7:45 AM, August 6, 2011, chilly and foggy. I'm catching the shuttle bus into SF for the Napa and Sonoma Wine tour. Watching the fog/clouds roll over the top of the hills reminds me of Scotland. Gordon, our tour guide and driver, gives us a running commentary on wine, the scenery and vineyards. I've tried to capture some of the highlights here.
As we drive out of SF on Hwy 101 and over the Golden Gate Bridge, Gordon points out a few things: Mel's Drive In (where American Grafitti was filmed - I'm eating there before I leave!), ILM (didn't realize that was here! Looks like just a bunch of yellow warehouses from the outside, but OH what they create inside!); Catherine and Michael Douglas live just above Sausalito (couldn't actually see the house); and we passed Lucas Valley Rd (several miles down this road, of course, is where Skywalker Ranch is located! OMG!). He also filled us in on some more history of the area: Wine was created 8000 years ago. There were 180 wineries in Napa in 1880. Napa means courageous, brave. Sonoma means big nose. They were originally American Indian names - they being the first inhabitants of the area, followed by the Russians and the Spaniards.
As we arrived in Sonoma, we passed the vineyards of Red Truck and Gloria Ferrerro (well known vintner in CA) among others. We stopped in at our first destination, Nicholson Ranch. It's a micro-winery known for Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio due to the cool climate. The winery tasting room is housed in a Spanish mission style villa surrounded by gorgeous views of the surrounding golden hills, fields of green vineyards and gorgeous flowers. And of course - Roses! My favorite! Actually, vineyards plant the roses at the ends of the fields in some places. They work similar to a canary in a coal mine for the grape vines. If the roses are not healthy, the vines are not! I picked up a few bottles of very nice Chardonnay. Our official greeter at the winery was Pepper, an australian cattle dog. She made the rounds to be petted by everyone.
Next stop was Madonna Estate in Napa Valley - the Carneros region. I picked up a book here about wine labeling - it's really complex with all the laws on naming wines. For instance, if the wine contains 75% or more of a grape, it must be called by the name of that grape. Madonna Estate is owned by the Bartolucci family - the second oldest wine making family in Napa. This vineyard is certified organic. I picked up 6 bottles of their 2010 Estate Gewuztraminer. It's described as spicy and crisp with floral aromas and grapefruit character. Slightly sweet. But what sold me the most is that when you swirl it in the glass to release the aromas (known as volutizing the esters), you can smell roses!!
Napa and Sonoma have had colder than normal temperatures in 2010 and 2011. Colder weather means more acidity in the grapes; and it's against the law to add sugar to wine in California. Hotter weather means more sugar content in the grapes and sweeter wines - which is easier to fix. So note to the wine lovers: 2010 Napa and Sonoma wines, may be iffy. 2011 is not shaping up well at all. They are behind schedule this year due to the colder temperatures. (How bizarre is that? Given the extreme heat in the rest of the country!) The vineyards are removing the leaves near the bottom of the vines to expose the grapes to the sun and hasten ripening.
It's hard to describe the feeling of being in California wine country! This is something I have always wanted to do! And here I am... breathing in the scents (juniper, cypress, a fragrant rosemary bush by the winery door, dust from the rows between the grapes). I'm working hard to store it all away in memory so that the next time I drink a California wine, I can bring back the smells and sounds and sights. Just as every time I have a single malt scotch, it takes me right back to Scotland - the heather, the peat, the mist and the mountains!
I'll skip over the last winery we stopped at - there were only three! It was Sutter Home. The $5 wine in the grocery store. My apologies to those of you who like it. I was horrified that we stopped there with all the amazing wineries around us! We passed by Robert Mondavi and Francis Ford Coppola vineyards! I may have to drive back up there! But could be dangerous to my finances! Francis Ford Coppola's winery charges $50 for a self guided tour of the winery and a taste of 3 wines. All in all, I truly enjoyed the tour. It was a dream come true to be there. Enjoy the pictures.
As we drive out of SF on Hwy 101 and over the Golden Gate Bridge, Gordon points out a few things: Mel's Drive In (where American Grafitti was filmed - I'm eating there before I leave!), ILM (didn't realize that was here! Looks like just a bunch of yellow warehouses from the outside, but OH what they create inside!); Catherine and Michael Douglas live just above Sausalito (couldn't actually see the house); and we passed Lucas Valley Rd (several miles down this road, of course, is where Skywalker Ranch is located! OMG!). He also filled us in on some more history of the area: Wine was created 8000 years ago. There were 180 wineries in Napa in 1880. Napa means courageous, brave. Sonoma means big nose. They were originally American Indian names - they being the first inhabitants of the area, followed by the Russians and the Spaniards.
As we arrived in Sonoma, we passed the vineyards of Red Truck and Gloria Ferrerro (well known vintner in CA) among others. We stopped in at our first destination, Nicholson Ranch. It's a micro-winery known for Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio due to the cool climate. The winery tasting room is housed in a Spanish mission style villa surrounded by gorgeous views of the surrounding golden hills, fields of green vineyards and gorgeous flowers. And of course - Roses! My favorite! Actually, vineyards plant the roses at the ends of the fields in some places. They work similar to a canary in a coal mine for the grape vines. If the roses are not healthy, the vines are not! I picked up a few bottles of very nice Chardonnay. Our official greeter at the winery was Pepper, an australian cattle dog. She made the rounds to be petted by everyone.
Next stop was Madonna Estate in Napa Valley - the Carneros region. I picked up a book here about wine labeling - it's really complex with all the laws on naming wines. For instance, if the wine contains 75% or more of a grape, it must be called by the name of that grape. Madonna Estate is owned by the Bartolucci family - the second oldest wine making family in Napa. This vineyard is certified organic. I picked up 6 bottles of their 2010 Estate Gewuztraminer. It's described as spicy and crisp with floral aromas and grapefruit character. Slightly sweet. But what sold me the most is that when you swirl it in the glass to release the aromas (known as volutizing the esters), you can smell roses!!
Napa and Sonoma have had colder than normal temperatures in 2010 and 2011. Colder weather means more acidity in the grapes; and it's against the law to add sugar to wine in California. Hotter weather means more sugar content in the grapes and sweeter wines - which is easier to fix. So note to the wine lovers: 2010 Napa and Sonoma wines, may be iffy. 2011 is not shaping up well at all. They are behind schedule this year due to the colder temperatures. (How bizarre is that? Given the extreme heat in the rest of the country!) The vineyards are removing the leaves near the bottom of the vines to expose the grapes to the sun and hasten ripening.
It's hard to describe the feeling of being in California wine country! This is something I have always wanted to do! And here I am... breathing in the scents (juniper, cypress, a fragrant rosemary bush by the winery door, dust from the rows between the grapes). I'm working hard to store it all away in memory so that the next time I drink a California wine, I can bring back the smells and sounds and sights. Just as every time I have a single malt scotch, it takes me right back to Scotland - the heather, the peat, the mist and the mountains!
I'll skip over the last winery we stopped at - there were only three! It was Sutter Home. The $5 wine in the grocery store. My apologies to those of you who like it. I was horrified that we stopped there with all the amazing wineries around us! We passed by Robert Mondavi and Francis Ford Coppola vineyards! I may have to drive back up there! But could be dangerous to my finances! Francis Ford Coppola's winery charges $50 for a self guided tour of the winery and a taste of 3 wines. All in all, I truly enjoyed the tour. It was a dream come true to be there. Enjoy the pictures.
So beautiful! I love the chapel up on the hill at Nicholson Ranch! Fun wine facts - I never knew about the Roses!
ReplyDeleteI'll think of you tonight while drinking my Sutter Home. :)