Napa These Days - Been A While....

It’s been a while since I have been to Napa (2017) and that was just 1 day on a stopover as I was headed elsewhere. The last time for a few days was 2012. I don’t buy much there these days and have little of it in my cellar. Mostly old world these days…

But, looking to do a domestic trip this fall to a wine region and Napa/Sonoma are it. I have Sonoma covered (likely: Cruse, Bedrock, Ceritas, Arnot-Roberts, Cobb, Littorai).

Any suggestions for fun, interesting wine/story tours with vineyards or cellars involved and maybe even the people that own/run the thing, great people and great wine are a winning combination…something like how Cimarossa on Howell Mountain has the best Nebbiolo outside Piemonte and Dino is an amazing guy that owns the place?

I was thinking about doing throwbacks to wineries I used to like go to back in the day but I think I’ll just be disappointed…

Dicostanzo
Emh
Myriad
Macdonald
Detert

Based on the profile of Sonoma wines you list, here are some Napa wineries to check out-

Matthiasson
Newfound
DiCostanzo
Corison
Failla
Lola
Belong Wine Co.
Frog’s Leap

Rivers Marie and the tasting room next to it that pours a bunch of TRBs other wines. You can cover a lot in one visit

Matthiasson would be a must visit IMO. Steve is making wine from all sorts of varietals including ribolla gialla, refosco, Pinot munier, schioppetino, among others. All in a very old school, high acid lower alcohol style but by no means underripe. Him and his wife are both farmer / winemakers and really into the land. Check out some of their videos on IG ahead of time if you want. They are also featured on Somm TV if you have that.

+1 for Matthiasson. That would be top of my list.

Style wise these will be closer to traditional Napa varietals, but have great combo of people and wine:
Trefethen
Dakota Shy
Riverain/Mending Wall

Great idea!

Thanks everyone, I have a few great ideas from this so far.

I have been to Mathiasson and its a great tour, I might just do it again. I was on their mailing list way back when they started and for a few years.

Di Costanzo seems like a great stop, as well as Newfound, Detert, MacD, and Dakota Shy (all in the fam with those 3 and on on the mailing list for the first 2)…always liked Failla and Frogs Leap is a classic I have not done in a while.

Any great experiences that have been enhanced? They might not be new school wines per see but I’d be into visiting a winery I have been to, to see the new cool stuff happening. Just as long as the wines are not too over the top!

For example, a winery I would never think of going to 15 years ago would be Coppola - but the Rubicon wines at Inglenook could be really interesting to see how the Margaux winemaker Philippe Bascaules is doing and how the wines are. Based on their website they moved all the “famiglia” and star wars wines out and I think they are made at the old Souvrein property. Man that place was a tourist trap lol! Still, probably won’t but maybe…Stony Hill maybe?

I was at Frog’s Leap recently for a 10AM tasting. Nice surroundings and pleasant experience! On that trip, I also enjoyed Alpha Omega and Chappellet.

Back from our trip a few days already, I just commented on the meals in another thread…thanks everyone for the great suggestions!

The wineries…

Cimarossa - Fantastic, Mia Klein has not missed a beat with her signature style that we like - elegance, density, balance and breadth. One can only buy their wines direct and their Nebbiolo is the best of that grape I have had outside the Piemonte.

DiCostanzo - So glad we made this stop, great wines, our style again that we like and great value - good people

Rivers-Marie - Great tasting, wines squeaky clean as usual and tasted the new Pinot from Thierot, bought some of that - great people running the room with Frank & Emily.

MacDonald - not much more to say than incredible, got to do the walk and taste the 2019 this time with Graeme…like driving back in time when you head down their road to see them - literal time machine

Detert - same as their cousins and neighbors above, seeing Tom is a real treat and tasting with him in their family home and vineyards…again, Napa of a different and authentic kind from what seems like before Disney popped up all around them

Arnot-Roberts (Sonoma) - excellent…working winery visit and a lot to try…love the wines from Duncan and Nathan, tasted a good cross section of the syrah, chards, pinot and cab

Ridge (Sonoma) - great for a big winery visit…lots to try and compare against the classics like Lytton and Geyserville. Star of the tasting was the 2019 Monte Bello, slayed the estate cab and the Klein cab from the estate vineyard subsection

Bella Oaks - tasted at the great Wheeler Farm built by the Araujos to make their Accendo wines and a few other labels that make wine there, including Bella Oaks while their winery gets built. Stunning 2019 cab…the only thing better on the trip was the MacDonald 2019 and the Monte Bello 2019 was close