Having grown up in a household of wine enthusiasts, I have always understood the importance of enjoying a good bottle of wine. Whether it is an expensive bottle of Chardonnay, a mass-produced bottle of cabernet or even a bottle of homemade wine, I appreciate first-class wine. During my recent first-time trip to Napa Valley, California, I had the chance to enjoy many good wines (and even some great ones), meet some wonderful people and take in the beautiful scenery in this historic area most famous for its wines.
My husband, Gerard, and I had done copious amounts of research both on the internet and in books about the area so that we knew where we should go in the short time we had in Napa. On our first day we briefly stopped at Domaine Carneros and used the Taste of Napa cards that we purchased over the Internet. This was a great find from our research, allowing us to taste at 14 different tasting rooms in downtown Napa (they are supposed to charge you an additional ten cents a taste, but most don’t charge at all). The second and final day we had hired a private driver to take us to several wineries throughout the Napa region. With the help of our research and advice from several friends, we decided to visit only four. We would start way up north in Calistoga at Chateau Montelena, then head to Schramsberg (a winery known for their sparkling wine), followed by a much anticipated visit to Charbay (a winery and distillery in the St. Helena region) and finally Rubicon (the winery owned by Francis Ford Coppola).
Day 1 Saturday February 13, 2010-
We started our trip with a very early flight from New York to San Francisco, allowing us to arrive at SFO early despite the fact that we were definitely still groggy. The two of us were embarking on our mid-winter break from all the snow and craziness that surrounds a winter in the New York City metropolitan area. When we arrived at the rental counter things began to look up for me and Gerard. The person behind the counter was extremely friendly and they had even upgraded us to a Mustang convertible! As we exited the rental car garage onto the freeway heading north to Napa County we expected to see an amazing view of San Francisco in all her glory. To our dismay all we saw was fog. Despite this fact, it was great to be in the warm California air with the top down on our convertible and the wind flowing through our hair.
As we pulled into our first stop, Domaine Carneros, I noticed that the building itself was very close to the road and no matter where you were outside you could hear the constant flow of cars as they passed by. Despite this, it is difficult to ignore the spectacular grounds of the winery. As we made our way up a long staircase to this enormous chateau, we suddenly felt as if we had been transported to the French countryside.
As my husband and I made our way up to the chateau we began to notice that the entire outside area was filled with people, mostly with couples and surprisingly a few small children running around. We walked into the entrance of the great building and were greeted by the guest service counter, as well as a variety of items that they had for sale. Although we were given the option of a tour, a tasting in the dining area, or a tasting in the outdoor area, we opted to sit outside in the unseasonably warm and sunny weather. We quickly found a table for two outside and were greeted immediately by a server. After a little deliberation, my husband and I decided to order the grand tasting and the sparkling cheese platter. We had opted to visit Domaine Carneros first because we both enjoy sparkling wine and it helps that this is one of the first wineries upon entering Napa County. The atmosphere sitting outside was enjoyable, but the tables seemed as if they were placed in any spot that they could fit. The wine and the cheese were both delicious, but because of the amount of people and restaurant style of service it just lacked that authentic winery feeling. It probably didn’t help that we literally came directly from a six hour flight and were in desperate need to rest and refresh!
After a short drive up Route 29 to our hotel we checked in, showered and made our way to downtown Napa. Luckily, we found a cab driver waiting just outside our hotel allowing us the ease of getting to our destination for the evening. I spoke with our cab driver about Napa and he was able to give my husband and I some great information about the area (He had been raised in Napa and recently returned back). The Oxbow Market was our first stop, a great market that is located in downtown Napa where you can find interesting and delicious foods such as sweet tart ice cream and s’more cupcakes. In the back of the Oxbow is a wine bar where we began our tasting. The bar itself had a great selection of local wine, cheese and other little things. With our Taste of Downtown Napa card we received a two-ounce taste of one wine. Although the wine was nothing to write home about, the bar itself was interesting.
Following the tasting at the Oxbow, we made our way across the street to the tasting room Uncorked at Oxbow. This was a wonderful tasting room run by a woman, Celeste, and her husband. It was very enjoyable tasting there, as Celeste and her husband poured copious amounts of wine, all the while telling great stories. Gerard and I had a fabulous time speaking with both of them and not only enjoyed their company, but also enjoyed their wine. This was one of the more liberal tasting rooms in terms of the amount of wines that you get to taste.
The next destination in downtown Napa was a tasting room that we had been dreaming of visiting since we rented the movie Bottle Shock (for those of you who have not seen the movie, it is a dramatization of the story behind the Napa Valley wineries’ defeat of the French in 1976, primarily focusing on Chateau Montelena and Gustavo Brambila). The tasting room was Gustavo Thrace, a winery started by Gustavo Brambila and Thrace Bromberger. The tasting room was very plain with some memorabilia from the movie along with wine bottles placed all around this small tasting room. All of the wines that we tried were good and in the twenty to thirty dollar range, but they had one wine that blew us away for its value and taste: The Third Bottle (called such because it was designed to be the one bottle you open after you have had two other expensive wines and should not open yet another). A bottle of The Third Bottle costs about twelve dollars, but tastes like its more expensive counterparts. The other draw to the Gustavo Thrace tasting room is that often times Gustavo will be there for extended periods of time! To our excitement, you can even order wine and actually have him sign as many bottles as you would like.
Day 2 Sunday, February 14, 2010-
The next day we woke up around 8:00 AM so that we could hopefully beat the rush for our 25 mile drive up to Chateau Montelena in Calistoga. With the help of our driver Jack, the owner of Swanson Wine Tours, we were able to do just that. Jack was a great driver, having lived in Sonoma for the past thirty years with as many great tidbits about the area as stories regarding his many adventures throughout his life. We arrived at Chateau Montelena at around 9:30 AM with absolutely no crowds, allowing us to get this great picture of us in front of the Chateau itself with absolutely no one else in the background. The entire property at Chateau Montelena is breathtaking; the Japanese gardens, the Chateau itself, and even the fountain as you walk into the tasting room. We walked into the tasting room with extremely high expectations of all of their wine! Since we are very familiar with their Chardonnay, we knew that it was important for this to be our first stop when our taste buds were ripe and ready. We enjoyed many of the wines that we had tasted before, along with one that is only available at the winery or to members of the wine club. The Chateau Montelena Riesling was another great wine for a reasonable price of $24. I could picture Gerard and I enjoying this chilled on one of those sweltering New York summer nights, the sweet and crisp aspects of this wine holding the humidity at bay. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about the wine and was great when answering any of our questions. Unfortunately after about an hour, the crowds started to filter into the tasting room and the personal service that we had experienced at the beginning of our visit slowly dissipated due to the growing number of visitors in the tasting room. When I asked our server if it was always like this, he had said at one point during the day before it was almost wall-to-wall people. Although our experience was very individual, I could not see that happening all day long because of the amount of people that come in and out of this winery on a daily basis.
The next stop on our tour of wineries was Schramsberg, the favorite sparkling wine of the White House. The house built by the original owner of the winery still stands and is now a California State landmark. We originally decided to visit this winery because of the intricate cave system that had been dug into the side of the mountain to store their wine. These are not the modern caves that we see today, but were dug for the original owner in the late 1800’s by hand. In order to take the tour you must make a reservation well in advance of your visit, due to the popularity of the winery. This tour is definitely worth it, as it teaches you not only the art of making sparkling wine, but also the history of the winery itself.
After a quick bag lunch, we were on our way up the mountain to enjoy what we would soon discover to be the jewel of our trip to Napa, the Charbay winery and distillery. After fighting through the mid-day traffic, we made a right away from the main strip towards the mountains. As we made our way up the curvy mountain road, it was great to enjoy the old growth redwood trees and the streams that trickled down the mountain. After about ten or fifteen minutes on this mountain road, we slowly turned off onto the road that the winery was located on. The road was unpaved and we slowly made our way up to the wineries entrance (it is easy to see why most people don’t make the trip off Route 29, but after our fabulous experience I hope many more will follow our footsteps).
As we pulled up to the tasting room at Charbay, the natural beauty of the mountain region was evident, coupled with the sound of cars and tourists fading into the all-encompassing nature around us. There are no great gimmicks to draw in crowds here, just a small building with the tools of their trade surrounding you. As you enter the tasting room, you see that it serves many purposes with a small bar to the right and products on display to the left. As we sat down to our tasting there was only a small group next to us, so I knew we would get excellent service and instruction on their wines and other products.
Mark, a transplant from New Zealand, was both excellent at explaining everything about the products, as well as providing a great atmosphere to enjoy all that they had to offer. The first thing we noticed about the tasting is how different it is in comparison to other wineries. Charbay makes some of the staple wines that people expect to see, but what makes them so special is their spirit of ingenuity. It seems even when they do something well, they want to try to do more. Their most recent idea, aperitifs, was one of the best libations that Gerard and I had tasted the whole time we were in Napa. These ready to drink cocktails have a wonderful flavor that needs no mixers of any type to enjoy.
We loved talking with everyone at this winery/distillery, because it was clear that it was not only a job for the employees but it was actually a passion. For example, the way that they would describe the process of using the whole fruit when making their flavored vodkas or when Mark began to talk about the spice rack of spirits that they can’t wait to bring to the market. There is a reason for the warmth and the passion that you feel during your tasting there, that reason is family. Everyone who we met at Charbay is either family or a person who is treated like family. We were lucky enough to sit and talk with one of the owners of Charbay, Susan Karakasevic. Susan founded Charbay with her husband, Miles. Their son, Marko, was recently named their newest master distiller after a long apprenticeship under his father. This tasting was truly a one of a kind experience and the people who work there make you so comfortable that it is hard not to fall in love with the wine as well as the place itself. I would like to personally thank both Susan and Mark for making this the best experience of our weekend in Napa.
There are so many great things coming out of Charbay that it is hard to talk about them all, but I would be remiss if I did not talk about the Charbay whiskey that I was able to taste recently. I was able to get my hands on a bottle of their whiskey's second release and I have to say that this is like no other whiskey that I have ever tasted. Most people who drink whiskey are purists who believe that there is only one way it should taste and only certain flavors it should have. When I first sipped it, I immediately noticed how smooth it was for its relatively young age. Its flavor, which most people would say does not taste like your traditional whiskey, was something entirely new. The hops from the beer gave it a distinct flavor that would not be possible from making a whiskey from just a “distiller’s beer.” If you taste this with an open mind you can take it for what it is, something wonderful that is taking distilling whiskey in a whole new direction. If you wish to visit the Charbay distillery, make sure to call ahead so they know that you’re coming and have enough time to show you the warm experience I know you will have.