Mumm Napa is considered among the premier makers of sparkling wine in the country, so-dubbed as the term "champagne" is supposed to be limited to only those wines produced in the Champagne region of France (while the US was suffering under Prohibition at the creation of the original treaty restricting use of the term "Champagne," and thus did not sign the agreement, producers have largely adhered to the rules). Prior to this tasting, neither Jane nor I were particular fans of the bubbly, but perhaps that was just a feature of our relative inexperience and the cheaper brands we've sampled. As it was, our tour and tastings were fantastic, and perfect for the warm summer weather. A complimentary bottle of the highly-regarded DMX release didn't hurt, either.
A quick stop at the nearly-unpronounceable Grgich Hills Estate, set up by one of Chateau Montelena's original winemakers, resulted in several fine white and red samplings and a recommendation to try the much-smaller Sawyer Cellars. This was one of our favorite wineries of the trip, partly due to the fact that we were the only patrons in the tasting room. Our hostess (a self-proclaimed 'wine diva') poured us several excellent wines, including a Meritage that we all went nuts over. One of the bottles accompanied us to Terra for dinner a few nights later, and the rest went into the box. A fantastic place.
Tucked off the Silverado Trail lies the sprawling and almost impenetrable complex of Quintessa, maker of strong Bordeaux-style blends. We were once again treated to a private tour, of both the grounds and the wine making area, before settling down to an extensive sampling of high-end reds. Despite the rather heavy price tags, we couldn't help but grab a few bottles. The estate cabs should age nicely in our makeshift cellar.
Frog's Leap, just down the road from Quintessa, offered a marked contrast - rather whimsical and quirky, with the tasting room outside and the grounds dominated by farmland and gardens. The wines were lots of fun, the all-organic approach was refreshing, and the goats proved especially delightful to Jane.
A semi-private tasting at highly-regarded Caymus kicked off Day 3. More excellent cabs, and a few strong whites. The tasting was marred by some of our fellow wine enthusiasts, who spent less time talking and sampling the wine than they did talking about snakes. One fellow seemed especially keen on pointing out the strengths of the nearby Francis Ford Coppola winery, including a magnum bottle with a dvd of Apocalypse Now enclosed within the base.
Our private tour of the remote and nearly inaccessible Buehler estate was another highlight. More great cabs, these squarely in the affordable range. Hence, we loaded up.
At the northern edge of Napa Valley lies Chateau Montelena, in the town of Calistoga. Famed as the winery that beat the French wines in the Tasting of Paris 1976, it's a historical site and boasts lovely grounds and strong, pricey reds. Unfortunately, it also boasts a bit of an attitude, as our library tasting was dominated by a rather aloof pourer who lectured us blandly on the virtues of their wine club membership rather than offer any points on the wine itself. Perhaps he thought we looked too young to appreciate their offerings...maybe he just wanted to get back to the little man in the main area who was literally clutching a fistful of hundreds while he tasted. Whatever the reason, his disdain was palpable - the only instance of such behavior on our entire trip. We still picked up some wines (hello, 1999 estate cab!), but the experience was disappointing.
Much more satisfying was the nearby Lava Vine winery, as small and charming as Chateau Montelena was imposing and removed. This was a big hit, as our pourer engaged with us and offered cooking tips and he poured multiple red wines. We loaded up at this place, too.
More bustling activity, this time down the road at Vincent Arroyo. We were offered a dizzying array of wine varietals, including many we hadn't yet sampled in Napa, such as petite syrah, sangiovese, zinfandel and various blends. We were a bit overwhelmed by the variety and our palettes were beginning to go into shock, but I insist these are good problems to have.
A long drive north and west past Sonoma into the Alexander Valley and Healdsburg took us to yet another private tour, this time courtesy of Mauritson, makers of excellent zinfandels from their remote and gorgeous Rockpile vineyard, part of a unique and small AVA. Our guide was none other than winemaker and owner Clay Mauritson, and it was indeed a rare honor to have such an intimate peek at his livelihood and grounds. The wines were excellent, too - strong and in it for the long haul, and deeply reflective of their unique terroir. A true highlight of our trip. Again, we loaded up.
A few other stops in the Sonoma / Healdsburg area yielded equally fine wines. Our tasting at Passalacqua was brief yet enjoyable (two bachelorette parties pulled into the tasting room as we sampled, drawing withering glares from our friendly pourer), and Unti offered an excellent spicy rose (although an overly talkative guest managed to monopolize our pourer's attentions). A final highlight were the wonderful zinfandels at Talty, the smallest of the small, with the winemaker himself pouring in their one-room center. With releases exclusively limited to zins, the quality was astounding. Another wonderful place.
The Francis Ford Coppola estate, which we checked out on our way back to Oakland, offered wonderful and historic grounds, a museum-like atmosphere (one could peek into sealed rooms offering wines dating back to the early 1890s) and more tchotckes than one could shake a stick at. It was rather underwhelming.
I'll admit to having an anti-Napa bias before this trip, largely due to the swanky reputation it has cultivated over the years. But one can definitely jump between larger estates and smaller mom-and-pop operations. And the quality of the wines and the friendliness of the people was surprising. I suspect we'll be enjoying our purchases for several years to come.
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