Napa/Sonoma winery suggestions

[ngatti]

Hey..Hey...HEY

Golf at The Silverado!

(ducking and running...fast)

Nick

[Beachfan]

I've purchased wines from K&L in SF on the Internet and want to see that store in person. While it seems in a totally different vein than NB wine store, do you think it's worth a visit?

Yes it is; a very nice store with great selection and knowledgable staff.  The tasting bar doesn't seem to be open whenever I'm there.  It's very close to the Wine Club, where the tasting bar is always open

[NewYorkTexan]

In terms of accommodations, the Quail Mountain B&B in Calistoga is a great value.  It is small with only three rooms so sometimes hard to get a room.  The inn offers great views of the valley.  The owner’s son is an architect and designed the inn to take advantage of the great views.  I have to check my records to remember the names of the owners, but they are also wonderful guides to the region.  They arranged for us to get a private tour of Clos Pegase a decade ago before it was open to the public.

Quali Mountain B&B

[Trabo]

I was in Napa a few months ago for the first time, and being from NYC in CA during late September it really didnt matter where I went, the red carpet was rolled out.  None the less I did enjoy the scene at Sattui as the earlier post suggests.  I also liked the out of the way hipness of Plumpjack.  Being a Ravenswood fan I especially enjoyed tasting there wines...NO WIMPS!, but that is Sonoma.

Best suggestion though is, if you can, take the train or bring a designated driver, it is really easy to overindulge!

[hollywood]

Make reservations for Silver Oak and Opus if you like good red wine.  Ditto Chateau Montelena (which has a cool spot for a picnic, but you have to reserve).  Find the website for White Rock Vineyards.  Call and make an appointment.  In all likelihood, it'll just be your party and one of the winemakers.  Walk through the caves.  Taste the chardonnay.  Taste the claret.  Then, decide which, if not both, you'll want to buy.  if you like champagne, Domaine Chandon has a good tour.  If you want an informative winery tour (good overview) go to Robert Mondavi's tour--not far down the road from Opus.  Cheers.

[Beachfan]

Ditto Chateau Montelena (which has a cool spot for a picnic, but you have to reserve).  

Sad to say, Montelena no longer allows picnics.  I spoke to them yesterday.

[Toby]

When you drive down south, you could stop at Bonny Doon, I think in Felton (near Carmel). I haven't been there in a while, but whenever I've been there, you could taste just about everything, and there were lots of wines not sold in stores. It's a pretty drive and they had a couple of tables in the back under a tree to picnic at. At the time, very uncrowded. Several other wineries in the area, but never got to them -- kind of mountainous, hilly road as I remember.

[bellaS.F.]

Howie, sorry... this is probably too late for your trip. Unless you have a special reason for wanting to go to Napa (to say that you've been there shouldn't count), DON"T do it. There are other areas, far more lovely, located on country roads without tour buses parked out front, with tasting rooms where the people (and sometimes their pets) want to chat with you. Try Amador County if you like big Zins. Easton is fun to go to. Beside his Easton bottlings, his has a Rhone collection that he bottles under his Domaine de la Terre Rouge label. There is a wine blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne called Enigma which is quite lovely. Amador Foothill Vineyards makes some nice Zins. Deaver and Sobon are worth trying also.

I noticed that you mentioned going to Rafanelli. You need an appointment to visit. Their # is (707) 433-1385. (You probably know that already.) Know that there is a (low) limit on what you can buy. (usually just 1 or 2 bottles), but they have a wonderful 21 year old cat that loves to be petted.

If you do go there, a MUST is going to Meeker in Geyserville. The tasting room is in an old bank. They only have BIG reds, (oh darn). they serve generous pours in large glasses, and the wines are very reasonably priced. Good stuff.

[Beachfan]

Howie, sorry... this is probably too late for your trip. Unless you have a special reason for wanting to go to Napa (to say that you've been there shouldn't count), DON"T do it. There are other areas, far more lovely, located on country roads without tour buses parked out front, with tasting rooms where the people (and sometimes their pets) want to chat with you. Try Amador County if you like big Zins. Easton is fun to go to. Beside his Easton bottlings, his has a Rhone collection that he bottles under his Domaine de la Terre Rouge label. There is a wine blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne called Enigma which is quite lovely. Amador Foothill Vineyards makes some nice Zins. Deaver and Sobon are worth trying also.

I noticed that you mentioned going to Rafanelli. You need an appointment to visit. Their # is (707) 433-1385. (You probably know that already.) Know that there is a (low) limit on what you can buy. (usually just 1 or 2 bottles), but they have a wonderful 21 year old cat that loves to be petted.

If you do go there, a MUST is going to Meeker in Geyserville. The tasting room is in an old bank. They only have BIG reds, (oh darn). they serve generous pours in large glasses, and the wines are very reasonably priced. Good stuff.

While Amador may be nice, for young impressionable wine folks who may still read this for advice:

If you want to go to Napa, go.

There are lovely roads without tour busses in Napa, and plenty of wineries where people will talk with you. It just takes a little more planning than in Sonoma. But not a lot.

[bellaS.F.]

Ouch! Actually, I do not quite fall under the heading of young and impressionable. I did not know that I would have to watch my words so carefully. I thought that I would be able to just mention a different way to look at the "local" wine country. Very few people we know enjoy Napa anymore. I guess that it is not worth mentioning why. If it is to your liking, go for it. Personally, I would rather be picnicing up at Navarro in Philo, looking at the valley and hillsides, and sipping their wine than any of the other Ca. wineries. A tour bus wouldn't make it down 128. And then, of course, it's a short ride to an exquisite redwood grove, and a rambling path to the rugged coast.

By the way, taking the risk of sounding incapable... how do you write a personal signature and get the particulars (such as "purple") not to show. I have tried to delete them, but have not met with success. Try to be kind, please.

[Beachfan]

Ouch! Actually, I do not quite fall under the heading of young and impressionable. I did not know that I would have to watch my words so carefully.

You didn't say or do anything wrong. I just was trying to balance your strong advice (i.e., "DON'T do it") with another point of view. In looking over the thread, it probably wasn't necessary.

Plenty of people have strong opinions on egullet (what an understatement). I certainly don't mean to tone down any of us Californians

[jordyn]

I just went to Napa for the first time earlier this month, and found the advice in this thread simply invaluable. Even without planning particularly well in advance, the few places we did make reservations at on the advice of people here were incomparable experiences to the one or two "tour bus" places that we stopped in at, briefly. Next time, we would probably plan more than four or five days in advance (and with a map handy), but things went quite smoothly largely because we focused on places that did require reservations (keeps down the crowds) and went almost exclusively to places recommended here (keeps up the quality).

As a first time visitor to Napa, I certainly wasn't dissatisfied with the visit, although this probably has as much to do with the great food we had as it does to the wineries we visited.

[Toby]

Bella, does Amador Foothill Vineyards do a zinfandel with sheep on the label? I used to drink that but have never seen it in New York.

I was in the Bay Area for a few months 2 winters ago and we went up to Napa several times -- it was way too crowded; and that was during the rainy season.

[tommy]

As a first time visitor to Napa, I certainly wasn't dissatisfied with the visit, although this probably has as much to do with the great food we had as it does to the wineries we visited.

are you going to tell us where you ended up and what was notable in your mind? enquiring mings...

[bellaS.F.]

Well, "DON"T do it" may have been too strong. We tend to know family wineries where they are farmers as well as artists. Going there after a while, feels like going back to the family farm (not that I ever had one, but I think I may wish that I did.)

Toby, Amador Foothill's label has some sort of herb or native plant on it. I, for some reason, am drawing a blank at what it is specifically.

Can you get Rosenblum Wines in N.Y.?

[Toby]

Bella, I'm not sure; the name sounds familiar -- I spend a lot of time hanging out at the wine store across the street from my house. Tell me about them.

[jordyn]

are you going to tell us where you ended up and what was notable in your mind?  enquiring mings...

Tommy: Our winery schedule was not particularly ambitious. We went on a tour at Chateau Montelena, which was nice in that it spent some time out in the vineyards. Tastings at Phelps, Pride Mountain, Caymus were all quite good, with only small crowds and some decent discussion as well.

Since we knew very little about the wine-making process, and someone here had mentioned that Beringer was good for a "winemaking 101" sort of perspective, we tried the "Picnic at Beringer". This was nice because it was a small group, and the picnic area was quite lovely, but the wines were bad to mediocre, the food was only average, and the tour not quite as educational as I had hoped. Probably not worth the price.

We also stopped in at Domaine Chandon, which had a decent if expensive tasting, but you had to compete with a lot of crowds there. V. Sattui was so crowded that we didn't get anywhere near the wines or the cheese. We just got cheese from Dean and Deluca across the street.

[bellaS.F.]

Rosenblum is a winery that produces a good number of Zins. Their lower end stuff is just O.K., but they make many vineyard designate Zins like Maggie's Reserve and Annette's Vineyard which are really very good. They have an England Shaw Syrah which is also very nice. Their main tasting room is in Alameda in a warehouse. Three times a year they have an open house where they have tables set up inside and quite a few wines to walk around and try, whites, reds, and dessert wines (how does chocolate port sound...over ice cream, with fresh strawberries... they don't serve it that way, it was just a thought). There is a selection of food to munch on, and tables set up outside with a band, which when we were there played nice jazz. It's a fun way to spend an afternoon. They do have a regular tasting room, but of course, it is not able to pour such a large selection. St. George (I hope I have the name right) Spirits is next door, and they do an open house the same weekend if you like the high octane stuff. (eau de vie)

Maybe your wine store could give you a list of wineries they can order from, or if you have something specific in mind, maybe they would be willing to try a case or two on your recommendation.

[Beachfan]

Since we knew very little about the wine-making process, and someone here had mentioned that Beringer was good for a "winemaking 101" sort of perspective, we tried the "Picnic at Beringer".  This was nice because it was a small group, and the picnic area was quite lovely, but the wines were bad to mediocre, the food was only average, and the tour not quite as educational as I had hoped.  Probably not worth the price.

Did you go upstairs to the Founder's Room where the good wine is poured? I haven't been for 5 years; last time they had a lot of great wine to taste, but the per pour fee was pretty hefty.

BTW, I've found that if you ask for a price on the flight, rather than offer one at a time, you can often get a significant price break. Same at Mondavi's ToKalon room. Unfortunately, when I was there last month, the prices were through the roof. Luckily, I'm a small shareholder, for which they will comp everything and anything, excellent treatment. If only the wines were half as good as they were 5 years ago.