I drove down to Los Angeles from Oregon a few weeks ago, and on the way back I thought I’d take the time to see Napa - somewhere I hadn’t been since 2000 when my wife and I moved to Portland from San Francisco.
On the way I drove up 101, hoping to detour off the main road at King City to drive through the Cienega Valley. Alas some crazy winter weather had washed out a key road or bridge - hard to tell from the alert - and I had to skip it. But I remember driving through there years ago and it reminded me of a drier Napa. I wanted to see it again to see what I remembered as a classic “old California” valley that time had sorta forgotten. Also wondered if I couldn’t get a decent look at Enz Vineyard and others up that way. Next time!
So on through the Bay Area to Napa, where I had found a secluded Air BnB for a few nights in the hills west of Calistoga. Turned out to be great - quiet and serene but with easy access to Napa as well as Sonoma Valley.
Given COVID, I wasn’t planning an exhaustive set of tasting appointments. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect so I didn’t really set anything up in advance. I had a few places in mind - unfortunately not all were available - and I found I most wanted to drive around and see the landscape, vineyards and places I knew from the past or just from a distance but now had a chance to see again in person. I never knew where Dickerson vineyard was, where exactly the library vineyard behind the St. Helena library was, etc. I’m dorky enough so that kept me fascinated.
Sadly, I was interested in the fire damage after we had some issues here in Oregon last year. What I found shocked me, even more than I expected. Our fires in the Willamette Valley were mostly 30-60 miles from most vineyard areas. Seeing Sterling on its hill south of Calistoga with trees scorched in the middle of the Valley was crazy. Silverado Trail east of St. Helena and north looked devastated. A drive up 128 beyond Lake Hennessey was the worst I saw, with mile after mile of brush completely burned and obviously some vines and many structures. Seeing all the unpicked fruit on vines still to be pruned was eerie. I’m so sorry for all the loss, and I say all this to report the emotional truth of returning to the area. That said, don’t misunderstand - Napa Valley is alive and well, do not think you shouldn’t go when it’s time to travel and be merry again. For all I saw that was lost, it’s incredible all that remains. All the signs thanking first responders were well placed - it could have been so much worse. In a few years you might not even notice too much damage, fire is weird that way, things do grow back and structures are rebuilt. I do understand some of the personal loss people experienced. I can only imagine the depth of things though, and seeing the land truly moved me.
Of course I did manage some visits. First, I was able to make my way to Lagier Meredith on Mt. Veeder, between Napa and Sonoma roughly west of Yountville. I’d purchased the BerserkerDay Syrah pack and asked Carole Meredith in an email if I might pick up in person. She was kind enough to say yes, they don’t see many visitors and certainly not these days. How amazing to see their vineyard after such a drive up the Oakville Grade and then the switchbacked lane leading to their perch. Fire ran through here a few years back but you might not notice it much now. Carole said trees that seemed to survive the fire, particularly the Doug Fir, will occasionally topple over. But looking out to the east, down to Yountville and then Atlas Peak in the distance, it looks like it might have 100 years ago. There’s nothing like California (my native state). We talked vines and wine for a half hour but I had to be on my way. No tasting but I did manage to bust into the 2016 Lagier Meredith Syrah Mt. Veeder once home safe. Young, powerful Syrah with a broad palate, some black pepper and flowers in there for sure and some wood notes framing things. Really nice CA Syrah, not a Rhone ringer but wines don’t need to be so even if we seem to fetish that. I’ll leave the other 2016 and the pairs of '17 and '18 in the six pack to sleep for a while yet, no rush here. But man I’d rush to hang out more with Carole and Steve.
Then back down the grade, past the UC Davis experimental vineyard adjacent to To Kalon…Napa is incredible, the history here just knocks me out. Even with the madness of Napa money and glory, it’s still a farming valley. Maybe more so these days with crowds light.
So where was I headed? A cult cabernet producer?? No, I really don’t go for that and my wallet can’t hang. I make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and I am fascinated by El Molino, maker of same from vines in the heart of Rutherford. How can that be? I don’t fully know either, but it works. Back in the '90s when I was a wine geek interested in off the beaten path stuff, El Molino seemed like my kind of thing. Except I was broke so I was more into Zin and things people didn’t charge enough for back then. But I loved the El Molino label - it screams old California - and even then I thought it interesting that Chard and Pinot from Star Vineyard in Rutherford was a thing. Years later I had the chance to drink the wines in Oregon and I was even more intrigued. Chards from '05 and '10 were full and rich but so balanced and complete, with finesse even. And they had aged and still have plenty of life. These were unabashedly CA Chard, not something I think I like, but then I drink this and I see the brilliance. The Pinot Noir similarly defied norms, not overripe and washed out, rather a bit more reserved than I anticipated. So I pulled in to the old facility past the Bale Mill north of St. Helena and met with Jon, the winemaker whose wife’s family had restarted the winery in the early '80s. The winery itself is a rebuilt 19th century winery, they make just Pinot and Chard, maybe 1500 cases a year if I heard right. Simple winemaking, aging in Francois Freres barrels for 18 months with one racking, and the results are fantastic. I got to taste the '18 Chardonnay, brilliant in its youth with such freshness and depth. It doesn’t go through malolactic and has all the edge it needs to give definition to the richness. Challenge yourself and try this wine - it’s Cali Chard and I’m all in. Then the '17 Pinot Noir, mostly whole cluster fermentation over about three weeks in what looked like 1 or 1.5 ton fermenters. Again, simple winemaking and the results show the finesse of the grape the and breadth of the Napa terroir. Moderate ruby color, classic beet root and red berry fruits, spicy aromas. Then a full but cohesive palate, with an earthiness that Jon suggested might edge into a Nebbiolo zone and I agree. My Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir sometimes shows a Nebbiolo character, in the way Burgundy and Piedmont are vinous cousins. I like this Pinot Noir, it’s true to the grape and I’m excited that I found a stray bottle of the '08 in the cellar when I got home. I’ll try that sooner than later and hold the pair of '17s I brought home. But I think the Chard is the real star here, pardon the Star Vineyard pun…
Eating out seemed to just be getting back on track when I was in Napa, and I ate at a couple places in Calistoga that I won’t go into detail about. Perfectly fine but nothing special. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s COVID times, but lots of places weren’t open so I ate where I ate and that was fine. One thing - I did try a local Cabernet at one restaurant and it was just what I’m not into - smelled hot and tasted like Port, like ruby Port in a grapey, wood spicy way with lots of acidity that didn’t fit the rest of the wine. It’s like eating a nice steak that they should have taken off the grill a few minutes earlier. I don’t get the big flavor, long hangtime and then fix it in the winery thing.
A day after El Molino, I went west from the AirBnB to get to Glen Ellen in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Why? Cabernet from Laurel Glen, an old favorite that changed hands some years back but is still doing good work. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the vineyard itself, but tasting the wines was fun. They make a Sauvignon Blanc now that was delicious, from Russian River Valley fruit I believe, 2019. Nothing earth shattering but I remember liking CA Sav Blanc back in the day and this hit the spot. Bright and soft at once, super easy to drink, perhaps not riveting but nicely fresh and slurp-able. Then the '17 Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon, declassified from the Laurel Glen vineyard with a dollop of Merlot in the mix, this showed more of the Merlot but in a good way, soft and flavory but not without enough cohesion. The '16 Laurel Glen Estate wine was a clear step up but I noted a bit of a creaminess that I don’t love in red wines, like a jelly doughnut. The '09 Estate from the library was a whole different animal, with more grip and less of that ironed out sense that more modern 2016. I much preferred it and would wonder - have things changed so much at Laurel Glen. The '09 I think was Patrick Campbell’s last year so clearly things were different then. But then I tried the 2015 Lot 47 Cabernet - their top selection, of barrels that show the structure and depth to keep and age best. And yeah, that edge was there. Such fine grip with all the cassis and berries and gravelly notes I want in a Cabernet. This was really good and while Laurel Glen has adjusted their prices from the old days, I’d recommend them as good value if you’re otherwise spending that much and more on lesser goods.
Cruising around Sonoma and Napa more, I was counting the different trellis systems (and lack there of!) and lost track after 20. Things are so different in CA from how we farm up here in Oregon. As it should be, but my visit only reinforced that I should return more frequently to keep in touch with things here. On the final night, dinner at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, which has a great covered outdoor dining area and was open and even had a table. To the wine list and I saw the 2016 Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. Ah, this is my kind of thing. Clearly picked at a more al dente ripeness, this made me think of old Napa cabs with a breadth of ripe but not too ripe aromas and flavors, some tannic grip but more of a claret weight that time I suspect will fill out. I’d love to have this at 10 years of age or more. Tonight, with a grilled pork chop and grits, it was perfect. I could see people thinking it was too “light” so YMMV.
The next morning, up early to drive up Highway 29 past Mt. St. Helena, on to Lake County and down to I-5 north and Oregon. I enjoyed the sunshine and quiet days in Napa and vowed to return soon.