The Wine Knows

Let me put in a disclaimer before you get to the notes. I’m just putting these notes out for information purposes only. I think we in WA (and the NW) live in an area of great wines for reasonable prices. On general terms, dollar for dollar, I think our WA wines beat CA wines.

Castello Di Amorosa:
Great tour, but they do rush you a bit even though they tell you to take all the pictures you want. The tour and tasting is $25. They make Italian style wines and they are doing a nice job of it. They have a very nice Rose’ of Sangiovese and a very nice Pinot Grigio, a killer 02 merlot, and a superTuscan that was very nice. The Merlot was well worth the price, $25, but the SuperTuscan I didn’t think was, $65, and their best cab at $75 wasn’t worth the price either. The merlot is one I’m going to wish I had bought more of. Great tour guide and tasting host; knowledgeable of the Napa valley, wines, and winemaking.

V.Sattui:
Very disappointed. After visiting this winery and buying futures off/on for 25+ years I just picked up my futures that I bought last year and some Zin blends for pizza nights. To me all their wines tasted the same. Had this been at the end of the trip I would have just thought it was my taste buds, but even their Preston & Morosoli vineyard Cabs tasted like their regular cab. I think their main attention is the wines at the Castle. Hopefully they will figure our they need to pay attention to the main product, V.Sattui, as they do their 'premium' products from the castle. An example: All the Sangiovese fruit now goes to the castle.

They do have a very nicely priced Rosato that is great for picnics, which we also bought a few bottles of.

They also have one of the few places where they have a deli on site. They have a large picnic ground and on the weekend they are BBQing. You used to be able to bring in some of your own stuff, crackers, chips, etc. but there are now LARGE signs saying all the picnic stuff should be purchased there. What they really don’t want to see are your coolers next to the picnic table. We purchased quite a few items from their deli as well as things we had with us. We had the same chips they sell there and we had a few cheeses they didn’t have as well as buying some cheeses. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable.

Cliff Lede:
We went there with the intent of buying his 05 Claret but they were sold out of the 1000 cases that were made. Starting next year they will only sell the Claret from the tasting room; no commercial sales. All the couples split a tasting ($15 fee with no rebate unless you buy at least 3 bottles) and they do have a nice Chard. Their Cabs started at$50 and I did not think it was worth the price. Knowledgeable staff.

I always have to keep in mind that CA wines are a different style than are made in the NW, but when I start to pony up $50 for a bottle of wine I do have a small voice in the back of my head saying “what could I buy back home for $50?”

Orin Swift:
They were full for tastings until 8/18. I have had his ‘Prisoner’ Cab/Zin blend and really wanted to taste his other wines. He sources his Zin and Cab fruit from some of the same vineyards that V.Sattui does. If you are in the area or plan to be, try to get a tasting. This will be one of the few places in the Napa area that you will get to meet the winemaker. This is a must stop on my next trip.

Rombauer:
I didn’t like anything here, especially for the price. This was one of the few places in Napa that do charge a tasting fee ($10), drop the charge on purchase, and give you a very nice Schott glass. I didn’t buy anything here but they told me to take my glass anyway. It could have been because other members of our party bought a fare amount of Chard. Knowledgeable staff, garden like grounds on a big estate.

Mazzaco:
This Dry Creek winery has some very nice Zins; almost too many to chose from. If you are really into Zins then you won’t mind their prices but they were a bit steep, upwards to, and above $40 for the award winners. (If you are really into Zin, try the Zinfest in Lodi each May, it’s a great place to get some great Zin’s and Petite Syrah’s for extremely reasonable money). Staff seemed overwhelmed with very few guests there.

Quivira:
We have tried to get to this winery the past two years and finally made it; Tim also recommended this one as well.
They have a nice array of wines for tasting. Zin’s, Grenache, Cab, Rose’, etc. The Grenache Rose is truly wonderful, but watch out, it’s %15.9. A great BBQ wine. Their regular Grenache was different than any Grenache I have had before, but then most of those have been Spanish wines. They have a Zin from their West Side Creek vineyard that is very nice.
They have a new owner from Atlanta who is changing them to an organic winery. It will be interesting to see how the winery/wines change with the ownership. They already have raised garden boxes built, etc. as they want the true organic look and feel. Chickens should be running loose the next time we visit. Good, knowledgeable, friendly staff.

Raymond Burr:
Great place to picnic, beautiful view of the valley, a very small tasting room. They don’t care whose food you bring in as long as you are drinking their wine. I had served our last bottle of Raymond Burr 98 cab the Saturday night before we left and it was super. Better than I thought it would be. It did change quite a bit from the time I opened it up, color was not nearly as bright as a newer wine, and I thought it had lost its finish, but after decanting it a few hours it was great.
The first thing I asked was if they had any more 98 cab. Yes they do but it had been moved to their library wines just that week. I could buy more but it would be $115 a bottle; bummer, I paid $32 for mine a few years ago.
They make a very nice Chard. I’m not a chard guy but theirs I will drink. Their cab franc and cabs are nice and built to cellar well.

They have a new winemaker and this years Chard was his first offering; very nice. We’ll see what he does with the reds. If you plan a trip here try to get the tour of their orchids. Orchids are really what put them on the map.

Meitz:
We caught them at the barrel tasting weekend again, like last year. One of the lady’s likes their Pinot so we all tasted a few samples from the barrel. They didn’t really have anything that peaked my interest except maybe one of their pinot’s but not enough to buy one; especially at the price.

Foppiano:
Aha! I knew they had some Petit Syrah and I also knew this may be the only place I may get to taste any. I was sorely disappointed. They too were doing some Barrel tasting as well as some older vintages. They had a 20 year old Petite Syrah that the 98 year old grandfather would sign if you bought one. I tasted several Petite Syrah offerings, including the 1988. I didn’t like any of them. Granted, I have never had a 20 year old Petite Syrah but it tasted ’odd’ to me. Even their more recent vintages didn’t tickle my palette. Perhaps the 102 degree heat that day had something to do with it. Not the friendliest of places.

J Vineyards:
If you chose to afford their products they do make nice products. One of the couples we were with are cellar club members so we were treated as such and given 20% off our purchases.
Their 04 Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot was excellent. One of the best Pinot’s I have had. I would never have bought any without Jim/Sandy’s discount. It was $65 a bottle at normal prices. When they rang me up they rang up the magnum price. When I pointed this out to the cashier she had to bring a manager over who apologized and then gave me their ‘employee discount’ which was another %20. If I had known I would end up with %40 off I would have bought much more.
Most people like their bubbly and Chard too; but it doesn’t come cheap. It was a nice cool place to end the 102 degree day. They make a pear brandy that is very good. It is a tasting room only item. You cannot taste, only buy it. Several of our group have purchased it through the years. Very cheerful staff.

Robert Young (not that Robert Young):
Nothing bad but nothing to take notice of either. Their award winning cab and blends were way overpriced. The lone staff member was new and didn’t know the wines.

Hanna:
We stopped here specifically for their Chard, which is very good, but they were out. They have a couple of nice blends that are sold only in the tasting room. Their Pinot, Russian River, is age worthy. They also have a nice picnic area. This is a VERY friendly place. Good attitude by everyone.

Stryker Sonoma:
This was a surprise for me as I have had their Zins but was pleasantly surprised at their consistency of all their red wines. Merlots, Cabs, Zins, and a really nice Petite Verdot. They currently make 7500 cases a year and plan to go no higher than 12,500. It will interesting to see their consistency as they almost double their output. Most of their increase has and will be from a continued expansion of their line. They were known for their Zins, but they have added Cabs, Merlots, blends, etc. Their Rockpile Vineyard Merlot is really good. My palette must really like the fruit from Rockpile as I have had several wines from different winemakers using that fruit and I have liked all of them. Knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Gallo:
Just myself and one other person ventured into their tasting room. I just had to have a bottle of Gallo to take to a party sometime. We asked the tasting room person where all the jugs were. She had a great sense of humor and played along. They have lots of reserve wines that you will only see in their tasting facilities. They did have a Tempranillo that I liked and got a bottle.

Thumbprint:
This was recommended by Tim; Thanks for the suggestion. This is a nice little tasting room in Healdsburg that is run by the winemaker and his wife. One of the few places you will get to talk with the winemaker. He makes some really nice wine and well worth the stop. I really liked his blend, Threesome.

Unti:
They make Italian style wines and varietals. I liked the Barbara and Zin the best. You can find a few of his wines now in WA, mostly his Zin. This is the first place in CA that I ever got to talk with the winemaker/owner. The first time I ever stopped here it somehow reminded me of Portteus in Zillah. Not sure why but it did but it did. Small tasting room and a nice relaxing, homey feel.

If you end up in the Sonoma area in the near future the wineries are offering 'specials' if you have a Visa Signiture card. Tasting fees are waived, and many wineries are also offering %5 - %20 discount. There is usually a small Visa/Sonoma County sign on the door stating that business is recognizing Visa Signiture customers. You have to ask each winery what 'special' they are offering for Visa Signiture. A couple of places didn't have the Visa/Sonoma County sign on the door but still offered you something. The ony excpeption were the tasting rooms in town.