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RE: We have a trip planned there...

Posted by jimbill on September 7, 2012 at 09:21:14:
We had a great time!

Drove into Sonoma the first day. Went to Benovia first. Really enjoyed their pinots, but a little on the pricey side. Nice setting and very intimate tasting. They only serve two sets of visitors at a time.

Then went to Siduri/Novy. Their facility is in a warehouse, with the wines poured from a folding table setup. I guess it helps to keep their costs down. Enjoyed the wines but seemed to pale to Benovia. Might have been the setting.

Next was Martinelli. I was hoping for more but didn't find any of their wines compelling. Staff was great.

Drove to Napa late afternoon, stopping at Domaine Carneros on the way. Good bubbly but crowded.

In Napa we started off the next day with Reynolds Family Vineyards. My agency manager's last name is Reynolds, so thought it would be fun. Their wines were uninteresting. A little on the cooked side.

Next was Darioush. Amazing facility. Way over the top. The wines were very good but out of my price range.

Then we popped into Chimney Rock. Enjoyed their wines and staff was fun.

Went down the road to Plumpjack. I wanted to go there because I've always thought it was cool that they were the first(?) to put screwcaps on their premium wines. Wines were good and funky tasting room.

We had an appointment at White Rock Winery. This was really fun. They are off the beaten path. You have to get directions to have a chance to find them. The winery is in a cave on the side of a mountain overlooking Napa. There are about five different small production wine makers working there so when you go they all want to get you to taste their wines. We were there almost two hours talking wine geek (my daughters' term) with the winemakers and the vineyard foreman. This was by far the most informative and enjoyable stop.

Headed back to Carmel the next day.