Monday, March 29, 2010

Rombauer Vineyards

Please see our update 2013 review: Rombauer Vineyards Revisited  Some of their Cabs are outstanding.

Rombauer Vineyards has a very lovely garden and the service is friendly. It is a winery that every serious wine lover should visit at least once.  An appointment is not necessary and they are in the Napa Neighbor program although I did not know this at the time of our visit.

They are famous for their very buttery Chardonnay. If you like a buttery Chardonnay, with lots of malolactic conversion and plenty of oak, you might like their 2008 Carneros Chardonnay ($32).  It is very popular in restaurants and with many people.  I do not like that style of chardonnay and much prefer Chardonnays with little or no MLF and minimal oak, but then I love Chablis with minerality, flinty dryness and complexity. Rombauer is famous for this wine.  Be sure to try it if you like really buttery Chardonnays.

Of the red wines, we liked the 2006 Carneros Merlot ($32) better than the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) even though both of us love Cabs.  The 2007 Fiddletown Zinfandel  ($43) is from Amador County, home of the big Zins.  It was too fruit forward for us but some might like it. They also have a port that is easy to drink, although it will not erase memories of a good or great vintage port from Portugal. Rombauer makes decent wines, and it is a matter of whether or not you like the style of their wines.
3522 Silverado Trail North
St Helena, CA 94574
(800) 622-2206
Visited 3/31/2010 

Frank Family Vineyards

Please see our update 2013 review here:  Frank Family Vineyards Revisited

Frank Family Vineyards was well worth the visit.  Located in Calistoga, this is a family run winery that is open to the public without reservations.  The 2008 Chardonnay ($32.50) and 2007 Zinfandel ($36.75) were both quite decent while the star of the show was the Frank Family 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon at $45.  And this was after having visited Silver Oak earlier that day! I won't say it was as good as the Silver Oak tastings but is was a superior cab and very drinkable. We were surprised to find some sparkling wines here but the Blanc de Blanc ($35) was fairly good and the Blanc de Noirs ($32.50) was even better. We had five tastings for $10.  Our server, Vince, had us in stitches with his sense of humor which was an added plus.

Frank Family Vineyards
1091 Larkmead Ln
Calistoga, CA 94515
(707) 942-0859
Date visited: 3/29/10

Peju Province Winery

Please see our updated 2013 review here:  Peju Revisited

Peju is a winery well worth visiting and right on the highway with easy access.  Other than their red/white blend, we liked all of the wines in the tasting, and persons who like blush, rose or sweeter wines might even like that one.  The Cabernet Franc was not on the tasting list but was an absolute knockout and will only get better with age. I'd love to taste this ten years from now but would have to resist the temptation to drink it all now.

Our host, Robert, was extremely professional, courteous and knowledgeable.  He made us feel very welcome. Peju is open without appointment and is in the Napa Neighbor Program.  They were, in fact, the first winery to tell us about this program and that was much appreciated.


8466 St. Helena Hwy
Rutherford, CA 94573
(800) 446-7358
Visited 3/29/2010

Silver Oak Cellars

Please see our 2012 updated review at:  Silver Oak Cellars Revisited

Silver Oak Cellars has always been one of my wineries. The first case of wine I ever bought was in 1977 and was of the 1973 vintage of Silver Oak cab.  It had gone up from $6 (first release was the 1972 vintage) to $8 a bottle but was still a bargain even then.  I have been visiting and buying their wines ever since but sadly no longer by the case.  This is a winery for serious cab lovers.  Most are quite drinkable now but will improve with age.  This is not the place to bring your grandparents from the Midwest.  No sweet white wines.  No white wines.  Just serious cabs.  The $20 tasting and tour is a bargain, given the quality of the wines.  We visited for a tour and tasting and had the good fortune of having Deke as our tour guide.  Silver Oaks sounds like a great place for staff to work. If you love cabs, you will want to visit Silver Oak Cellars.

Silver Oak Cellars 
24625 Chianti Rd
Geyserville, CA 95441
(707) 944-8808
Visited 3/29/2010

Monday, March 22, 2010

Castello di Amorosa (Castle Winery)

Castello di Amorosa is a replica of a Tuscan 13th century castle and is a very interesting place for families to visit.  Children are welcome, and they will probably love the visit. The paintings, buildings and stonework are really amazing!  We did the tour which includes many interesting rooms and caves, including the dungeon and torture chamber with various torture devices, and a barrel tasting in the Grand Barrel Room followed by regular tasting. There are four levels of underground rooms in the wine caves with over 107 rooms, 121,000 square feet of attractions, escape tunnels plus a courtyard with a great hall, a wooden drawbridge, lovely views over Napa Valley, and many beautiful frescoes and murals. Disney Studios filmed a movie here called Bedtime Stories. This is a winery where you absolutely must take the extensive guided tour to fully appreciate what it has to offer.  Allow at least two hours for the tour and tasting.




The winery was the dream of  Dario Sattui, owner of V. Sattui Winery.  When originally purchased, the property included 170 lovely acres of forest with a stream and lake plus a great Victorian home that was one of the first to be built in Napa Valley.  The purchase came with a permit to build a large winery building, a permit that took over thirteen years to obtain.  Initially Mr. Sattui planned to use the property as additional vineyards for his V. Sattui Winery, but his fascination with Italian medieval history inspired him to build the castle and grounds.  He was already familiar with ancient Italian architecture because he owned a small castle near Florence, a medieval monastery near Siena, and a Medici palace in southern Tuscany. His interest was actually more than a fascination, perhaps an obsession.  The project of creating this medieval Italian setting in Napa Valley began in 1994 and did not open to the public until 2007.  The history of Castello di Amorosa may be read here: History




We made our appointment primarily for the tour because we had heard so many positive reports from fellow local Napans who did not even drink wine.  At the end of our tour we tasted their regular flight wines.  Because we visited primarily for the tour, I did not take tasting notes.  Their Merlot had great reviews, and my friend bought a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon which he liked.  Our tour host was enthusiastic and used a great deal of humor.  Many of my wine critic  acquaintances informed me afterwards that we should have requested the reserve tastings, especially their Italian varietals, because these are much more serious wines. We hope to return to carefully taste their Italian varietals and reserves.



Castello di Amorosa
4045 N St. Helena Hwy
Calistoga, CA 94515

(707) 967-6272
Date of visit: March 22, 2010

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. Nov-Feb)  Tastings open to the public but reservations required for tours.  Definitely do a tour.  Please call or check their webpage for current hours.