Early March 2010 (click for photo album)

I swore I would write my new trip report the week I returned from the Napa Valley. I would NOT procrastinate. Well…we went in early March 2010 and today is May 10,2010. What can I say? At least the wonderful memories have not faded. I am already looking forward to another trip, but let me re-cap this one.

Normally we would have gone to Cabo for a week. The Winters in Mount Shasta can be a little long and usually around February or March we need a break…preferably to a nice, warm location like Mexico. This year was no exception. The only difference was that we decided that the Napa Valley would be warm enough.

We were sad about not going to Mexico but quite excited to finally be headed to the Napa Valley for 6 days. We could finally visit ALL of the wineries and ALL of the restaurants. (yea, right).

I ambitiously set out to make a list of all of the wineries we wanted to visit and make reservations for several that we wanted to tour. I invited a few close friends to join us for a day as well.

Prices for Hotels were quite high for the time period we were looking at, partially due to the popularity of the Mustard Festival and mostly due to the popularity of the Napa Valley. We found a great rate at the Marriott in American Canyon. It was under $100/nt and included breakfast. The rooms were clean and the beds were comfy. The 20-30 minute drive into the Valley was no big deal and we were happy with our choice.

The most anticipated part of our trip was the ambitious list of wineries that we planned to visit. There were several that have been on the list for a few years that we always intended to visit and never quite managed to make the visit.

I made appointments with three of the heavy-hitters on my list, Rudd, Nickel and Nickel, and Shafer, as well as Quintessa, Del Dotto, and Miner, where we have been before but wanted to do more than “just taste”.

We also made reservations for Mustard’s Grill, Uva, and the Martini House. It’s always good to make some reservations in advance. You can always change or cancel them, but at least you have something.

We tend to “wing it” a lot and often change our plans, but it sure is nice to be able to eat somewhere nice and have a reservation when they are completely full.

And now the wineries in the order of our trip which will coincide with the new pictures that are posted.

The Wineries

Rudd

We had not been to the Rudd location since the days when it was owned by Girard and my cousin was the assistant winemaker. I made an appointment in advance. The Girard wines from this vineyard were always outstanding so I had high hopes for our visit.

Kenny gave us a great tour. They have really done a nice job on the vineyards and the grounds. The first wine we tasted was the 07 Chardonnay. This is a high quality wine and we both loved it.

The 06 Oakville cab was good with a nice maple finish (great French oak). The 06 Oakville estate was a bit young but still a great wine.

Rudd has two very unique, and good, wines. The first is the 06 Edge Hill Estate Mixed Blacks.

This is a blend of Zin, Petit Sirah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Alicante Bouschet. This wine spent 20 months in French oak and has gobs of delicious fruit. Unique and outstanding…period.

The crown jewel, however, was the Sauvignon Blanc. The 08 Sauv Blanc is 87% Sauv Blanc and 13% Semillon. The grapes are grown on steep hillsides on Mount Veeder where the yield is only 2 tons/acre. The result is fruit of incredible concentration and depth.

This is the BEST Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tasted…by far…period…DONE. I am waiting for a call back from Kenny to let me know how many cases I can get.

Whitehall Lane Winery

I have always liked Whitehall’s wines and they have always treated us well. On our previous visit, however, we were told of their new policy of not giving the standard industry discount unless you were from Napa.

I wrote to Whitehall explaining that we loved their wines, but with the competitive market for wines in the Napa Valley (especially now) we would be visiting and tasting elsewhere.

I received a nice correspondence from Katie Flashberger, Sales and Marketing, inviting us to visit and resurrecting our “industry standing.” Our schedule was pretty tight, but we definitely wanted to get to Whitehall. We “squeezed” it in and were not disappointed.

Katie met us, even with her busy schedule that day, and greeted us like family. We tasted all of there wines, which were good across the board. The 06 merlot was a standout, especially at $28, as was the 06 reserve cab.

They also make an outstanding port, the 06 Belforte. The 06 Leonardini Cab for $75 is a great buy on an outstanding wine. This is one of my favorite cabs in this price range. We are thrilled to have Whitehall back on our list. Thanks again, Katie

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

We stopped in to see our friends at Stag’s Leap. They have awesome wines across the board. The estate wines are top of the line. The 07 Arcadia Chardonnay was great. The 06 Fay, 06 SLV, and the 06Cask 23 were all outstanding and should age well.

They also have a new, and expanded, tasting room. We were there when it was not crowded but that is a rare occurrence.

We made plans to have drinks with Adrian later in the week. He’s married now so we’ll see! (he never made it) Anyway, This is always a must stop for us…great friends, great wines…

Dinner at Mustards

We had reservations for Mustard’s Grill at 6pm. We were looking forward to our first visit to Mustard’s…hard to believe.

We went back to the room to changed, laid down, fell asleep ‘til 7pm., and missed our reservation. Easy to believe…long day, alcohol, done. Next time for sure.

Regusci

We had an appointment at Del Dotto at 11am so we figured we would stop in at Regusci at 10am for a quick visit. How could I be so naïve?

We ALWAYS have a great time at Regusci. Neil takes great care of us and our friends. The conversation is lively…lot’s of laughs and good times…the wine is awesome, as always.

The view is beautiful. What can I say? We had a great time. What a great start to our trip.

I happened to have a bottle of the 05 cab last night with some friends and it was fantastic. I still think their cab is a great bargain at $48. I picked up a case just for good measure.

Del Dotto

We arrived at Del Dotto about 30 minutes late. I had called ahead to make sure that would be ok. Matt said “no problem”.

We started out in the tasting room (at the historic caves over by Silverado Country Club). Usually the first few wines are ok or you may start off with a chenin blanc or rose…no, no, no. 05 cave blend…awesome! 82% cab, 18% cab franc. Man, if the rest of the wines are this good we will never leave.

The 05 Merlot was quite good. The 06 Pinot noir was really nice with good fruit…definitely not thin. The 05 cab was outstanding. The 07 cab was smooth, had light tannins, and a nice caramel taste on the end.

The great thing about Del Dotto, other than their wines, is the cave tour.

The cave tour is a stroll through caves dug in the 1800’s by Chinese labor where you can taste various wines in various barrels and determine your favorites. The fact that they have the same wine in American oak, French oak, toasted barrels, mixed barrels, etc. allows you to really get a sense of the affect of the oak on the wine.

If you don’t know the difference between the taste of American oak and French oak, this is the place to learn. I am a huge toasted French oak fan, but the chance to compare tastes in such a cool atmosphere should not be passed up.

Del Dotto is a MUST visit for anyone. We all had a great time. Thanks to Holly and Cindy in the tasting room and special thanks to Matt for taking care of us.

We bought a case each of the 05 cave blend, the 05 cab, and the 07 cab, plus a mixed case of a few other wines. I already have friends who want a few cases of the wines I have opened for them. I am headed back to Del Dotto the first chance I get.

Hall

Most people don’t visit another winery after their visit to Dell Dotto. But, we are professionals and we had never been to Hall and it was on our list.

Hall has a beautiful tasting room with small bar tables for tasting. Allie was our new friend and took wonderful care of us. The have nice large glasses for tasting. Donn really wanted one but it was not to be.

They had quite a large selection of wines. We tasted several Cabs, a Malbec, and two desert wines. I liked the 05 Bergfeld cab the best although the $100 price tag was a little steep.

The Late Harvest Sauv Blanc was tasty as was the Portrait cab desert wine. Hall was definitely worth the visit. Thanks to Allie for allowing us to stay late.

Darioush

I had not been to Darioush in about 5 years. I really didn’t care for their wines back then. Things have changed.

The tasting room is stunning and large enough to accommodate the many people who visit. They provide pistachios for nibbling while tasting their wines. The 06 Merlot was big with great fruit and drank quite well. The 60/40 blend and the Signature Cab were both good. If you go, ask for Paul. He knows his wines.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards

Robert Sinskey has a unique tasting which includes food pairings made in their kitchen located right in the tasting room. The wines were good and the food pairings were good. I was disappointed that we could not taste some of the great reds that Sinskey makes, but it was a good visit nonetheless.

ZD Winery

The place was hoppin’. Must be the great wines. The 08 Chardonnay was Tastey. I picked up a few bottles because this is always one of my favorite chards.

The 07 cab was good with a nice, long, chocolate finish. I picked up a few of those as well. The 06 reserve cab was big and tastey with more tannins and will need a few more years.

If you go, say hi to Emily, Jason, and Jorge and check out the cool art painted on barrels on the wall.

Conn Creek

I had not been to Conn Creek in a long time. The tasting room is nice with some cool antiques scattered about and some really cool painted tiles.

Jessica was friendly and we had a good time. I really was not a fan of the wines, but sometimes that just happens. We did buy a tile for our kitchen so it was worth the visit.

Miner

Miner is simply one of the best places to visit in the Valley. Beautiful views, cool tasting room, knowledgeable staff, and great wines make it a must visit.

I called my friend Steve prior to our visit and he was going to be on vacation that week. He made arraignments for us to meet with Gabrielle for tasting and a tour (and more tasting) of the caves.

After tasting over 20 wines, including barrel tasting, it is easy to see why miner is one of the top wineries in the Valley. The 07 Wild Yeast Chardonnay is bursting with flavor. The 06 Stagecoach Merlot is tasty. The 07 Cab Franc has great fruit. The 07 Sangiovese is good and spicy.

All of the cabs are outstanding. The 07 Oakville Cab and the Oracle were my favorites. Check the pictures to see the cool magnum we bought with the walrus (a tribute to Craig Stadler) and the cool etched hockey bottle.

As usual, we needed a dolly to take all of the wine we purchased. Miner has great employees, makes great wine, has a beautiful location, and they love hockey and golf. Oh yea, and they love jazz.

The Benedetto Cab is the best. We had a great visit. This is an absolute MUST VISIT.

Rombauer Vineyards

Rombauer has a beautiful view and always has an abundance of flowers in the garden. Check out all of the pictures in the picture section. I even straightened the picture on the wall for them.

The wines are consistent. The chardonnay is crisp and tasty. The Zins tend to be on the sweeter side if you like that style.

The Joy dessert wine is still a thing of beauty. After being one of the few remaining places to taste free, they are now charging $10 which is refunded with the purchase of 6 bottles. $10 is still a bargain and you will probably leave here with a case or two anyway….we did

Quintessa

I made reservations for Quintessa as Denise had never been there and we both love their wines. The tour takes you up on the hill overlooking the lake and all of Quintessa’s vineyards. It was a beautiful, sunny day and you could see across the entire valley.

We tasted a few barrel samples with Greg and then tasted the 05 and 06 Cabs. They are both outstanding and went well with the 3 cheeses that were provided. I liked the cabs from 03 and 04 better so these younger cabs could probably use a few years.

Silver Oak

We had a few extra minutes before our appointment at Shafer so we popped into Silver Oak. The place is stunning. They rebuilt the entire tasting room after a fire and it is awesome.

The wines were as expected from Silver Oak…outstanding cabs. I, of course, liked the Napa over the alexander valley…but both were good. We will return when we are not rushed.

Shafer

We had never had a chance to go to Shafer. This was number one on my list when I started making reservations for places I had never been. The Shafer hillside select is one of my all-time favorites so I was really looking forward to this visit.

Reservations are required. The property is beautiful and they do a really nice presentation. You feel like a VIP no matter who you are. The wines were outstanding.

The Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is superb. The One Point Five Cab is one of the best in its range and they have a really good syrah called Relentless. The 05 Hillside select did not disappoint. It was absolutely outstanding.

If you are a true cab lover and have never had this great wine, you must go taste it. There are very few opportunities to taste a $200+ bottle of wine without actually spending $200+.

Overall Shafer’s wines were all very good and we definitely enjoyed our visit.

Sequoia Grove

Vicki and Vicki made us taste everything…we obliged. Sequoia Grove has always been one of my favorite wineries and I have been going there for over 15 years. They consistently make great chardonnay and Cabernet.

Both the 07 and the 08 chardonnays were drinking nicely, the syrah was spicy, and the 06 cab was good. We also tasted all of the reserve cabs that were open…the 04, 05, 06…with the 04 being closer to “ready” and the other 2 still a little tight. These will all age well.

I am now eyeing my 3 liter of 1997 Sequoia Grove Reserve Cabernet. Soon, very, very soon. Thanks Vicki…both of you.

St. Clement

ST. Clement is always so beautiful. The view looking up and the view from to tasting room are both spectacular. Take a look at the pictures and you will see what I mean.

The wines are spectacular too. The standouts were the 08 chardonnay which was big and crisp. The 06 merlot had big bold fruit, the way a good merlot should be.

My favorite is always the Oroppas and the 06 did not disappoint me. It is a blend of 86% cab, 9% merlot, 3% cab franc, and 2% petite verdot…just plain goooooood. Thanks to Morgan for her hospitality.

V. Sattui Winery

We had to stop at Sattui to pick up some Madeira…which is awesome. They have about 50 wines to choose from. We tasted some cabs and some really good Muscat.

A good Muscat is hard to find…this one was pretty good so I bought some. Thanks to Mark who really knows his wines.

Beringer

Beringer is one of the original winery locations in the valley and also one of the most beautiful. Their Private Reserve Cab is always rated very highly. Check out the stunning pictures of the old Beringer House.

After 6 days of tasting, the Nightingale Semillon/Sauv Blanc Dessert Wine really hit the spot…sweet, crisp, not too syrupy. Thanks Adrian

Well, as you can see we drank a LOT of wine over the 6 day trip. I figure I tasted over 200 wines. It was fun, educational, and we met some new friends and saw some old friends.

There were still many places we just couldn’t make it to so we will be planning another trip as soon as possible. Until then, keep enjoying that awesome Napa Valley Wine.

Paul

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