PICK OF THE MONTH

Summer 2008: Trip to Napa Valley

Recently, Mary & I traveled to Napa Valley and San Francisco with our eldest, Marietta, to pay off a bet. Seems that I made a bet with her when she was 21 and said that if she won, I'd take her to Napa for her 25th Birthday. Well, this is a bet that I wasn't sad about losing and invited her mother to join us for a few days in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco.

The city is always fun and while there we dined at two very good restaurants; Butterfly by Pier 36 near Fisherman's Wharf and Rose Pistola, in North Beach. We highly recommend both so if you are in the city, give them a try.

On a foggy Monday in San Francisco (go figure), we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed north to Napa. Our friend, the GM & Winemaker at Benessere, Chris Dearden, invited us to stay in the guest house at the winery for two days. When we arrived, we were given the keys to the house so we could freshen up and then returned to the winery to taste and tour with Chris. We love his wines but drinking them with him at the winery is always a great thrill. Benessere Website

Since Marietta had never been to Napa, she was all eyes and ears when Chris took us on a tour of the winery and a personal visit with his vines. After tasting through his portfolio, we ended up taking a break for pizza and then back to the winery to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Napa at Night. What's better than seeing the Milky Way in all its splendor while sipping on a glass of Benessere wine. Mary & I agreed, that some day we would retire to Napa and work at a winery!

The next day we visited with first our friends from Madrigal Winery. We love Chris' wines and had a terrific tour of the new winery at Madrigal. Madrigals Website We were accompanied by Mike, who works for Chris and he gave us a personal tour and tasting of the grapes on the vines and then we retired to the tasting room overlooking the winery and house, to taste the final product!

We next traveled south to visit with Mike Trujillo at Sequoia Grove & Karl Lawrence and on the way we stopped at Taylors Refresher for one of the best casual lunches in Napa Valley. It's legendary in Napa, and is well worth the long wait in line to order and the "outside" bistro picnic tables to dine. When we arrived at the winery, Mike was kind enough to give us a tour of the bottling line, the winery and the cellar to taste a barrel sample of the '06 Karl Lawrence Cab. Wow, it's going to be one of his best yet! Sequoia Grove Website

Our Favorite Wines from the Trip (slightly abridged or you would be reading this forever)

Benessere 2007 Pinot Grigio: Perhaps one of the best we have had from any winery in California. It is loaded with layers of tropical fruit, ripe peaches and exotic spices, with good acidity and a touch of sweetness, although it is fermented dry. Try a bottle with our Fish Special, Homemade Flat Bread, Calamari or Seafood Pasta or just by itself!

Benessere 2005 Zins: Both the BK Collins and the Black Glass (which Mary found examples of in the fields with the vines), are great examples of different styles of Zinfandel. The BK comes from slightly older vines and is more intense, spicy and complex. The Black Glass is slightly lighter, but filled with blueberry fruit, white pepper & sweet fruit. Try them next to each other so you can decide on your favorite!

Benessere Phenomenon '05, Aglianico (winery only) & Sparkling Moscato (winery only)

OK, what are you waiting for, go visit Chris and taste them at the winery! The Phenomenon is distributed in Maryland by our friend Chris Damon, so it may still be available.

Madrigal Reserve Cab '05, Sonnet # 63 '05 (Mary was singing after tasting this one)

Let me begin by saying that we love all of the wines that Chris produces. We sell the Cab, Zin & Petite Sirah at the restaurant and have been since we opened. But, these wines that are a little harder to get are worth the effort. Again, these wines are distributed by Chris Damon from Noble Vintners in Maryland, and are sure to go fast.

Karl Lawrence Cabs (any vintage), Sequoia Grove Cabs (any since '02)

Mike Trujillo took over Sequoia Grove and immediately the wines began ascending. Each year, his influence of bringing out the characteristics of the Rutherford Fruit he uses for his wines becomes more legendary. He is a skilled wine maker and a very nice man. We sell his SG and Karl Lawrence Cabs at the restaurant. Find them, drink them and age them, in that order!