I love, love, love taking friends to Napa for their first time! I get to share with them places that I enjoy. for first timers, I like to take them to ‘wow’ factor properties. This day trip was amazing. It was on a weekday after harvest, so we practically had the whole valley to ourselves! The weather was rainy where we live, but it was lovely when we arrived in Napa.
First stop…Inglenook. formerly known as Rubicon Estates, and owned by Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola, it is almost always the first place we go to when we go to Napa. We actually go there for their mocha. It’s fantastic!
Next stop, a trip up to Calistoga! This is a fun property because they have a tram that takes you up to their facility. You take a self guided tour throughout the property, with wine tastings at different stations. Sterling Vineyards.
It was getting close to lunch time. I have an app on my phone that filters our Napa wineries based on what you are looking for. I looked up properties with picnic tables, as Chateau Montelena came up. I have tasted at this property before and have walked their gorgeous garden. It seemed a perfect place to have a tasting, pick up a bottle, and enjoy a picnic lunch. This is a famous property known for winning a blind tasting in Paris. The movie, Bottle Shock, is about this winery.
We went into the tasting room and asked about picnicking. The young woman went and spoke to her manager and we were then told that the tables were only for club members. Then, nothing…..no invite to taste. No offer to picnic for a fee. No offer to join the wine club. Nothing. I kind of felt like Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman’ when she went clothes shopping and no one would sell to her. (It’s one thing if it’s a busy weekend day, or during harvest, I get that. But it’s another when hardly anyone is in the whole valley, let alone your own property…)
So, while walking their grounds, I called another nearby property that I knew had picnic tables. Bennett Lane winery. This is a small, boutique winery that makes 8000 cases of delicious wine a year. I asked if we could have a picnic there, and the guy said, ‘Absolutely! Come have a taste and your picnic!’
We arrived shortly thereafter is it started HAILING! Big chunks of hail! We waited in the car a few minutes, then went in. They have a lovely tasting room and Pascal guided us to tasting a few reds before settling on a cabernet sauvignon for our lunch. One of the wine guys, Peter, helped David pick a spot that was not too wet. We had a nice conversation with Pascal and Peter, and appreciated their attention and appreciation for us being there. We ended up picking up a case of wine for some of David’s clients.
They have, what I think, one of the loveliest views of the vineyards and hills. This is a picture of me, Michelle, and Pascal. You can see the weather starting to shift to overcast..
We enjoyed a wonderful picnic, with amazing wine, and ended up watching a lightning storm in the distance. It was pretty impressive. Pascal kept bringing additional tastes of their reserve wines, enhancing the experience. Peter came out and visited us some more and watched the storm with us.
Then, Pascal invited us to go to the back to see the operation and meet the Cellar Master, Mike. They were so friendly and open to sharing with us what they do. They let us taste a ‘very young’ Syrah that was aging in the tank. It was what Mike termed ‘fuzzy’. That’s exactly the experience on the tongue; also a flavor mix of a grape juice/wine. It was special to taste something that was ‘in process.’ Mike then invited us to go to the top of one of the vats and see the wine skins that rise to the top of the vat, forming a cap/seal at the top. He had us breathe in and smell that aroma. It was one of the most incredible sensory experiences I have had. There was a life to that smell. It was amazing! He said that you have to be careful when your head is over the vat because occasionally CO2 will escape and force your head back. The group shot includes Mike…
After the impromptu tour, Pascal invited us to try their dessert wine, a port. After all that time and attention with this great group of people, and great wine, David and I decided to sign up for their wine club.
So, on a quiet, off season Monday…we walked away with a case of wine, a bottle at lunch, and a wine club membership. All because Pascal said ‘yes’ to our request for a picnic.
In the words of Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman’, I say to Chateau Montelena, “big mistake”…
Our (almost) last stop was Castello di Amorosa. It was getting late, and we were not interested in tasting, so we just walked the exterior grounds a little before heading home.
This stop was not planned, but our bladders said otherwise. What a nice surprise. We did not taste, but stayed and walked the grounds a little. I definitely want to check this place out next time I come for a visit…Hall Wines
