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Wine Country Travel: Napa and Sonoma.
Below is a preliminary view of the places to eat and places to taste good wine in the Napa and Sonoma area. Full details, questions and (personal) suggestions available upon request. I will update this list as I encounter new and exciting places to visit. Enjoy, safe travels and contact me if you are in the area. First off. The generality of it all. Napa is to Bordeaux. Sonoma is to Burgundy. Does that make sense to you? If not, here is the distinction (less technicalities regarding terroir and temperature). Famed Bordeaux. Cabernet and Merlot. Cabernet and Merlot blends. First Growth Chateaus that were the epitome of wine in the world until a few Napa producers beat the grapes out of the French winemakers in a blind tasting in 1776. Thank TIME Magazine for being the only popular U.S. press for covering the story. Since then, the world has placed California on the wine making map. So when in Napa, drink the Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet and Merlot. Historically speaking, but contrary to many a palate, Bordeaux is considered as Dan Brown would describe as the 'sacred feminine.' Bordeaux (Cabernet ) = feminine? When was the last time you tasted a mouth puckering, full of fruit Cab and thought, wow that is an Audrey Hepburn movie? No, you think big, buttered steaks. Friar's Dinners and the Old Boys' club. Go figure. Go drink it yourself and let me know what you think. Beautiful Burgundy. With "Bordeaux" being considered 'feminine' wine, Burgundy must be the yang - 'masculine.' Really? Yes, nothing more beautiful than Beaune but when was anyone (man) considered beautiful or elegant? Chardonnay and Clint Eastwood just don't blend. Miles from Sideways, well that is another story within a story - his love affair for the 'masculine' Pinot Noir and his obvious failed relationships with women may project what side of the fence he really plays on. Just a joke, my friends at GLAAD. But, if I must agree with the French wine classification, I prefer it with a twist. I will use Elvis' description of Angela Landsbury in Blue Hawaii, "she's a handsome woman." So, now we have it, the yin and the yang. Handsome Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Good for Burgundy, great for Sonoma. Sonoma is producing some of the best representation of 'handsome' 'masculine' but really 'feminine' and elegant wine in the world. Sonoma also produces Zinfandel like no other, literally. Zinfandel is really the United States only indigenous grape, but Governor Arnold vetoed a bill earlier this year to make Zinfandel the quote unquote 'grape of California.' To the many Zin producers, I am sure they will 'be back' on the ballot in the near future. Enough. Just remember. Drink Cabernet, Merlot and some Sauvignon Blanc in Napa. Drink Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (Zinfandel and Syrah) in Sonoma. Here are some producers worth a second sip on the winery tour.... SONOMA (in no particular order*). Healdsburg tasting rooms. Healdsburg is at the northernmost part of Sonoma civilization. An hour and ten to twenty minutes on the 101 North of San Francisco. Healdsburg is a quaint town, with a plaza full of bars, restaurants, tasting rooms (10 or more) and high-end tourists. Healdsburg is one stop shopping for wining and dining. You can wake up in the morning. Grab a coffee at the Flying Goat (best in Northern California), cleanse your palate with a dry scone and start drinking until lunch. Grab a sandwich at the Oakville Grocery (also in Napa) or a sit-down on the back patio for pizza or pasta and a small selection of Italian wines at Bovolo (an artisan houseware and kitchen goods warehouse that acts like an indoor bazaar); or, stop in the 'diner' dining room of Charcuterie for meats and cheese (or meats and cheeses sandwiches) before walking to the next tasting room. Repeat drinking before dinner. Some dinner dining suggestions below. Here is a quick tour of the tasting rooms in Healdsburg that you shouldn't miss. And link(s) to their addresses/phone numbers and websites. La Crema. A very big wine producer who still acts boutique in production and quality. They have everyday drinking Chardonnays and Pinots that are easy on the pocket book. Rosenblum. Try their Zins. Brush your teeth. Because, their wines will stain your choppers like red wine on a white rug. Repeat. Cellar 360. This is an outpost for the 'World Wine Estates'. You will be able to taste wines from Beringer, Stags' Leap, Etude and others. One stop shopping. Worth a stop. Thumbprint. An off the beaten track winery with off the beaten path wine making. You'll try some common wines made 'interestingly*'and some interesting wines altogether, like Carignane. Note: when one says this wine is 'interesting,' they usually don't know what to make of it. "Interesting" is the wine equivalent lingo of saying, "Aunt Dolores, I liked the Ambrosia, it was nice." But I would recommend trying it and forming your own interesting opinion. Gallo of Sonoma. Not your old fashion jug wine. Serious sipping. Ramey. Their Chardonnays are fantastic. Not the California Chardonnay that we Americans have a love-hate relationship with. By appointment. Just outside of Healdsburg is Davis Family Winery on Front Street. Just look for the steel statue of the wine goddess in their machinery style parking lot. The winery also has an International label called Gusto with a great Sauvignon Blanc made in New Zeleand. Also sells a small production of grassy green olive oil. Also near to Healdsburg on Dry Creek Road is Papapietro Perry. Although the name is a little amusing, the Pinots are top of class. Visit their tasting room - Papapietro is located on the right side of the road in a little commune called Family Wineries. And on the way to Papapietro is the Dry Creek Store. And old, turn of the century General Store that rivals Oakville Grocery and has a throw back bar for your 8 oz glass of beer for breakfast. And for another "Italian" family done good, try Seghesio on Grove Street, just North of Healdsburg city center. South of Healdsburg on West Side Road one can make a couple of stops along the way. Belvedere (translated means, beautiful to look at). The winery and tasting room is such that and the wines are like La Crema. Worth considering for daily wine drinking in the $20 price range. Multiply that by 3 in the dollars per bottle kind of way and you will find yourself stopping at Rochioli. You will taste two or three wines and can sit on a patio overlooking their vineyard expanse. Also on West Side Road is Arista known for its crisp and clean Pinot Noirs. Follow West Side road toward Guerneville and you can go all the way to the land of Sonoma sparkling white wine maker, Korbel. They also have a great tasting room and cafe for an afternoon sojourn.
http://www.aristawinery.com/arista/page/tasting_room.jsp http://www.korbel.com/ Lynmar. Off of Guerenville Road in the heart of the Russian River Valley, you will find a beautiful winery and hospitality center to taste at. Worth seeking out the small sign on the road side that leads you into a big old wine country experience. Not far from Lymar is Martinelli. If the kitsch of the tasting room doesn't scare you away, you will be in for a great treat of wine drinking. High quality wines made by the famed wine-gun for hire Helen Turley. Martinelli is on River Road. Near the 101 and just down the street from the Vintner's Inn/John Ash restaurant and bar - a great bar in a classic, wood paneling and leather lounge. Great space. Great wine list, good food. A little expensive and lots of weddings are held here. In and around the city of Sonoma (the southern tip of Sonoma County) is Benziger Winery. This is an adventure. You can sign up for the vineyard and winery tour and get a good overview of the wine making process and finish by tasting some good wines that won't set you back. Also near Sonoma city for a taste is Ravenswood and the Times Square, touristy store of wine producer Sebastiani.
http://www.ravenswood-wine.com/ http://www.sebastiani.com/ Sadly, DuMOL does not have a tasting room. A limited production and high-price tag (with accompanying high-ratings) for each bottle of Pinot, Chardonnay and Syrah makes our wines hard to come by. With that type of demand, why cater to the masses? Because $50 bottles of wine are not mass consumed wines. So, unless you spend the money at a quality wine shop, restaurant or befriend me more so than you have today, I will sadly say that you are SOL. Sorry. Eating in and around Sonoma. In Healdsburg, I already mentioned "Oakville Grocery" (for sandwiches and snacks), "Bovolo" for an eclectic mix of good food and "Chartucerie" for artisan diner fare. But there are others. From the uber-bar food experience of Bear Republic to the high-end, Sonoma equivalent of French Laundry, Cyrus (located across from Thumbprint Tasting Room). Dry Creek Kitchen is in the Healdsburg Hotel. It is a Charlie Palmer restaurant and people talk well of it and it is always crowded (and expensive). And the bar is more of a hotel lounge, if that is your particular brand of vodka. There is also Barndiva which has a New York City chic bar and restaurant feel with accompanying New York City prices.
http://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/ http://www.charliepalmer.com/dry_creek/home.html http://www.barndiva.com/ Here is a similar link to these Healdsburg mentioned hot spots for hot plates and moreŠ. And when you are done with the wine drinking and yearn for a beer and some shuffle board, a game of darts or to rack up the eight-ball, stop by John and Zeke's bar. Also, in Sonoma city is a can't miss little French-American country bistro called the Girl and the Fig. (Website: www.thegirlandthefig.com - who would have thunk it.) - NAPA (in no particular order*). Napa is wine country travel made easy. Napa is more polished than Sonoma and more accessible. (Napa is Disneyland and Sonoma is farmland.) In Napa, there are two major thoroughfares - Highway 29 and Silverado trail. Highway 29 travels slow with lots of traffic and on the Silverado Trail you want to drive slow to enjoy the sightseeing. The northern most point of Napa is the city of Calistoga. The central city is St. Helena. And the home to French Laundry and other good eateries is tucked between 29 and Silverado in a small area called Yountville. You probably won't get into French Laundry on short notice, but Bistro Jeanty is worth making the trip. (Website: www.bistrojeanty.com.) Another restaurant of note is Press (owned and operated by the Dean and Deluca folks). It is a beautiful restaurant with a wonderful menu that is everything D&D is - exotic at times and rich all the time. Grand space with an accompanying grand bar area. On Highway 29 in St. Helena is Tra Vigne. They have a restaurant, more casual pizzeria and a solid bar. In Calistoga you can drink inside, eat inside; eat outside, drink outside and play horseshoes if you want. All under one Calistoga Inn roof. Live music nightly. And they brew their own beer - as does Bear Republic in Healdsburg. Sorry, I don't make it 'over the hill' much to eat out in Napa; but when I do, I will post it here. Now on to the tasting rooms to visit. Larkmead. Our winemaker at DuMOL also carries his pipette to the beautiful, boutique Calistoga winery and estate of Larkmead. This is his chance to cover all the French bases - Burgundies in Sonoma and Bordelaise in Napa. You'll taste Cabernets and Merlots and Cab Merlot blends. By appointment. Worth making the call and the visit to Larkmead Lane. Twomey. Near to Larkmead is this Merlot house, worth a stop in the tasting room if you are willing to pay Pomerol prices for their wines. Twomey's "sister" winery is the Cabernet producer, Silver Oak. A bit of a mad house (i.e. crowded with truck loads of tourists), but if you are in Oakville area (between Silverado Trail and 29), stop by - the views are wonderful. Rombauer. Another astonishing vista is on a hill at Rombauer (off the Silverado Trail). The wines are stereotypical California, but you can sip on the porch and over look the valley. Failla. For an amazing tasting experience on Silverado near Rombauer, in a newly, under construction, wine estate, visit Failla. This is Ehren (of Turley Zin fame) Jordan's winery named after his wife. The wines here are sourced from Sonoma vineyards - Pinot and Chardonnay - and a Syrah from a vineyard near an old quarry in Napa. The tasting room is set inside a cottage that you would find in the Adirondacks. Make an appointment, sit on a couch, taste wines. Napa Wine Company. NWC is a "custom crush" facility (i.e. they are a winery for 10-12 different wine makers) and they let you taste a selection of all their wines. Menu changes daily. Try the Showket stuff if you can - the winemaker is Heidi Barrett of Screaming Eagle cult-wine fame. Falcor, Madrigal, Joel Gott and Pahlmeyer as well. Napa Wine Company is across from Oakville Grocery on the Oakville Cross Road and 29 intersection. Pine Ridge. Off Silverado, in the Stags' Leap area is Pine Ridge. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but if you are there, try it - their wines aren't as good as the prices they command. But they offer vineyard and cellar tours by appointment (as most do). Heitz. Heitz is one of the only free tasting rooms left in Napa. Their wines are good and so is their Port wine. Heitz is next to the Gallo owned Louis Martini. Martini farms his Cabernet from the famous Monte Rosso vineyard. Good tasting room. Both on Highway 29 in St. Helena. As you can see, some of the above are by appointment. So, don't hesitate to call or have your hotel concierge call for you. Most hotels will also have discount coupons for local tasting rooms, so ask at the front desk. And if you are ambitious and wish to try to visit some of the 'Wine Spectator' popular wineries like - Opus One, Caymus, Dalla Valle, Nickle and Nickle, Far Niente, Darioush, Cardinale, Colgin, et al, you better make an appointment in advance. And remember Highway 29 can be bumper to bumper on the weekends, so expect some travel time 20-30 minutes between wineries and tasting rooms - so, take Silverado Trail when applicable to cover ground with great views. * "In no particular order" means not in my preferential order; however, I did try to cluster your tour into a couple of places to visit within minutes of each other.
Post - September'06 Back to home...
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