When you’re based in the San Francisco/Bay Area, you’re a foodie and you live an hour from Napa and Sonoma Valleys, you’d think that think I’d be up there all the time, ensuring that there’s no wine I haven’t tasted and no restaurant I haven’t explored.
And yet, like most places we live, you end up exploring areas where tourists flock to, when friends come to town. And so, off I went to Napa.
We started at a place I hadn’t been before: Sapphire Hill in Healdsburg, California. For $25 a head, they have an amazing food/wine pairing; I’d recommend making your booking late morning/mid-day.
On their tasting menu, they start you off with a lovely triple creme brie with rasberry sauce.
The cheese is lightly grilled and topped with a fresh rasberry pepper sauce and served with a sourdough baquette and crackers. (we just got the crackers).
Yum! It was nicely paired with a sparkling wine however given that I’m not a sparkling wine fan, I jumped one step ahead and tried the 2011 Gewurztraminer from Anderson Valley.
They also poured the Gewurtztraminer with tasting #2, which was a taste of a creamy basil tomato soup served with a pinch of cayenne pepper and mini jarlsberg and swiss gruyere grilled cheese sandwiches.
Moving onward, we jumped to my favorite white Sapphire Hill serviced, the 2010 Chardonnay from Russian River Valley, which they served with a spring and baby spinach salad, which included point reyes blue cheese, cranberries, green apples and glazed walnuts topped with olive oil and balsamic. (a few of us were longing for a l’il avocado in the salad, but overall, it was a win).
Next came the 2009 Cinque Gemma Sonoma/Napa Blend, where they dished up with the three cheese salami panini, a grilled italian, salame, asiago, parmagiano reggiano, grano padano topped with smash sun-dried tomato spread on French bread.
Then we got into the serious reds I was waiting for, the 2010 Zafiri Zinfandel, which was a 100% Zin and they served it with Fontina cheese topped with Apricot-Cherry-Apple mustard wrapped with Prosciutto and grilled between sourdough bread topped with olive oil from Sapphire Hill. (definitely my favorite by far – hands down).
They finished us off with a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley with a Rasberry Jalapeno Brownie with a salted caramel sauce.
It was a great deal and the team was united, ‘understood service’ and were serious foodies in addition to being addicted to their wine’s brand. Enough said about great PR – not every vineyard or business gets it. They did.
As for my favorite wines, they had a delicious blend (Barbera, Dolcetto, Sangiovese (20%), Petit Syrah and Primativa) which they referred to as Cinque Gemma Red Cuvee from the North Coast (2009). I also a fan of their 2010 Pinot which they didn’t have on the list – had a far bigger nose than their 2009 which was a reserve – lovely, but still a little too floral for my taste. Then again, I’m a serious Cab and Zin girl.
What I also loved about Sapphire Hill was their story. Husband & wife team, Lisa and Chris quite their corporate jobs and in 2010, ended up buying the vineyard. Says Lisa, “our vision is to specialize in hand-crafted, limited-production wines that showcase the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley appellations in a fun and exciting environment.”
Bella Vineyard was next on the list and while we had an appointment, they were slammed with Saturday traffic so it was tough to get their attention — at first. That said, they did what they could under the circumstances and soon, the pours were coming and then some. What is beautiful about their location is the ambiance — they have an outside ‘barn-like’ feel that caters to day events as well as a cellar, dark, with candles, the kind of place you want to throw a private event with your best friends.
Alas, the cave.
Private tables if you show up as 4/6 or more.
They also sell tickets so you can purchase food samples.
There was something special about Preston Vineyard? Was it Robert who took care of us, was it the wine or both?
Or, is it the charm of the place? Or, the small market shop that sold organic produce around the corner from the tasting room? Or all of the above?
They have an unusual wine at Preston: 2010 Cinsault, which is more Pinot-like than anything else you’d be familiar with. They also had a 2010 L. Preston, which was 55% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre (also very rare), 12% Cinsault, 5% Carignane, 3% Grenache. Their 2010 Petite Syrah had a significant amount of blueberry and blackberry in it mixed with pepper and earth spiciness. It was a nice choice for $38 a bottle. What’s also nice is that all their wines are made from organic grapes.
I almost felt like I was in New England in the fall….for a moment.
And then, we pulled out of the driveway to miles and miles of more vineyards and was reminded that I was about as far from Martha’s Vineyard and Maine as I could possibly be. And, of course, our special moments were about to continue.
The vivacious and passionate winemaker of Armida Winery showed up to say hey while his marketing and PR team began to pour.
They have something they refer to as an A-team, which comprises of 9 people who make 12,000 cases a year. On the list includes Bruce Cousins, Steve Cousins, Brandon Lapides, Cory Walker, Alex Hartz, Janet Linnett, Nick McCook, Laura O’Hanesian, Brian Wasik and Susan Montgomery.
My favorites included the 2010 Maple Vineyards Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley which was going for about $40 a bottle and the 2009 Duvell Vineyard Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley for $45.
Heitz Cellar was full of surprises. Unlike the other vineyards in the area, they don’t charge for tastings, and yet they’re not a ‘budget vineyard.’ Many of their wines go for $75-120 range and yet, no charge. I asked them why when clearly they could get away and milk out-of-town tourists for $30 a pop for four splashes like their neighbors.
Apparently the owners want to keep the same down-to-earth customer service they always had. Hear hear and kudos to the owners and their team. More than half the people in our group bought wine and additionally, I’m blogging about them.
High priced tastings aren’t great PR in the long run, but it does add revenue to the bottom line for the more commercially oriented vineyards. And, it brings the rich to Napa. Frankly, I’d rather see a more educated America who are drinking more Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the Pacific Northwest and less Miller Lite.
In most other parts of the world, there’s no charge for tastings either. In South Africa’s Stellenbosch, there was a major vineyard who brought out several bottles to the picnic table 20 or so of us were sitting at and left them for us. Huh? We bought a lot. What can I say? We’d feel guilty otherwise and it was so damn good not to mention one of the most memorable experiences I can recall on that particular trip through wine country.
Truth be told, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about Heitz Cellar wines. I fell in love with their 2007 Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which while priced at $75 a bottle, was an orgasmic wine. Think: blackberries with a hint of cassis. It was bottled in 2010 and released in 2012. All of their Cabs age for five years in oak before they release them. Considering that I’m such an ‘oak’ girl, it’s no wonder that I’d be a fan of their style. They told us on site, “our wines are designed to be 20 year wines.” Hear hear although waiting 20 years for some of us may be a tad hard.
Another yummy choice was their 1998 Heitz Wine Cellars “Martha’s Vineyard” Cabernet (100%). It was a briary wine with a lot of layers of complexity built in – it has youthful tenacity and tannins.
Then there’s the busy and ever so popular Duckhorn Vineyards, a group who produces style after style that is perfectly aligned this full bodied Cab cat.
They perform a l’il magic from time-to-time as well. And, the service is top-notch. My favorites and were purchases were made include the 2008 Duckhorn Discussion Wine for $125 a bottle (73% Cab, 21% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc) and in my opinion, their best deal: the 2008 Duckhorn Howell Mountain Cab for $80 though we got a 20% discount. (check on club memberships and other ways to score).
Also for club members, you can buy up to six bottles whereas if you’re not, three is your limit per bottle. The 2009 Duckhorn Napa Valley Cab for $68 was also on the ‘thumbs up’ list but not as memorable as the Howell Cab that I’m still thinking of days after the first taste.
You can also get cheese plates with your tasting, which is done at tables here rather than at counters — the one we sampled was a very salty and smoky cheddar. The result: a much more ‘make a morning or afternoon’ of it ambiance.
Buried deeper in the heart of Napa Valley is Del Dotto Vineyards, which is a family-owned winery focusing on small production, premium wines. Dave Del Dotto has spent the last 20 years acquiring vineyards in some of the top American Viticultural Areas including Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, and Sonoma Coast. They currently produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc from their Napa Valley vineyards. Also in production are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and limited amounts of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc from their Cinghiale Vineyard in the King’s Ridge region on the Sonoma Coast.
When you approach the vineyard, you realize that it’s not your ordinary venue. Magestic in every way, there has to a story.
It’s not just decadent and full of grandeur from the outside, but as you enter the building, you’re met with marble upon marble, pillar upon pillar.
How can you not be curious about where and how they started? In 1999, the Del Dotto family opened up this historic cave, hand dug in 1885, to the public. Dave’s goal was to host extensive barrel-tasting tours to help educate wine lovers about the effects of different types of oak on barrel-aged wines. My kinda guy.l Del Dotto Vineyards has been experimenting with over 50 different barrel types from various cooperages around the world and these cooperages can be found in France, USA, Russia, Hungary, and Italy.
In 2007, the new Del Dotto Venetian Estate Winery and Caves was completed in St Helena. The new caves, which is what stands today – above and below – are lined with Italian marble and ancient tiles depicting the history of wine. Complete with Venetian crystal chandeliers, mosaic marble floors, and hand-painted gold-inlaid ceilings, this new tasting facility is one of the most beautiful in the area if not around the world.
And dare I say, don’t we look like a happy bunch after their gracious team took care of us? You might imagine that we’re in Italy not Napa by the tasting room’s background.
Here, you get five tastings and it’s not cheap but the wines are scrumptious. While they do have a Sauvignon Blanc and a very yummy Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast (2010), what I craved more of was their 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (77% Cab, 17% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot) which went for $65 a bottle and their 2009 Napa Valley Cave Blend for $49 a pop. This blend was incredibly dark in color and had a ton of cherry, mushroom and forest, with dark chocolate, ripe fig and a hint of oak. The 09 Cabernet was also loaded with cherry and maple throughout, with added flavors of forest, earth and wet stone. Silky tannins on top of all of it makes both wines a great pairing for BBQ meats and light cuisine. Yum!
Photo credits: Renee Blodgett. Other food/wine posts can be found here and other food/wine write-ups in California can be found here. Also, check out the general cultural section.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
