Napa and Sonoma

Several years ago, we formed a wine club with several other couples.  We try to get together every other month and we rotate hosting duties with the host choosing the varietal for the evening.  Everyone brings a bottle and we have a blind tasting to determine the winner.  Over the years, we have had some great wine as well as our fair share of swill so it was only natural that we spend a few days conducting some "research" in Napa and Sonoma following a work event in San Francisco last summer.  

Jackass

Getting there

We rented a car downtown at the car rental location directly across the street from the Hilton Union Square.  Most of the major rental companies can be found here so it is a very popular location.  As a result, the wait to pick up your car can be lengthy (especially first thing in the morning) so plan accordingly. Since it was a weekday we weren't sure what to expect regarding traffic so we left the city around 7:45 to allow plenty of time to meet our group at 10 a.m.  Getting through the city was fairly easy and other than the jackass who did a U-turn on the Golden Gate Bridge thus triggering every fear I didn't realize that I had, traffic flowed easily and the drive took just under an hour and a half.

Lodging - Napa

We were only going to be in Napa for one night so we chose a downtown hotel as home base.  The Andaz Napa is located in the middle of town and was perfect.  It's a Hyatt property but felt much more like an independent, boutique hotel without costing an arm and a leg.  We arrived in the morning and to our very pleasant surprise were allowed to check in upon arrival. (Note:  If you stay here and want to have "sexy time", please close your shades!!!  I cannot un-see what I saw from across the courtyard when I checked out our room view upon check in….).  It is a full service hotel (insert smirk here due to previous sentence) with a restaurant and bar as well as a patio with a fire pit and bar service.  The fire pit is a great place for post winery, pre-dinner cocktails. 

Napa Wineries

Everyone in our group had been to Napa multiple times so our plan was to visit some of the smaller production, higher end (a.k.a. less touristy) vineyards.  Since the three we chose were spread out across the area and because we are responsible adults (most of the time), we hired a driver.  We made reservations at each in advance although you can stop by the tasting room at Corley Family Vineyards without a one.  After taking a solemn oath to not join a single wine club, we were off!

Monticello Vineyards

Monticello Vineyards - the Corley family has roots in Virginia and the connection to Thomas Jefferson is apparent as soon as you see the main building, a replica of Monticello.  We were lucky enough to have one of the Corley brothers as our guide for a private tasting.  We started in the vineyards and made our way to the terrace for our first tasting of the day where we sampled Chardonnay, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Syrah.  Really, this is the only civilized way to start your day!  We've been there multiple times and are members of their wine club and it continues to be one of our favorites overall.  

Lunch at Frias

Frias Family Vineyards - this is small, family owned vineyard on Spring Mountain, which only offers tastings and tours, by appointment.  Some members of our wine club are friends with the Frias brothers and we had an amazing lunch at the top of the hill overlooking their property.  The wine was delicious, especially their Rose.  I can't wait until they get their tasting room finished.  The property is absolutely gorgeous!

Jarvis Caves

Jarvis - we did the cave tour here and it was amazing!  I've done cave tours at Rutherford (very nice but fairly simple) and Del Dotto (which we renamed Del Blotto since you drink close to a half a bottle of wine during your tasting by using a wine thief to sample the wine straight from the barrel) but Jarvis is my favorite.  It is beautifully decorated with lots of waterfalls.  You have to book it in advance and they limit the number of people each day so keep that in mind.  It's $60 for the tour/tasting but it is worth every penny (and frankly Jarvis wines aren't for you if you complain about the fee).  

Dining - Napa

End of Day 1:  

Why to hire a driver

After a day of tastings and pre-dinner cocktails at the hotel, we went to Redd restaurant for dinner.  As I vaguely recall it was fun and the food was good.  

Sonoma wineries

Day two was less structured and much calmer because we were going to be driving to Bodega Bay in the afternoon.  

Domaine Carneros - we started the day here.  They are known for their sparkling wines and the property looks like a beautiful French Chateau.  We did the tour (along with about fifty other people) but it is not worth the time unless you really want to relive the feeling of grade school field trips including the teacher constantly reprimanding people for talking.  I'd recommend having lunch on their patio instead.  

Kunde Mountaintop Tasting

B.R. Cohn - after leaving Domaine Carneros we had no idea where to go for lunch.  One of the couples recommended B.R. Cohn because they have a gourmet store and a picnic lunch sounded awesome.   The gourmet store and the wine tasting room are in two separate buildings.  As walked between them we realized that there is a large natural amphitheater in the back.  The winery is owned by the manager for the Doobie Brothers so in addition to having great wine there is some very cool rock memorabilia hanging on the walls.  They also have a music festival each fall which is now on our wish list.  Check it out.  

Kunde - they have a great gift store and beautiful garden to enjoy some outdoor sipping.  More importantly, they have some of the highest vineyards in Sonoma so we made an afternoon reservation for the mountain top tasting.  We got there at exactly 3pm for our 3pm tour.  Even though our group comprise eight of the 12 people on the tour, they bus had already left.  After a slight meltdown by someone in our group the eight of us were headed up the mountain.  They have a built a small area for tasting and the views are amazing.  Seth Rogen had his wedding here several years ago and I can definitely see why.  

Imagery - this is a fun winery if you like art in addition to wine.  They actually use some of the paintings as the labels for their wines.  It's a unique departure from the typical vineyard.  In my opinion, the wines aren't as good as some of the others but I would check it out if you are in the area.  

Summary

Napa and Sonoma is one place that I can visit again and again because there are so many new places to explore and discover every time.   We had a great time in the wine country and stuck to our pledge to not join a single wine club.  In fact, we joined three!  

Previous visits

We've been to Napa and Sonoma several times so here are some thoughts and suggestions on other places we've visited:

• Robert Sinskey - one of our all time favorites.  Organic winery where the owners wife is a renowned chef so there is always amazing food to taste alongside the wines.
• Del Dotto - take the cave tour but make sure you sign up for the last one of the day.  The caves are transformed from old school Italy to a 70's nightclub at the end.
• Hall Wines - one of the most reliable Cabernet's you'll find, the tasting room is a good spot to visit.
• Francis Ford Coppolla Winery - if you like his movies this is a must.  
• Vi Sattui - the wines aren't anything out of the ordinary but they have a great market with lots of outdoor sitting space for a picnic.
• Opus One - cool tasting room but bring your wallet….a taste is around $40
• Sterling Vineyards - you take a tram to the top of a "mountain" for the tour and tasting as well as cool views of the valley.  
• Duckhorn - great wines, elegant tasting room in a beautiful setting.  You can't go wrong here.  
• Kendall Jackson - skip it unless you love going to Busch Gardens and touring the brewery
• Michel - Schlumberger - off the beaten path in Sonoma but worthwhile
• Frank Family - former Disney exec turned winemaker, great cabernet.  

UPDATE

Venge Vineyard Dog

Last spring we headed back to Napa for a "work" retreat.  We visited some truly amazing wineries:

Venge Vineyards - Advance reservations are needed in order to visit their ranch house. Beautiful setting, great wine and the house dog is a golden retriever....need I say more?

Blackbird 

Blackbird - Great wines in an eclectic farmhouse setting.  Everything in the farmhouse is for sale...not just the wines.

Continuum Estate - Tim Mondavi's high end winery atop Pritchard Hill.  Beautiful views and needless to say...great wines.

B Cellars - Pricy for a visit if you aren't a wine enthusiast but well worth every penny.  They have
amazing art on the grounds.  Just make sure you don't try and take a nap next to the statues...I can't get into details but they frown upon that sort of thing!

Alpha Omega

Terra Valentine - Sam and Angela Baxter don't have their tasting room open yet but their property is going to be amazing when it does open.  However, if you join their wine club you can hike their property.

Alpha Omega - Great cabernets in a festive setting.  Larger crowds than many of the others mentioned above but still worth a stop.

Mumm - Meh.  Much better options in the valley.

Tamber Bey - Located on an equestrian ranch this is a much different stop than most.  The rose is one of my fav's and the scenery is beautiful with the horses right outside of the tasting rooms.

Tamber Bey

B Cellars Cave