Anderson Valley and Napa Valley

[bpwallace49]

So I started with 4 days in Elk, California just over the mountains from Anderson Valley. Started with a private tour of Goldeneye winery which is owned by Duckhorn. First off, Anderson Valley is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, so that was a lot of what we had. They also have a bunch of super small batches of "fun wine" that they make just for wine clubs and local consumption like Gwertztraminer. Goldeneye was effing fantastic. Their Migration Chardonnay was spectactular, as well as theor Gowin's Ranch Pinot Noir. The only odd wine thay had was their 2008 Migration Pinot. They had bad wildfires in 2008, and is really showed on the nose and immediate flavor profile. No bad, but certainly not what you expect from a pinot. I bought a bottle to take home to try with some smoked meats to see how it would pair for a wine dinner. All goldeneye wines can be found through a Duckhorn distributer or a specialty wine store.

 

Then Scharffenberger. Owned by Roderer, it is mainly sparking wines. Solid rose, their Brut (only one in distribution) was average, but not inspiring. Thier petit syrah was decent for the very affordable price point . . that you can only buy at the winery. Kind of a ehh . . kinda place, that was repeated at Roderer Estate later. Ok sparking wines that were quickly forgotten, except for their extra dry brut and rose.

 

Then one of my favorite in Anderson valley . . . Toulouse. Never heard of it? Cause you cant freakin buy it outside of California unless you get it direct shipped. Their gwertz was freakin outstanding, and their pinot was very very good as well. They were further away from the wildfires, so their 2008 had hints of smoke, but beautiful fruit as well. The whole operation is 5 people, and the owner and his wife host all the tastings out of their barn onsite. Great stuff . . . wish he made more so I could get it for my members through a distributer.

 

Then Roederer . . . forgettable and regrettable. Also one of the only places in Anderson valley that charges a tasting fee. Bought a bottle for mimosas the next morning for the wimmenfolk.

 

Then Brutacao. Very interesting place that is trying to also grow sangiovese and blend super tuscans alsong with some small batches of cabernet, merlot and the more established Pinot Noir, gwert and Chardonnay. The italian varietals were very average, and the merlot and cabs were very very weak. Just the wrong climate for those to really shine. The sangiovese showed promise for an everyday table wine, but nothing beyond that. Their chardonnay and pinots were good, but better choices at Goldeneye and Toulouse overshadowed them. They did make a fantastic tawny port that we picked up and paired with some locally produced honey that was freakin amazing. Their port I would actually sent away for. Decent price point and solid flavor. Only available locally or direct ship through the vineyard.

 

Last was Navarro Winery. Great tasting room, looks to be run by a bunch of hippies, and very solid wine. They make 14 different wines and you can taste them all! They make a Chenin Blanc that was surprisingly good. Their gwertz was very good and their Chardonnay was great. I ordered 2 mixed cases from here to be delivered home, more than any winery besides goldeneye. They make a solid, affordable pinot noir, and a blend they make called "Navarouge" that is a Loire valley-style blend was very good. Direct order only through the winery.

 

 

To any wine geek, Anderson valley is a must see. Very very very laid back, it was great to not have the same commerical-themed vibe of Napa. Here you really get to talk to the owners and get a lot closer to the process and the story behind the wine. Really no restaurants at all . .. so rent a house and make yer own. very remote area, so if you get get carsick easily, these roads are not for you.

 

Napa Valley review to follow . . .

[piratesownninjas]

I absolutely love Duckhorn and Goldeneye. Great juice. They also help pay the bills, so that helps too. Looking forward to the Napa Valley write up.

[Kid Cid]

Fantastic writeup, lots of cool wineries up there.

 

BTW, if you ever want to be part of the process, we have plenty of volunteer opportunities.

[Bier Meister]

while i like a few wines/wineries from that area, i am not draw towards wines from anderson.

 

sounds like a great trip!

[detlef]

I also really dig Anderson Valley wines.

 

Sounds like you had a great time and thanks for sharing the details. I miss Cali a bunch and need to get back sometime.

[bpwallace49]

Napa Valley

 

I will break this up into sections per day, as there was a LOT going on . .

 

First the transition between Anderson Valley and linking up with the group that was going to Napa was delayed 12 hours due to flight problems. Took the day in San Fran to visit Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in Union Square. Decent fare, but the highlight was the thought behind their dessert burgers. Really well thought out and fun. Then Chinatown and Fishermans wharf before we met up for a VERY late dinner at North Beach Restaurant with the owner, who is a cousin of one of the guys in our group from the Phil Stefani's Restaurant group. Amazing Italian food, and also tried his personal label of wines from Sonoma that he makes for the restaurant. Also tried his italian gasoline AKA Grappa. He showed us how he ages all his proscuitto in house for 12 months. very cool process. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. Absolutely fantastic food!!!

 

First day started with a tour with the owner and the winemaker at Whitehall Lane. The house we were staying at is leased by the company that was hosting us from Whitehall Lane on a long term lease, and is in the middle of one of their vineyards that grows Cabernet and Petit Verdot. Whitehall Lane makes some good wines, highlighted by their reserve cabernet, that really is the best they have. Solid cab, decent Chardonnay and very very solid merlot, but the reserve was fantastic. We also got to try a barrel tasting of their cab, which was cool to do. They then took us out for lunch at Travigne for lunch and a very fun discussion of Napa Valley politics and zoning and how different municipalities have dealt with tourism while still maintaining that rustic feel.

 

Afternoon was a after hours tour of the historical building that houses Trefethen winery by Janet Trefethen and Hailey Trefethen (hawt). We also met Haileys brother Loren briefly. Being a history guy, touring the building that dates back to 1886 was pretty cool. We then had a tasting with their new release of Sauvignon Blanc and their just created "Dragons Tooth" blend. The dragons tooth was fantastic, I highly recommend it. Then we had a tour of their gardens where they allocate 5 acres and grow vegetables for the staff every year, pretty cool . . as well as have an extensive herb and fruit garden they use for dinners like ours. Then a paired dinner with their private chef and Janet (the matriarch) and Hailey the daughter (hawt, no pocs ). If anyone has seen Micheal Chiarello's cooking show, it is filmed at Trefethen in the kitchen we had dinner in.

 

Hors D'oerves by their pool/deck with their sauvignon blanc. Crab Cakes (great) and a goat cheese in buff pastry topped with fresh kumquat from their garden (amazing)

 

Celery root puree soup with trumpet mushrooms, brown butter and rosemary foam with their Chardonnay. Fantastic pair when taken all together, but if you break out the individual components, it didnt work. Really a great composed dish that worked best together.

 

Duck Breast with farro and braised kale paired with their Merlot and HaLo wines to compare/contrast. First off, overlla teh Merlots we had over the whole trip were effing great, and Trefethens was really fantastic. Thr merlot paired beautifully, but their HaLo blend was slightly too tannic for the dish. not bad by any means, but the Merlot just worked better.

 

Last was a hazelnut (fancier) with pears, toasted hazelnuts and a creme fraiche. the hazelnuts also had a light glaze from a reduction sauce from their late harvest reisling. Paired with their late harvest resiling. Excellent dessert, that was not sweeter than the wine, which always tends to be a problem in wine dinners. The dessert just cant be sweeter than the dessert wine, or it just doesnt play well on the palate.

 

Overall, highlights of the day were the Whitehall Lane merlot and reserve Cabernet, and the Trefethen Dragons Tooth blend, the HaLo was great even though it didnt work with the dinner, and the Trefethen Merlot.

[Bier Meister]

now you are talking my language. tre vigne is one of my favorites out there (vs sonoma). hit it almost every time we go. whitehall is ok... remember enjoying some whites and a port from them, but the reds were middle of the road. trefethen is also one of my favorites over there. enjoy their entire line.

 

the dinner/pairing sounds fantastic.

[tazinib1]

They then took us out for lunch at Travigne for lunch and a very fun discussion of Napa Valley politics and zoning and how different municipalities have dealt with tourism while still maintaining that rustic feel.

 

 

I would have loved to listen to that.

[bpwallace49]

now you are talking my language. tre vigne is one of my favorites out there (vs sonoma). hit it almost every time we go. whitehall is ok... remember enjoying some whites and a port from them, but the reds were middle of the road. trefethen is also one of my favorites over there. enjoy their entire line.

 

the dinner/pairing sounds fantastic.

 

The 2007s from Whitehall Lane are quite good . . . but then again, 2007 was kind to most Merlot/Cab houses . .

[bpwallace49]

 

I would have loved to listen to that.

 

That was freakin awesome. You get to hear the side of the winery owners that want to drive more traffic to Napa versus the old guard that doesnt want a lot of change and almost needs a etched tablet from Moses to grant new zoning requests . . . . interesting stuff.

[gbpfan1231]

That was freakin awesome. You get to hear the side of the winery owners that want to drive more traffic to Napa versus the old guard that doesnt want a lot of change and almost needs a etched tablet from Moses to grant new zoning requests . . . . interesting stuff.

Did you talk to them using an over abundance of capital letters?

[bpwallace49]

Day two . .

 

First a tour of the Schramsberg caves and a tasting in the caves with "the riddler" and got to ask him questions. Decent sparkling wines, but of course their best IMO isnt available for purchase outsdie the winery. However their extra dry brut, rose, and 2001 reserve were all very good. Of course I cant sell most of them . . . but it was cool experience nonetheless. We got to walk all the way through the caves and see the bittling facility. Cool if you arent conversant with the champagne method. Then some history about the Davis family that bought and restarted schramsberg in the 1960s . . .

 

Then an extensive art tour at Clos Pegase. Jan Schrem is the owner and founder of Clos Pegase, and is HUUUUGE into art. Specifically art related to wine throughout history and Bacchus. If you havent been, it is worth a tour just to see the art collection. Their Hommage series was very good, especially their Chardonnay. In general, old school Napa chards are not my cup of tea, but this was fantastic. Their Merlot was also very good, while their cab was only OK. We had a catered lunch outside with the winemaker and got to ask him questions, which is always appreciated to get different winemakers perspectives.

 

Then we went to Titus Winery. Unlike the others we visited, this is not open to the public at all, and only for clients on appointment. While we admittedly got special treatment at each winery, they all have slickly marketed tasting rooms with hefty fees for the public. Not at Titus. We sat outside with the PR guy and Eric Titus, who is the grape grower. Their whole operation is 5 guys, and they only have 45 acres. I was blown away by the quality of what they produce. The PR guy had bread with their estate made olive oil (which had a spicy, peppery finish. Really quite good for olive oil. We had two guys from Tuscany with us that emigrated in the 80's, and they were RAVING about the olive oil) and he also had salsa made from tomatillos they grow on property. Started with their Sauv Blanc, which was very bright and quite good. We then had their Cabernet Franc, which was very good (but tough to sell as most people arent that conversant with cab franc). Then their fantastic Zinfandel, which really was top notch. Their cabs had a great long finish, and were very well balanced. They werent trying to do the massive tannin thing for it to be good in 5 years, but really made the wine to be very approachable now and in the future. Finally their "Lot 1" blend of petit Syrah and Petit Verdot. Really, really really good wine. The wine is quite pricey, but very good. We also got to walk the fields with Eric Titus and look over some of his grafting in his Zinfandel rows. Great experience.

[tazinib1]

That was freakin awesome. You get to hear the side of the winery owners that want to drive more traffic to Napa versus the old guard that doesnt want a lot of change and almost needs a etched tablet from Moses to grant new zoning requests . . . . interesting stuff.

 

I actually hear this often. My boss, who owns the cinema lighting/grip trucks I work on, lives in Temecula..right in the middle of Winery Row. I hear all about the zoning proposals and such. City council just pasedt a proposal to build a cemetery in the heart of it and he's pretty livid.

[Lucky11]

question re: Clos Pegase - is Richard still the winemaker there? also, how was the customer service side of things? i'm assuming since you were tasted on the Hommage Chard, that you didn't have the "regular" tasting in the tasting room.

[bpwallace49]

question re: Clos Pegase - is Richard still the winemaker there? also, how was the customer service side of things? i'm assuming since you were tasted on the Hommage Chard, that you didn't have the "regular" tasting in the tasting room.

 

Yes, we tried the entire Hommage line, and Richard is still the winemaker there . . .. sorry for the delayed response

[bpwallace49]

Last day started with a tour of William Hill Winery, just up the road from Silverado Country CLub. I am familiar with William Hill, and wasnt blown away by anything they had. Pretty much eeehh . . .

 

Then we went to Louis Martini for a tour, tasting and lunch outside in the courtyard. The wines were decent, actually much better than whjat they have put out in the past. I am assuming that getting purchased by Gallo was a big part of that improvement and investment in the brand. Their Lot 1 reserve was especially tasty . . excellent, excellent wine. It was great getting the "old school" background of the funding families of Napa like Martini, Berenger, Sutter, etc. The lunch was maybe the best meal we had of the trip, and it ws a simple affair catered in by one of the many free lance chefs in the area.

 

Shopping in Calistoga for the afternoon, then drinks with Sunday Couch Potatoe and the missus and Alchico. Great meeting both you guys!

 

Last dinner at Celedon in Napa. Very good, but horribly overpriced. Plus the smell of sewer was not very conducive to the palate.

 

Cant wait to go back!!

[Lucky11]

Last day started with a tour of William Hill Winery, just up the road from Silverado Country CLub. I am familiar with William Hill, and wasnt blown away by anything they had. Pretty much eeehh . . .

 

Then we went to Louis Martini for a tour, tasting and lunch outside in the courtyard. The wines were decent, actually much better than whjat they have put out in the past. I am assuming that getting purchased by Gallo was a big part of that improvement and investment in the brand. Their Lot 1 reserve was especially tasty . . excellent, excellent wine. It was great getting the "old school" background of the funding families of Napa like Martini, Berenger, Sutter, etc. The lunch was maybe the best meal we had of the trip, and it ws a simple affair catered in by one of the many free lance chefs in the area.

 

Shopping in Calistoga for the afternoon, then drinks with Sunday Couch Potatoe and the missus and Alchico. Great meeting both you guys!

 

Last dinner at Celedon in Napa. Very good, but horribly overpriced. Plus the smell of sewer was not very conducive to the palate.

 

Cant wait to go back!!

 

let me know when you do and i can provide reccos to the Sonoma side of things.

[KICK A$$ BLASTER]

Thanks for the update...Whitehall Lane makes some really good juice. My local wine shop occasionally get some in and they always call me when it comes in...Love that juice!!

[bpwallace49]

question re: Clos Pegase - is Richard still the winemaker there? also, how was the customer service side of things? i'm assuming since you were tasted on the Hommage Chard, that you didn't have the "regular" tasting in the tasting room.

 

Realized I didnt answer part of your question . . . sorry.

 

We went on a vendor tour, so we had private behind the scenes tours of everything, mainly by marketing muckety mucks or the managers in charge of the tastings . . or in some cases, the winemaker or owner themselves. The customer service at Clos Pegase and tour were first rate, especially of the art. Our tasting was in their private tasting room with the winemaker. We tasted the Hommage series (cool labels BTW) and the regular line head to head, and then had a box lunch outside in their garden with Richard the winemaker and the tasting room manager.

 

Clos Pegase wine is solid, and very decent, but just not blow your socks off spectacular. It is the kind of wine that is very forgettable, but at the same time never offends.

[bpwallace49]

I already sold the

 

Louis Martini Cab (by the glass)

Whitehall lane Cab and Reserve cab

Trfethen Cab (by the glass)

Trefethen Chard (by the glass)

Whitehall lane merlot

Whitehall lane Cab

Louis Martini Monte Rossa

 

I added based on the trip

 

Schramsberg Blanc de Noir ( perfect for the price point I needed)

Trefethen Dragons Tooth ( first release, and even though it is REALLY pricey- 60 bucks a bottle- It is some really really good juice)

Trefethen Merlot

Clos Pegase Hommage Chard

Titus Zinfandel (even though the price is pushing it, IMO)

 

So I guess for the vendor, "Mission Accomplished"