Napa/Sonoma

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
#1

I’m planning a trip to Sonoma and Napa in late April. I’ve already been to both, but I’m more interested in hitting the most awesome vineyards. 3 of those 9 days will be allocated to a private group tour of the Stags Leap district, but I have 6 days to plan the rest of my stay.

I’m a big Pinot Noir lover, so any amazing wineries that cater to this varietal would be appreciated (probably Sonoma and Carneros). In Napa, I prefer the balanced Cabs that are not terribly dry.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! [cheers.gif]

#2

Myriad with Mike and Leah Smith. They have an incredible line up and I believe just barreled their first Pinot. Another tasting that is TOTALLY different than any other is EMH Black Cat. Merrill Lindquist is the owner and she posts on Berserkers. They are small but make great wine and she is a terrific host.

Both of these are in the Calistoga area.

#3

Thanks, Ian.

I’m very curious, what makes EMH Black Cat totally different? Is it the wine or the tasting experience?

Thanks :slight_smile:

#4

Yes. [snort.gif]
You’ll taste with Merrill in her dining room, overlooking the vineyard. It’s special.

In Sonoma for Pinot Noir:

Sojourn - Craig is a board member.
Holdredge - John is a board member.
Freeman

#5

Thanks for the info! Making a list :slight_smile:

#6

Zepaltas - Incredible pinots. Ryan is a great host and the Suacci Vineyard Pinots are outstanding.

Siduri - So many different pinots from SLH to Oregon, I’m sure you can find something to your liking.

Woodenhead, Joseph Swan, Papapietro Perry are others I would suggest as well.

Monte

#7

Failla - They are based on the Napa side but you will taste some really great Sonoma Pinot.

Littorai - Just a beautiful place and you’ll learn all you can absorb about bio-dynamic farming as they show you around the vineyards.

#8

I’ll 2nd Sojurn, Siduri, and Holdredge. Add Copain to the list.

#9

I’ll second Monte’s suggestions of Siduri and Joseph Swan

#10

Another Copain suggestion here…

#11

Looks like my list is growing, thanks all very much!! [thankyou.gif]

#12

Just come to Healdsburg, than all will be revealed! :wink:

#13

Copain has a wonderful view. The tasting room is on top of a nice hill overlooking the Russian River Valley and if the weather is right you can sit outside on an Adirondack chair and tune out with a glass.

If you’re a zinfandel fan, I really enjoyed the Seghesio tasting room. It’s a large operation but they offer lots of limited and winery-only bottles there and I’m always impressed how high quality their basic bottlings are.

Robert Keenan on Spring Mountain was great too. The people are super laid back, the drive up the mountain is fun and the wines are tasty. The tasting room is right on the edge of their high-elevation Chardonnay vineyard. They had a pretty good selection of mid/late 90s library wines for very fair prices.

I’ll be in the area later next month and will follow this thread and offer additions when I return.

#14

Exactly! I can’t stand the cattle herding type of tasting. There is such a difference when you meet with either the owner or winemaker. Instead of paying $25 for a few small samples being poured by a college intern and the tasting lasting 30 minutes, you get a quick glimpse into the spirit and heart of the wine. Typically a “good” tasting lasts an hour or two and when you leave at least 1 person in the group will say “that is my new FAVORITE wine”.

#15

Just be careful on what Holdredge wants to reveal.

#16

Go to Kapcsandy, have a tasting with Lou

#17

Thank you all very much. I’ve already emailed a couple wineries.
Anyone have direct emails for these places?

Thanks again! This trip will be amazing :slight_smile:

#18

Whilst in Napa, give a shout out to Jean at Alpha Omega. Oustanding wines, and he is a hoot to be around.

He is a member here, so just shoot him a PM and try to hook up.

http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6916

#19

Thanks, Todd. Does Kapcsandy have a flagship wine?

#20

Are you looking for dining recommendations as well? If so I need some too and it would be nice to consolidate and not have me create another thread.