Urban Wineries- Part 1

East Bay / Oakland, CA

Previously I wrote about Rosenblum and Rock Wall, which are also Urban Wineries but they are really big operations; there are probably another 20 wineries in the East Bay that are much smaller operations.  While a bunch of these smaller ones operate out of the Rock Wall facility, there are a number of them that are stand alone wineries and in a lot of ways are very similar to a small winery that you would find in Sonoma or Napa.  The saying goes that “the grapes themselves really do not care where they are crushed. They only really care where they are grown.”  The only difference is that grapes north of the East Bay need to travel a little longer to get to the winery.  Grapes grown south though in areas such as Monterey and Paso Robles can actually get to the winery a little faster sometimes.  The East Bay is full of old warehouse facilities capable of accommodating a wine making operation and the weather in the East Bay is certainly suitable.  In fact, back in the later 1800’s, much of the wine that was made from grapes in areas north of the immediate Bay Area was shipped or barged down to the East Bay and San Francisco. 

 

My youngest daughter and I visited three wineries last weekend- Stage Left Cellars, Irish Monkey Cellars and Urban Legend.  This was our first visit to both Stage Left and Irish Monkey; we had been to Urban Legend previously.  I think all three grew out of the owners love and appreciation for wine, which started with making wine in their garages. 

We had seen Stage Left previously at some larger tasting events.  Sometimes at these events there are hundreds of wineries and sometimes thousands of participants. So while there may be a one on one experience it is followed by 10 or 15 more of these and by the end of the day your notes or memory may be in disarray.  At Stage Left we met both of the owners and we were able to chat in a nice quiet tasting room.  Stage Left concentrates on Rhone style wines.  They tasted one white wine, a Viognier/Roussanne blend, which was good, but their red wines were really what stood out.  We tasted three Syrahs- two different vintages from Oregon (Rouge River Valley) and one from Paso Robles.  We also tasted a Petit Sirah and a blend called the Daily Job which included Cabernet, Grenache and Mourvedre.  My picks in order were the older Oregon Syrah (2007), the Daily Job and then the second Syrah.  You can tell they take great care with their wines, aging them a bit longer in the barrel and then aging them a bit longer in the bottle.  We will definitely be back here.

 

Our second stop was Irish Monkey, a quirky place located on 22^nd Ave. in Oakland.  I think the name comes from one of the principals wives telling her husband, an Irish individual, to quit monkeying around with making wine in the garage and to go ahead and start a real winery.  Irish Monkey is barely two blocks away from Stage Left in the southern Embarcadero section of Oakland.  If you have been to Quinn’s Lighthouse it is right near there and yes, Quinn’s Lighthouse is still there and looks the same.  We met two of the principals of the winery, Mark and Charlie and they were both very entertaining.  They were pouring a full spectrum of red wines this day and we enjoyed both the newest vintage Cabernet Franc and the Primitivo. They also served a great cheese and salami platter along with fresh bread.

Our third stop was Urban Legend, which is located in the Jack London neighborhood of Oakland.  Urban Legend is another Husband/Wife operation (Stage Left is also) and here we tasted a slate of both white and red wines.  In addition to some of the more traditional varietals, Urban Legend was pouring a white varietal named Tocai Friulano and a red varietal named Terodelgo.  Urban Legend sources grapes from Lake County, Clarksburg (Yolo County) and the foothills (Amador and El Dorado).  Our favorite wine was the Barbera from Amador County.  One of the reasons we came this day is because Urban Legend has a refillable program named for different Oakland Districts.  We had previously purchased a one liter bottle of a blend called something like Westside Red.  The current release is called Uptown.  Unfortunately when I grabbed the refillable bottle from the refillable cabinet at home (mostly full of beer refillables) I grabbed a bottle from a different winery.  We did come away from our visit with something though.

One of the nice things about these urban wineries is that many of them are close together and can be reached on bikes.  The terrain of the area is very flat.  You may want to call the wineries or check their websites as these wineries tend to be open just on weekends and in some cases only particular weekends. There is also an Alliance of East Bay Vintners that puts on some annual passport events where all the wineries are open on that day.

What we liked- The short drive and friendly atmosphere.

What we bought- We are out of space in the wine refrigerator but I know we enjoyed that 2007 Stage Left Cellars Syrah the next day.

Vitals-

Stage Left Cellars

2101 Dennison Street

Oakland, CA 94606

(510)  434-9930

www.stageleftcellars.com

Irish Monkey

1017 22^nd Avenue

Oakland, CA  94606

(510) 533-3439

www.irishmonkey.net

 

Urban Legend

621 4^th Street

Oakland, CA  94607

(510) 545-4356

www.ulcellars.com

 

 

Paraduxx

Paraduxx

Silverado Trail

I really like the wines I have tasted at Paraduxx Winery, so in preparation for this review I took a look Yelp for the first time ever to get an idea of what other people thought.  While the majority of the reviews are good to excellent, it blows me away the experiences some have had-- I’m talking the not so good experiences here.  I just don’t get how some people can have such a negative experience here at Paraduxx.  Some of these folks really should be staying home.

 

Paraduxx is on an expansive property on the mid-portion of the Silverado trail, halfway between the Yountville and Oakville crossroads.  We have been to a couple of other Duckhorn owned properties and I think they really do put together a classy experience.  While I cannot remember if Duckhorn Winery itself takes advantage of the outdoors, their Anderson Valley property, Goldeneye, really has one of the best outdoor settings.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Paraduxx is one of the best outdoor tastings you are going to find in the Napa Valley.  Of course they do have an inside salon and porch seating, so there are options depending on the time of year you go visit.

Paraduxx is a winery brand put together mostly to highlight red blends and more specifically red blends containing Zinfandel.  They are not totally locked in on the red blend format as they do put out a single White Blend (Viognier and Chardonnay) as well as a Rose (Zin and Merlot).  There is also a little flexibility with what they are pouring and they may throw in a taste from another property.  We tasted a Russian River Migration (sister label) Chardonnay on this day.  

 

We tasted while sitting in Adirondack chairs in the big yard behind the tasting facility and what I assume to be the winemaking facility is further to the back of the property.  My sister-in-law, who is not a Zinfandel, drinker tasted with us and I was happy to see she did not poo poo any of the wine.  And don’t think she was doing that for my benefit.  She does have some real good taste buds and tastes things in wine that I just don’t get.  In addition to the Migration Chardonnay and the Rose I mentioned earlier, we also tasted five other Blends- The M (Zin-Merlot), The C (Cab-Zin), The Z (Zin-Cab), The Howell Mountain (Zin-Cab) and the Rector Creek (Zin-Cab).  There was not an overwhelming favorite and there was not a stinker in the group.  I think I heard Z being one of the favorites (from the non Z drinker), although I preferred the Rector Creek-- but that may have something to do with the fact that we were surrounded by the Rector Creek Vineyard. I think the fact that there was no clear winner may have something to say to the consistency of the wines and it might also tell you that the Z and the C are good values at $48.00 in comparison with the Howell Mountain and Rector Creek at $75.00.

Sterling was our host this day and he provided us just enough attention.  The wines are provided to you all at once and include a nice descriptor card which allows you to compare and contrast.  I think more wineries ought to do it this way although it means that each of us went through seven glasses.  Tastings run $30.00 and includes a small plate of crackers and cheese.  We were lucky enough to come up with some 2 for 1 coupons for the tasting but at $30.00, the tasting is not overpriced.  We spent a good hour there and were told there was no rush to leave and give up our chairs.  When you are done you can go into the facility to make purchases or just leave without any pressure to buy.

What we liked- The wine, the grounds, the wines all served side by side

What we bought- None of the above.  We bought a couple of bottles of Decoy (sister brand) SF Giants Commemorative 2010 World Champions Wine (Merlot-Cab).  Had to have it!  Go Giants!

 

Vitals-

Paraduxx

7257 Silverado Trail

Napa, CA  94558

(707) 945-0890

www.paraduxx.com

 

 

Food Stops

Napa Valley

As Weekend Wine Tasters we are generally not going to Napa for fine dining, although we are not opposed to it.  Generally we would rather buy an extra bottle of wine rather than spending much more than the cost of a standard Napa Valley Cabernet for dinner.  We have some of our favorite stops that we do on somewhat a regular basis.  These may not be on everyone’s list but you will find them on some.  These will certainly get you through the day.

Model Bakery- Napa

Since we live in the East Bay we can leave home around 8:15 in the morning and make this first stop and still be at a winery at 10:00am.  I grew up a (French) pastry person and still like a good old fashion kind of bakery.  Model Bakery in downtown Napa at the Oxbow is kind of a modern twist on the old fashion bakery and a great stop.  They have a wide and changing variety of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, cookies and breads.  They have big tables outside for sitting, some in the sun and some in the shade.  They have good coffee and fancier coffees can be found right next door at the main Oxbow building.  There is also a Model Bakery in St. Helena if you are up that far but the Napa store has much better seating.  There are also good bathrooms at Oxbow that are open at this time.  For another Napa alternative there is also The Butter Cream.  This is a bakery with a wide assortment, including donuts, but they also have a diner style restaurant where you can have a full breakfast or items from the bakery side.

 

Our first choice for lunch is Sunshine Foods in St. Helena.  This is a place that you buy items for picnicking at a winery.  They have a great assortment of cold and hot items.  We have been big fans of the Chinese Chicken salad but you can buy everything from sandwiches to sushi.  The cheese selection is really the tops in the valley.  They have burritos and a variety of other items that can be warmed in the microwave.  The store also has a great beer and wine selection as well as good produce.  They also have a pastry box.  This is an upscale market with lots more variety than Dan & Delucca and I am guessing much better prices.

Cheese at Sunshine

If you are not prepared for a picnic there is Gotts (the old Taylors). Gotts appears to be the typical roadside diner that has been around since the 50’s (and this one has been around a long time) but this one is special.  You can tell by the length of the line if you go prime time on a weekend.  Gotts has most of your typical diner items but the Blue Cheese burger we had there last time was really one of the best burgers I have ever had.  One of the things that sets Gotts apart is that they have a separate counter for beer and wine and a great selection of both.  Although they do have wine on tap, you can also find a $100 bottle of wine here also.  There is also a Gotts in downtown Napa (next to the Model Bakery) and one at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

We really only have two regular end of the day stops.  One is back in Napa and one is way north in Calistoga.  Our Napa stop is Compadres Rio Grill.    Compadres is right on the Napa River just north of the downtown of Napa and a good stop on the way home to let traffic clear.  Compadres has one of the better outdoor decks that wraps around the place.  On one side you have a very nice view of the river that makes the Napa River look larger than it is.  The river view makes it look like you are not near the city at all with huge trees and lots of foliage.  On the other side are big couches and the outdoor bar area.  The food is good and the place is usually hopping.  On Sunday afternoons in the summer there is usually a band playing.  I don’t think we have ever sat inside here even on a cooler day.

Our other end of day stop is up in Calistoga and really a great place.  The Hydro Grill is actually open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and usually open late on weekends with entertainment.  The Hydro grill is in an old brick building on the main street in Calistoga.  Although the food is good, what makes the place is that is really has a good vibe.  Calistoga tends to get a broader mix of people and they all come here.  There is a good bar with all kinds of special drinks and a good beer selection.  I’m thinking we don’t really go here for wine.  We love the entertainment which is varied.  We have seen an Elvis impersonator here before and on a recent Sunday we saw an old time swing band.  We would have stayed longer but again, this is at the top of the valley and a little longer drive home to the East Bay.  This is an even better spot when you are staying the night in Calistoga.   

I’d like to give you a review of ‘Finer Dining’ in the Napa Valley but I think all of these places are fun and you generally won’t be disappointed.  But maybe we can do a reviews of Napa area Bars sometime soon.

Vitals-

Model Bakery- 641 1^st. Street, Napa, CA

The Butter Cream- 2297 Jefferson, Napa, CA

Sunshine Foods- 1115 Main Street, St. Helena, CA

Gotts (Taylors)- 933 Main Street, St. Helena, CA

Compadres Rio Grille- 505 Lincoln Avenue, Napa, CA

Hydro Grill- 1403 Lincoln Street, Calistoga, CA