Napa valley

[JOESILVA401]

just returned from Napa- wow! A trip I recommend to everyone!



Opus was great!!!!





Mondavi Reserves were epic

 

[Rocky]

Great pics, Joe. Thanks for sharing. Did you snag one of those barrels?

 

[Tess]

Beautiful!!

 

[DoctorCAD]

Love Copella. Get to see the desk from Godfather and the POW cell from Apocalipse and both Oscars.

 

[roger80465]

Did a tour in Napa a few weeks ago. This tour went only to very small wineries. In fact several of them only sell from the winery. We visited Laird Family Estate, Casa Nuestra, Razi and Hagafen Winery. All the wines were outstanding and the tastings were run by family members. At Casa Nuestra, we were allowed to barrel taste one of their wines. Most of the wineries had less than 20 acres planted. Really a cool day.

 

[Boatboy24]

Joe: looks great. Are those Opus bottles yours?

Roger: I haven't had any of their wines, but have heard very good things about Laird. If I'm not mistaken, they are sold in the Bounty Hunter catalog.

 

[seth8530]

I had the oppritunity to speak with one of the lead winemakers from Robert Mondavi.. That was interesting.

 

[Boatboy24]

Love Copella. Get to see the desk from Godfather and the POW cell from Apocalipse and both Oscars.

I'm a fan of all his work - wine, movies...

We honeymooned in two of his resorts in Belize. Just amazing.

 

[sour_grapes]

I haven't gotten to spend too much time in Napa and/or Sonoma, but have been fortunate enough to visit one or the other perhaps 5 times. (Touring wineries was not always the primary reason for the visit, sadly.) Anyway, each visit I had to these areas was Just. So. Damn. Pleasant. I didn't want to leave..... sigh.

 

[bakervinyard]

The wife and I went to Napa for 4 days in August. We went to GooseCross, Sterling, Shramsburg, Hope and Grace, Bouchaine to name a few. We enjoyed the food just as much. Can't wait to go back. Bakervinyard

 

[cimbaliw]

Napa... The happiest place on earth!

 

[cmason1957]

I prefer the wines from just a bit further north, Sonoma or Mendocino counties. They seem to have more character and taste to me.

 

[cimbaliw]

Seriously, we toured ZD and Raymond Wineries. There certainly is a good deal of respect for not only the Mondavi family but the Gallo brothers as well. Wine Enthusiast magazine has recently put out a special edition on California; region by region. We got ours in August, if it's still around it's a good read.

 

[roger80465]

During our tour, the guide talked about the differences between many Napa/Sonoma wines and those from the central valley of California. In N/S, many of the wineries drop fruit so that they will have a better quality product, reducing yield to 4-6 tons per acre. In the CV, they are going for the greatest yield possible, often in the 20 ton per acre range. So, in addition to terroir, the flavor concentrations are considerably different. It really got me thinking about some of the kits from specific areas. A Napa cab kit may well be worth more and have a fuller flavor profile than a Lodi kit, for example. Of course, not all wineries follow these practices. Also, I was surprised to learn that Napa wines only comprise about 4% of California wines. It was a very interesting day.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Next time, try Livermore. Great small wineries, even an organic winery. Wente is fantastic.

 

[Snafflebit]

Domaine Chandon is pretty and I am a fan of sparkling wine.

Livermore is a good "undiscovered" wine region, even though it has been around longer than Napa and Sonoma. Been doing some volunteer winery work up there. But it is not a vacation spot--no luxury B&B's or mud baths that I know of, unless you enjoy getting muddy with the cows.

 

[JohnT]

I tend to try and shy away from the big comercial wineries. Whenever I get to napa, I head straight for route 29 towards Calistoga. Lots of nice, small places there.

 

[wineforfun]

Did a tour in Napa a few weeks ago. This tour went only to very small wineries. In fact several of them only sell from the winery. We visited Laird Family Estate, Casa Nuestra, Razi and Hagafen Winery. All the wines were outstanding and the tastings were run by family members. At Casa Nuestra, we were allowed to barrel taste one of their wines. Most of the wineries had less than 20 acres planted. Really a cool day.

These are the best types of places to visit. Small and personal.

 

[JOESILVA401]

Viader was fantastic! Round Pond was unforgettable! And Clos Pegas was really neat! All new to me....