Category: Experiences

In the 1970’s, just after the famous Judgement of Paris showed how great California wines had become, Steve went wine tasting for the first time.  He remembers well the sensation, as he was driving along Route 29 in the Napa Valley, that he was in a wine shop only it wasn’t labels he was passing by but wineries.  Domaine Chandon, Heitz, Louis Martini – all these famous places along the road!  And every place offered something to taste and for free. It was wonderful.

In our travels, we have re-experienced that sensation many times and so can you.  Each visit to a wine-growing region unknown to you brings back that same sense of an adventure about to unroll.  Even with a GPS, you don’t really know where you are going.  Very often, most of the wineries are not very well known to you.  Maybe you have never heard of any of them.  What should you do?

One option is to take a tour, but we do not recommend it.  Tour operators are interested in volume, not quality.  They choose wineries that can accommodate large groups, with wines that appeal to the mass market.  It is better for them to offer wines that everyone can enjoy somewhat than expensive wines and expensive tastings that are oriented to connoisseurs.  It is bad enough when 30 people show up at a winery all wanting to be served at once.  It’s even worse when you’re in that group.  You have no time for conversation, for learning, for savoring something unique.  And you definitely won’t be offered that special wine they keep below the counter for those who are willing to spend more time to really understand a winery’s production.

The best bet is to get to the region you’re visiting and stop at the first winery you see.  It may be a lucky hit, with knowledgeable people, lovely décor and fine wines.  But even if it isn’t, it will have two things you want: a map and someone you can ask: “We’re new here.  Which wineries do you suggest we try?”  Almost without exception, we have found that wine people love to talk and love to give advice.  Your taste may not be the same as theirs, so you might want to say, at your next stop, “The people at Chateau X recommended your wines.  What can you recommend that might be a little different?”  A truly helpful server should ask you, “Well, what kind of wine do you like?” and then direct you to light whites, heavy reds and everything in between.

Of course, this gets a little trickier when the region you are visiting is in a non-English speaking country.  Fortunately, English has become the world’s second language so you can usually have a passable conversation.  We have also engaged in a fair amount of arm-waving, map-pointing and general looking lost.  It has always worked and we have often been directed to some of the most amazing wineries we have ever visited.

The great likelihood, when you’re tasting in a region you’re not familiar with, is that the wines aren’t going to be exactly what you think they’ll be.  For example, a California Syrah is different from a French Syrah which isn’t the same as an Australian Shiraz.  Moreover, a Southern Rhone Syrah is different than one from the north.  You need not only to be open to these differences but to relish them.  That’s what wine tasting is all about.  It’s not a search for novelty for its own sake but rather to enjoy different winemakers’ expressions of the soil, the climate and the traditions of each locale.  When you taste something unexpectedly wonderful, you’ve gotten a sense of what makes wine so fascinating: the variety, the personality, the subtlety and the achievement that each new harvest brings.

Sometimes, you’ll find wines made from grapes you’ve never heard of.  Did you ever have an Insolia?  It’s a wonderful white grape from Sicily that makes some of the most elegant white wines we’ve tasted in a while.  How about Pinotage?  Cannonau? Canaiolo?  Open your mind when you open your mouth and you’ll get the most out of your visit.

Finally, make comparisons with wines you know, but only after you’ve finished for the day.  If you say to yourself, “This is like XYZ Vineyards back home” you’ll always have the taste of XYZ on your mind and on your palate and you’ll find it hard to judge the wines you’re tasting on their own merits.

So, wherever you go, follow the open road.  It leads to Wine Country.

Despite the title, this is not really an article about wine clubs.  In keeping with the Power Tasting credo, we are writing about the effect wine clubs have on the experience tasters have when visiting Wine Country.

These clubs are primarily an American phenomenon, although we have recently learned that a few European wineries are considering them as well.  Here are the basics:  joining a club is free but it entails a commitment to receive shipments from one to many times a year.   There are some clubs that require you to buy as few as six bottles annually and many call for purchasing a case each year.  Some allow you to choose what you want to receive but most will send you whatever they want to send you (usually the bottles they have trouble selling otherwise).  In return, you receive a discount on purchases, free tastings when you visit their wineries and invitations to special events.

[There are a lot of qualifiers here: “some”, “many”, “most”.  That’s because each winery structures their clubs differently.  Be sure to read the fine print if you plan to join.]

Before considering the benefits of membership, let’s look at the negative impacts on wine tasting visits.  At some wineries, especially those with sit-down tastings, the servers do a lot of pressure selling.  We have had bad experiences at Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel and Domaine Carneros in that regard.  There you are, at a table full of bottles and glasses, and the nice person who has just taken you on a tour and poured you some wine says, “No pressure, but…” and begins the sales pitch.  If you have some decent sales resistance, it’s no problem.  But it does detract from what would otherwise be a very pleasant experience.  And since there is usually a fairly hefty charge for these seated tastings, you’ve paid to be a sales target.  If you’ve ever been to a sales meeting for time shares, you will recognize the nasty feeling it leaves with you.

On the other hand, being a member can really enhance your overall tasting experience.  At the present time, we are members of six clubs, and there are about as many again that we once joined and then left.  As members, you are more likely to return to that winery often and the staff will get to know you.  That alone makes your visit more pleasant. In most cases, wineries have a menu of what is available for tasting that day.  However, wineries generally have no inhibitions about opening everything they have for people who are already committed to purchase in quantity every year.  So you wind up with more to taste of wines you’ve already selected as favorites.  The fact that you’ve tasted all of them in the past is no drawback; each wine is different each year.

Many wineries have special areas that are for members only.  A bit snobbish perhaps, but you’ll appreciate this if you’re visiting on a weekend.  And you can bring a few friends with you, so having a private area makes it more fun for your small party.

What we have found best of all is the invitations we receive to our clubs’ private parties.  If you reside near the wineries, you can really live it up.  For those like ourselves who need to take a plane and stay at a hotel, it’s difficult to take advantage.  Still, the ones we’ve attended range from good fun to grand events.  We have always had the chance to meet and chat with the winemakers and often the winery owners (although now that so many are owned by big corporations, that’s harder to do).  They always serve food that complements their wines.  (We once decoded a particularly good ragu and will post the recipe separately.)

The guest of honor at Etude’s annual pig roast

 And then then there are the big blowouts.  Last summer we took up the invitation to Etude’s annual pig roast.  Seated at a table on the lawn outside the winery, we feasted on a whole porker that had roasted over an open fire all day.  Cooks brushed it regularly with olive oil soaked laurel branches.  We were fortunate to sit next to Jon Priest, the winemaker-in-chief.  Oh, and the wines – a selection of pinots from across the top of Etude’s line, including Heirloom, their finest.  Was it worth the membership?  It sure was!

Lucie sips while Etude’s Jon Priest says a few words

Wine tasting is an avocation that can be followed around the world. Between the two of us, we have gone wine tasting in France, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Québec and of course in many places in the United States. It is no secret that California has the most wineries and that the most famous ones are just north of San Francisco, in Napa and Sonoma counties. But only in these counties, to our knowledge and experience, are there destination wineries that are more about the place than about the wine.

There are many wineries that are in buildings of architectural interest. Chateau Montelena, Jordan, Duckhorn and the new Stag’s Leap Vineyards spring to mind. However, the reason to go these places is not to admire the structures but to enjoy the wines they make. The beauty of the places enhances the experience, to be sure, but the wine’s the thing. There are others where the winery is designed to awe the visitor before the first sip is taken. The experience is about architecture, interior design, high-end shopping and oh, yes, there is wine to be tasted. A few of the leading exponents of this view of wine tasting are Darioush in Napa, Castello di Ameroso in Calistoga and the Francis Ford Coppola winery in Geyserville.

Darioush Winery

Now, it should be stated that Darioush makes good wine and is best known for its Shiraz. The owner is a wealthy Iranian emigrant who, in entering the wine trade, decided to recreate the glory that was ancient Persia. It is truly beautiful and very much over the top. We like the wine but not the wine tasting experience when we have visited there. It’s just not for us.

Castello di Amoroso is a replica of a castle in Tuscany and a rather good replica at that. It attracts hordes of tourists. There is even a fee to enter the castle. It’s hard to believe that all those tourists are there just to taste an American Sangiovese. And at Coppola Winery, the movie director Francis Coppola, in addition to having a museum of his films, has a swimming pool available to vacationers. No more need be said.

Which is not to say that places like these are not for you. Wine tasting in Northern California has become Disneyland for adults and if that’s what appeals to you on your vacation, go right ahead. We like Disneyland; we just don’t want to go there for wine. That’s us, not you.

Even if you agree with us, we think you should try these palaces on occasion. For one thing, the wines can be very good and shouldn’t be overlooked. For another, just because we find Darioush to be too, too much you may not agree. After all, why is a winery visit that combines fine art (Hess Collection, Clos Pegase), or beautiful views (Silverado, William Hill) or fine food (Domaine Chandon) any less worthy than one that includes a palatial edifice? Wine tasting, like wine itself, is a matter of taste.

Our tastes run towards wineries where we can chat with someone very knowledgeable (especially if it is the winemaker) and enjoy a wonderful and personalized experience built around very fine wines. Often, tasting at these vineyards requires an appointment and in some cases can be rather pricey. Some would find wine tasting in these circumstances to be snobbish or intimidating. Opus One and Verité, for two examples, might fall into this category and we do love their wines. Again, it’s certainly not for everyone.

If you have some experience visiting wineries in Napa and Sonoma, you probably have a pretty good idea of what you like and what you don’t like. If you are new to wine tasting, it’s worthwhile to read up in advance and try different sorts of wineries that seem to appeal to your taste and your pocketbook. And even if you know your way around, try something that breaks your personal mold every now and again. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

A few weeks ago there was a tasting of Bordeaux wines in New York City. Organized by the wine critic James Suckling, it gave attendees the opportunity to try a wide variety of wines from around the Bordeaux region, from St. Estephe to St. Emilion to Sauternes. The tasting was held in a restaurant better known for musical events than degustations and the sponsors may have sold more tickets than the space could hold comfortably. Lucie and Steve were there and came away with different impressions, not of the wines themselves, but of the experience. Since the wine tasting experience is the subject matter of Power Tasting, we would like to offer our points of view.

At one point in his life, Steve was quite certain that all the world’s best wines came from Bordeaux. Period. He has broadened his horizons since then but still thinks that Bordeaux’s great chateaux make wines that are among the world’s finest. And this tasting offered quite a few that were special: classified growths from the Medoc, grands crus classés from St. Emilion, and crus classés from Graves. There were also other wines, some of lesser renown and some of lesser quality.

Many of these wines are very expensive these days. Steve remembers well that when he first started buying fine wines, he was able to buy Chateau Pontet-Canet for ten dollars. (Yes, that was long ago.) He was able to taste it again that day, though at more than $250 a bottle, it doesn’t grace our table very often. And that was the point of this wine tasting: to have the chance to taste wines – fantastic wines from excellent vintages – that we otherwise would not have the chance to savor.

Most of the wines presented were from the 2009 and 2010 vintages, two of the best reputed but still young. Many offered 2012 as well, not as highly rated a vintage and much too young. But most of the chateaux present offered verticals, including the younger wines with 2006, 2003, a scattering of 2000 and even one 1989. It was an unparalleled learning opportunity.

It was also an excellent occasion to compare some more affordable Bordeaux with the great names. And some came across quite well. Chateau du Tertre, for example, has always been one of Steve’s favorites and it measured up quite well against its sister winery, Giscours, and many of the others offered at the tasting, even though it costs under $55. And we discovered a little known Graves, Gazin Rocquencourt from Pessac-Leognan, that we liked very much and found for under $40.

Finally, this tasting gave us the chance to meet some of the proprietors and wine makers from Bordeaux. We were surprised to find that the owner of Chateau Fonplegade in St. Emilion, where we had visited more than a decade ago, was an American, Denise Adams. She was happy to talk to people who had visited her winery and were able to taste how much her wine had improved since our visit there. She and her husband also own a winery in Napa called Adamus.

In all, despite the distractions and the crowds, Steve found this tasting to be a valuable and enjoyable experience. Besides the fantastic wines that we had the opportunity to taste, Lucie found the experience extremely unpleasant. The organizer, James Suckling, had picked the wrong venue for this supposedly prestigious wine tasting. We were packed in like sardines, unable to walk from one tasting table to the other. Also, with the bad set up of the tables, it was difficult to get a taste because there was room for no more than two people at each chateau’s cramped space for pouring wine. It took so much pleasure out of her tasting that she thinks that it was disrespectful to the patrons to hold a wine tasting that pricy in a place like that and then pack it to the maximum to get more money.

Powertasting.com is about going wine tasting, not about wine itself. So here are some recommendations that have nothing to do with wine at all. All the wineries mentioned in this post are great for the beautiful views you can have on a nice clear day, which in California is most of them. Some have wine we like, some don’t. But all of them are worth a visit just to look at the scenery.

Domaine Carneros, in the district of the same name, is an imitation French chateau, largely because it is owned by Taittinger, the French champagne house. You approach the chateau up an elegant stairway, and you can sit on the terrace where they offer you champagne and pinot noir. From there you can see a panoramic vista of the Napa side of the Carneros region.

Across the valley and up a fairly steep hill is Artesa, a monumental building carved into the hillside with a row of fountains to greet you as you enter. It’s also owned by a maker of European sparkling wine, Codorniu of Spain, but there’s no homage to the Old World here. What there is a grand view of Carneros, with Domaine Carneros off in the distance.

In Russian River, just south of Dry Creek, Rochioli has a patio just above their vineyards and those of many other growers way off to the left and right. They are best known for their pinot noirs, which you can sip contentedly watching the next harvest growing just below you.

Rutherford Hill is best known for their merlots, especially the reserve. It is located just off the Silverado Trail in (no surprise) Rutherford and it commands majestic views across that town’s vineyards. It has a large picnic area, which they  to use. But they give you several bottles of wine for your money.

Photo courtesy of Rutherford Hill’s web site, http://www.rutherfordhill.com/Picnic

In St. Helena there is Rombauer, also along the Silverado Trail. (Route 29, on the other side of the valley, is in a flatland and thus offers no great views.) Rombauer is an “old-school” Napa Valley winery, in that it is just a tasting room in a rather rustic cabin, not a grand temple as some have become. You can look across the valley from their gardens, which also have some picnic tables.

At the northern end of Dry Creek, you can visit Sbragia Family Vineyards. You can look all the way down the Dry Creek region from their capacious, shady porch. Ed Sbragia gained fame as the winemaker at Beringer until he opened his own winery. Sitting on his patio, you get the sense that this is exactly where he always wanted to be.

William Hill winery on Atlas Peak Road in Napa has a spectacular view of the valley. On specific dates in the summer, you can bring your picnic dinner, buy a bottle of their wine and enjoy the sunset comfortably seated on an Adirondack chair or at a table under a gazebo overlooking the hills of Napa Valley. The rest of the year, you still can sit there and enjoy the view while you’re tasting their wines.

Some wineries offer spectacular views and other wineries offer the view of their vineyard. One of those latter is Lucie’s favorite, Duckhorn Vineyards in St Helena. The building itself is a gorgeous country house with a porch all around, situated in the middle of their vineyards. A dream place for Lucie. One can never get tired of that beautiful view.

One of the reasons we enjoy visiting wineries is the opportunity it gives us to learn more about wine. Okay, we like tasting it, too, but let’s focus here on the educational experience. If you are fortunate enough to have a well-versed server who has the time to chat, you can learn a lot that way. For a more structured and formal educational experience, there are the lectures you can attend at Joseph Phelps Vineyards (www.josephphelps.com).

On their web site, the winery refers to these lectures, rather grandly, as Exceptional Wine Experiences. For once, a bit of marketing hype is justified. These lectures are exceptional; they are quite an experience; and they’re about wine. They’re also $75 per person and last an hour and a half (with additional time for tasting). To our minds, this price is well worth it.

The first one we attended was an introduction to wine tasting. This one is not listed on their current schedule, alas. If you’ve never paid much attention to wine tasting, this really showed what to do and what to look for. Even for those with some experience, there was a lot to learn. In this lecture, as with most of them, the teacher arrives with a basket of Phelps wines, starting usually with a white and usually finishing with Phelps’ remarkable flagship wine, Insignia, a Bordeaux blend.

Perhaps our most memorable lecture was the one about aromas. Lucie’s sense of smell is rather acute, while Steve’s nose doesn’t always pick up much, so Lucie was able to get a great deal more out of it. But even Steve learned to appreciate what the bouquet of a wine has to tell the attentive taster. The lecture was memorable because we were there on a rainy October afternoon and were the only ones in attendance. The Insignia was open, so when Steve asked for a little more, we were told, “Sure, help yourself”.

The lecture on wine barrels, or cooperage, didn’t seem all that interesting beforehand but wound up being the most instructive we have attended. The impact that the barrel has on what goes into your mouth was astounding to learn about. Wine makers tend to brag on their 100% new French oak barrels, but we learned that that isn’t always a good thing, that American and Hungarian oak bring other qualities to a wine and that some used barrels actually give a wine better balance. We are aware of cooperage now whenever we go wine tasting.

Most recently we sat in on the lecture about blending Insignia. You are presented with most but not all of the individual wines that go into a bottle of Insignia and then you are given the chance to mix your own. Finally they serve a bottle of the actual wine so that you know what professional winemakers did with the grapes. We learned two things for sure: the professionals are way better at it than we are and Insignia is a very good wine. In the outdoor tasting afterwards, with a beautiful view of the valley, they opened a library bottle of Insignia so that you would learn what the latest release would grow into.

There are few ways to spend an afternoon in Wine Country that are as rewarding as one of these lectures and a tasting of Phelps’ wonderful wines.

Our wedding anniversary is at the beginning of December and for many years we have been celebrating it in Napa or Sonoma.  Besides being in Wine Country for our anniversary, we also get to enjoy an early Christmas. Christmas decorations are everywhere.  You walk in many of the wineries and you’re facing a beautiful Christmas tree, decorations on the fireplace mantel, holiday music and the spirit of the holidays everywhere you look.  One of our favorite Pinot wineries is Etude in Carneros. (We’re also club members there.)  The last time we stopped by for a visit, on top of being in heaven with the wines that we were being served, we had the joy of having our tasting by a huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

The town of Napa is very festive but the top is in Yountville where, by the way, the famous chef Thomas Keller has three restaurants that we love (French Laundry, Bouchon and Ad Hoc).   As soon as you get off Route 29 and turn on Washington Street, you are in a different world. The town itself becomes a Christmas Wonderland.  We had never seen anything like this; the town is entirely lit with Christmas lights. It’s absolutely like being in a fairy tale.  It’s magical!

Most of the wineries have a shop where they sell souvenirs and wine related articles.  During the holidays they add all those pretty Christmas decorations, tablecloths, cocktail napkins, chinaware.  It is a great place to find a gift for wine lovers.  Some of these items are often found exclusively in wineries. We’re not talking about the wine itself, but corkscrews, glasses, wine books, etc.  One article that we have bought there over the years is a vine leaf that had been plated in silver or gold, with a little ribbon on top to hang in the Christmas tree.  That’s an exclusive and pretty wine gift!

Let’s not forget the hotels and restaurants.   You’ll be in the Christmas spirit wherever you eat and stay.  We love to stay at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa. When you enter in the driveway, you will face an enormous Christmas tree in front of the resort welcoming you, plus decorations all over the resort.  One late afternoon in December, we sat on the porch facing the Christmas tree sipping a glass of wine and watching the sunset.  Not bad at all!

If you’re looking for a different experience and atmosphere for a next trip to the Wine Country, try it in December.  You’ll not only get the Christmas spirit but also fewer tourists (but please don’t tell everyone).

Joyeux Noël

There is a lot of wine to taste in Napa Valley but some wineries offer something extra, which is art.  Turnbull Winery (www.turnbullwines.com) is one of them.  They have a rotating exhibition of historic black and white photographs in the Gallery Tasting Room, that they change twice a year.  Patrick O’Dell, the winery owner, has a vast collection that he puts on display.  The current show is an Ansel Adams retrospective, with some of the most famous of his silver gelatin prints up on the walls.   Each time we’ve been to Turnbull, we were so pleased by their exhibition but did not spend enough time strolling around.   We promised ourselves that the next time we will plan more time just to visit the exhibition which is always amazing … and of course taste their wine.

The building is beautiful, in a wooden barn-style with high ceilings and “Napa style” décor. While at the bar for the tasting you’re facing a large window from which you can enjoy the view of the garden and the vineyard.  They have built a beautiful green vegetable garden and when we mentioned how interesting and pretty it was, they offered us some vegetables.  Unfortunately we could not accept because we were staying at a hotel.

You can either have your tasting in the tasting room or outside in the garden where they have chairs and tables and also a fire pit for cooler days.

The guys are extremely nice and knowledgeable.  We were invited to bring our glass of wine with us and have a tour of their barrel room where all their wines from the last harvest were resting.  It was in December; the crush was in the barrels; everything was spic & span; an employee was making the Christmas decorations; and it smelled so delicious, we just wanted to stay there!

They are not pretentious and it’s worth a stop for a tasting because they know how to make great wines.  They say that some producers make good wine in a bad year and Turnbull’s 2011’s are proof of the saying.    Turnbull is certainly on our top list for our next visit to Napa.