A Glass of Wine, A Slice of Cheese, and Thou...
It has become somewhat of a tradition that my Mom and I take Memorial Day weekend to have a girls' weekend out. The past two years we have journeyed south to California Wine Country. This is the saga of our weekend
Mom came by and picked me up at work about 2:45. I was the last one left at the office before the weekend, so I closed up shop and we left. We were using a new parking service, and it was Friday, and Memorial Day weekend, so we figured we'd better allow for extra time. Of course, we were early, and the flight was late.
We spent some time hanging out at the new Northwest MarketPlace at the airport, bought some sandwiches to take on the plane, had a coffee, and chatted for a couple of hours until it was time to board. It's a nice place to hang out, for an airport. Then, a quick flight, in which even the flight attendant coveted my prosciutto and swiss pannini. Arrive Sacramento, around 8:30 in the evening. Get the rental car.
Now we paid less than $40 for the rental car for the whole weekend, unlimited mileage. We shouldn't have had high expectations for this car. But it had little, annoying quirks that immediately drove us crazy. First of all, the turn signal made a loud popping noise. Like when someone fidgets with their Snapple cap. But Louder. Then, the lock on the trunk was sticky and didn’t always want to let us have our stuff. Finally, the seatbelt on the driver’s side had lost it’s little knob that keeps the buckle within reach, so diving for the buckle was always an adventure. But what can you expect for $13.00 a day?
On the drive from Sacramento to Santa Rosa, we had one exciting moment. We passed what we initially took to be a bonfire on one of the frontage roads. It turned out to be a car, fully engulfed in flames. Since we didn’t hear about it in the news later, I'm assuming that no one was in this car. They would have been dead.
Finally, we arrive in Santa Rosa, and find our hotel. Courtyard by Marriott. Middle of the road hotel. Normally, we'd've stayed at a B&B, but by the time we got around to booking this, they were long full. So CbM it was. Problems with our room included no mini-fridge, a bathroom fan that sounds like a jet engine on takeoff, beds that Fred Flintstone would have found hard, and a bathtub that won’t retain water. However: it’s not home, so we suck it up and get some rest.
The next morning, Mom is up at Oh God Thirty, as usual. I manage to “sleep-in” until 8. We get dressed and head over to the Old Town to our favorite café: Flying Goat Coffee. Heavenly pastries and lovingly made lattes make being awake at that time in the morning almost bearable. We decide to take a day to relax, and head over to Point Reyes National Seashore and go to the beach. Along the way, we *have* to stop at the Marin French Cheese Company for some of the best soft cheeses in the world. I buy a couple of breakfast cheeses (like a brie, but milder in flavor) some garlic brie and a round of the smoothest chevre I've ever tasted. Pop them in the cooler, and off to the beach we go!
We arrive at Drakes beach, on the south side of Pt. Reyes. It's not nearly as crowded as it was last year. Yay! We grab some lunch at the little café on the beach (good fish and excellent garlic chips) then hit the sand. We wander past all the family units, and give ourselves a good bit of room to spare, then camp out on the beach for a couple of hours. The only people who got close were a group of 6 very well behaved pre-teen girls who were supervised by a 30-ish man and his wife. The guy did a great job of managing the girls (keeping them entertained and undisruptive at the same time - a fine balance) and everyone seemed to have a good time. Including us.
About 4, we packed up and headed back to Santa Rosa, taking the scenic route through Occidental. It's a funky little hippy town in the middle of nowhere, with lots of great boutiques. We shopped for a while, and when things started closing down, we went back to town to get ready for dinner.
We walked across the street to the Brasserie at the Hyatt (formerly the Vinyard Inn.) I had the Dunginess Crab, Mango, and Avocado Salad, then a Chicken and Andouille sausage rice soup, followed by the Monkfish Medallions over Spring Vegetables. Mom had the Salmon Brochette, then a Spinich Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinagrette, followed by the Poached Sole in a light seafood cream sauce, garnished with clams and mussels. This was accompanied by a bottle of 2002 Robert Stemmler Carneros Pinot Noir. For dessert, we both had the Chevre Citrus Cheesecake. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
Early to bed, early to rise. Day two started again at the Flying Goat, to plan our route over coffee. We decided to head north to the Dry Creek area, and come back via the Russian River. And we’re off!
Our first stop was the Seghesio Winery in Healdsburg. We stopped here because the book listed a Sangiovese, along with a Barbera (which I had never tried, but Mom used to like.) We tasted their full flight, which included:
2004 Pinot Grigio - I'm not much of a white wine drinker, but I taste them because my beloved husband is, and I’m always on the lookout for something I think he’d like. This was okay, but a bit oakey for our tastes.
2002 Sangiovese - Pretty good, but young. We’ve ordered a couple of bottles from their website, and will let it age a couple more years before we pop another cork and give it a try.
2003 Arneis - I didn't care for this at all. Too much like a Chardonnay for me.
2003 Home Ranch Zinfandel - strong blackberry and cherry notes, with a nice peppery finish. This was my favorite from this Winery.
2003 Cortina Zinfandel - Overwhelmingly cherry - almost too sweet for a table wine. Tasty, though… Perhaps with a nice hearty seafood gumbo…
Unfortunately, they weren't tasting the Barbera that day. We had resolved not to buy anything, so we took notes and vowed to order from the website.
Next stop: the Dry Creek Vineyards. We did a couple from their standard flight, then moved to the Reserve room for a full flight of the good stuff:
2002 Reserve Fumé Blanc - not bad, but not Mike's taste, I think. They said peach and apricot, but I got mango and citrus.
2002 Taylor’s Vineyard Charodonnay - Surprising! I actually liked it! Quite fruity, not much acidity…Worth giving Mike a taste. We ordered some
2001 Estate Bottled Merlot - we did a side by side tasting with this and the 2000 Reserve Merlot. The difference was amazing! The estate bottled was so much fuller and softer, even for being a younger wine. The fruit was much more distinct (blackberry all over, where the reserve was just kind of plummy.) We ordered this one to try with food, too.
(Okay, so it wasn’t a full flight. We skipped the Meritage and the Cabs, not being cab people.)
2001 Old Vines (Beeson Ranch) Zinfandel - This was tasted side-by-side with the Heritage below. I liked this one better. Good berry flavor, with a slight spice. Quite earthy, as these vines average 85 years old, with the oldest at 109. I'll probably order a bottle of this to try with food (the real test of a wine, for me.)
2002 Heritage (Somers Ranch) Zinfandel - A nice wine, but not as good as the above “old vine.” They took grafts from the old vines and put them on new vines about 20 years ago. This wine is the product. A bit spicier, but not as well rounded.
2001 Late Harvest Zinfandel - my first taste of a late harvest red. I fell in love. Berries explode in your mouth with the smallest sip, with a vanilla finish that is just perfect. I broke the rules and bought a half-bottle. I can’t wait to try it with some chocolates!
We headed back up the hillside to the Dry Creek General Store to pick up picnic supplies for lunch. Olives, bread, cheese, tortellini pesto salad, salami, and oven roasted vegetables. Back to the Dry Creek Vineyards to picnic in the shade. No wine with lunch.
After lunch, we duck across the street for a quick peek at Passalacqua Winery. Passalacqua belonged to Robert Stemmler (one of our favorite vintners) about 10 years ago. We wanted to compare and contrast. Here’s what they had on offer:
2003 Sauvignon Blanc - not my thing.
2002 Zinfandel - okay, but not as good as what we tried across the road.
2002 Merlot - nothing special
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - just a sip told me “yep - a cab. Not worth going further for.”
Not a terribly impressive showing. It just goes to show that the vintner works very hard to make a good wine, and a poor vintner (which this guy isn't, he’s just not exceptional) can ruin great grapes.
Next stop: Armida Winery. I'm not posting a link because they aren’t worth checking out. We left after the first two wines in their flight, because it was crowded and loud, and the wines weren’t very good. A disappointment. But the next stop made it all worthwhile.
Rochioli Vineyards. They don’t have a website, which is a shame. They were only tasting 2 wines; both were wonderful.
2003 Sauvignon Blanc - Lovely light wine, with a great balance of spice and citrusy fruit. I would have bought a bottle, but then we tasted:
2003 Estate Cuveé Pinot Noir - plum and black cherry, with a well balanced peppery finish. As least as good as our beloved Robert Stemmler. We bought a bottle each.
Our last stop of the day was at Topolos. I’d post their website, but the vineyards have been purchased and escrow was happening this week. We tasted a couple; nothing memorable except a 2001 Zin Port. Mom bought 2 bottles - one for her, one for a friend.
We headed back to Santa Rosa, and got ready for dinner at John Ash & Co. I started with the Tempura-ed Softshelled Crab with Papaya and Blood Orange Chutney, followed by Grilled Ono with Bamboo Rice and Steamed Brocolini. Mom had the Wild Mushroom Ravioli, followed by the Seared Halibut with Moroccan Cous-Cous and Sautéed Spring Squashes. With dinner, we tried the 2002 Rochioli Reserva Pinot Noir. Dessert was Meyer Lemon Angelfood Cake with Fresh Strawberries for me, and Vanilla Bean Crème Brule with Grilled Pineapple for Mom. 3 hours very well spent.
Day Three
Woke up, packed our bags, checked out of the hotel. Headed to Flying Goat for one last wonderful mocha, then headed for the Sonoma Valley. Our first stop was not a winery! Just outside of a little town called Glen Ellen, there is The Olive Press. And, just like it sounds, they press olive oil. It was the wrong season to see them pressing (just like wine, it’s done in the fall) but we did get to taste about 10 varieties of olive oil. From one so light it barely even coated your tongue to (my personal favorite) the Blood Orange Oil, where they crush oranges right in with the olives and extract the essential oils from the skins. They were all amazing. I picked up a couple of bottles, Mom did too, then we headed to our first winery of the day.
Imagery is located just south of Glen Ellen on SR12. They have obviously just recently remodeled and relandscaped their tasting room. Their tasting room also doubles as an art gallery for more than 150 pieces they have used on various wine labels. Each year, each variety gets a new label by a new artist. It's quite interesting. Anway, on to the important stuff: The wine. They had a set flight, but our pourer varied from it, after listening to what we like and what we don’t. I'll try to remember everything.
2004 Viognier: I’d never even heard of Viognier, let alone tasted it before. An extremely light white, almost tart with citrus. Not quite my style. It was quickly overshadowed by:
2004 WOW Oui (Sauvignon Blanc & Muscat Canelli blend) As I said before, I’m not much of a white wine drinker, but this was GOOD! Very light, a little citrusy, and very tasty!
(another white that wasn’t as impressive - a white burgundy?)
2002 Sangiovese: normally, Sangioveses tend to taste a little fuller than this one. I think it could use another year. Tasty, but still young.
2002 Barbera: They weren’t really tasting this on their flight, but we asked about it specifically, and they dug up a bottle for us. Very berry-y, with a slightly spicy (clove maybe?) finish. A very nice surprise.
2002 Petite Sirah: Mom isn’t much of a Sirah drinker, so we hadn’t been tasting them. At the urging of the pourer, we tried this petite sirah. It was well balanced, with definite plum and pepper notes. Petites are generally even bolder than Sirahs, but this was excellent.
2002 Sunny Slope Cabernet Sauvignon: Again, not much of a Cab drinker. This was nice, for a Cab. They also produce Merlots out of this vineyard, which I would be very curious about, as merlots are more my speed.
2004 Muscato di Canelli: I was doubtful at first, as the white desert wines tend to be syrupy and heavy (so do the reds but I like them better.) This was sweet, but not too sweet, and very floral. Another great surprise.
2003 Petit Sirah Port: Very jammy and sweet. I would be more likely to pour this over ice cream than to sip it with chocolates.
We ended up buy 6 bottles between the two of us (2 WOW Oui, 2 Barbera, and 2 Petite Sirah) and having them shipped. And mom joined the wine club. We were VERY impressed with almost everything we tasted here. But we had to keep moving…
Our last Wine stop of the weekend was at the Wine Room (no link because their website is out of date.) Owned by Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers, this tasting room in Kenwood features the products of six local family wineries who don’t have tasting rooms of their own. The vintners work the counter, giving you the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the source. It's a pretty cool idea, in a laid-back setting. Here's what we tried:
2004 Adler Fels Gewurztraminer - Light and spicy, the way a good Gewurz should be.
2003 Moondance Cellars Pinot Noir - Quite a nice sipping wine, quite fruity, but not quite the spice I look for in a good Pinot. I'd like to give it a try with some food.
1998 Adler Fels Alterra Sangiovese - Blah. They said plum and blackberry, but the flavors were so blurred it was just sort of yeah, fruit, whatever. Not the best I’ve tried.
1999 Smothers Remick Merlot - Tasted side by side with the Merlot below. Not as good, by a long shot.
2002 Moondance Cellars Merlot - Very berry. They’re doing a 2002 special reserve that should be even better. I’d buy this if it were offered on their website.
2002 Moondance Cellars Zinfandel - Spicy and with good fruit flavors, but not as good as the …
2002 Moondance Cellars Special Select Zinfandel - Jammy and peppery. Definitely worth the 50% price hike. Very limited production makes this one hard to come by, but worth the hunt.
Sonoma Valley Portworks Duet Cream Sherry - It's like drinking a hazelnut. I’d put this over ice cream, add it to coffee, or sip it as is. Excellent!
I also bought a Moondance Valley Garlic Cream Mustard here that was just delicious.
Now we need to get over to the Napa Valley for lunch at V. Sattui. We discovered the deli at this winery last year. The wine is really nothing special, but the deli is to die for. So we high-tail it over the ridge to try and squeeze in one more winery before lunch, but alas, it was not meant to be. The trip over the ridge took too long, so we headed straight for V. Sattui. For our last picnic lunch, we had Marinated Seafood Salad, Chicken and Almond Salad, Oven Roasted Vegetables, and German Potato Salad. We wade through the throngs and find a place in the shade to enjoy.
Off to the airport, to fly back home. Return the rental car, get toted to the airport, get my foot run over by an unapologetic old man with an uncontrolled suitcase. Go to the gate. Find out our flight won’t be departing until after it was scheduled to arrive. Finally get back to Seattle. Find out some guy has pushed his girlfriend off the parking garage, so getting to our car will be hell. Finally get home very late, but after a great weekend. Next year, we plan to spend more time in Napa, and eat at the French Laundry.
Mom came by and picked me up at work about 2:45. I was the last one left at the office before the weekend, so I closed up shop and we left. We were using a new parking service, and it was Friday, and Memorial Day weekend, so we figured we'd better allow for extra time. Of course, we were early, and the flight was late.
We spent some time hanging out at the new Northwest MarketPlace at the airport, bought some sandwiches to take on the plane, had a coffee, and chatted for a couple of hours until it was time to board. It's a nice place to hang out, for an airport. Then, a quick flight, in which even the flight attendant coveted my prosciutto and swiss pannini. Arrive Sacramento, around 8:30 in the evening. Get the rental car.
Now we paid less than $40 for the rental car for the whole weekend, unlimited mileage. We shouldn't have had high expectations for this car. But it had little, annoying quirks that immediately drove us crazy. First of all, the turn signal made a loud popping noise. Like when someone fidgets with their Snapple cap. But Louder. Then, the lock on the trunk was sticky and didn’t always want to let us have our stuff. Finally, the seatbelt on the driver’s side had lost it’s little knob that keeps the buckle within reach, so diving for the buckle was always an adventure. But what can you expect for $13.00 a day?
On the drive from Sacramento to Santa Rosa, we had one exciting moment. We passed what we initially took to be a bonfire on one of the frontage roads. It turned out to be a car, fully engulfed in flames. Since we didn’t hear about it in the news later, I'm assuming that no one was in this car. They would have been dead.
Finally, we arrive in Santa Rosa, and find our hotel. Courtyard by Marriott. Middle of the road hotel. Normally, we'd've stayed at a B&B, but by the time we got around to booking this, they were long full. So CbM it was. Problems with our room included no mini-fridge, a bathroom fan that sounds like a jet engine on takeoff, beds that Fred Flintstone would have found hard, and a bathtub that won’t retain water. However: it’s not home, so we suck it up and get some rest.
The next morning, Mom is up at Oh God Thirty, as usual. I manage to “sleep-in” until 8. We get dressed and head over to the Old Town to our favorite café: Flying Goat Coffee. Heavenly pastries and lovingly made lattes make being awake at that time in the morning almost bearable. We decide to take a day to relax, and head over to Point Reyes National Seashore and go to the beach. Along the way, we *have* to stop at the Marin French Cheese Company for some of the best soft cheeses in the world. I buy a couple of breakfast cheeses (like a brie, but milder in flavor) some garlic brie and a round of the smoothest chevre I've ever tasted. Pop them in the cooler, and off to the beach we go!
We arrive at Drakes beach, on the south side of Pt. Reyes. It's not nearly as crowded as it was last year. Yay! We grab some lunch at the little café on the beach (good fish and excellent garlic chips) then hit the sand. We wander past all the family units, and give ourselves a good bit of room to spare, then camp out on the beach for a couple of hours. The only people who got close were a group of 6 very well behaved pre-teen girls who were supervised by a 30-ish man and his wife. The guy did a great job of managing the girls (keeping them entertained and undisruptive at the same time - a fine balance) and everyone seemed to have a good time. Including us.
About 4, we packed up and headed back to Santa Rosa, taking the scenic route through Occidental. It's a funky little hippy town in the middle of nowhere, with lots of great boutiques. We shopped for a while, and when things started closing down, we went back to town to get ready for dinner.
We walked across the street to the Brasserie at the Hyatt (formerly the Vinyard Inn.) I had the Dunginess Crab, Mango, and Avocado Salad, then a Chicken and Andouille sausage rice soup, followed by the Monkfish Medallions over Spring Vegetables. Mom had the Salmon Brochette, then a Spinich Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinagrette, followed by the Poached Sole in a light seafood cream sauce, garnished with clams and mussels. This was accompanied by a bottle of 2002 Robert Stemmler Carneros Pinot Noir. For dessert, we both had the Chevre Citrus Cheesecake. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
Early to bed, early to rise. Day two started again at the Flying Goat, to plan our route over coffee. We decided to head north to the Dry Creek area, and come back via the Russian River. And we’re off!
Our first stop was the Seghesio Winery in Healdsburg. We stopped here because the book listed a Sangiovese, along with a Barbera (which I had never tried, but Mom used to like.) We tasted their full flight, which included:
2004 Pinot Grigio - I'm not much of a white wine drinker, but I taste them because my beloved husband is, and I’m always on the lookout for something I think he’d like. This was okay, but a bit oakey for our tastes.
2002 Sangiovese - Pretty good, but young. We’ve ordered a couple of bottles from their website, and will let it age a couple more years before we pop another cork and give it a try.
2003 Arneis - I didn't care for this at all. Too much like a Chardonnay for me.
2003 Home Ranch Zinfandel - strong blackberry and cherry notes, with a nice peppery finish. This was my favorite from this Winery.
2003 Cortina Zinfandel - Overwhelmingly cherry - almost too sweet for a table wine. Tasty, though… Perhaps with a nice hearty seafood gumbo…
Unfortunately, they weren't tasting the Barbera that day. We had resolved not to buy anything, so we took notes and vowed to order from the website.
Next stop: the Dry Creek Vineyards. We did a couple from their standard flight, then moved to the Reserve room for a full flight of the good stuff:
2002 Reserve Fumé Blanc - not bad, but not Mike's taste, I think. They said peach and apricot, but I got mango and citrus.
2002 Taylor’s Vineyard Charodonnay - Surprising! I actually liked it! Quite fruity, not much acidity…Worth giving Mike a taste. We ordered some
2001 Estate Bottled Merlot - we did a side by side tasting with this and the 2000 Reserve Merlot. The difference was amazing! The estate bottled was so much fuller and softer, even for being a younger wine. The fruit was much more distinct (blackberry all over, where the reserve was just kind of plummy.) We ordered this one to try with food, too.
(Okay, so it wasn’t a full flight. We skipped the Meritage and the Cabs, not being cab people.)
2001 Old Vines (Beeson Ranch) Zinfandel - This was tasted side-by-side with the Heritage below. I liked this one better. Good berry flavor, with a slight spice. Quite earthy, as these vines average 85 years old, with the oldest at 109. I'll probably order a bottle of this to try with food (the real test of a wine, for me.)
2002 Heritage (Somers Ranch) Zinfandel - A nice wine, but not as good as the above “old vine.” They took grafts from the old vines and put them on new vines about 20 years ago. This wine is the product. A bit spicier, but not as well rounded.
2001 Late Harvest Zinfandel - my first taste of a late harvest red. I fell in love. Berries explode in your mouth with the smallest sip, with a vanilla finish that is just perfect. I broke the rules and bought a half-bottle. I can’t wait to try it with some chocolates!
We headed back up the hillside to the Dry Creek General Store to pick up picnic supplies for lunch. Olives, bread, cheese, tortellini pesto salad, salami, and oven roasted vegetables. Back to the Dry Creek Vineyards to picnic in the shade. No wine with lunch.
After lunch, we duck across the street for a quick peek at Passalacqua Winery. Passalacqua belonged to Robert Stemmler (one of our favorite vintners) about 10 years ago. We wanted to compare and contrast. Here’s what they had on offer:
2003 Sauvignon Blanc - not my thing.
2002 Zinfandel - okay, but not as good as what we tried across the road.
2002 Merlot - nothing special
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - just a sip told me “yep - a cab. Not worth going further for.”
Not a terribly impressive showing. It just goes to show that the vintner works very hard to make a good wine, and a poor vintner (which this guy isn't, he’s just not exceptional) can ruin great grapes.
Next stop: Armida Winery. I'm not posting a link because they aren’t worth checking out. We left after the first two wines in their flight, because it was crowded and loud, and the wines weren’t very good. A disappointment. But the next stop made it all worthwhile.
Rochioli Vineyards. They don’t have a website, which is a shame. They were only tasting 2 wines; both were wonderful.
2003 Sauvignon Blanc - Lovely light wine, with a great balance of spice and citrusy fruit. I would have bought a bottle, but then we tasted:
2003 Estate Cuveé Pinot Noir - plum and black cherry, with a well balanced peppery finish. As least as good as our beloved Robert Stemmler. We bought a bottle each.
Our last stop of the day was at Topolos. I’d post their website, but the vineyards have been purchased and escrow was happening this week. We tasted a couple; nothing memorable except a 2001 Zin Port. Mom bought 2 bottles - one for her, one for a friend.
We headed back to Santa Rosa, and got ready for dinner at John Ash & Co. I started with the Tempura-ed Softshelled Crab with Papaya and Blood Orange Chutney, followed by Grilled Ono with Bamboo Rice and Steamed Brocolini. Mom had the Wild Mushroom Ravioli, followed by the Seared Halibut with Moroccan Cous-Cous and Sautéed Spring Squashes. With dinner, we tried the 2002 Rochioli Reserva Pinot Noir. Dessert was Meyer Lemon Angelfood Cake with Fresh Strawberries for me, and Vanilla Bean Crème Brule with Grilled Pineapple for Mom. 3 hours very well spent.
Day Three
Woke up, packed our bags, checked out of the hotel. Headed to Flying Goat for one last wonderful mocha, then headed for the Sonoma Valley. Our first stop was not a winery! Just outside of a little town called Glen Ellen, there is The Olive Press. And, just like it sounds, they press olive oil. It was the wrong season to see them pressing (just like wine, it’s done in the fall) but we did get to taste about 10 varieties of olive oil. From one so light it barely even coated your tongue to (my personal favorite) the Blood Orange Oil, where they crush oranges right in with the olives and extract the essential oils from the skins. They were all amazing. I picked up a couple of bottles, Mom did too, then we headed to our first winery of the day.
Imagery is located just south of Glen Ellen on SR12. They have obviously just recently remodeled and relandscaped their tasting room. Their tasting room also doubles as an art gallery for more than 150 pieces they have used on various wine labels. Each year, each variety gets a new label by a new artist. It's quite interesting. Anway, on to the important stuff: The wine. They had a set flight, but our pourer varied from it, after listening to what we like and what we don’t. I'll try to remember everything.
2004 Viognier: I’d never even heard of Viognier, let alone tasted it before. An extremely light white, almost tart with citrus. Not quite my style. It was quickly overshadowed by:
2004 WOW Oui (Sauvignon Blanc & Muscat Canelli blend) As I said before, I’m not much of a white wine drinker, but this was GOOD! Very light, a little citrusy, and very tasty!
(another white that wasn’t as impressive - a white burgundy?)
2002 Sangiovese: normally, Sangioveses tend to taste a little fuller than this one. I think it could use another year. Tasty, but still young.
2002 Barbera: They weren’t really tasting this on their flight, but we asked about it specifically, and they dug up a bottle for us. Very berry-y, with a slightly spicy (clove maybe?) finish. A very nice surprise.
2002 Petite Sirah: Mom isn’t much of a Sirah drinker, so we hadn’t been tasting them. At the urging of the pourer, we tried this petite sirah. It was well balanced, with definite plum and pepper notes. Petites are generally even bolder than Sirahs, but this was excellent.
2002 Sunny Slope Cabernet Sauvignon: Again, not much of a Cab drinker. This was nice, for a Cab. They also produce Merlots out of this vineyard, which I would be very curious about, as merlots are more my speed.
2004 Muscato di Canelli: I was doubtful at first, as the white desert wines tend to be syrupy and heavy (so do the reds but I like them better.) This was sweet, but not too sweet, and very floral. Another great surprise.
2003 Petit Sirah Port: Very jammy and sweet. I would be more likely to pour this over ice cream than to sip it with chocolates.
We ended up buy 6 bottles between the two of us (2 WOW Oui, 2 Barbera, and 2 Petite Sirah) and having them shipped. And mom joined the wine club. We were VERY impressed with almost everything we tasted here. But we had to keep moving…
Our last Wine stop of the weekend was at the Wine Room (no link because their website is out of date.) Owned by Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers, this tasting room in Kenwood features the products of six local family wineries who don’t have tasting rooms of their own. The vintners work the counter, giving you the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the source. It's a pretty cool idea, in a laid-back setting. Here's what we tried:
2004 Adler Fels Gewurztraminer - Light and spicy, the way a good Gewurz should be.
2003 Moondance Cellars Pinot Noir - Quite a nice sipping wine, quite fruity, but not quite the spice I look for in a good Pinot. I'd like to give it a try with some food.
1998 Adler Fels Alterra Sangiovese - Blah. They said plum and blackberry, but the flavors were so blurred it was just sort of yeah, fruit, whatever. Not the best I’ve tried.
1999 Smothers Remick Merlot - Tasted side by side with the Merlot below. Not as good, by a long shot.
2002 Moondance Cellars Merlot - Very berry. They’re doing a 2002 special reserve that should be even better. I’d buy this if it were offered on their website.
2002 Moondance Cellars Zinfandel - Spicy and with good fruit flavors, but not as good as the …
2002 Moondance Cellars Special Select Zinfandel - Jammy and peppery. Definitely worth the 50% price hike. Very limited production makes this one hard to come by, but worth the hunt.
Sonoma Valley Portworks Duet Cream Sherry - It's like drinking a hazelnut. I’d put this over ice cream, add it to coffee, or sip it as is. Excellent!
I also bought a Moondance Valley Garlic Cream Mustard here that was just delicious.
Now we need to get over to the Napa Valley for lunch at V. Sattui. We discovered the deli at this winery last year. The wine is really nothing special, but the deli is to die for. So we high-tail it over the ridge to try and squeeze in one more winery before lunch, but alas, it was not meant to be. The trip over the ridge took too long, so we headed straight for V. Sattui. For our last picnic lunch, we had Marinated Seafood Salad, Chicken and Almond Salad, Oven Roasted Vegetables, and German Potato Salad. We wade through the throngs and find a place in the shade to enjoy.
Off to the airport, to fly back home. Return the rental car, get toted to the airport, get my foot run over by an unapologetic old man with an uncontrolled suitcase. Go to the gate. Find out our flight won’t be departing until after it was scheduled to arrive. Finally get back to Seattle. Find out some guy has pushed his girlfriend off the parking garage, so getting to our car will be hell. Finally get home very late, but after a great weekend. Next year, we plan to spend more time in Napa, and eat at the French Laundry.