Tasting Rooms Archives - Page 6 of 20

Napa Valley Picnic Wineries – More bad behavior

by Joe Becerra

One of our favorite things to do in wine country is to enjoy a picnic lunch at a winery. In the Napa Valley there are far too few wineries that have picnic areas when compared to Sonoma, Paso Robles, and other California wine regions. Napa County ordinances have been tough on the newer wineries, not allowing them to offer this wonderful experience to the wine traveler. Sadly, on our trip to the Napa Valley this past week, we discovered that one of our favorite wine picnic areas had been fenced off and the winery was now charging a $35 table fee to use the picnic area. Hard to believe but true!

Rutherford hill picnic area — To enter one must pay a $35 table fee

Napa Valley Happenings in May and June

by Joe Becerra

Is the old Gordon’s Café and Wine Bar in Yountville set to reopen? We hope so! Remember, this was a popular spot among the locals but closed in 2007. Runners, walkers, and cyclists would convene here for their morning cup of java and other goodies. Later in the day, the wine bar, along with other good eats, was the big attraction. It was sold in 2007 to Leslie Rudd of Rudd Winery and Dean & DeLuca fame. It was gutted and the remodel process got started, but then suddenly everything came to a halt. The place remained in that condition until January of this year when new owner Frank Altamura (Altamura Vineyards & Winery) began construction to turn the old Gordon’s place into perhaps a pizzeria? We look forward to the resurrection of this cool hideaway.

Gordon's Cafe and wine bar in Yountville — Gordon's as it looked in 2006

Wine Adventures in Yountville

by Joe Becerra

Sometimes you just need a quick getaway to cure the doldrums of the winter months. And that is what we just did with a one-night getaway to Yountville in the Napa Valley. We booked a room at the Napa Valley Lodge for $149 at their special winter rate. The Lodge is very comfortable and within walking distance of the restaurants, tasting rooms, and lots of boutique shops. Although on this day it was grey and damp, it was a delight to drive along the Napa Valley floor and take in the beautiful scenery of the mountains and vineyards.

We arrived just in time for our 12:30 lunch restaurant at Redd Wood, the newest restaurant in town, owned by Richard Reddington of Redd Michelin fame in Yountville. The restaurant is located in the North Block Hotel, formerly the Hotel Piero. Redd Wood is a pizzeria with causal dining in a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. The specialties, of course, are pizzas but there are many other menu items. There were four of us for lunch. Two shared a pizza and a salad and thought they were both just okay, nothing spectacular. Janelle and I shared a pear and wintergreens salad and a sandwich with rosemary foccacia, prosciutto cotto, and crucolo cheese. They were both excellent. The Sommelier was very cool, answering my questions about a few wine choices on his wine list, and recommended a Docellto/Barbera from Piedmonte in Italy that was very tasty, medium bodied, and perfect with our meals. The Wine list is good with a wine selection at $38 and above.

Monticello Vineyards experiments with wine flavored cheese

by Joe Becerra

This is a guest blog post by Vintage Wine Taster and good friend Ray Conti. Ray and his wife recently took a trip to the Monticello winery on Big Ranch Road in the Napa Valley. They escorted two friends who own a dairy near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Their two Santa Fe friends, Ed & Michael Lobaugh, own The Old Windmill Dairy® just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They make a wonderful variety of artisan goat and cow cheeses. At a Wine & Cheese festival in Carlsbad, Monticello Vineyard’s Stephen Corley approached them and indicated the winery might be interested in combining the Monticello wines with their Gouda cheeses. Monticello sent a case of their wines containing three varietals: Estate grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

About Monticello Winery

Monticello is a small winery by Napa standards (15,000 cases), but their quality makes up for the small quantity. Jay Corley founded the winery in 1970 and today sons Kevin, Stephen and Chris Corey are operating the winery. Kevin oversees the operation, Stephen is in charge of sales, and Chris is the winemaker. The winery lies just above the town of Napa. It is on Big Ranch Road that can be accessed from Oak Knoll Road. They have three lines of wine: Corley Reserve, Corley Family wines, and Monticello Reserve wines. Their specialties are Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay. The friendly tasting room is opposite a 1/3 scale replica of Jefferson’s Monticello; a tribute to America’s first serious wine collector. This is a fun place to start a wine tour of the Napa Valley

Napa Valley wine trip down memory lane

by Joe Becerra

There are some 400 wineries in the Napa Valley that one can visit. The majority of those wineries were established after 1990. Why not take a trip down memory lane by visiting one or more of the handful of wineries that have been in existence in the Napa Valley for 100 years or more? Most of these wineries have tours and memorabilia that will give you a glimpse of what life in the Napa Valley was like way back when. Here are a few suggestions with a map below should you need it.

Nichelini Winery
Well off the radar of most travelers is the Nichelini Winery. This winery has had 121 consecutive harvests and is in the 5th generation of ownership. It is said to be the oldest continuous family-run winery in the Valley. The winery began making wine in 1890 and weathered prohibition by making sacramental wines, and perhaps a little more, under the table for various “important” clients. The winery is up on Sage Canyon Road about 10 minutes from the Valley floor. The winery is open Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm or Monday through Friday by appointment.

nichelini-100 — Nichelini on Sage Canyon Road - Highway 128 East

Beaulieu Vineyards
Beaulieu Vineyards began in 1900 and was founded by George de Latour. The winery was able to continue to operate during Prohibition, making sacramental wines. In 1938 George de Latour traveled to France and hired winemaker André Techelistcheff. Andre died in 1994, but his legacy lives on and he remains today the most influential winemaker in the Napa Valley. The winery is owned by Diageo Wines. The Tasting room is open daily 10 am to 5 pm.

Nichelini Winery – 121 Consecutive Harvests

by Joe Becerra

This is the final article on our recent visit to three very different mountain wineries in the Napa Valley. Our first visit was to the Stony Hill Vineyard on Spring Mountain, then on to Ladera Winery on Howell Mountain. Our final winery visit took us south of Howell Mountain to Chiles Valley and to one of Napa Valley’s oldest wineries, Nichelini Winery, atop Sage Canyon Road.

This little hidden winery in the Napa Valley may perhaps be best described as the “The Little Winery That Could.” Through the prohibition era this winery kept chugging and chugging, making wines. Prohibition forced many wineries out of business and a few others survived by making sacramental wines. The Nichelini Winery kept making wines and rumors say that none of it was for the Church. Rumors abound regarding who the Nichelini clients were, and how the family managed to elude the law. Whatever this means, the winery has had 121 consecutive harvests and the family has proclaimed that they are the oldest continuous winery in the Napa Valley.

Ladera Winery on Howell Mountain

by Joe Becerra

This is the second of our three-part series on visits to mountain wineries in the Napa Valley.

We left Stony Hill Vineyard on Spring Mountain and traveled across the Valley on Deer Park Road, then up the mountain turning left onto White Cottage Road to Ladera Winery. Talk about opposites in wineries! Stony Hill’s first vintage was 1952, Ladera’s was 2000. At Stony Hill the winery is still hanging on to equipment used when the winery was first established with no signs of any high-tech equipment anywhere. At Ladera, it is quite the opposite with no expenses spared in this state-of-the-art winery facility. Here you find beautiful stainless steel fermenting and aging tanks, gravity floor crush equipment, and a beautiful and elaborate cave system lined with oak barrels.

Mike Chelini is Longest tenured winemaker in the Napa Valley at Stony Hill Vineyard

by Joe Becerra

Last week we toured three completely different Napa Valley mountain wineries. We visited Stony Hill Vineyard on Spring Mountain, Ladera Winery on Howell Mountain, and Nichelini Winery at the summit of Sage Canyon Road. This will be the first of three posts comparing these Napa Valley mountain wineries.

Stony Hill Vineyard on Spring Mountain is one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley and one steeped in tradition. Fred and Eleanor McCrea purchased the land in 1943 and released their first vintage in 1952. In 1972, young Mike Chelini began his stint as winemaker at Stony Hill and he continues in that position to this day. He loves his work, the land, and the owners. As he says “Life is good here at Stony Hill Vineyard.” When we asked Mike Chelini if he is the Valley’s longest-running winemaker, he says: “I think I am tied with Bill Sorenson over at Burgess.” Bill Sorenson began his stint at Burgess in 1972, so who knows who started first. Nevertheless, these are impressive careers for both these winemakers.

Winemaker Mike Chelini Stony Hill Vineyard — Winemaker Mike Chelini

European Wine Bloggers Conference Begins October 14, 2011

by Joe Becerra

This evening we set off to Italy for the European Wine Bloggers Conference IV. We are very excited because the agenda of conference sessions and wine country excursions are “molto fantastico.” We can only wonder how we will be able to manage the consumption of so much fine wine and food that the Italian wine consortiums have in store for the 216 wine bloggers that will attend this amazing wine soiree. The conference headquarters are in Brescia, Italy, which is situated in the heart of the Franciacorta wine territory, notably known for its fabulous sparkling wine.

Escaping the Napa Valley Crowds

by Joe Becerra

Another frequently received email to WineCountryGetaways.com asks: “How can I avoid the crowds when we visit the Napa Valley?” We have an easy answer for that one: go during the week, during the months of December to February. Of course that is not the answer travelers are looking for, so with this article we give it our best shot suggesting a few ways for avoiding crowds on the weekends or on the weekdays during high season.