Silverado Trail Challenge 2017

Last year I had high hopes of visiting half of the wineries  on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley.  Unfortunately, that lofty  goal was not realized….not even close. But, 2017 is a new year and an early start. The rest of the our group had prior plans and could not start the wine adventure just yet.  I am sure they will join me on the next excursion. So, I grabbed a couple of friends that never say no, we all need friends like that. And we headed up to Napa Valley.  Our first stop was Judd’s Hill.

Judd"s Hill

Judd”s Hill

Judd's Hill

Judd’s Hill

 

Judd’s Hill is by appointment only so, call ahead.  We didn’t know that when we arrived.  We were met by a staff member who politely told us they were by appointment and they did not have an opening until 3 pm.  A current release tasting is $25 and a Reserve tasting is $45.   It was 1 pm when we arrived.  He then offered to pour for us on the patio.  Fortunately for us, there was a break in the weather and it was a beautiful day.  A little chilly but beautiful non the less.  We accepted his kind offer and sat down by an outdoor heater.  His polite kindness and the quality of their wine would earn them a new wine club member.  The first wine he poured was their 2013  Reserve Chardonnay.  I have to admit that I am not a big Chardonnay fan but this one was exceptional.  It was fruit forward and not buttery.  It had aromas of citrus and pear, and was lightly oaken.  At $50 it is an expensive Chardonnay.  The price point reflexes how unique this Chardonnay is.  The next one was their 2009 Meritage.  The Meritage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot.  Black cherry jam notes on the front, light oak, and a hint of vanilla on the finish.  Also $50.   2012 Syrah.  Well balanced acids and tannin’s with notes of Blackberry, jam and tobacco. $42.

We were treated to an additional tasting of their 2013 ZSM.  If you like a well balanced, complex and layered wine, with dark berry fruit,  and balanced tannins, You will love this one.  It had to come home with me.  $40.   2011 Founder’s Art Reserve Cabernet.  I found it to be a complex and full bodied wines.  Well balanced with notes of dark berry fruit.  $85.  I have to admit, I enjoyed every wine we tasted.  Which is very unusual and a credit to the quality of wine being made at Judd’s Hill.  The price points are in the range of  wines in Napa Valley.  These wines are exceptional and I look forward to another tasting flight.

Regusci Winery

Regusci Winery

 

Next up, Regusci Winery.  Well, you would have thought we would have learned from our experience at Judd’s Hill, to call ahead.  Regusci Winery is also by appointment.  Lucky for us, they were also gracious enough to accommodate us.  The tasting room has a great vib and it was an enjoyable experience tasting there.  The first wine on the list was the 2013 Merlot.  Black berrry and black cherry on the tongue with notes of tobacco and chocolate.  Full bodied and well balanced. $55.  2013 Syrah.  Full bodied, well-balanced with black berry fruit and smooth finish.  $60.  The Elder’s 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Full body,  Black berry fruit with notes of vanilla, typical tannin structure and spice on the finish. $65.  2013 Patriarch. The Patriarch is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  I experienced aromas of red fruit, charred oak, smoke and coffee.  On the palate you may experience red fruit, leather and vanilla. $90.  Angelo’s  2012 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a big full-bodied Cab with bold dark fruit and tannin’s.  $140.  The wines were enjoyable but, the price points were a little more than what I would feel comfortable paying.

Regusci Winery

Regusci Winery

 

All in all, not a bad start for 2017.  Stay tuned for the next stop on the trail.

Salute

 

 

Napa 1/13/13

We headed to Napa for a limo winetasting tour with a couple of great friends of ours. Our first treat of the day was a cheese and wine pairing at Patz and Hall where our friends are members. Amanda, our lovely host, greeted us with their first release of a sparkling wine that was very crisp and not too sweet. The pairings consisted of two Chardonnays and three Pinots with some cheeses and these rediculous truffle almonds. The Chardonnays were very good but the Pinots were excellent,my favorite being the Chenoweth, needless to say we’re now members…I’ll let you know when I open the first bottle.

Next was Artisan. I’d been there once before and enjoyed their sparkling wine along with a Pinot. I was a bit disappointed, not what I remembered and wines are on the pricey side.  From Artisan we went to Caymus for another cheese and wine pairing. We had an appointment at Caymus which we were a few minutes late for but we called to give them a heads up and make sure that wasn’t going to be a problem. When we arrived a not very friendly women told us they already started and should just go to the tasting room as she left us in a enclosed cold chamber. A few seconds later someone lead us into the warehouse where the tasting had just started. Jim, the host, made me change my not so good impression of the place. He was very personable, funny and knowledgeable. Their 2009 Zinfandel was excellent as was the Cab, which says a lot coming from me because I’m typically not a big fan of either.

Next was Turnbull, which I’m going to have to admit I don’t recall a whole lot about..drunkies;) Then, because by this time we all got a good little buzz going, it seemed like a good idea to make our last stop Opus One. Needless to say my taste buds were about done by this time, great time to drop $45 a tasting….NOT! But if you’ve never been to Opus One it is an experience, the winery is gorgeous and of course the wine is good but expensive so if you go, do it as your first tasting.

For dinner we went to Morimoto’s, an upscale sushi and Japanese restaurant. It was excellent, some very different dishes offered and the sushi was very fresh. After dinner we attempted to walk back to the Westin but it was too cold for our wimpy butts so we stopped in the nearest bar,Fish Story, while we waited for our ride. Very tasty drinks but rude bartender.

If you’re planning a trip to Napa I’d definitely recommend a visit to Patz and Hall as well as Caymus. The Westin is never a disappointment, always comfortable, clean and not rediculously expensive. If you’re a sushi fan check out Morimoto’s, great atmosphere and excellent food though it is pricey. Enjoy your food and wine, I know I do!!!

Weekend in Napa

We do not venture into the heart of California wine tasting, Napa Valley, very often. We find it very industrial and commercial. It usually feels like you are on a conveyer belt and very impersonal. The caveat to this is if you go with someone who knows where to go and has the inside scoop. Like being with a high roller in Vegas, it’s a different experience. Here is where our good friends Tony and Al come in. They are members to several of the better wineries in the Napa area and we always get the red carpet treatment when we go tasting with them. When we found a deal on a Napa area limo we knew immediately who we needed to invite.
We rendezvoused at Patz and Hall for a late morning wine and cheese pairing. This

Wine Pairing at Patz and Hall

was the site of our first encounter with the other world of Napa and it did not disappoint in our second go-round. This was also one of my first experiences with how much a wine could change when paired with the right food. The first time here every wine was specifically paired with either a cheese or some nuts. This experience was a little different, with one cheese paired with the two whites and two other cheeses and some truffle nuts to go with the three pinot’s. It was fun to go back and forth with the cheese and different wines to see how one cheese could change each wine in a different way.

Artesa Winery

After a quick stop at our hotel, we all piled into the limo and were off to Artesa. This was a very beautiful winery but felt a little industrial on the inside. They offer several different tasting options and we choose the limited release and reserve tasting. First was the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. I am not much of a Sauvignon Blanc guy. This one was ok. It had the typical clean flavors, light citrus and floral flavors, and a little buttery at the end which is different then most Sauvignon Blanc’s. Next the 2010 Reserve Chardonnay. Of all the wines here, I thought this was the most interesting. I also thought Troya was going to like this one, but she said she did not care much for it. It was very buttery, smooth, with a hint of oak at the end. It also seemed to have a little truffle flavor which made it quite unique. Next were the 2009 Estate Reserve Pino Noir and the 2010 Artisan Series Tempranillo. The pinot was pretty typical, nothing that really stood out. The Tempranillo was disappointing, tasting more like a Merlot. They were out of the Cab they had on the list so we got to taste the 2009 Rive-Gauche Cab blend. Also a typical cab, smooth, medium body for a cab, good but not worth the price.
Then it was off to Turnbull. I think this was the find of the weekend. Their wines varied from good to very good, but the people here were great and a lot of fun, especially Samantha, Abby and Monica. Our Reserve Showcase tasting did not include any whites, but as big fans of Viognier, they let us taste this to start. Happy we did. It had a lot of fruit flavor with a very clean finish. Not too big or sweet, very smooth. The first red on the list was the 09 Leopoldina Cab Franc. Not many places do a Cab Franc anymore so it is fun when you find a place that does. This was not as big as a lot of the Cab Franc’s I have had, but very smooth and drinkable. Next we tasted the 09 Fortuna Cabernet. This wine had a lot of classic cab flavor, but no finish. I am not saying this as a bad thing, it just was there and then gone, no lingering flavors, no real back end. Tasting the 09 Amoenus Cab we got in to a little disagreement. I thought the bouquet was inky, and the flavor was also on the inky side. Again, not a bad thing, I actually like this characteristic in some wines. Those that I was with did not think that “inky” could be used to describe a wine other than the color. The girls in the shop actually did a google search on the subject but I do not think we came to a final decision. I thought my favorite was the 09 Leopoldina Cab. This wine had a very fruity bouquet and the flavor was very well balanced dark fruit and tannins, not heavy on either end, and a very clean finish. Of course it could not be this simple because then they let us taste the 09 Black Label Cab blend that was not on the list. This was also a great wine. Very smooth, again well balanced with dark fruit, cherry, light on the tannins, with a dark chocolate finish. I could not decide which I liked better, so we got a bottle of each.

We had so much fun at Turnbull, we ended up being late for our wine pairing

Caymus Winery

appointment at Caymus. We called from the limo to let them know we would be late, but they made it clear they were not happy with us when we did get there. They almost did not let us back into the area where our tasting was happening, but when they did Jim had no problem making us feel right at home. Overall, no much to say about the whites we had there, but the reds were very good. First was the 09 Zinfandel. California zins can tend to be on the sweet, jamy side, but this had all the flavor without the sweet. It was also very clean on the back end, also not typical of many zins. The 11 Belle Glos Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands came next. This area is making some of the best Pinot’s in California. This one did not disappoint with all the classic rich, dark, smoky flavors you would expect in a pinot from the Highlands. Painful as it was, I could not get out of there without purchasing the 2010 Special Selection Cabernet. A very smooth, well balanced cab, big enough to hold up to anything you might pair with it, but also smooth and complex enough to be enjoyed all by itself.
A day of wine tasting in a limo would not be complete without a stop at Opus One. Definitely not on the list of every day drinking wines, but a place you have to go at least once for the experience. Here you do not taste, they only have a couple wines they serve, but you purchase a glass and enjoy it walking around the amazing grounds or upstairs taking in the views. All of their wines are Cab blends. Troya and I shared a pouring from the 06 and 09 vintage. What can you say about Opus One that has not been said already. The wines here are some of the smoothest you will ever have. The blending is a science and it is hard to pick out one specific flavor. Typical for high end wines, the older of the two, the 06, was a bit smoother and more complex. These are not wines that I would want to pair with food because they are so enjoyable to drink on their own that I would not want to mask anything or take away any of the flavor. They are also expensive enough that you would want to relish every drop.
For dinner that night we went to Morimoto in downtown Napa. This is a very cool, modern sushi place. After a day full of wine tasting, I cannot be too descriptive, but everything we had was excellent. They have several interesting cocktails, many with flavor combinations that I am not familiar with. Several smelled like a spa, but they all tasted good. Things that stood out was the crab appetizer, it came with a light red sauce on top that had just a hint of spice. Very, very good. We also got the chiefs choice sushi platter. This was also very good. The fish was very fresh and all the rolls had unique flavors and were all well done. The deserts we had did not impress me, but this is a place I will definitely return to.
One last mention. On the ride home that evening we asked our driver where we should go for breakfast. It just happened that we were passing the Model Bakery at that point and he said we had to go there, “they have the best English muffins in the world”. We did return for breakfast, and while I am not a connoisseur of English muffins, these were the best I have ever had. Everything we tasted here was amazing, and the breakfast sandwiches will be a regular for us whenever we return to Napa.

Napa Valley

 

Fantastic 4 embarked on our first tour of the New Year. For this tour we brought along two good friends, who are also wine enthusiast. Our first stop was Patz and Hall where Tony and Al are members.  Amanda, at Patz and Hall, had set up a wine and cheese pairing for us. She poured their 2010 Hyde Vineyard- Carneros Chardonnay, 2010 Zio Tony Ranch- Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2010 Hyde Vineyard-Carneros Pinot Noir, 2010 Chenoweth Ranch- Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2010 Burnside Vineyard- Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

The wines were paired with cheeses from Oxbow Cheese and Wine Merchants. Miller Farms provided Truffle Salt Nut (insane), and Napa Cookie Company made the White Wine Snaps.

My favorite Chardonnay was the 2010 Hyde Vineyard. I thought it was well balanced, floral, a little buttery, a little oaky. My over all favorite was the 2010 Chenoweth Ranch. That seemed to be the consensus. When you put your nose in that glass, your mouth starts to water. That was just a glimpse of what was to come. It was a mouth full of Pinot goodness. Once we paired it with cheese, a whole new level of flavors and complexity was revealed. The Chenoweth retails for $58, $46 for club members. Same as the Hyde Chardonnay. If you see any Patz and Hall Pinots on a wine list, you can’t go wrong selecting one. We said good-bye to our host and headed to our next tasting. Artesa.

 

The wines we tasted were the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, 2010 Estate Reserve Chardonnnay, Carneros, 2009 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Carneros, 2010 Artisan Series Tempranillo, Alexander Valley and the Rive Gauch. All the wines were as

Fountain at Artesa

advertised by the tasting notes. I thought the 2010 Tempranillo was the most interesting of the tasting. It is a complicated wine that you can spend hours talking about the different notes that cross at different points on the palate. Most of Artesa’s wines are reasonablely priced but, I thought the Tempranillo priced at $40 was a little expensive. Next stop Caymus.

 

Tasting at Caymus

We were treated to another wine and cheese pairing. Jim, our host, was knowledgeable and engaging. This was my first visit to Caymus but it won’t be my last. Caymus had the best value wine of our trip. Their 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel is priced at $32. This was one of the best Zins that I have ever tasted and I would have easily spent twice that much for a bottle. Their 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is great out of the bottle on its own. The best deal of the trip was also a Caymus wine. Their 2011 Meiomi Pinot Noir sells for $22.00. Buy a case and thank me later. Next Stop, Turnbull.

Turnbull was fun. Samantha, Abby and Monica were great. They were friendly and knowledgeable and they poured some nice wines. My favorite was the viognier. Final stop. Opus One.

 

Opus One

Opus One produces one vintage per year. They sell for $225 a bottle. Opus One offers a tasting of that vintage at $40 per glass. Tastings are done by appointments. Hey, I’m just a simple country boy. I don’t want to spend $40 on a bottle let alone just for one glass. The wine was good but I wasn’t motivated to drop 225 bucks. It was a Napa Valley experience that I got to share with good friends.

Let us know what your favorite wineries are and tell us what you think of the wineries we have visited. Until next time.