Cade and Odette

Napa Valley, CA

Outside Tasting at Cade

It’s not that we have not been out to wineries much lately; it is more that I’ve been too lazy to write things down.  We were in Napa a couple of months ago and one of our stops was at Odette Winery which is part of the Plumpjack group.  Plumpjack is the organization with ownership which includes Gavin Newson and Gordon Getty with businesses throughout Northern California.  We have been in the past to Plumpjack Winery on the Oakville Crossroad in the valley as well as Plumpjack restaurant in Squaw Valley.  Late last summer we visited Cade Winery, another Plumpjack property on Howell Mountain east of Saint Helena.  We had time to visit one winery as we were on our way to a wedding taking place later in the afternoon in Yountville so I chose to make it to a high profile winery, Cade.  We’ll talk about both stops here.

Cade is a pretty easy ride from the valley floor up Spring Mountain road off the Silverado Trail.  It is barely a 10 minute ride from St. Helena.  Cade like the other Plumpjack properties is a simple yet classic designed facility. You pull into the property to the backside of the tasting room and do not get the wow factor until you enter the building.  The room overlooks the valley towards the south and west with a full 15 foot tall window.  Tastings are done on an appointment basis with limited group sizes.  Tastings are done on the hour and the four others scheduled for our group were no-shows.  We received a private tasting sitting on white leather couches overlooking the valley.  Our host sat with us, was friendly and knowledgeable and we received ample attention.  The wines poured were all Cade labeled and all excellent.  We started with Sauvignon Blanc which was terrific ($28).  We also had the Napa Valley Cab, the Howell Mountain Cab and the Estate Cab.  Maybe because we were somewhat cognizant of the prices for the two upper end Cabs but we were pretty satisfied with the Napa Valley Cab.  The blends seem to have more rounded flavors and are possibly more ready to drink right out of the bottle while the other two possibly needed some extra swirls from us.  The Howell Mountain was $80 while the Estate was $150 per bottle and only available in two packs. 

 

We had out final taste outside as we had reached our 1 hour window for the luxury inside seats.  The outside seats had the same views as from the inside with several seating options.  Both inside or out could accommodate groups of any size.

Odette as seen from the Highway

Odette is the newest property for the Plumpjack group.  It is located on the Silverado Trail right across the street from Pine Ridge winery.  We both commented that despite being close to the Trail it was very quiet.  We had a 2:30 tasting appointment and walked into a fairly full tasting room full of mostly what seemed to be 30 something women.  I asked our host Amanda if this was the norm and her comment was that they had two good looking male hosts along with her.  It turned out there were more guys than I had first thought.  We had five tastes starting with an Adaptation Chardonnay.  Adaptation is their second label, slightly lower priced label.  It was a very good non-malolatic/steel Chard which we liked very much.  We then had the Adaptation Cabernet and then a Cade Cab, a Plumpjack Cab and the Odette Cab.   As before we enjoyed the Cade standard Napa Valley Cab the best of the four.  The Plumpjack was probably our least favorite at $104 a bottle but certainly a very good bottle.  We are talking an 8 vs. the 9 rating for the $60 Cade. 

 

The tasting at Odette is either stand-up inside at the bar or outside at various table arrangements.  We started inside but eventually found a spot outside in the sun.  The building at Odette is again simple but tasteful.  We imagined designing our Palm Springs house similar with a garage type style door opening instead from the inside out to the pool instead of the outdoor tasting area.  The tasting at Odette is not all that personalized or at least it was not on this day mainly because of the crowd.  And there were some older folks that arrived later so we were not the only folks there over 35. 

Outside tasting area at Odette



For tasting value Odette is a good deal at $25.  For wow factor Cade is great as it really is does have a great view from the top of the hill.  The Cade tasting is $40 and purchases do not eliminate the fees.  We did buy a couple of bottles at Cade, a Sauv Blanc and a NV Cab but did not buy anything at Odette.  We would not hesitate to take any group back to Odette while Cade is more of a special event spot.

 

What we liked- Odette had a nice Fun factor and Maureen liked the retail.  Both places are classy well run operations.  The wines are across the board very good.  Odette is really easy to get to

 

What we bought- The Cade NV Cabernet at $60 and the Sauv Blanc at $36.

 

Vitals-

 

Odette Estate Winery

2998 Silverado Trail

Napa, CA 94558

(707) 224-7533

Odetteestate.com

 

Cade Estate Winery

360 Howell Mountain Road

Angwin, CA  94508

(707) 965-2746

Cadewinery.com

 

Sequoia Grove Winery

In the back of our car we carry a box which is full of winery stuff.  Amongst the maps and brochures we have a collection of Two for One Winery coupons.  Some of them may be five years old or older but they all seem to work no matter what their vintage is.  Last Saturday we were driving up Highway 29 from Napa on our way to find an establishment to watch the Kentucky Derby.  We are not big horse racing fans but we have always looked for a spot to watch the Derby dating back to a couple of back to back years maybe fifteen years ago when we watched it at the Naughty Dog Saloon in Tahoe City at the end of the ski season.  I had put the box in the back seat so Maureen could grab it and I asked her to start looking for some coupons.  Since we take this route a lot our prime Napa Valley coupons are kind of thin.  She found a coupon for Sequoia Grove and we thought, why not?  

Sequoia Grove is located in Rutherford and is the winey just past Cakebread while driving north on 29.  It is actually set amongst a small grove of towering sequoia trees.  The winery has been here for over 30 years making it older than many wineries in the area.  The tasting room is housed in a refurbished 150 year old barn.  The tasting room includes two bar areas, a small amount of retail and I did see one private room for sit down tastings.  Outside were about a dozen tables and tastings were also available here surrounded by the trees, fountains and gardens.  It is really a very nice setting. 

 Our host was Matt, the Operations and Sales Manager.  He treated us like we were club members or maybe prospective club members.  It was a busy spot but they were well staffed with three or four hosts inside and a couple of additional outside.  Matt never had more than us and maybe one other party to take care of so we chatted quite a bit.  We wondered why we had never stopped here.  We were curious of the ownership as so many of these Highway 29 facilities are owned by large organization.  Sequoia Grove is part of a larger group of wineries.  Sister wineries include Domaine Carneros, St. Francis and Benzinger.  A bit of internet research did not turn up a lot of information.  They are all associated with the French ‘Cobrand’ group although my guess is that Cobrand has the distribution rights for all these wineries and the individual ownerships are more complex.  Matt said there were three Gos (or Goss) sisters with ownership and there is a Gos/Goss street sign near the property along 29. 

The tasting fees were either $20 for four of their current releases and there was a $40 Cabernet only option.  We opted for the $20 version and of course worked him for an expanded list.  There were four whites (Rose, Gervurts, Sauv Blanc and a Chardonnay) and we tried the Sauv Blanc.  Of course it was very good.  We then went down the list of reds which included the Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah and NV Cab.  The Franc was the priciest at $48 and the Syrah and Cab were both $38.  Yes only $38 for a Napa Valley Cab which is a pretty good bargain.  The Napa Valley Merlot was a big wine and a favorite along with the Syrah which was from Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak.  The Cabernet was typical of a NV blended Cab with good rounded flavors.  We also tasted a premium single vineyard Cab that was not on the list, so the name escapes me.  It too was good but I see the balance of the single vineyard wine on the list are all in the $100 range so the NV Cab will do the trick for us.  Matt poured us healthy tastes in premium stemware so by the end of our tasting we could feel that we had had some wine. 

We were pleasantly surprised by our stop at Sequoia Grove.  We thought the wines were excellent, the prices were pretty darn good, the grounds and facilities were very nice and out host Matt was excellent.  We would recommend the winery to anyone.

Our tasting ended up lasting longer than anticipated and although we had planned one more stop before the Derby we went straight into St. Helena which allowed us 20 minutes of pregame before the race.  Ana’s Cantina, one of St. Helena’s finest bars was a great spot to watch the Derbry.  Although some may describe Ana’s as just a ‘joint’ it was hopping with race fans.  We got the best seats in the house and the bartender, much to his chagrin, was cranking out Mint Juleps and of course the race was great with a California horse winning.  Everyone in the bar was cheering.  Don’t go to Ana’s for wine though as they only stock the Sutter Home in the mini bottles. 

What we liked (about Sequoia Grove)- Everything

What we bought- A Merlot and a Syrah (and I think we were comped the tasting fees).

Sequoia Grove Winery

8338 St. Helena Highway

Napa, CA  94558

(707) 944-2945

www.sequoiagrove.com

Robert Mondavi Winery

Oakville (Napa), CA

I wondered if any locals like us actually visited Robert Mondavi Winery?  I think the general impression is that Mondavi  is a respected and established winery but that it probably is not the winery today that it was 20 and 30 years ago when it was really instrumental in establishing the Napa Valley as one of the premiere wine growing regions of the world.  Back in our formative years of wine tasting in the late 70’s and early 80’s Robert Mondavi Winery was one of the must stops for us.  I remember the stories of why Robert Mondavi went out and established his own winery after disagreements with his father and brother at Charles Krug Winery.  I remember the talk about how Robert wanted to use new technologies including stainless steel in the wine making process where Charles Krug was somewhat stuck in their current techniques.   But I kind of thought that maybe that Mondavi was getting a little tired and the story a little old especially in light of the fact that Mondavi is now part of a large corporation.

We visited the Robert Mondavi winery over the weekend.  We had friends in town from Hawaii and they had requested this stop.  Of course I thought if it was my choice we would have gone somewhere else but I think that would have been a mistake as we had a perfectly delightful tasting experience here.  I have to admit we visited Mondavi a couple of years ago as part of the now defunct Napa Mustard Festival.  This was an event though with lots and lots of wineries pouring and different musical entertainment so it really was not a ‘Mondavi’ experience.  I do remember that we were really impressed with the grounds and all the buildings on the property and the classic feel of the operation.  I’m not even sure we tasted any Robert Mondavi wine at his event.  Our visit last weekend though was a total ‘Mondavi’ experience.  We still heard many of the same stories that we had heard 30+ years ago but we also heard about how far Mondavi wine had come since those days. 

 

I researched the website prior to making our tasting appointment.  They have a variety of tasting experiences available at $15, $20, $30, $50 and $55.  At first I thought I would make an appointment for the fairly quick in and out $15 Discovery Tour but then I thought that with some out of town guests that may not have had the full educational tour and tasting we opted for the 75 minute Signature Tour and Tasting at $30.  We arrived prior to our 10AM tour and the facility was almost empty.  You check in at the Hospitality Center and received little badges which identified our tour.  We had made reservations at least 10 days prior which I am sure is a necessity during busy summer weekends.  They do charge your credit card when you make the reservation.  Our group consisted of 10 people, the eight in our group plus a couple from Brazil.  Our hostess was named Laura.



The view out the back of the property

We started our tour with a walk to a small conference room where we got a bit of an education on the winery, Robert Mondavi, the vineyards and the Mondavi brands.  We learned that the Woodbridge label sells about 10 million cases and that the Mondavi labeled wines from Monterey County sell around 4 million cases.  Wow!!  The wines made on the property (and there are a lot of them) are produced from Napa grapes only.  We then went out on a stroll to the vineyard.  The winery has a couple of hundred acres surrounding the property as well as vineyards in the Carneros and Stag’s Leap district and they also purchase grapes.  Of course it was a beautiful day in Napa.  The whole backside of the facility faces the Mayacamas Mountains to the west.  We then entered the winemaking facility on the property which was completed in the year 2000.  It is a big facility which makes you wonder what the Woodbridge facility must look like.  The facility is several levels with winemaking on the upper levels and barrel storage below.  Everything looks new and clean.  Laura took us through the basic winemaking process and when done we went to another room where a table had been set for us and we started our tasting. 

The Red Barrel Room

Laura took us through the three steps of wine tasting.  The first is to smell the wine, the second to sip and swish to shock/prepare your mouth (hold it in as long as possible), and then the third sip is when you really enjoy all the flavors.  I think there is some substance to this methodology but something you can forget to do pretty quickly. 

 

We tasted four wines (three on the list plus a bonus wine).  The first was the 2011 Carneros Chardonnay Reserve ($50), next the 2011 Carneros Pinot Noir Reserve ($60) and then the 2010 Stag’s Leap Cabernet ($90).  I thought the Chardonnay was well balanced and not over oaked or overly creamy.  The Pinot smelled and tasted terrific and we all agreed the Cabernet a little too tannic and probably could have used 5 hours of decanting.  I bet the Cab will taste fantastic in 5 years.  We also got to taste a Moscato which was definitely our dessert.  We were also treated with just out of the oven Parmesan and Rosemary Crackers.  The recipe was provided and everyone agreed to make these at home. 

 

At 75 minutes into our experience Laura told us our time was up.  Obviously we were having a good time because it is not often that we have to be ushered out of a tasting room.  I think they run these tasting on a pretty tight schedule.

 

We were then led into the sales room.  Laura hung with us a bit to help with any purchases.  One of the members of our group asked me if we needed to tip our host.  This thought had also occurred to me as she really did a fantastic job.  I said the answer was no but I have to admit it was the first time that this had ever occurred to me at the end of a wine tour.

 

What we liked- There was little to not like about the experience.  I think everyone thought the $30 fee was reasonable.  Certainly you do not do the full tour experience too often and you do not want to be throwing out $30 here and there on a regular basis but I would not hesitate to bring anyone, especially people that are newer to wine and wine tasting, to Mondavi.  A bonus if you are a Robert Mondavi wine club member is the free tasting at five other wineries including Franciscan and Simi Wineries. 

What we bought- We did not buy it but we came home with it- A 2008 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet purchased by one of our guests.  We are not worthy but we will certainly enjoy it.

 

Vitals

Robert Mondavi Winery

7801 St. Helena Highway

Napa, CA  94574

(888)766-6328

www.robertmondaviwinery.com

Frog’s Leap Winery

Rutherford (Napa), CA

Although we have made a few trip to Napa over the past few months, for the most part we have visited wineries that we have talked about in the past.  When you have friends in town that you want to make sure have a great time in Napa we tend to go to wineries that you know will provide the experience you are looking for.  Last weekend we had a couple from Oregon with us and we only had half a day so we knew three wineries would be the limit.  We took them to Robert Biale because we know their wines are excellent and because it is just out of Napa and one of the closest quality wineries from our home.  As before Biale did not disappoint.  Their Zins and Petite Sirahs are excellent.  We next went to Frog’s Leap and then followed that by stopping at Hall for some excellent Cabernet and then for a cool down with a beer and great snacks at Farmstead which is becoming our favorite end of day stop. 

We had visited Frog’s Leap before but since we did not have time for the full tasting opted for a single taste and we were impressed.  We thought it would be a good place to return to for a full tasting this time.  We were really impressed on our first visit with the building and grounds on the property.  This is a ‘reservation only’ winery and at least in the summer time it is important to make reservations early.  I think I was making reservations on the Wednesday before (we went on a Sunday) and many of the time slots were already taken.  When we arrived on Sunday for our 1:45 reservation there was a sign out front that stated reservations were full up for the day.  There are three different types of Tasting Experience offered.  The first is a seated tasting on their deck which faces the Mayacamas Mountains.  The second experience includes a full walking tour of the grounds followed by a tasting and the third experience is kind of a go at your own pace Garden tasting.  By Napa standards they are pretty reasonably priced.  The seated tasting includes a small food plate and runs $20 as does the full walking tour.  The Garden tasting runs $15.00.  We chose the Garden tasting because I did not want to spend the  90 minutes on the walking tour and assumed the Garden option would be really nice.

 

View from the porch

The grounds are pretty impressive.  Frog’s Leap sits on a five acre property which includes the main Vineyard House (hospitality headquarters), several outbuildings, which I assume are wine making buildings, and then a couple acres of gardens and even room from chickens and farm animals.  Our Oregon guests were impressed with the variety of fruits and vegetables growing on the property.  Scattered amongst the gardens are various seating arrangements and fountains. 

When we arrived on the property we were checked in and directed to the Garden area. There is a tasting station where you walk up and pay your fees and receive your tastes.   They quickly noted that we were new to the tasting and provided us glasses and the first taste of Chardonnay.  There were maybe 25 people scattered around the tasting area and two host pouring which was a good ratio.  My knock on the Garden tasting compared to what I assume you would get in the Seated tasting is that we did not receive a lot of information on each wine.  Earlier at Biale for instance we were provided very specific details about each wine we tasted (and as bonus, Robert Biale’s mother stopped by our tasting table).  I think this somewhat has to do with the fact that they are pouring four different wines at once in the Garden depending where you are in the process while in a seated tasting everyone is generally tasting the same wine.  We did like the Chardonnay though.

 

The other wines we tasted were a Zinfandel, Cabernet and a Petite Sirah.  The wines were good but not overwhelming.  They were reasonably priced though with the Chard at $26.00 up to the Cabernet at $42.00.  They do also produce a Rutherford Cabernet at $75.00 as well as a Merlot and a few other wines.    We casually tasted our wines and left the property without making any purchases.  In fact there was not even a mention of where we could purchase wine and no mention of a wine club.  Those are usually good things when you are trying to avoid purchasing more wine.  I think here it must have just been a really busy day.

 

Garden area

I would not hesitate to return to Frog’s Leap with out of town guests because it really is a beautiful facility and the grounds really are top notch. 

What we liked- The casual atmosphere and the beautiful grounds.  Next time we will do the seated tasting though because I would like to learn more about the winery, winemakers, owners and wine.  Also they have one of the best websites anywhere.

What we bought- We did not buy anything but I will look for Frog’s Leap wines in the store and if I find good pricing I would buy any of the wines we tasted.

 

Vitals-

Frog’s Leap Winery

8815 Conn Creek Road

Rutherford, CA  94558

(707) 963-4704

www.frogsleap.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

 

Cornerstone/Page/Revolver

Yountville, CA

 

 

 We had some time on a Saturday afternoon so headed to Napa with the intention of just a couple of stops and not going further than the Oakville Crossroad.  I gave my partner a couple of options.  We could do a couple of Sparking Wine tastings (Domaine Chandon and Domaine Carneros) or we could just stay in Yountville and stop at a couple of spots, or we could go up to the Napa Wine Company right at the Yountville Crossroads and Highway 29. 

We chose to go to Domaine Chandon.  We have always kind of avoided Chandon because we have heard it was always so crowded.  We certainly have no trouble drinking the brand but just had not had the need to go there.  We pulled into the gorgeous property and the immense parking lot with many limos   but despite the crowd we thought we would stop anyway as after all we had the Winery Finder 2 for 1 Tasting Application (even though I was having trouble getting it to load properly).  What a place this is.  The grounds are amazing.  It almost looks like the buildings are surrounded by a golf course. It reminded me of the Master’s at Augusta.  Well it was very crowded.  We were amazed as it looked to me that this must be the ‘must stop’ for recently turned 21 female wine tasters and they were all dressed for a party.  I am sure you can make appointments for more personal tastings but at the main tasting bar it was three deep at least.  It would certainly be a challenge to even get a taste.  This was certainly unlike what we have seen at other Sparkling Wine establishments but we’ll hold judgment until we visit again to see how things really work.  We decided not to stay but we are not disappointed that we checked it out.  Maybe if you are headed there on a weekend the way to go is with an early appointment.  It did look like the appointment outside tastings might be much more appealing.

 

So we headed to (downtown) Yountville and searched out Cornerstone Cellars.  We had seen them at the Rhone Ranger event and knew they had been in town for some time and we had a 2 for 1 Tasting coupon.  Apparently tourist season has started as it was difficult to find a parking spot.  We finally found one and after having a little trouble finding the tasting rooms (really almost impossible to miss) we stumbled into what we thought was Cornerstone Cellars.  It was not.  Another tasting room is right next door called Page Cellars/Revolver Wine Company.  Regardless of the fee we were ready to taste wine.

Page/Revolver is a bit of a (tastefully done) Rock and Roll themed establishment.  The winery was founded by Bryan Page with the first vintage in the late 90’s.  Bryan came with a food/restaurant background and after touring many of the Chateaus throughout Bordeaux became a fan of St Emillion (French Bordeaux classifications that I don’t quite understand) which led to a passion of creating at Napa Style St Emillion blend.  The Page wines are of the traditional Bordeaux styles and blends while the Revolver label includes wines of varying and Non-Bordaux varietals. 

 

The wines were good.  We had a Proprietary White blend, a Rose, a Proprietary Red and a Petite Sirah.  We also tasted the Vine/Vein Cabernet which was excellent.  This wine is collaboration with Mike Dirnt, the Bassist and co-founder of the band Green Day.  This was a dark and intense 2009 wine, certainly capable of aging for some time but at $150.00 a bottle it did not make it into our wine cellar. Christiana was our gracious host and the tasting fee was $20.00

We moved next door to Cornerstone.  Cornerstone is actually two labels.  The lower end label is called Stepping Stone while the higher end label is Cornerstone.  Cornerstone has roots back to 1991 when their first Howell Mountain Cabernet was produced.  The current winemaker, Jeff Keene, of New Zealand, joined in 2008 and the winery has blossomed.  The Tasting Room has several seating arrangements but we chose the bar seats looking right out onto Yountville’s Main street.  Partly because of the two labels, Cornerstone has quite a variety of wines to taste.  Everything is Napa grapes other than a Pinot and Chardonnay made of Willamette Valley grapes. 

We really enjoyed the White and Rose wines.  I think this had to do a little bit with the fact that the tasting bar faced the bright sun.  The wines were cool and crisp.  And it is a bonus that the Stepping Stone label was reasonably (but not quite everyday) priced.  Our first taste was the Pinot Gris.  Then we had the (bone dry) Rose, both very good and both $20.00.  We tasted several reds and my favorite was the Cabernet Franc at $35.00.  We were poured the Cornerstone Howell Mountain Cabernet which was a powerful wine and which we liked very much and then asked for the Stepping Stone labeled Cabernet which did not match up with the first wine but at $35.00 was a good wine. 

We had a really nice chat with our host, who has a plan to open a small brewery in Santa Rosa, and despite this being just a tasting room and not a full blown winery facility, had a really nice tasting experience here.

 

We were hungry and both tasting rooms suggested we stop at the food truck parked in the parking at of Pancha’s (Napa Valley’s really only dive bar) just up the road.  We had a couple of Fish Tacos and we were ready for one more tasting.

 

What we liked- Yountville is like the first stop in the Valley and so easy to get to.  Both Tasting Rooms were very casual and the wines good.

 

What we bought- Three bottles of last year’s Stepping Stone Rose at Cornerstone.  A steal at $10/bottle.

 

Vitals- 

Page/Revolver

(707) 944-2339

www.pagewinecellars.com

Cornerstone Cellars

(707) 945-0388

www.cornerstonecellars.com

 

Both at:

6505 Washington Street

Yountville, CA  94559