Napa 2005/06/12 Trip Report

Ojan, Pam, Simon, and I went to Napa on Sunday, June 12th 2005. While driving by vineyard after vineyard and winery after winery, we visited three and one Napa restaurant.

The first place we visited was Cakebread Cellars, which, oddly, is the founder's last name.

http://www.cakebread.com/

It was relatively untraveled. Had giant metal tubs for wine, scary piping for moving wine between areas, and lots of traditional wooden casks. We got to taste among the casks which, while chilly, was very apropos.

We tasted seven wines (and got a complimentary wine glass):

• 2004 Sauvignon Blanc: Wonderful smell. A bit too acidic. Ojan: "Very grapy." Pam: "Sharp."
• 2003 Chardonnay: A tad too fruity, though some preferred this to the previous one.
• 2002 Chardonnay Reserve: No smell. Slightly better than last, and the best wine we tasted at this winery.
• 2003 Rubaiyat: Pinot noir grape. Simon thinks it smell of petroleum, like a 76 station. Very mild. Little flavor. Nothing special.
• 2002 Merlot: Full bodied smell. Ojan: "Deep."
• 2002 Syrah (Carneros): Heavy. Simon likes the smell (hard to place). Mild but slightly bitter. Full bodied fruit.
• 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon: Heavy. Full bodied. Strong smell. Strongly fruit, also getting toward manischewitz.
• 2001 Benchland Select: Perfumed smell. Very oaky. Ojan likes it. Simon's favorite red.

They also had many useful handouts (many online), both for taking notes upon and about interesting facts about wine, wine storage, etc. and detailed descriptions of various wines and suggested recipes with which to pair them. The guide provided a number of neat anecdotes, like using American versus French oak and the processes to get rid of the glassy crystalline finish on some white wines.

At around 2:00pm we stopped by the Rutherford Grill for lunch

http://www.rutherfordgrill.com/

(owned by the same people that own Houston's and Bandera and other similar restaurants). It was still packed at this time, so we needed to wait twenty minutes. These restaurants always tend to have an elegant atmosphere: slightly dim, a decor with an emphasis on red and burgundy wood tones, many booths, and a near-central bar. They tend to specialize in meat dishes. Pam and Simon were very pleased with their rotisserie chicken sandwiches (and it was neat to see the massive array of chickens rotating on the rotisserie); I thought my french dip sandwich was below average, and certainly not up to the level of (my memories of) Bandera.

We then drove on some very scenic backroads to go to Artesa.

http://www.artesawinery.com/

It's a very obscure winery, and not on any map we had. This winery was stunningly beautiful, located in the top of hill with a tremendous view and a number of fountains. It's worth a visit simply for the view and the sculptures.

The inside was very modern (having been built in the last decade), much like the lobby of a new hotel. Some didn't appreciate this feel.

Simon and I shared a tasting, and also stole a bit from Pam's tasting:

• 2002 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc: Smooth. Still acidic. Better than Cheesebread Sauvignon.
• 2002 Pinot Noir: Strongly grape. Very flavorful. A little bitter. Lighter than others.
• 2002 Syrah: Simon says bitter; I saw sweet and fruity. Simon claims it is like Chinese medicine, and I can definitely see that.
• Reserve Cabernet: Sophisticated. Simon liked. I thought it was a bit over the top.
• Gewurztraminer: Very sweet dessert wine. Too sweet for some of us, but Simon likes it.

Finally, I convinced the group (well, I was driving so this didn't take that much actual persuasion but really just a declaration) to manage to fit another winery visit into the day. After a bit of wandering, we ended up at the Merryville Winery, which was open late. (Most wineries closed at 5pm.)

Merryville was a very solid stone building. In one wing was a long hall lined with wooden casks, with a long wooden table and chairs exactly like you'd expect in a medieval feast in a castle.

The person pouring wine behind the bar wasn't very friendly or talkative or even on the ball, but we were a bit exhausted and not tasting that much so it didn't really harm our experience too much. We all shared one tasting of Merryville whites:

• 2003 Sauvignon. Nice smell. Acidic.
• Chardonnays: (named for the region the grapes come from; surprising variety in tastes)
  • 2003 Starmont: Very mild / bland.
  • 2003 Dutton Ranch (Russian River part of north bay). Still mild but has more flavor. Most thought this was the best wine of the trip.
  • YEAR? Carneros: Sweeter. Not as good as the last. Smells a bit like coffee.
  • YEAR? Silhouette: Also sweet. Slightly acidic.

One large message I took home is that I'm pickier about wines than I previously thought. I also learned Sauvignon Blancs tend to be slightly acidic, and I mind this less than other people. (They also tend to smell good.) Where the particular grapes in a wine were grown is important. Smells (and lack thereof) can vary widely. I still generally prefer whites to reds.

P.S. And, in the future, make sure everyone had his or her ID before leaving.

Addendum:

I also finally uploaded by photos:

http://photos.mark-pearson.com/2005_06_12-napa_wine_trip/

(during post presentation decompression)

Enjoy.

Original Announcement

There was no official announcement of this excursion.

Comments from Other Attendees

I took a break and decided to uploaded today's photos: http://si.smugmug.com/gallery/591476

-stong

Feel free to add remarks here.