The Napa / Sonoma Wine thread

[Jhawk 1075]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:18 AM, 4th and 5 said:

Group doing Healdsburg next month. Appreciate any RRV, Dry Creek and Anderson Valley recs 

Rodney Strong is decent.  Their claim to fame is large bottles.  They sell a 1L instead of 750 I believe.  Their bottles are 2x as thick on the glass.  Makes you feel special.  One thing about Healdsburg that I thought is that it is more spread out.  Not an area that is built for speed.

[JohnnyShotgun 34]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:18 AM, 4th and 5 said:

Group doing Healdsburg next month. Appreciate any RRV, Dry Creek and Anderson Valley recs 

Wife and I really enjoyed the tour and tasting at Jordan Winery earlier this year.. The setting was beautiful, the food delicious, and the wine did not disappoint. I wish I could remember the others, but I'm not a huge wine guy. I did really enjoy Russian River Brewing and Bear Republic Brewing though. Stayed 3 nights in Healdsburg and just loved everything about it. 

[Tony Two K 595]

If staying in Healdsburg food wise you can grab some nice baguettes or sandwiches for the road at the Shed. We had the prie fixe menu at Dry Creek Kitchen (Charlie Palmer) it was solid. Barndiva was a good meal as was Willi’s. If in Geyserville, I highly recommend Diavolo.

Iron Horse for bubbles.

DaVero was a pleasure. Small place, all organic and sustainable. Interesting varietals, great olive oils, cool people.

cant recommend Michael Scorsone at Emmitt Scorsone enough.

 

[JohnnyShotgun 34]

Executive Chef at Dry Creek Kitchen lived in Texas for a good bit. He loves the State, guns and hunting. He bought my wife and I drinks and desert one night after chatting with us for a good while. However, he does not like the Horns or the Cowboys. Oh yeah Rip Van Winkle pours were only $12 earlier this year.

[Party_Taco 3674]

If staying in Healdsburg food wise you can grab some nice baguettes or sandwiches for the road at the Shed. We had the prie fixe menu at Dry Creek Kitchen (Charlie Palmer) it was solid. Barndiva was a good meal as was Willi’s. If in Geyserville, I highly recommend Diavolo.
Iron Horse for bubbles.
DaVero was a pleasure. Small place, all organic and sustainable. Interesting varietals, great olive oils, cool people.
cant recommend Michael Scorsone at Emmitt Scorsone enough.
 

DaVero is a fantastic experience and very unique for the area, but I’ve found their wines didn’t hold up on cellaring. My mother is a member and swears she’s yet to have a problem, but the last two bottles I’ve pulled have been duds.

[PorscheGuy 127]

Usually don’t like white wine, but really enjoyed the 2016 Frank Family Lewis Vineyards reserve Chardonnay. Actually has legs like a red and is layered without being overly complex. Would recommend. The non reserve is not near as good.

Their 2015 is fantastic. Still trying to find more.


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[Dbeasy 14980]

Great thread. Really appreciate all the posts. We are making our first trip out there in the off-season, late February.

We are not big spenders on wines, so I’m trying to figure out the best place to stay and how to focus on our first trip.

I drink mostly reds and the wife drinks mostly whites. We will be with two others who’ve been before and buy fairly expensive wines, so it will be a little bit of a mismatch, but we will manage it.

[Chewbacca 7730]

Great thread. Really appreciate all the posts. We are making our first trip out there in the off-season, late February.

We are not big spenders on wines, so I’m trying to figure out the best place to stay and how to focus on our first trip.

I drink mostly reds and the wife drinks mostly whites. We will be with two others who’ve been before and buy fairly expensive wines, so it will be a little bit of a mismatch, but we will manage it.

Get the wife hooked on Napa Cabs. Then she'll drink reds. Your wallet will not thank you.

[AustinMT 952]

53 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Great thread. Really appreciate all the posts. We are making our first trip out there in the off-season, late February.

We are not big spenders on wines, so I’m trying to figure out the best place to stay and how to focus on our first trip.

I drink mostly reds and the wife drinks mostly whites. We will be with two others who’ve been before and buy fairly expensive wines, so it will be a little bit of a mismatch, but we will manage it.

We go outa couple of times a year.  We really like staying in St. Helena.  It os mid-valley so convenient to a lot of areas.  It is also less crowded and much more low-key than the city of Napa. If you want some suggestions on hotels, restaurants and wineries let me know.

Late February will actually be a goo d time because it is low season, so you should have plenty of options.

[PorscheGuy 127]

Great thread. Really appreciate all the posts. We are making our first trip out there in the off-season, late February.

We are not big spenders on wines, so I’m trying to figure out the best place to stay and how to focus on our first trip.

I drink mostly reds and the wife drinks mostly whites. We will be with two others who’ve been before and buy fairly expensive wines, so it will be a little bit of a mismatch, but we will manage it.

We went for the first time last February and had a great time. Try not to stay in Napa. It’s really south of everything and will add to your travel time. Plus is very commercialized compared to the rest of the area with outlet malls and fast food.

Look at staying in Yountville, St Helena or a little further north. We stayed at the Vintage Inn and I would highly recommend.

A trip to Napa will not go easy on the wallet. But you can save a little here or there. Splitting the cost of a driver with another couple would be smart. I was able to use Uber and Lyft with relative ease and probably saved $300-$400 a day versus a hired driver.

Map out the vineyards you want to visit and try to get reservations that are close together. No sense spending all your time riding up and down the highway.

Check out vineyards in Stags Leap, Howell Mountian and spring Mountian. Look up cellar pass for reservations and reviews. If you can do a private tasting when available. Well worth it.

Highlights from our trip:
Schramsberg — cool cave tour, champagne decent wines. Good place to start the trip

Barnett. Top of spring Mountian. Awesome views, one of the best in the area, really good cabs, their rattlesnake cab is awesome but $200 a bottle. But they will wave the cost of the tour if you buy one. White wines were good.

Odette. Awesome vineyard. Best wine we had hands down. Do a private tour. It will include plumpjack, Cade, and adaptation. We joined their club and get shipments every 90 days.

Frank Family. Their reserve Chardonnay was our favorite. Still have some delivered from time to time. Not overly expensive for their non reserve.

Anderson’s Conn Calley. Really small producer of good cabs. You will most likely be the only ones there

Hall. Great wines. Very crowded and high price tags

Shaffer. Beautiful, nice people. Was not impressed with the wine for the price tag.

There are plenty of review sites like trip advisor, cellar pass, etc that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

Can’t go wrong on food. It’s all awesome.



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[Goofyboy 3221]

I’ll second Barnett and Oddette. Both are awesome. Barnett is up on the mountain and has a killer view of the valley. The tasting is small and we had ours right outside of their cave. That Rattle Snake Cab is amazing.

We stay at Hotel Yountville. It’s great, but not cheap.

Hit Gotts and The sandwich bar at Dean and Deluca for some cheaper but awesome eats.


Go to French Laundry once in your life.

[Dbeasy 14980]

The tips are so awesome. Since this is our 30th wedding anniversary I’m not going to be too price conscious, even though I’m a penny-pinching mofo.

[Chewbacca 7730]

I’ll second Barnett and Oddette. Both are awesome. Barnett is up on the mountain and has a killer view of the valley. The tasting is small and we had ours right outside of their cave. That Rattle Snake Cab is amazing.

We stay at Hotel Yountville. It’s great, but not cheap.

Hit Gotts and The sandwich bar at Dean and Deluca for some cheaper but awesome eats.


Go to French Laundry once in your life.

Don't forget Oakville Grocery.

[Chewbacca 7730]

The tips are so awesome. Since this is our 30th wedding anniversary I’m not going to be too price conscious, even though I’m a penny-pinching mofo.

Bardessono in that case...

[VABuckeye 2472]

Get a burger and a shake for lunch at Gott's Roadside.  It's legit and the line goes fast.

 

 

[Chewbacca 7730]

Get a burger and a shake for lunch at Gott's Roadside.  It's legit and the line goes fast.
 
 

Just make sure you have time for a nap after. Wine in the morning followed by a Gotts burger and shake leads to naptime.

[FigurelliPwC 115]

We like to sleep in, have a late breakfast and start hitting the tasting rooms by 11. Hit 2 spots and goto lunch to help stay sober. Dry Creek General Store or Oakville Grocery are 2 favorites. (Dry Creek usually has some bottles of Pliny too!). Grab a picnic lunch and head to the next winery. Healdsburg and Calistoga are two of our favorite towns in the world. Emeritus and Pappapietro Perry for Pinot. Benovia is also a great one. Iron Horse is a beautiful outdoor tasting. Hit 3 or 4 in the afternoon and stumble into town for dinner. Never had a problem driving, just gotta pace yourself, split tastings and plan your route to be close to the hotel at your last couple of spots.

Farmhouse Inn is a great dining experience without the French Laundry price tag. Also Madrona Manor for dinner or a fancy cocktail to end the day.


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[VABuckeye 2472]

You do six tastings in a day?  Do you spend any time there or do tours or just taste and run?  That’s a ton to do in one day. 

[Goofyboy 3221]

I’ve done 6. I also ended up eating Chipotle that nighT because we were exhausted and hungoverish.

I think 4 is a good balance.

[Chewbacca 7730]

We did 5 every day and it was too much. I would do 3-4 per day, max.

[Dbeasy 14980]

So you just get private drivers for the day?

[Chewbacca 7730]

Yes. Get a van to drive you around.

[Smax 3800]

There are drivers who will meet you at your hotel and drive your rental, ask your hotel for recs.

 

The Healdsberg bar and grill on the SW corner of the tower square always has pliny on tap

 

6 tastings in a day is nuts, my taste buds are done after 3

[PorscheGuy 127]

5-6 a day is hard core. Hard to imagine functioning, much less driving. 3-4 is the sweet spot. That’s around 20 glasses of wine before dinner

Gott’s is a great for lunch

Check out Reddwood in Yountville. Best pasta dish I have ever had. Fucking magical. Still dream about it. Went back and got it again. It was a summer squash ravioli in a brown butter sauce with sage, balsamic and hazelnuts.

Don’t sleep on mustards roadside either. Another great lunch spot.

Bottega was really good.

Bouchon was a disaster. YMMV. Had a coked up waiter that ruined the entire evening.

Bouchon bakery lived up to hype though.

There are a lot of great suggestions throughout this thread.

Cardinale and Kapskandy are supposed to be ridiculously great small wineries with blow your mind stuff.

I got talked out of Caymus / Wagner by wine snob friend. Still wish I would have gone.

Man, now I want to go back.


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[Goofyboy 3221]

Damn... every time I check this thread, it makes me want to plan another weekend out there.

[VABuckeye 2472]

18 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

The tips are so awesome. Since this is our 30th wedding anniversary I’m not going to be too price conscious, even though I’m a penny-pinching mofo.

It's difficult to be price conscious in Napa Valley.  It's an expensive place.

If you like petit syrah visit David Fulton.  It's like crack.  Drinkable from the get-go.  Smith-Madrone is on the top of Spring Mountain.  If one of you likes white wine they have a very good chardonnay and Reisling.  The views there are incredible.

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by VABuckeye

[VABuckeye 2472]

Tastings.

 

We do 2-3 a day max.  If I want a leisurely lunch I don't want to feel rushed to get to another vineyard.  Do whites in the morning and reds in the afternoon.  3-4 red tastings in a day and you just can't trust your tastebuds at the end of the day.  Take a day off from vineyards in the middle and do something else.  A balloon ride or something.  I do a fair amount of wine tasting when I travel and it's easy to get overloaded on the tastings.  You want each one to be a unique experience and not a chore which is what 4 or more tastings in a day can lead to particularly if you stack days and days of tastings on top of each other.

Edited October 27, 2018 by VABuckeye

[Mac8111 2103]

The new Archer Hotel in Napa is fantastic by the way.

We usually start with a sparkling property in the morning.

[Jhawk 1075]

On 10/11/2018 at 10:28 PM, PorscheGuy said:

Usually don’t like white wine, but really enjoyed the 2016 Frank Family Lewis Vineyards reserve Chardonnay. Actually has legs like a red and is layered without being overly complex. Would recommend. The non reserve is not near as good.

Their 2015 is fantastic. Still trying to find more.


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Just got a case of Frank's delivered to the office yesterday.  For my money, you won't find a vineyard that puts out good stuff across the board like frank's does.  They just do a damn good job.

[Dbeasy 14980]

Had some friends suggest staying at a VRBO or AirBnB since there are four of us. A quick scan of options didn't pop up anything that looked much different or cheaper than just staying in a hotel in St. Helena or Yountville. I guess if you have 6 or more, then there are some interesting possibilities for renting out a really nice house.

[Jimbaround 973]

On 10/26/2018 at 11:14 PM, PorscheGuy said:

I got talked out of Caymus / Wagner by wine snob friend. Still wish I would have gone.

Man, now I want to go back.


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We just stopped by Caymus to pick up a couple of bottles of Zin.  It's a pretty cool outdoor tasting area with a bunch of people just getting hammered.  It didn't seem like the worst way to spend an nice afternoon.  It gets pretty crowded and they limit the number of people tasting so make a reservation if you want to go.

I understand why the wine snobs hate it, but my wife's uncle buys us a case of the cab or Spec Sel each year so I've come to enjoy it.

[AustinMT 952]

2 hours ago, Jimbaround said:

We just stopped by Caymus to pick up a couple of bottles of Zin.  It's a pretty cool outdoor tasting area with a bunch of people just getting hammered.  It didn't seem like the worst way to spend an nice afternoon.  It gets pretty crowded and they limit the number of people tasting so make a reservation if you want to go.

I understand why the wine snobs hate it, but my wife's uncle buys us a case of the cab or Spec Sel each year so I've come to enjoy it.

FYI -- it' s not just that some people don't like the wines;  the Wagner family is notorious for over-producing.

[Jimbaround 973]

On 11/1/2018 at 4:43 PM, AustinMT said:

FYI -- it' s not just that some people don't like the wines;  the Wagner family is notorious for over-producing.

I get it.  Also, the fact that Caymus just decided to say "fuck it" in the mid 90s and almost double their prices.

1993 Cab - $24
1994 Cab - $36
1995 Cab - $62

Oh, and then in 2013 they were fined by Napa county for over-producing.  Their permit allowed for 42,000 cases and they produced 800k.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Jimbaround

[HenryJames 65899]

Is that a lot?

[VABuckeye 2472]

17 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Is that a lot?

Not if your name is Gallo.

[AustinMT 952]

2 hours ago, Jimbaround said:

I get it.  Also, the fact that Caymus just decided to say "fuck it" in the mid 90s and almost double their prices.

1993 Cab - $24
1994 Cab - $36
1995 Cab - $62

Oh, and then in 2013 they were fined by Napa county for over-producing.  Their permit allowed for 42,000 cases and they produced 800k.

Yeah -- so what they've done now is move most of their production to Solano County (next door to Napa) so they can continue to churn out massive quantities.

 

[Aqua Buddha 14526]

Going up there in a few weeks and staying at Solage in Calistoga.  Any recommends for that area?

[Goofyboy 3221]

Farmstead at LongMeadow is right in there. Great farm to table place.

[Fooball 0]

Farmstead at LongMeadow is right in there. Great farm to table place.

Agreed on Farmstead. Awesome meal there.

As for wine, Chateau Montelena is a great stop in Calistoga.

[AustinMT 952]

14 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Going up there in a few weeks and staying at Solage in Calistoga.  Any recommends for that area?

Farmstead is good, as other have said.  Others in St Helena:  Market, Goose & Gander, Brasswood (Italian),Press (steak).  For quick sandwiches between wineries:  Sunshine Market, Giugni WF & Sons

Wineries:  Revana is between St Helena and Calistoga.  We like Dr. Revana’s wines, and the property is really nice.  Calistoga area:  Jericho Canyon (cool place with terraced vineyards and good wine.  Ask to tour the vineyards in the ATVs), Perliss (small production place but really great wine.  Aaron Pott is the winemaker on the cab, and consults on their others).  VIneyardist (Diamond Mountain) —cab only, but amazing wine, though pricey.  And Seven Stones — also between ST Helena and Calistoga — great cab/Aaron Pott wine, and beautiful property.

[Bert Orange 1115]

In Calistoga, I’m fond of Amici and Dutch Henry. If you want to ball, Arkenstone. 

[Goofyboy 3221]

Also, since your up that way already, go to Barnett up on Spring Mountain.

[Dbeasy 14980]

Ok, have a reservation for a house just outside St. Helena for mid-February. Starting on the itinerary for Thursday - Sunday. Would like to mix in a cool non-wine activity somewhere. Looked at balloon flight, but I and one other person are deathly afraid of heights.

[Bert Orange 1115]

Model Bakery English muffins in downtown St Helena. You’re welcome. 

[Bert Orange 1115]

Spring Mountain:

Schweiger - solid sauv blanc 

Barnett - rattlesnake tits

Pride - reserves are amazing

[Goofyboy 3221]

Ok, have a reservation for a house just outside St. Helena for mid-February. Starting on the itinerary for Thursday - Sunday. Would like to mix in a cool non-wine activity somewhere. Looked at balloon flight, but I and one other person are deathly afraid of heights.

Go to Round Pond and do the olive oil tasting.

[Bert Orange 1115]

And I can’t recommend enough the 20-30 year aged balsamic vinegar tasting at the Terraces. Wine just OK. But that balsamic..   

[Dangit 23]

I'm planning a Napa trip for May. Will be our 2nd time out there. I'm thinking of doing a day on Spring Mountain and a day on Howell Mountain. I've already noted Barnett and Pride on Spring from recs on this thread. Any others on Spring or Howell to add to the list? 

[AustinMT 952]

1 hour ago, Dangit said:

I'm planning a Napa trip for May. Will be our 2nd time out there. I'm thinking of doing a day on Spring Mountain and a day on Howell Mountain. I've already noted Barnett and Pride on Spring from recs on this thread. Any others on Spring or Howell to add to the list? 

On Howell Mountain, be sure to go to Arkenstone.  Really great wine, and a great facility.

Have done a tasting at Spring Mountain.  Very nice grounds and the old house.  If you go, do the Estate Tasting

[Dutchrudder 11123]

I'm planning a Napa trip for May. Will be our 2nd time out there. I'm thinking of doing a day on Spring Mountain and a day on Howell Mountain. I've already noted Barnett and Pride on Spring from recs on this thread. Any others on Spring or Howell to add to the list? 

Go to Von Strasser if you like reds. I hear Schweiger is good too, but haven't been myself.