Guest Blogger: Brynn DeBarr

Livermore Valley

 

 

My three girlfriends and I met my sister, her boyfriend, and their two friends at Page Mill at about ten to noon on Saturday, May 4^th. We had just completed the Hike for Hope, which profits a local hospice organization. It was a gorgeous 4.4 mile hike at Del Valle Regional Park which was just a short 10-15 minute drive from the local Livermore wineries. We had planned on changing into flip flops and cute summer dresses, but we were pretty tired, and really just ready for some relaxation…and wine. As I was the designated driver, I decided to taste at just one winery. We puttered around in the Page Mill parking lot for about 10 minutes until about 11:59, and then walked inside. We were surprised to see a few other couples already tasting as we thought the winery opened at noon, but we quickly found a nice spot at the counter. My sister had said that most wineries don’t care for large groups, so we pretended that we were two groups of four (I don’t really think they cared either way, perhaps because it was early enough in the day.)

Page- Our first stop

I’m really not a wine aficionado, I pretty much like any chardonnay you put in front of me, and I know that wines are typically served white to red, and lighter to more bold. We started with a Sauvignon Blanc, not my favorite varietal, we then moved on to their Pinot Grigio, which I believe the server said was an award winner. I enjoyed their Chardonnay, especially as it had an oaky flavor.  Red wines and I are just becoming friendly, although I do tend to radiate toward a Zinfandel. Their Zin did not disappoint, however, it is only available for purchase by wine club members.  The tasting room was small, but intimate, they had the typical knick knacks you find at most tasting rooms, as well as some pretty funny cocktail (wine) napkins. There was a cute covered porch which I thought would be a darling place for a private tasting or to have lunch. The servers were all friendly ladies who probably couple their passion for wine (as evidenced by their bedazzled tee-shirts) with pleasant attitudes. Additionally, they had powdered sugar dusted, homemade brownie bites, and a few olive oils to sample. The tasting fee is a very reasonable $5. I wouldn’t come to this particular tasting room with a large crowd, but it would be perfect for a two or foursome.

Art at Big White House

We were in route to the Crooked Vine; I was following behind my sister’s boyfriend. I saw it on my right, but they passed it. We ended up at the end of the road at a winery called Big White House. The tasting room was neither big, nor white, but it had ample parking and some cute wine barrels carved like Jack-o-lanterns, so we decided to go in. This tasting room was more warehouse like, but had awesome artwork blanketing the walls. They also had a house dog, I think his actual name was “Alfie,” but we were told that this dog loved nothing more than rolling in the dirt, so he had received the nickname of “Dusty.” We were greeted warmly by the staff. After taking in the paintings, and taking a few pictures of the art that resembled some of my friends, the seven of them paid the meager $5 tasting fee. I was starting to feel the effects of the hike, as well as what would later be a pretty gnarly cold. I listened as they started talking to the servers. It turns out that one guy was a Cal Poly grad, like my sister, her boyfriend, and my friend Ashley. It was a hot day, so I decided to take a seat on one of the several Adirondack chairs outside. My friends followed and they were super stoked when one of the servers came out and refilled their glasses as we basked in the sun- that’s top notch service! To be honest, I’m not even sure what they tasted. I know that they had an opportunity to try two barrel tastes from wine that was going to be bottled sometime in the near future. We were alone initially, but a large group of late-twentysomethings showed up on their bikes. Next came a few couples, and then the first limo we’d seen all day. I love people watching, and I had a front row seat for all the action. I think we were at Big White House for about an hour and a half. We were getting pretty hungry so we asked for nearby restaurant recommendations. As it was such a nice day, we wanted something with outside dining. The server made a couple recommendations that were just up the road.

 

Tents at Garre Winery

We separated from my sister and her friends as they were going to do more wine tasting. We opted for a winery called Garre. They had a tasting room, as well as a café with indoor and outdoor dining. I also think that the space is used for weddings and other special occasions as we saw a large white tent set up. We were told to seat ourselves, which we did, under the cover of a few shady umbrellas outside. The menu was of decent size. I decided on a chicken chipotle sandwich; my friends had a pulled pork sandwich, and salmon salads. I opted for unlimited Diet Cokes and the girls got ice cold pale ales. They did have an extensive wine list as well. The food was good, and the service was too. I think that the Livermore valley has a lot to offer in the way of wineries. I had been here once before for a friend’s birthday. We had a limo and visited a few of the larger wineries, Wente and Concannon. Both of those wineries are very nice, and much larger. I think that they are more accustomed to catering to the larger parties, so I really think that you can customize your wine excursion to any size group. Tasting fees in Livermore rarely exceed $10, and it is a quick drive from most parts of the Bay Area. Plus, the weather is hard to beat in the springtime; then again, I like it hot!

 

 

 

Vitals-

Everything you need to know about Livermore area wineries.

http://www.lvwine.org/

 

Shadow Ranch/ Palissandro Vineyards

Fair Play AVA- El Dorado County

We were in El Dorado County for a Bike Ride (the Motherlode Century) put on by our old friend.  We don’t ride.  Instead we help out by volunteering at an Aid station along the route and other such tasks.  The Ride was Saturday so we got to do just a bit of wine tasting on Sunday.  El Dorado County wine country is a big area.  There are a few wineries in the Coloma area where we were staying, more wineries in the Camino area just off Highway 50 and just past Placerville and then even more wineries in an area south of Highway 50 first in Pleasant Valley and then into Somerset and Fair Play.  We like the Camino area because it is very close to the highway and really easy to get to but since we were already up there we decided to head to the Fair Play area.  Fair Play is a separate AVA (American Viticultural Area) and the vineyards lie between 2,000 and 3,000 feet in elevation in deep decomposed granite soils.

Old House and Tasting Room- Shadow Ranch

We have visited the area infrequently over the past 30+ years.  The first wineries to the area arrived in the early 80’s but it seems like in the past 5-10 years the number of wineries has flourished.  There are a few known wineries in the area, Perry Creek probably being the most well known, but most are small probably most producing less than 10-15,000 cases per year.  We headed this way planning on making two or three stops and only one that we had targeted because we are wine club members.  Our first stop was to be Palissandro Vineyards, a small family winery that opened about two years ago and we just happened along the second weekend they were open and liked the family so joined their club.  More on Palissandro later as their gates were closed when we drove by.



1888 Barn at Shadow Ranch

So we stopped instead at Shadow Ranch.  My wife liked their sign and their entryway.  The winery is up a long well maintained road and near the top of a hill.  Here you find a large home and a barn.  The buildings date to 1888 and have a Gold Rush era feel.  The tasting room is built into one side of the house and includes the original fire place and flooring.  It is a small but very tasteful room.  There is also a really nice outdoor area that could be used for tasting on a nice day or for just hanging out.

 

We were the first tasters of the day and I could hear loud music blaring as we got out of the car.  Our host later told us it was the new Justin Timberlake which apparently is not too bad.  There is a nice variety of wines from Sauv Blanc to a Port.  Our host, a nice looking youngish gal, poured us the list starting with the Sauv Blanc.  Nice sized glasses were used which is always nice and not something you necessarily always see in these areas.  We could tell all the wines were well made as there was not a stinker in the group.  The winery sources from three main vineyards, two down this way and one in northern El Dorado County. We especially liked the Zinfandel and Syrah and of course the Sauv Blanc.  We were off our game a bit because we did not find out too much about the winery, winemakers, owners, etc., but they have a pretty nice thing going here. The wines were priced from $16.00 to $32.00

Tasting Facility at Palissandro

Next we went back down the street to Palissandro.  As I mentioned above Palissandro is a new winery concentrating on Italian Varietals.  The owners, Shaun and Jeannie Blaylock, moved to the area in 2009 with no particular winery experience.  The property had become available through a foreclosure and the Blaylocks were looking for a new lifestyle/passion.  With help from their neighbor and winery owner Robert Van der Vijver, they were onto their first harvest in the fall of the same year.  I think what struck us on our first visit here was that for one, the wines were not bad for a first vintage, and we kind of liked the whole story of how they got into the wine business.  Shaun had had a couple of earlier successful careers so I thought maybe this guy has the magic touch a bit.

 So we arrived at their somewhat funky tasting room and were greeted by a couple of young gals.  One of them is the best friend of the Blaylock’s daughter who is currently away at school learning the business aspects of the wine business.  They were very eager to make sure we were comfortable and get us tasting some wine.  Also as we arrived they had just taken some Cheese-on-Bread out of the oven which smelled and tasted great.  We started with the Rosa, a Barbera Rose.  I like Rose’s and it seems like everyone is making one now, mostly because of the quick cash flow and this one was nicely priced at $15.00. We then tasted the Vino Da Tavola (Wine of the Table), a blend which was also nice at $14.00.  But where I think Palissandro will make their mark is with the Sangiovese and Barbera and some of the blends made with these wines. These were all priced in the low to mid $20.00s.  They also make a Cabernet, yes not Italian, under the Carus label.  So I think we were pleasantly surprised and happy to see that Palissandro is coming along ok.  While the grounds may not be as nice as they were at Shadow Ranch, there is ample porch seating and there is a bocce ball court available for guests.

 

After two wineries, yes, what has happened to us, we decided to head home as we were pretty happy with our two stops.  My one tip for this area is that it helps to follow a map.  If you make one wrong turn, which we did, you can be headed up to the higher country of El Dorado County.  At least this day the pine trees looked and smelled really nice.

 

What we liked- Casual and quiet tasting. It was Mother’s Day, but we were the only tasters at both spots. 

 

What we bought- A Syrah and Zin from Shadow Ranch and from Palissandro we brought home two club shipments which included a Barbera, a Sangiovese, a Sagiovese blend called Felice and a Carus Cabernet.

 

Vitals- 

Shadow Ranch Vineyard

7050 Fairplay Road

Fair Play, CA  95684

(530) 620-2785

www.shadowranch.com

 

Palissandro Vineyard

7449 Fairplay Road

Somerset, CA  95684

(530) 620-2063

www.palissandrowinery.com

Larkmead Vineyards

Calistoga, CA

 

As part two of our Great day of tasting this week we’ll talk about Larkmead Cellars.  Larkmead is on Larkmead Lane, one of the crossroads from Highway 29 to the Silverado Trail north of St. Helena.  From a historical perspective Larkmead has an amazing history rivaling any of the big old name wineries in California.  The tasting facility and surrounding vineyards are as nice as any that you are going to see, especially for a winery smack in the middle of the Napa Valley.  And of course the wines were terrific.

 

 

For someone with a San Francisco/Bay Area background and an interest in local history the roots of Larkmead Winery will be of interest.  The Hitchcock Family from San Francisco purchased over a thousand acres of property in the northern Napa Valley back in 1873.  The Hitchcock family had gained wealth from the tobacco business in the South.  Lillie Hitchcock, was the 22 year old daughter when the property was purchased.  Lillie had been quite a character in her young San Francisco days and was the first female firefighter in the city.  Lillie had a reputation as somewhat a partier and her parents thought the Napa Valley location might calm her wild ways.  Lillie established her homestead, called Larkmead, and by 1876 a Lillie’s Brand of wine was being produced.  Lillie went on to marry an individual with the last name of Coit.  When Lillie died in 1929 she granted one third of her wealth to the City of San Francisco for art uses and much of the money went into the construction of Coit Tower, a San Francisco landmark.   

 

Today Larkmead is under only its third ownership, the Solari family who purchased the winery in 1948.  Initially the Solari family focused their efforts as growers but by the end of the century Larkmead was back making quality wines.  Food & Wine Magazine named Andy Smith, Larkmead’s winemaker, as one ten ‘Worlds Most Influential Wine Consultants’ in 2008 and Robert Parker gave the 2002 Solari (premium Cabernet) 100 points in a 2012 retrospective tasting.

 

But we are not (just) about quality, the experience is generally key with us, assuming good wine, and the experience was great.  Larkmead is an appointment only winery and they do not overload themselves with appointments.  It is customary at Larkmead that they greet you as you exit your vehicle.  We were greeted by our host Sonny.  My first thought of Sonny was that he may be a little goofy but he is really a genuine guy, a great story teller and a great salesman.  At Larkmead you are assigned a host who stays with you (and only you) throughout the tasting.  The tasting facility has an indoor area, a screened in outdoor area, a porch area and then there is seating throughout the property.  Everything is first class. The comfy chairs we sat on on the porch were perfect. 

 

Sonny started us out with the Sauvignon Blanc called Lillie.  Sonny had a story about each wine and this is where we learned the story about Lillie Hitchcock Coit as well as full details on the wine itself.  Although this was probably the most expensive Sauv Blanc I have ever tasted it was probably one of the best.  It is in oak for 12 months but still maintains a crisp bright flavor.  The second wine was a blend mainly of Merlot and Cabernet called the Firebelle.  Both this blend and the Cabernet that followed had very pure flavors like the fruit had been treated with the upmost care.  The two reds were excellent.  They were certainly in the same league as the Chappellet wines we had earlier in the day.  So that was it, three wines.  We did not feel cheated since our tasting was set up by some friends and complimentary.  There are additional wines available but these were not being poured that day.  There is another Red Blend (Kate’s Label) and then there are the premium Cabernets called the Salon and the Solari that we did not taste.  These Cabernets are allocated and for access to these I assume you need to be on a list or a Club Member or possibly both.  None of the literature we were presented included the pricing for these wines.  The standard tasting fee is $40.00 so this is not for the casual wine taster but it is a very special experience.  Sonny was such a great story teller he had my eyes watering (and the rest of my party did not notice) at the conclusion of one of his stories. 

What we liked- This was a special tasting experience and almost as much about things other than the wine than the wine itself (although the wine was very good).  You would not want every tasting to be like this as you could really trick yourself into thinking that you really were part of the wine elite and I really don’t think that is good.  Remember, we enjoy the picnic table experiences as much as others.

 

What we bought- Our tasting partners bought us a Firebelle and they bought themselves a Firebelle as well as a couple of Cabernets.  In some ways it is kind of sad to say that the Cabernet at $70.00 really was probably pretty fairly priced.

 

Vitals-

Larkmead Vineyards

1100 Larkmead Lane

Calistogo, CA  94515

(707) 942-6934

www.larkmead.com

 

 

Chappellet Vineyards

Pritchard Hill, Napa, CA

We thought our day of tasting a month or so ago where we tasted at both Hunnicutt and Titus Vineyards was fantastic, well the day of tasting we had last Sunday was equally if not better than that one.  We tasted at three new (to us) wineries last weekend and had lunch at Hall Vineyards in St. Helena, where we are members.  Two of the three wineries were fantastic while the third (name not to be mentioned) was horrible (and really had no business being this way).  The next two weeks we’ll talk about our two great stops at Chappellet and Larkmead both located in the Napa area.

 

Chappellet is on Pritchard Hill which is Highway 128 turning up from Conn Creek Winery off the Silverado Trail.  A couple of the other wineries up this way are Kuleto and Brown Family, and I think there are some really high-end establishments up this way also.  Turning up from the reservoir the Chappellet vineyards reside at 800 to 1800 feet.  Chappellet is a family organization and one of the oldest post-prohibition wineries in Napa.  The winery was started by Molly and Donn Chappellet in 1967.  Both are still active in the organization.  In fact the single magnum of Cabernet I purchased on our visit was signed by Donn. 

Tasting Room Entrance

The head winemaker at Chappallet is none other than Phillip Titus, the partner in Titus Vineyards where we had tasted and loved the wines just last month.  Phillip joined Chappellet in 1981, left for a few years to pursue other winemaking interests, and then returned in 1990 and has been there ever since.  Having been with Chappellet for so long according to Phillip has given him the opportunity to have a good knowledge of every block of grapes on the property.

 

Chappellet is an appointment only winery.  In fact there is not even a sign at the base of the road that leads up to the property.  You find the address and eventually there are a couple of signs pointing here and there up to the winery.  The winery itself has a large roof that blends into the hillside and you barely see the building as you arrive.  The Chappellet’s have built a new facility where much of the winemaking operations will soon move into and this too blends into the landscape.  We strolled up the natural wooded path to the winery entrance and found the two large glass doors leading into the waiting room.  We arrived a few minutes early for our 10AM appointment and eventually were seated at the tasting table inside the winery.  The table had been set with three glasses, one for water, one for wine and the third for the Pritchard Hill Cabernet.   



Tasting Room Table inside the winery

Our host was Gabriel.  Gabriel has been with the winery four years and is one of the most likable hosts we have ever run into.  He had a lot of information to convey with each wine but never came off as arrogant or wordy.  He was a big part of our excellent tasting.  We were joined by five young women from San Francisco, three of whom were wine club members, who were running a bit late, but this only meant we had to revisit our first pour.  This group also enhanced our tasting experience and for a couple of reasons; they were a fun and knowledgeable group of gals and because they were wine club members we got to participate in a couple of bonus pours. 

 

The first pour was a Chenin Blanc.  I’m sure most of you agree that your first white wine taste in a day is usually pretty good and this was.  And it was nice to have a white wine that was not Sauv Blanc or Chardonnay but just a nice wine with subtle floral aromas and fruit flavors.  The Chardonnay was nice also.  It had subtle oak and little malolactic flavors, just nice fruit.  But again the reds are what Chappellet is known for and they were all terrific.  Because of our wine club tasting partners we were able to taste a Pinot Noir that does not even appear on the wine list.  And then we tasted three Cabernets.  The first was the 2010 Signature Cabernet grown on property.  Now of course it was early in the day but, wow did this taste good.  We then had the 2009 Pritchard Hill Cabernet which is the limited production pinnacle of Chappellet winemaking.  This was poured in a special larger glass and was also excellent.  For the price, $52.00 vs. $135.00, I thought the first Cabernet was the deal.  We then tasted another wine club wine, the 100% Clone 4 Cabernet.  You certainly noticed the difference between the blends of the first two Cabernets from this 100% wine.  The Clone 4 was a bigger, more tannic wine, but still excellent.

The tasting went fast.  We sat at the tasting table more than an hour but had to get a move on.  What a great spot.  Everything about the tasting was great.  The normal fee for this tasting is $25.00 and it was well worth it (although we received a complimentary tasting through our GEMS program).  At some wineries you pay this fee and sit in a large tasting room where the host is servicing four or five groups.  At Chappellet, Gabriel was dedicated to our table of nine.   This is an appointment only tasting and I would recommend this tasting to anyone. 

 

What we liked- The ride up to the winery, the private nature of the winery, the location and grounds, the tasting in the winery, the host Gabriel, and of course the wines.

What we bought- We bought a magnum of the Signature Cabernet.  What better way is there to revisit our great tasting experience than with a big bottle of wine with friends?   

 

Vitals- 

Chappellet

1581 Sage Canyon Road

St. Helena, CA  94574

(800) 494-6379

www.chappellet.com