Return to Napa
Wineries and various restaurants
Tasted Sunday, March 6, 2022 - Sunday, March 13, 2022 by MC2 Wines with 714 views
Introduction
Slowly we are heading back towards normalcy and being back in Napa makes it feel even more so.
Lots going on in the valley. Fires are now a way of life and many of the wineries have fire consultants to help them think about how to preserve their buildings/etc. from the risk. Insurance is now a lot more popular. Not something that was talked about before and sounds like many wineries did not take advantage in the past but it has mattered to them.
Succession is another one as the sale of Shafer was fairly recent and many wineries mentioned that people do reach out and there are offers.
Have also noticed that for the first time Napa does seem to be thinking about the more subtle and subdued approach to wine and it's coming out in different styles. Many of the wines we've been drinking are pretty restrained. And in that same vein the concept of aged wine seems to be a bit more embraced (although I’m not sure that that isn’t some combination of people knowing that’s important to us and us finding the places that have that same credo).
Also a bit interesting across vintages as many were pouring 2018 or maybe 2019. Both of those are Goldilocks style vintages - good weather throughout. We had a few 2017s though and for me those were almost always more interesting wines esp if a was a good producer.
To have a 2020 vintage or to not have one - that is the question. For some wineries it was fairly easy decision. For others it was more of a struggle. Yields down from 2018/19 regardless. Will be interesting to see how it goes. Thankfully the priciest ones seem to recognize they can’t afford to sell a wine with even a potential of smoke taint. It’s an imprecise science but some places donated their grapes to the scientists at Davis so maybe with time we’ll know more.
A pretty amazing trip. Feels like we’re finding our stride with the Napa visits.
Flight 1 - Family Brunch @ Spruce (1 Note)
Enormous wine list which we just scratched the surface of. Interesting 3 course prix fixe with a lobster benedict as one of the signature courses. Perhaps it was because we had just finished Charleston Food & Wine, but for me the fries were the best part.
Flight 2 - Friends dinner @ Bouchon (3 Notes)
Perhaps my favorite onion soup on the planet and definitely two of our most favorite dinner companions. The 2010 Progeny was killer and a really special treat to try.
Flight 3 - Tasting @ Lokoya (7 Notes)
A perpetual favorite for us - I think we've been coming back here for +/- 10 years. An original spot and continues to impress. I was esp impressed with the Diamond Mtn although all of the wines are stunning.
Flight 4 - Lunch @ Don Giovanni (3 Notes)
So funny that not only have we never been here but I'm pretty sure we've never heard of it. Food was good. It's a who's who of wine people in the restaurant including our lunch companion who always bowls me over with his knowledge (and knowledge clearly beyond just Napa). We tried and somewhat succeeded to introduce a few new producers. I esp liked that Benetiere - can see why this is such a popular producer these days.
Flight 5 - Tasting @ BOND (7 Notes)
We of course missed Scott but had a wonderful tasting. It's been really interesting to see these wines over time and start to get to know them better. The Melbury as the first wine which always welcomes you to the line-up. The Howell which I always think would be later back but is actually in the right spot. The Vecina which is always powerful. This year the Pluribus was really singing (often it's a second favorite of mine behind the St Eden).
Flight 6 - Dinner @ Mustards (5 Notes)
Perhaps one of my favorite bites of the trip was the burger here. Always good solid food. Nice company. And an interesting line-up. Not often you do a bunch of ZH wines in a mini-horizontal of sorts.
Flight 7 - Tasting @ Smith Madrone (6 Notes)
Of all the places we visit on a regular basis I'd call this the most under the radar gem. The wine is great. The Riesling is different and interesting. Stu and Charlie have 50+ years in Napa now and lots of stories for how it worked. And mostly things have stayed pretty reasonable (the Cooks Flat is their pricier one but unlike other wineries with that type of 'special cuvee' they do seem to only make it in very exceptional vintages).
Flight 8 - Tasting @ Blankiet (8 Notes)
Been a few years since we've been back here and it was a really nice re-introduction. Really like the house style and it's clear there's a lot of love that goes into the creation of the wine. Normally I'm a Rive Droite person and I do think this is some of the best Merlot in the valley. Today however, the Mythicus kindof bowled me over. It was drinking incredible well.
Flight 9 - Tasting @ VHR (2 Notes)
It is always lovely to spend an afternoon with Bruce. He is a fountain of knowledge about wine and a genuinely wonderful human being (and the fact he makes great wine doesn't hurt either).
Small note - Bruce kindly gifted us the bottle and Friday evening (3 days later) we drank the rest and it was beyond good. Great stuffing.
Flight 10 - Dinner @ Press (4 Notes)
We'd been pre-warned that the restaurant had changed their concept quite dramatically. This is no longer a steakhouse. The food is more refined and smaller portion. No more bacon tasting. It made sense when we learned the former Laundry chef du cuisine is now the head chef here. I quite enjoyed all of the bites we had and it worked very well to share a number of different courses. Wine list also still the same and one of the most impressive ones for Napa ones you'll see.
Flight 11 - Tasting @ Dunn (6 Notes)
Almost ten years ago NY Vintners did ones of the best dinners we've been to focused on Dunn wines. Mike and Kara were both there. Went back to the 80's. Clearly showed that the wines stand the test of time. Since then we've been lucky to have some large formats of the older wines and they are a go-to for me (even the Napa Valley which is still quite a lot of Howell Mtn fruit).
Flight 12 - Lunch @ Auberge (1 Note)
Mea culpa because I picked this mostly because I thought it was the closest spot to our visits and it just wasn’t what we were in the mood for at the time. The Nicolas Joly was nice though.
Flight 13 - Tasting @ Seavey (6 Notes)
A few years ago our CT Santa got us an ‘04 Merlot from here with a suggestion that this a winery that would be right in our sweet spot and they were indeed quite right. A very robust library of wines and a clear focus on creating wines that will improve with age. Julio was a wonderful host and did a nice job telling the story of the winery and the family. Definitely a place to return to.
Flight 14 - Tasting @ Arkenstone (7 Notes)
Another one of the early spots we visited and always an old favorite. It was a beautiful clear day so we went to check out the view to SF and then moved through the line-up. The SB was excellent as always and it was very fun to check in on an old Obsidian. We still have some of the early years and it seems they are indeed going strong/still a bit too young yet.
Flight 15 - Dinner @ Torc (4 Notes)
Wonderful restaurant with a bunch of interesting dishes. We hadn’t been here for a few years but good as always. And of course the company was pretty great too.
Flight 16 - Tasting @ Continuum (2 Notes)
A place that over the years we’ve been coming seems to be finding itself and growing into things. That could also be because the early vintages were purchased fruit and then it was cab that came online first but now the cab franc plays a much bigger role and I’m really a fan of the blend. Funny visit because no matter how many years you go there’s always a desire to walk through the winery. Some changes coming with a planned cave, but mostly very similar to the last few times we’ve been there.
Flight 17 - Tasting @ Ovid (4 Notes)
Unfortunately work intruded quite a bit on this visit and so I don’t think my notes are as on top of things as I’d like and I didn’t really get to spend the time to follow the wines in the glass. Did have one of those ‘the world is so small’ when we realized that the woman tasting us through the wines had been born and grown up in the house on the other side of our block. Fun to get the reminders that the world is a lot more interconnected than it sometimes feels.
Flight 18 - Tasting @ Vangone (4 Notes)
Just a super visit. Met Mark at Soda Canyon Store and then popped up to the vineyard which is truly in its own world (surrounded only really by nature, not even lots of other vineyards). Property purchased in ‘93 and developed in ‘11 and lots of work done in thinking through the right clones/rootstock/blocks. There is something about walking through great vineyards where it’s just easier to ‘get’ the wine. Finished with a tasting overlooking a reservoir and the valley. Completely charming. Of all the wineries we went to the one that was least know (I had to add a few of these wines to CT) but I’d definitely recommend.
Flight 19 - Dinner @ Farmstead (6 Notes)
Fun to realize that you will be in Napa at the same time as some other friends and so we made plans for dinner Thursday with them and the Macdonalds. Food was lovely as always here and an interesting line-up of wines that I think mostly showed pretty well. I was pretty beat from a week of trying to keep up half days of work and full days of wine tastings/dinners and so it says something that I felt more energized post dinner than before.
Flight 20 - Tasting @ Ridge (9 Notes)
A perpetual favorite of ours which we discovered a bit late to the game (probably because in Sonoma which we weren’t visiting originally). Wines are great and some of the best QPRs I know of and the Monte Bello has to be one of the best California wines produced period. Great tasting with Dave and many thanks to Ryan who helped make the appointment work out.
Flight 21 - Lunch at Diavola (1 Note)
Recommendation from Verite and this was a great one. We were stumped on what we wanted and found ourselves ordering a pizza, pasta, and taco dish. Way too much food but all basically delicious. A spot we’d definitely look to revisit.
Flight 22 - Tasting @ Verite (5 Notes)
This is another favorite of mine. The wine and style and approach are all just completely simpatico and the wines they are making can only be described as super. I also love the vintage chart and the ability to see how things go over time. Love these wines and Jena is an absolutely fantastic host.
Flight 23 - Dinner @ Wit & Wisdom (2 Notes)
Great recommendation from Bradley but then everyone we mentioned it to who had gone reiterated it was a good spot. One of the better meals we had as part of this. Their burger was killer (better than the Mustards one) and the wine list was really interesting and fun and overall a place I’d love to return. The only catch is I had not realized it’s a full hour from where we were tasting and so we ended up egregiously late (although they were total class on that too).
Flight 24 - Tasting @ Memento Mori (6 Notes)
Our third Sam Kaplan winery of the trip! This is perhaps one of his best reviewed versions. A bit closer to the big Napa, drink immediately, fruit dominated style although you can see Sam poking through in it and wow was the ‘13 showing that some patience can make a huge difference with these wines.
Flight 25 - Tasting @ Raen (5 Notes)
Only Pinot of the trip. We had first been introduced to the wine at a Continuum tasting in the city and then purchased a bottle last year at our club (we’re lucky they have good taste in wine) and since then it’s a place I’ve kept an eye out. My ideal burgundy is cherry driven with some floral and maybe a hint of spice but mostly the fruit and light and elegant and this is all of that. Clearly a lot of influence from wines all over the world. It’s been a very long time since I signed up for a wine club but I was sold.
Flight 26 - Tasting @ Progeny (6 Notes)
An old favorite and a place that we’ve really seen grow and develop over the years. Now there’s a full out tasting building and office buildings and of course a winery (at the time we first started trying the wine it was just a little house at the front of the property). The chef is always amazing and the pairings were perfect even when I found myself skeptical (red Rhône wine paired with trout?). Fantastic way to finish up our wine visits.
Flight 27 - Bites and sips at Regiis Ova (1 Note)
We’d heard some news of this place and so when we had a bit of extra time before dinner (incidentally at the taco place that TK opened a few years ago) then we took the opportunity to check it out. It’s a slightly gluttonous totally wonderful spot. Only suggestion would be adding a touch more growers to the list (it’s mostly big houses). But the dishes were all great (including the fried chicken and caviar which really is a pretty amazing combination). Managed to find a good bottle and got to start catching up with some old friends. Overall a success.
(The dinner at La Calenda featured margaritas and sangria and thus no notes from that)
Closing
Wow - so what a trip. Looking back on this it’s pretty impressive that we got through the week. Some general favorites:
2018 Diamond Lokoya, 2018 BOND Pluribus, 2013 Blankiet Mythicus, 1995 Seavey, 2016 Dunn Howell, 1998 Verite La Joie, 2019 VHR (on the third day), 2017 Raen Sea/Home Field…. I’m missing some. There was a lot of great wine and so I’m trying to just mention the truly exceptional.
Lots of new spots and some that I’d definitely want to keep.
Great food overall. I think we started the week perhaps a bit too refined and appreciated shifting to a bit less so. Model Bakery still has the best breakfast/breakfast sandwich although we did give the Station and the Acacia House go’s. Best meal Wit & Wisdom (just prepare for the long haul). Best new discovery was the Regiis and Ova. Definitely missed our Azteca Market lunch which we normally do (and while the TK tacos are good, I’m not sure they beat those).
Shoutout to our driver John who has a neverending knowledge of the valley and enables us to always drink that extra pour that gets offered.
Lots of reconnecting with friends after a 2 year hiatus where the world was definitely different. Great to see everyone and share some bottles.
Looking forward to 2023!
2015 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Terre de Vertus
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
(3/6/2022)
Off the list at Spruce in SF. Some bubbles to pair with brunch. This is always an enjoyable wine and a producer that I am starting to focus a bit more on. It's light and brioche and apparently longer aging on the lees but then low/no dosage so quite crisp and fresh. Enjoyable.
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