My Weekend Love Affair With Napa.
by Adam Haggerty
Well, I just got back from Napa and I spent a lot of money on wine…a lot. And loved every minute of it. This time of year up in northern wine country is just amazing. The weather couldn't be more amazing and the grape clusters on the vines are just gigantic. The leaves are slowly changing color, so the mountains are looking spectacular and blah blah blah. Let's talk about wine!
There was a path of destruction and it all started in St. Helena at Merryvale Vineyards. Their tasting room was massive and the most amazing barrel room that housed a 70 person plus dining table. They tasted us on all their 08's and 09's and finished us off with their crown wine, the Profile. This barnyard style Bordeaux blend was loaded with black berry, vanilla and spice, silky tannins and a long pleasant finish. After Merryvale, we made our way down Highway 29 and stopped in at Jarvis Winery in the heart of Napa. Jarvis is known for being entirely underground in a cave, a very big cave. If you ever want to venture to Napa, I suggest you make Jarvis one of your stops. Upon arrival, you are taken on a 60 minute tour of the cave facility and then brought into a beautiful tasting room where you taste their collection along with mixed cheeses. Wine and cheese, who knew? The price of their wine tends to be a bit pricey, but, on certain years it's worth the money.
The next stop was Del Dotto, which is just down the road from Jarvis and sits right at the beginning of Atlas Peak Road. Del Dotto is a winery that sources their grapes from all over the Napa region, from Carneros to Sonoma to, well you get it. They offer so many styles of wines and blends, that it's almost overwhelming. They make a blend called The Cave Blend and it changes year to year. For instance, the 09' has about 60% Syrah in it, where as the 10' has about 60% Cabernet in it. My personnel favorite is the Cab heavy years. I tend to not like Syrah from Napa; I'm more of a Paso Syrah fan because of the juicer style from Paso.
Further on down our own personnel wine trail was Chardonnay famous Grgich Hills in Rutherford. Let me tell you a quick story about Grgich Hills. They have really good cracker sticks; that's it, that's the story. Although they are known for their Chardonnay, I am in love with this single vineyard Zinfandel that they do. The case production is small and the price will hurt your wallet, but the silky, cocoa and black fruit is just plain stellar. Grgich has a great relationship with Whole Foods, so if you're looking and you're a fan, head there. Also, where Grgich sits on St. Helena Highway, is in my opinion a great square mile of wine tasting rooms. You have Nickel & Nickel, Niebaum Coppola, Whitehall Lane, Heitz Cellars, Peju, Cakebread, etc. You could literally spend two days in this small area.
Napa doesn't have to be an expensive trip; it's all about what you make of it. I will say this, if you like wine, food and beer (Russian River), then do yourself a favor and put aside mmmm $500 and book it. Of course if you plan on buying wine, I'd say double that amount. Oh, before I forget, bring chocolate with you, trust me. So everyone, Happy Tasting and Enjoy!
Cheers,
Adam
 Follow me @adamhaggerty
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