re used to. We were early for our Frog%26#39;s Leap tour, so went on to drive around Lake Hennessy, a fun diversion. The tour at Frog%26#39;s Leap turned out to be the highlight of our trip. Picnicked and tasted at Rutherford Hill, tasted at Rutherford Ranch and toured Mumm before heading back to Yountville. Among other things, we stopped at the St. Helena Olive Oil Company (the one in Rutherford) -- we would definitely recommend doing this if, especially if you don%26#39;t have time for an Olive Oil tour somewhere. We sampled a ton of olive oils, spreads and vinegars, and though not happening on the day we were there, it looked as though you could watch them bottling at the back of the store. Dinner at Mustards Grill.
Day 3 (Calistoga and environs) - Early for a Beringer tour, we did more driving exploration (especially drove up Spring Mountain Rd., which was windy, steep, and very pretty). Beringer tour, lunch at Hydro Bar %26amp; Grill, tastings at Chateau Montelena and Clos Pegase. Dinner at Bistro Jeanty. (Several people suggested Wappo for lunch, and we would have gone there, but they%26#39;re closed on Tuesdays and that%26#39;s when we were in Calistoga.)
Day 4 (back to San Francisco) - Visits to Hess and Artesa on our way back to SF.
Wineries, in order of visit:
1. Hagafen. Looked forward to visiting and hearing about their Kosher wines. Told them that they were our first stop and that we were hoping to learn more about winetasting at Copia. We asked questions, both about winetasting techniques and about the wines. Initially, we were the only people in the tasting room. Though our pourer answered questions and was friendly, he seemed more interested in having us join their wine club.
2. Andretti. We thought it was a pretty spot and we walked around the grounds. The genial pourer took time to describe the wines and answer our questions. A wine tour bus came just after we arrived, but they accommodated the group on the patio so that the indoor tasting room didn%26#39;t get crowded.
3. Trefethen. Gorgeous grounds and uncrowded tasting room, along with an interesting exhibit room. Wine was ok. We tried to ask questions of the pourer, but he seemed more intent on serving a group of women next to us, one of whom had just joined their wine club. It was one of only two wineries that specifically offered us information cards about the wines we tasted.
4. Hill Family Estate Tasting Room in Yountville is housed within an antique shop. We probably would not have visited if not for the woman at the Yountville Visitors%26#39; Center who recommended it and gave us a coupon for free tastings. We are so glad we went; it was a gem. John, our server, was terrific. Amiable, informative and patient, with good printed information about the wines we tasted. We tasted excellent wines and John gave us lots of info about their wines, grapes and the Hill family. (Doug and Darci Hill, the owners, happened to be in the antique shop with their dog who was looking for cracker handouts from the bar.) Best visit of the day with generous pours.
5. Frog%26#39;s Leap. By far the highlight of our trip. Reservations required in advance. We took a tour with Johnny, our informative and fun-loving guide, and only two other couples. We learned about their wines, sustainable practices, vineyard, gardens, animals and cheese while tasting various wines along the way. Nothing like tasting a strawberry and raspberry off the vine in November, either. We were taken throughout the property, and the tour, which we expected to last an hour, went about 45 minutes longer than that; I think we all agreed it was well worth it and we could have gone longer.
6. Rutherford Hill. We wanted to go here as a picnic spot more than anything else, but shared a tasting in order to justify using the picnic tables. Again we were the only ones in the room for most of our visit. We thought the wines were just ok. Until the pourer had us try some Port paired with some chocolate covered blueberries. I don%26#39;t care for Port, but thought the blueberries were incredible. My husband liked the Port very much and bought a bottle. I%26#39;m still talking about the blueberries. Nice picnic spots below and above the tasting room; we had ours to ourselves. It was a hazy day, so the view, while nice, wasn%26#39;t as spectacular as we expect it could be. A wine glass to keep is given out with the tasting.
7. Rutherford Ranch. The sandwich board outside their tasting room was advertising chocolate with the tastings that day, so we were sold. The pourer was very pleasant and informative and we were glad we stopped because we liked the wines very much. (The chocolate pieces were small, but quite tasty!) We bought a couple bottles of their 2006 Merlot, and took it to our Thanksgiving celebration where everyone else was glad to have it, too. Again, we were the only people in the tasting room.
8. Mumm. Because we were in the neighborhood and the timing worked out, we took the tour at Mumm. There were probably about 20 people in the group - the largest group we saw the entire time we were traveling. I%26#39;m not a fan of sparkling wines, so we didn%26#39;t even taste any while we were there, but the tour was excellent and we would recommend it to anyone who wants to see how their sparkling wines are made. And visitors should also take the time to look at the gallery which includes outstanding photographic work by Ansel Adams and others.
9. Beringer. We made a reservation for their Vintage Legacy tour both as a contrast to the Frog%26#39;s Leap tour and because we thought it would be fun to do a barrel tasting. We were the only people on the tour and were taken throughout the winery -- into the newly-renovated Rhine House, into the nearby vineyard, and into the Old Stone cellars %26amp; caves, while tasting wine and hearing about Beringer%26#39;s history, wines, and the Napa Valley. Scott, our tour guide, was quite knowledgeable about Beringer and the area and was an excellent host. The barrel tasting was fun to do once. We were ready to pooh pooh Beringer because of its size, and it did have a bit of a theatrical feel to it, but we enjoyed the wines and made a point of buying some that are only available at the winery. Tasting coupon available at the website, but not valid for the tour.
10. Chateau Montelena. We were intrigued by its history and wanted to see the grounds. We shared a tasting, and were expecting to be wowed by the wine, but we weren%26#39;t. It%26#39;s worth walking around the back of the building to see the ';chateau.'; We also walked around the pond and enjoyed seeing an egret and a swan, but the pond had a very manmade feel to it.
11. Clos Pegase. We wanted to see the artwork and had read some good things about the wine. The grounds were fun and beautiful. Unfortunately our pourer answered our questions in a cursory way and was more interested in talking about himself, so we were turned off by our visit there.
12. Hess Collection. Definitely worth the trip. Started with a tasting and tried many different wines. The pourer was so pleasant to talk to and was very knowledgeable about the winery%26#39;s history and wines. Again we made up two of the four people around the tasting bar. The drive up the road to Hess, its grounds and modern artwork were all gorgeous. Leave time to linger over the tasting and to see the artwork.
13. Artesa. Several people suggested that we visit Artesa for its unique architecture, grounds and views, not necessarily because of its wine. We enjoyed talking to a couple of the pourers and the wine was ok. We thought the tasting room was big and nondescript, but the views and the grounds were beautiful, even though it was drizzling when we were there.
Very Long Trip Report!
Thanks for taking the time to write such an extensive trip report. I appreciate the detail on your impressions during your visit. Hope you aren%26#39;t too chilled back home, or if you are you have a nice bottle of wine from the trip to warm you.
Very Long Trip Report!WOW!
Too bad we can%26#39;t rate trip reports-- this one is a TEN! :)
We will be honored to recommend this to others-- and we%26#39;re delighted you had a great time!
(on a personal note, we%26#39;re also happy you enjoyed ';Moveable Thirst';-- we had the authors here for a book signing last year, and really love what they did).
Only one thing-- seems like you left a few wineries for next time. Plan on coming back soon? ;)
Happy holidays!
-The Innkeepers
Napa Old World Inn
Thanks so much for the nice words! We figured that we got so much good information here from you, Napa Old World, and others, that the least we could do was pay it forward for someone else! Yes, we would love to come back, and don%26#39;t think we could exhaust our winery and other options any time soon. We%26#39;ll have to work in another visit to our SF family and escape to Napa at the same time. Happy Holidays!
Loved reading your report, thanks! :)
Thanks - awesome report! Can%26#39;t wait to go and we ordered Moveable Thirst.
No comments:
Post a Comment