Napa Valley March 27th

In the wine business one of the great perks of our job is to visit different wine regions throughout the world.  One of my favorite places to visit is Napa Valley, there is just something soothing and magical about being there.  This time I took along my parents and Lisa (who has never been to Napa) and it was enjoyable to watch someone who has never been there to stare in amazement at everything and take it all in.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Vineyards at Robert Mondavi

Our trip started at one of the more famous vineyards in the valley, Robert Mondavi.MondaviDana was our guide throughout the visit and he started us off by touring the 490 acres they have in the Oakville District in the heart of Napa Valley. It was great to see the different methods of growing vines throughout the vineyard, from the old spacing to the new tighter trellis system. We were lucky as the white grape varietals were just beginning to start to have bud break, and the reds were mostly dormant just waiting to break out. After touring the property we returned to the winery where we learned about the winery itself and the construction/addtion they built 12 years ago. They have hand made oak fermentation tanks from France which help to enhance the fruit and add a little more character to the wines. From there we descended into their barrel room which looks amazing housing all of their red wines from last year in a perfectly temperature controlled area to let the wines rest and develop. Here they also store some of their library selections going all the way back to the 1970 vintage.After leaving the barrel room we returned upstairs to the bottling area where they were preparing to bottle the 2011 vintages. We then saw the bottlling line and watched them hand bottle and label some of their winery only selections. It was amazing for as big and the amount of wine they produce there are still some things they still do by hand. After all of this walking we now thirsty and hungry. We tastesd several of their reserve wines in the barrel room including the 2009 Reserve Cabernet which was absolutely fantastic. The wine was rich elegant and full bodied, the fruit was well balanced with the right amount of oak and tannins.We were treated to a spectacular lunch at the winery in their private dining room. The lunch featured vegetables and spices which were grown on the property along with locally sourced proteins. Two pairings stood out in my mind the Mondavi Cabernet paired with Five Dot Ranch Ribeye and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, one of the classic pairings I know but very well done with the meat just melting as you cut into it. For dessert we were treated to Almond Cake and fresh berries and whipped Crème Fraîche paired with Moscato d’Oro. The delicate notes of the fresh berries were balanced perfectly with the slightly sweet and thick Moscato.

After this amazing lunch who would of thought we would want to taste more wine, ahh but is the life.  Our next destination was Franciscan Wine Estates where we had a lovely tasting and learned a little of the history of the winery.  We tasted through the new releases including their Sauvignon Blanc, Cuvee Savage Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet.  The wine which stood out the most to all of us was the Magnificat which is a blend of the 5 noble grapes (Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec), the richness of the Cabernet was well balanced with the other varietals to make it a smooth and easy to drink wine.

For dinner we went to one of my favorite places in Yountville, Brix.  They have a wonderful selection of

dishes which are made using local produce and local meats.  We started the evening with a new label from Dalla Valle, their Collina Dalla Valle which is made from younger vines grown on the hillside.  It was super rich and elegant and needed time to mature and become an excellent wine.  We followed this up with a bottle of the 2008 Hoopes Cabernet, still a wonderful bottle of wine but not as elegant and rich as the Collina Dalla Valle.  A long first day but well worth it, a good nights rest is in order as tomorrow will be another day of traveling the valley in search of more wine.