No Boundaries: California Sunshine in A Bottle

You will return

Napa's Mediterrean climate, miles of vine-covered slopes, spectactular architecture, and excellent food and wine really does live up to the original native name Napo or "land of plenty". I prefer however the variation coined by locals meaning "you will return" for the young who "escape" the region for college but usually wind up coming back.

We found out about the local Farmer's Night Market in the town of Napa and I loved the live concerts, and shopping while sipping on wine. Geez, does the Okanagan have a lot to learn, we seem terribly provincial by comparison. Historic downtown Napa was shut to traffic and filled with people of all ages and ethnicities enjoying the jazz and country music, food, and drinks. The local shops were open and busy until late into the evening. NOTE: there was an array of hip clothing and trendy homeware stores.

On the main street we came across the most unusual wine lounge, Stave. You buy a card with the number of ounces you want to drink and then serve yourself out of vending machines. Kind of takes the romance out of wine tasting, and certainly limits your ability to ask questions of the server. Something I'd expect to see in the Silicon Valley -- not Napa Valley.

Went to a great restaurant, Posticino, a few blocks away recommended by one of the shopkeepers, which turned out to have an enchanting outdoor patio (I forgot to take a photo and their website pictures don't do it justice -- they now have huge swaths of fabric draped around the patio which has created a very dreamy affect). The waiter was crazy about Odette and gave us free drinks and food :) We both had salads and for dessert a decadent chocolate torte with hazelnut gelato and warm chocolate sauce.

Drinking Guinness in Wine Country?

Then to another wine bar recommended to us, the Bounty Hunter -- a gorgeous space with exposed brick and antique tin pressed ceiling, it's unfortunate the staff knew nothing about the history of the building. They had an incredible wine list and a fun crowd of people. Strangely enough we met a bunch of Irish guys there drinking beer. Funny that it didn't occur to me at the time to ask why they'd be at a wine bar drinking Guinness.

The next morning I got up early and went for an invigorating run through a residential area in American Canyon and serendipitously discovered a large wildlife/marsh preserve. Much preferable to running along the highway or through a housing development! I wish I could remember the cross streets to get there, as a recommendation for others. It's well worth the search if you want to run in the vicinity.

We then headed off to Domaine Chandon in Yountville for our private tour and tasting and were bowled over by the massive size of the property and their stellar customer service. The staff went out of their way to help us with suggestions for evening activities for us in Calistoga, researching what local bands were playing where. The tour guide Debbie gave us a through overview of the sparkling winemaking process and to top it off she was a delight to chat with. She ended the tour with a private tasting on their patio with a flight of 6 wines (3 varietal & 3 sparkling), which she described as "California sunshine in a bottle". I couldn't agree more! The wines were accompanied with a bagette and a delicious cheese spread -- she gave me the recipe see below. We decided to stay for lunch and had salads with their sparkling étoile ROSÉ. The food is SUPERB. I recommend eating there if you can get a reservation! Upon leaving, we gave Debbie a standing invitation for a reciprocal tour of Vancouver if she should ever visit.

Domaine Chandon Herbed Cream Cheese Spread
8 oz cream cheese
2 oz blue cheese
1 T chopped walnuts
1 T chopped chives
1 T chopped parsley
Chop walnuts, chives and parsley briefly in a food processor. Toss together with crumbled blue cheese and mix well. Process cream cheese until creamy; add blue cheese and walnut mixture; blend until thoroughly combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. Serve with French bread.

We continued north and decided to take a break from the tasting and do some shopping. Our first stop in Yountville was IMO a waste of time. It's small and most of the stores have little old lady clothing. We quickly departed for St. Helena and were delighted with the picturesque town lined with boutiques of clothing, shoes, fine food, linens, and much more... Our favorite was Foot Candy, which had a stunning array of cult shoes, accessories and clothes. We had to break ourselves away in order to get a few more wineries in before nightfall.

We tried stopping at Cakebread Cellars, but didn't have an appointment and didn't want to wait for the next opening. We made it to Sterling Vineyards just in time for their 4:30 cut off and hopped the tram to the top. Their self guided tour is well laid out and different from any winery I've visited, in which they have tasting stations set up at various points along the tour. I found this nice for spacing out the drinking but it means you have no choice in what you taste. To be frank, I found the place too Disneylandish for me. However the views from the top are spectactular and I understand their higher end wines are quite good.

Continuing north to Calistoga is a fun drive. The road narrows and winds through one of the most scenic parts of the valley. It would have been a blast in my Ghia, though maybe a bit sticky since I have no air conditioning.

Prospecting for Wine

Robert Louis Stevenson described Calistoga in his book The Silverado Squatters as "pleasant," but added that it "seems to repose on a mere film above a boiling subterranean lake." This is probably appropriate given the 13 spas, and the incredible heat. It was 96 at 5 in the afternoon! It's not surprising that the Wappo Indians called the valley Ta La Ha Lu Si ("beautiful land" or "oven place" depending on translation -- both are equally fitting). Stevenson also eloquently described the wine process in Napa as, "The beginning of vine planting is like the beginning of mining for the precious metals: the winegrower also prospects".

Having no reservations in Calistoga that evening, it took us numerous tries before we found what we were looking for -- a large swimming pool, a room with two beds, and close enough to town to walk so drinking and driving isn't an issue. The Calistoga Spa Hot Springs was perfect: four swimming pools, a large gym, quiet big rooms, and affordable!

That night we went for dinner at the Calistoga Inn, which has a gorgeous huge outdoor patio. A small jazz band was playing and the food, music, service and setting were all lovely. For something a bit livlier later that night we went into their pub, where a rock band was playing somewhat ear shattering tunes. We met quite a few locals and discovered that bands play there every weekend all summer. For future reference the Hydro Bar and Grill and the Pacifico Mexican Restaurant both across the street also have live music, which is a bit more sedate.

Sunday morning, I got up early went for a run along the Silverado Trail outside of town and was again lucky at finding the perfect running location. The road was blocked off for a rollerblade marathon (yes, rollerblade), so there was no traffic and it was just me and a bunch of people whizzing by in spandex. (I'd like to try cycling sometime along the trail's bike lanes.) We had a hearty Mexican breakfast at a small hole-in-the-wall taqueria and then headed south.

Our last stop was Hendry Estate Winery, which is well off the highway and somewhat hard to find. This is a good thing, since there's nary a tourbus or limo in sight! The tour was by far the best one I've had. Our handsome, knowledgeable guide, Mike, spent four hours with us going into the vineyard, explaining in-depth their approach to growing the vines, a tour through their cellar, and then a vertical tasting of their Chardonnays as well as a selection of other whites and their full-bodied reds (their Bordeaux style blend was my favorite). I was pleased to discover that you can purchase their wines at Marquis in Vancouver and at a handful of the city's better restaurants. I look forward to reciprocating his hospitality in the Okanagan later this summer :)

As an aside, we had an interesting discussion on biodynamic farming methods, which I'll discuss in more detail in a future posting.

Last but not least, a quick overview of the wines. Overall we actually didn't do a lot of wine tasting, as we spent an equal amount of time shopping and sight-seeing. Amazing what a difference it is traveling with a girlfriend versus boyfriend. Plus, I was the designated driver! Anyhow, my top picks:

White - Hendry lightly oaked Chardonnay - silky mouth feel with hints of honey and toasty vanilla.
Red - Orin Swift Cellars, The Prisoner -- a red blend that really rocked my world. Is a combination of 51% Zinfandel; 19% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Syrah; 10% Petite Sirah; 3% Charbono. Has a huge nose with a long smooth finish. Taste of peppery plumb and raspberry.
Sparkling - Domaine Chandon Reserve Brut - 80% Pinot Noir, 14% Chardonnay, 4% Pinot Meunier, 2% Pinot Blanc. Rich creamy texture with flavors of hazelnuts and black cherries.

The region is aptly named. I will indeed return.