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+--- Thread: Napa/Sonoma 06 Part 2 (/thread-15264.html)
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- Kcwhippet - 08-18-2006
OK, let's see how far I can get into this one today.
Day 2 started at Siduri for our 10 am tasting, one of our favorites. We had Jody O'Brien hosting us and if you get there you have to meet him - he's a blast. So, we tasted a bunch of wine from both Siduri (all PN) and Novy (just about everything else). There wasn't a bad wine there! One of the consensus faves was the 05 RRV Viognier and we picked up a bunch. In fact, we went back a few days later and picked up some more. We (Judy and me) ended up getting some 04 Shaw Mountain PN, some 04 Sonoma Cty Syrah and, of course, the 05 Viognier. We also got a mag each of the 03 Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah ( a blend of Garys', Pisoni and Rosella's) and the 04 Rosella's Syrah, as well as a 3 liter of the 01 Dry Creek Vly Syrah. This is a must stop for anyone in the area.
Next we headed down toward Glen Ellen for our 2 pm at Audelssa. On the way we stopped at North Eagle Pottery on the southern tip of Santa Rosa. Judy and I have been stopping there for years whenever we're in the area. It's on Rt 12 on the left just before you get to Ledson and St. Francis. So, as usual, we picked up bunch more pottery - all were serving pieces of one sort or another which are all for use, not just display. From there we weny to lunch at Cafe Citti just a ways down the street in Kenwood. Wonderful Italian cafe!!! Go there!!
We made it up the hill from there to Audelssa in Glen Ellen, and what a trip!! They're at the top of Cavedale Rd. and I mean at the top. The winery sits at the top of the estate and you can see San Francisco from up there. All the vineyards scramble down the hill from the winery. We took a short tour into the vineyards with Dan Schaefer the owner, but it was about 104 so we made it short and went inside to taste some wine. Well we tasted everthing they had and it was great stuff. They've purchased another winery down the hill - Navillus Birney - and we tasted through their wines as well - also very good. In fact we walked away with some of their PN, Syrah and Chard. I noticed there was some wine in a cage at the back and asked Dan if there was anything good in there. He said it was primarily his own library storage of their wines, and I asked if there was any of their 02 Mountain Terraces Syrah there. He said just a few bottles left, so I asked how much for one. I eventually walked out with one. BTW, the person pouring was the maitre d' from the French Laundry over in Yountville. He lives nearby and comes up to Audelssa when he doesn't have to go in early. Very nice visit!!
CG wanted us to be sure to visit Imagery, so that's where we went next. She has a friend who works there. I'm sorry I forgot her name, but she was a wonderful person. Anyway, it's down the bottom of the hill from Audelssa, so it wasn't hard to find. It's owned and run by Joe Benziger (yes, one of those Benzigers), and they make a tremendous number of different wines (look them up to see for yourselves). We probably tasted about 15 different wines, and they were all very nice. In fact we put a few cases on order - 05 WOW Oui (don't laugh - it's a very nice blend of Sauv Blanc and Muscat Canelli - it just has a really weird name), 05 Viognier (there's that wine again!!), 05 Muscat, 03 Lagrein (a really nice wine!!), 03 Cab Franc and 03 Taylor Vineyard Zin ( never heard of this vyd before, but very nice).
So that was it for wine on day 2. After Imagery we schlepped back to the hotel, freshened up and went out to the K&L Bistro (the K&L are the initials of the owners - Karen and Lucas - too cute) in Sebastopol for dinner. Similar in concept to Mirepoix, but a whole different execution. I'd go back in a minute and I recommend it highly.
Now onto day 3. Our first visit was with Keith and Nancy Mietz at Mietz Cellars (another of our must stop favorite wineries). They're across the street from the Christopher Creek driveway on Limerick Lane in Healdsburg. You can't miss it - it's the concrete barn-like structure with no sign on it. We've been visiting since the 99 vintage and they are just wonderful people with great wines. Keith tasted us through EVERYTHING - the Sauvignon Blancs (one done in stainless only and the other finished in neutral oak), Pinot Noir, Cab Sav, Sangiovese (w/ 20% Merlot), Zin, Petite Verdot and Keith's Claret. It's a good thing I was spitting, because he also brought out some of the back room reserve stuff!! They're a weak spot for us and we left after putting seven cases down on the order book. Great people!!
About now cg and hubby had to leave us - they had two kids to tend to plus Tim had to go to work. So, we (Don, Judy and I) headed out toward out next stop at Scherrer. We had lunch at the Ace in the Hole Cider Pub (billed as America's First Cider Pub) out in Sebastopol near Scherrer. They had a number of their own alcoholic ciders on tap (duh) as well as a fair number of European craft beers and ales. We had some nice pub sandwiches made and served by some rather scantily clad, though comely, young women along with some of the Euro ales. Nice diversion.
Don and I tore ourselves away so we could get on to our visit with Fred Scherrer at (of course) Scherrer Winery. They're in a warehouse type building out in the middle of nowhere in Sebastopol (as ww is most likely aware). We were hosted by Fred Scherrer, and after a short tour of his (just about) one man winery, he opened a few bottles for us - well maybe more than a few. We had the 03 Chard (nice - only 50% new oak so not so bad), 05 Vin Gris (made from an unusual blend of Zin and PN, but veru delicious), 03 Vin Rouge (100% Cab Sav), 04 Old & Mature Vines Zin, 02 O&M Zin, 03 RRV PN (a big dichotomy here - this is a very big wine, but it's also very delicate), 04 Sonoma Cty PN, 03 Alex Vly Cab Sav and we finished with the 01 Alex CS (a truly luscious wine - will go great with a big, grilled hunk of dead cow). Did it again and walked out with a few bottles - well maybe a bunch of bottles. Got some of the 03 Vin Rouge, 05 Vin Gris, 03 RRV PN, 03 and 04 O&M Zin, as well as ordering some more of the 05 O&M futures. Fred also dug into his library and parted with some of his 02 Shale Terrace Zin (carried that back with us).
Nearby is the Dutton Estate Winery and we stopped in on a whim because of the name. Tasted a bunch of their wines, and a word of advice - don't stop there.
After that we headed all the way back to Healdsburg to visit Betsy and Bill Nachbaur at Acorn Winery. We've been visiting them as long as Mietz, and their wines are so totally different, but we like them just as much. They're on Old Redwood Highway and are essentially across Rte. 101 from Mietz. Anyway, Betsy opened a few wines and we tasted and, as usual, weren't disappointed. They make a number of wines from some very, very old vines from the Alegria Vineyard they bought. As the vines die out (orjust stop producing enough grapes) they've been replanting, but they're using their own stock so the vineyards are retaining their historical character. These are essentially field blend vineyards, though they have a major grape variety (varietal?). Anyway, they are making some really nice wines and we put on order the 03 Cab Franc, 03 Syrah and 04 Heritage Vines Zin. One of my favorite wines of theirs is the Dolcetto, but we didn't get nay and I don't know why. I think I'll have to remedy that.
So, that's day 3. After we freshned up back at the hotel, we headed out to Forestville to have dinner at Mosaic (another highly recommended place). It was superb!! It's a decent sized place on Front St. (Mirepoix and K&L were tiny - 10 - 15 tables max) with about 30 tables and a really neat two level grass patio out back with more tables. Anyway, the food was excellent, so this is another must go place. Very reasonable, too. The bill came to $165 (ex tip) for the three of us including two bottles of wine.
Here comes day 4 - the last one. The first (and only real planned stop) was at Neal Family way over in Angwin. So, we went over the top from Santa Rosa to Calistoga to Angwin. They're up at the end of Liparita Rd and if you're not paying attention, you'll miss Liparita because the sign is hidden. So, we met Mark Neal and Gove Celio (winemaker) and were given a tour of the winery and the caves, including more caves under construction. There has been some very (underline very) serious money spent building this place. They get their money from owning about 2,000 acres of grapes in Napa Valley and selling them, which they've been doing for about 40 years. Most are hillside vineyards, which they're very proud of, as well as some very good acreage in Rutherford. After the tour, Mark tasted us through their selections - they make a Chard, a bunch of vineyard designate Cabs (they own the vyds after all), a Napa Vly Cab, a Rutherford Dust Cab and a Zin. All were wonderful and I'd recommend going to their site and checking them out. We didn't take away anything, but we did sign up for their mailing list.
That's it for the scheduled part. So, after Neal we were hungry and headed up toward Calistoga to have lunch at the Palisades Market where I've had some great food over the years. I'ts GONE!!!! The old Palisades is closed up and there's a brand spankin' new Palisades Market next door. It sure ain't the same!!!! Oh well, time maeches on. So we had lunch and then heade over toward Santa Rosa. I decided to make a slight detour and went to Clos Pegase to show Don some of the other wineries in the area. Tasted the wines - they're nice - been there. However, I did pick up a bottle of something they call Pegaso, and it's 53% Zin and 47% Petite Sirah. Very nice.
Hopped over the mountain and decided to go to David Coffaro. On the way, we went by Lytton Springs road so went back to Ridge's place to show Don some really gnarly vines. Thevines were just as gnarly as we remembered them. So, we went into the new winery building (made out of hay bales - neat!) and tasted a bunch of wines. Since virtually their whole line is here in MA, I've had them at the shop. One I hadn't had was the 03 Independence School Zin (very limited production -for them). Tasted it, liked it, bought it. There's only a few cases left if anyone wants to contact them on their web site and get some - I would.
Next we made it up the road to David Coffar. We knew Dave and Pat were off to Wisconsin to buy a new BMW, but we were met by Steve Ryan, their vineyard manager. He tasted us through evertyhing they had - whew!!! Don was impressed and we had some really nice wines. Of course, I put a few more onto our future's orders.
Back to the hotel to freshen up, then off to Willi's Wine Bar up the road a short bit. Wonderful place. The concept is basically like a tapas bar, but with CA style food in small dishes. We ended up ordering 12 dishes and a few wines. Great dinner - again!!! So, I'd very much want to go back to all the places we ate at (lunch and dinner - except the lunches at V. Sattui and Palisades Market).
That pretty much sums up our four days in Napa and Sonoma. I think we came away with something like 22 cases, and that should keep the cellar stuffed for a few months.
If any of you are still going on that trip the end of September (if it happens), I'd opt for all the winery visits we did as well as the restaurants, but that's up to whoever plans your trip. Whew!!!
- hotwine - 08-18-2006
Wow, great notes, KC! Many thanks!
- dananne - 08-18-2006
Again, great notes! This is a wonderful resource.
And Anne thought we were bad because we bought 8 cases [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
- Kcwhippet - 08-21-2006
Heard some more about the gentleman pouring at Audelssa from Dan Scaefer. He's Anani Lawson, but he's not the Maitre d' at FL. It seems he was/is one of the sommeliers. He was the opening sommelier at Per Se and is back working in CA. He was the opening sommelier at Ame in San Francisco, but I'm not sure if he stayed there because he told us he was at FL. Really nice guy and he sure knows his stuff.
- Glass_A_Day - 08-22-2006
Sounds great KC. Really makes me want to go back and do more.
- wondersofwine - 08-22-2006
KC,
Did you reserve in advance for places like Mirepoix and K & L Bistro? If so, how much in advance? Thanks for the notes. I've heard of Neal Family, and of course Siduri and Ridge, but Mietz, Acorn and some of those other wineries are new to me.
- Kcwhippet - 08-22-2006
Wonders,
Just to be safe, I made reservations for all the restaurants a week or so in advance. However, when we were there, we noted that there were empty tables. So, while I'd definitely recommend reservations, I think a day or two would probably be sufficient. Even early on the same day might be fine, too.
The other wineries all make really great wines. Mietz, in particular, has prices that are extremely reasonable. Their Sauv Blanc is our house SB and the price for the current vintage is $12 a bottle, only $122.40 by the case. Check them out - www.mietzcellars.com. Scherrer is one the Weener put us onto, and his rec was spot on - fabulous wine and you can get good pricing when ordering as futures. David Coffaro sells retail but most by futures, and the prices there are affordable as well. They have something called the Vintage Circle Club which you're automatically in if you order two cases a year. That gives you another $2 of the futures and 30% off already bottled wine. So, if a retail price for a wine is $22, the futures price is $14, and $12 for Vintage Circle. We usually get about three cases a year from Coffaro.
- winoweenie - 08-29-2006
This is where the cable decided to retire yesserday. Sounds like you compressed as much fun as possible in the allocated time. Since I've stopped making the treck 6 times yearly I'm ignorant of some of the newer producers. Am sure that BigRedWines and entourage will hit some on their trip in Nov. WW
- oostexan - 09-21-2006
KC, just ordered my case of 2004 Novy Sonoma Syrah today. Of course, they have sold out of the Viognier. Did you try the Chardonnay? Did you try the Napa Syrah?
Mark
- Kcwhippet - 09-21-2006
Tried everything. They were almost out of the Viognier when we were there. Fabulous wine!! Tried the Chard, and got some. Tried all the Syrahs, and got a few, but I don't recall which offhand.
- californiagirl - 09-23-2006
The Napa is good- very nice wine. But qpr - the Sonoma is an excellant every day wine. One of my all time favs. We tasted more Pinots, then anything else. Loved the Shea Vineyard PN. The Viognier was good- I like the Chard better. They liked the Viognier better. All a matter of personal taste.
KC- Not sure of the syrahs that we tried. I got 6 of the Sonoma... should have got more. Also got a magnum of the Judge Syrah.
- oostexan - 09-23-2006
Thanks Caligirl! I will add the Chard to my accumulate list...
- Kcwhippet - 09-23-2006
I got 4 of the 04 Sonoma Cty Syrah, a mag of the 03 Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah, a mag of the 04 Rosella's Syrah and a 3 liter of the 01 Dry Creek Valley Syrah.
- Innkeeper - 09-23-2006
So when's the party?
- californiagirl - 09-23-2006
KC's not allowed to open the 3 liter until the next time we're out there to visit [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]
- Drew - 09-23-2006
How'd I miss this? Just terrific notes Kc...like a novel.
Drew
- winoweenie - 09-26-2006
And better written than most I've read late-a-ly. WW [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]
- californiagirl - 03-10-2007
FYI... KC... not sure if Judy mentioned it, we are going to try our darnedest to make an August trip out for Gramps 90th. Nothing definite yet, I'll keep you posted!
Keep that 3L!
- pacificstar - 03-29-2007
Where do you recommend to stay in the Napa area? would like Yountville, st Helena area. Thanks in advance.
- wondersofwine - 03-29-2007
How much are you willing to spend? I like Wine Country Inn--beautiful setting looking over vineyards, great breakfasts, well decorated rooms, each different from the others and some with fireplaces, etc., nice family hosting. Near St. Helena.
http://www.winecountryinn.com/