No one will be surprised that a trip to Napa for “the Marys”, (as Tom called us) would not really be filled with a lot of wine. Yes, Napa Valley is known for wine, but for me it is a place of intense pleasure just existing there. The weather, the air, the sophistication…it is my happy place.
I have only been to Napa once before, when I accompanied Tom to the Napa Valley Wine Auction. The event was about four days, and we were feted at private parties at several wineries. But between parties we dropped in at wineries. At that time people just drove up to wineries all day tasting wines. No reservations were required.
But much has changed since then. Now, reservations are required for absolutely everything, and it is prepaid. I can’t blame the wineries, but I wonder how the dynamic has shifted in so many ways. I’m sure the roads are safer. But I wonder if the reservation program has so cut down on wine visits that maybe sales to visitors who just found a wine they loved are down based on the reduction in random visitors.
The Marys weren’t going to be frequent visitors anyway, reservation or not. We went to only two wineries, though we planned on three.
Our first full day in Napa was the six month anniversary of Tom’s passing, so it seemed appropriate to visit the winery I heard the most about when he was alive.
Many years ago Tom was in Napa for “the crush” when the grapes are harvested and crushed into grape juice. Tom often spoke about driving around the winery with Jack Cakebread himself in Jack’s old El Camino, joking and telling stories. It was a favorite memory for him.
We went to Cakebread in mid-afternoon and had a private tour. We tasted about five wines both white and red, including a Cabernet Franc that Dave, our vineyard sherpa, opened for us. We had Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, and Grenache. By early evening we decided that we didn’t feel so well. We just aren’t used to drinking. But the tour was fascinating, and the one-on-one questions and answers were worthwhile. He also gave us a close-up of the vines themselves and let us try the actual grapes.
I was happy to have it explained to me that when I sometimes have an unpleasant feeling of astringency in my jaws when I drink wine it is a function of how the wine is made, not an allergy as I suspected. I had none of that in the Cakebread tasting. He explained the things to look for on the back of the label that assure the finest quality: it is important that the wine be bottled and labeled in the same place where the grapes are grown.
We were also told where in the valley to find the “best.” We are champagne lovers so he directed us to the third-oldest house in the valley. We should have sparkling wine at J Schramsberg, or Schramsberg, we were told, and that sentiment was echoed every time it came up.
He also suggested Beringer, the second oldest house in the area. That wasn’t a hard sell. The physical place itself is a knock out, and we just wanted to be there. That feeling intensified the entire time we were there. The tour at Beringer was a cave tour. I toured caves when I was there with Tom, but ML was very interested in that. It was not a private tour but our guide was a delight and very accommodating with the questions.
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He gave us the history of the storied house, and told us the moment when Napa got on the map. It was 1976, exactly a century after Beringer’s founding. California swept the global wine competition Judgement of Paris: California Chardonnay vs. Burgundy Chardonnay for best white (a 1973 Chateau de Montelena from California won) and best red: Bordeaux vs. Cabernet Sauvignon (1973 Stag's Leap won) in a blind tasting. The French were completely blindsided by this, and the respect that came with that has only grown throughout the latter part of the last century and the beginning of this one.
He also told us how the sister of the Beringer brothers saved the house during prohibition by coming up with a genius plan. She must have seen it coming because she went to DC and got the contract to supply churches with wine for their services and also to supply wine for medicinal purposes. When Prohibition shut everyone else down, Beringer remained producing. That’s how they can claim to be the oldest continually operating winery in America.
We were enthusiastic enough about the Knights Valley Alluvium Blanc ‘24 to order some. ML has not stopped thinking about it. It was light, crisp and fruit forward. We stayed too long at Beringer, but it was hard to leave.
At an olive oil tasting the previous day, we met a couple from Chicago who visit Napa every year, and Domaine Carneros is an annual destination house because it is so pleasant to sit on top of the mountain on a patio at the Chateau. We had seen it and noted it as well. Their enthusiasm settled it. It would still be hard to beat the first delivery truck at Beringer.
But we did not get back to that area until the tasting times were up. They could seat us inside but we wanted to be outside. Next year. But we made the most of this one by walking around the patio and admiring the exquisite gardens. And we ran into the nice couple from the day before, who offered to take our picture.
At $50pp it can get expensive to hang out at wineries all day, but it's just such a pleasant way to enjoy the day. And eventually, if we put all this info together, we may actually know something about wine. But that day is very far off.
