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posted by bobchaplin
at 02 Aug 2010, 20:29
in The Road Too Much Traveled: Driving Adventures in Piemonte

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at 07 Jan 2010, 5:32
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posted by George M. Taber
at 05 Jan 2010, 12:07
in Napa Valley

A Day in Napa

22 Feb 2010 | 0 comments. | 679 views

I have visited the Napa Valley probably twenty times in my life, and it is always an enjoyable experience. Over the years I have found my favorite wineries to visit and often go back to the same places. That was why on my most recent trip I decided to go to four that I had never visited before. It was a beautifully clear, sunny day. The vineyards had mostly already been pruned back, so the vines were naked. There were just a few vines showing a chaos of branches hanging from the vines. It was February, so the mustard grass was in spectacular bloom between the rows of vines and in open fields. That turned the valley into a celebration of yellow.

I started in the southern part of the valley at Monticello Vineyards, which is located in the Oak Knoll district between Route 29 and Silverado Trail, the valley’s two main north-south highways. It was having an open house day for friends and customers, but it was closed to the general public. This is a family-run winery, and has a comfortable feel. The main building was constructed in the style of Jefferson’s Monticello, as you would expect. Jay Corley arrived in the valley in 1969, so it’s one of the oldest in Napa. The winery offers a white sparkling wine, a Chardonnay, and a Rosé, but its heart is clearly in its reds, which is smart because this is great red-wine country. The prices are good for Oak Knoll Napa, and the top was $58 for a powerful Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. I also tasted several nice Cabs and a Syrah in the $30 range. You don’t find many pure Cabernet Francs, and this one was great at $38. The tasting was free since it was an open house to show off the new vintages.

Dave Del Dotto uses a wine thief to get wine from a barrel


My next stop was Del Dotto Vineyards. The main attraction was the promise of barrel tasting. Owner Dave Del Dotto is still relatively new to the Valley. Barrels are his thing, and he has a large cave on Atlas Peak Road in Napa, where people can buy wine while it is still in the barrel. His new showpiece is the Del Dotto Estate Winery and Caves in St. Helena on Route 29. It was built in the style of a Tuscan villa, which some people might like and others might consider overdone. I liked it. The cave visit plus tasting is a little pricey at $50, but you can do just the tasting for $30. I sprang for the barrel tasting, and it was a lot of fun and very educational. I learned a lot going from barrel to barrel, as Dave explained the different tastes depending on the amount of toasting and the type of grapes. With classical music playing in the background and real candles providing light, the cave experience was wonderful. The wine tasting was very generous, which is not always the case in Napa. His wines are very intense, and he gets high marks from Parker. Del Dotto makes only 14,000 cases a year, and 99% of that goes directly to the customer.

Mustard grass amid the dormant vines in Napa


A third stop on the voyage of new discoveries was further north along Route 29 at Sterling Vineyards. Located on a hilltop and modeled after a Greek village, you get to it from the valley floor via a ski gondola. The $20 price of entry includes the ski lift and a generous tasting that starts with a Pinot Grigio. Sterling sells two very different kinds of wines, Napa appellation ones which come from grapes grown in the valley, and California appellation ones grown from grapes harvested in other parts of the state. The ski lift to the top was short and provides a wonderful view of the valley from the top. It’s perhaps the best view I’ve ever had up and down the valley. There is a self-guided tour that starts with the Pinot Grigio and goes through all the stages of production and aging. You can go through it as quickly or as slowly as you wish. There is another wine sampling stop along the way. After the tour, there is a sit-down tasting in a nice warm room. A person first asks you what style of wines you like and then pours those, ending with a Muscatto. The tasting was generous and limited to Sterling Napa Valley wines. They were having a sale on the Napa wines, but alas I would be flying home and couldn’t take advantage of it.


The tasting room at Trincero Family Estates


The last stop was a new winery for me, but also an old one. It was still further north on Route 29 and used to be called Folie à Deux, but is now Trincero Family Estates. One of the old Italian families in California, Trincero is owner of Sutter Home and only recently bought Folie à Deux, which now makes the very successful bargain wine Menage à Trois. I had visited the winery under the previous ownership, but not since it changed hands. The mixed flight was only $15, which is a rare good value in Napa. The young winemaker Mario Monticelli is using this property to show off his talents. His father was born in Tuscany and for years was a winemaker for Gallo. The wines for sale at the tasting room are also a good value for Napa. The most expensive was $50, a Meritage blend that allows Mario to paint with all the crayons in his box. Other wines sell for $24 and $30.

As much as I liked the places I normally visit, I was glad I got out of my Napa Valley rut and experience some new and interesting places. They challenge me to visit again some time soon.

 

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