Napa Day Three

Posted on October 30, 2011 by clsnyder

Up at 8:00AM and ran 3 miles, then down to lobby for bagel and coffee. Into limo for trip to wineries. Group of Bill & Amy, Dan & Roxanne, Shawn & Barb, and Matt & Heather. Went to Gargiolo winery, owned by family in music business, great setting & some of the best wine of the trip. Then off to Darioush, with Diane; former dancer, probably best guide. Had food pairings in their private dining area, and grand tour. Really great time. Next to small winery (Keever); good syrah – very funny person (daughter of Vodaphone CEO) who showed us around & led tasting. Lastly to Jarvis where we had been before, shown around by same guy as before – ? Bill, a former Julliard grad. Back to Hotel by 5pm, and across the street to bar/restaurant Norman Rose Tavern for great hamburgers, and watched the world series – St. Louis beat the Rangers in game seven. We hadn’t eaten all day. Back up to room & in bed by 9:30 pm. Watched a little TV, then to bed.

Napa Day Two

Posted on October 29, 2011 by clsnyder

Up at 8 AM for a 3 mile run. Had a bagel and coffee in Avia hotel lobby, then off to Vineyard 29 via limousine. About a 2 hour presentation by Austin (hospitality director), somewhat pretentious guy. Wine was okay, but not terribly memorable. High-tech production, since tech guys own the vineyard.

Went from there to Schrammsberg vineyard. Mostly sparkling wines, nice presentation but I’m not particularly thrilled with sparkling wines.

Last stop was Fleury. This was really funny, with the son of the owner (kind of a stand-up comic, 27-year-old guy) giving us the presentation. The wines were very good. The setting is a little odd, basically concrete floor in a tent inside a warehouse. Nevertheless, the wine was one of the better experiences. Back to the hotel for a very brief stop, then walked over to Morimoto for dinner. Home about 9:30 everyone tired and to sleep easily. Another very nice day. Fantastic weather and company.

Napa Day One

Posted on October 27, 2011 by clsnyder

Had to get up at 4 AM to get to the airport for our flight; stopped and picked up Roxanne on the way.

The flight went to Denver, where, unbelievably, it was snowing. We got to Oakland at a normal time. Picked up the rental minivan, and drove up to Napa. We are staying in hotel called AVIA – very nice. It is located in the center of Napa.

We just dropped our luggage off to be checked in, got in the limo, and went to Far Niente. The setting was beautiful, with an unbelievable collection of expensive cars owned by the original builder. The place is beautiful, but the wine only okay but not superb.

Next we took the limo to Opus one. This was also a beautiful winery, but the highlight was a personal tour for 2 hrs by Mike, the head winemaker – just fantastic, showing us everything including a computer system he uses to monitor the wine from home.

Limo to Jessup for a brief tasting – free but poor wine. Then to Bistro Jeantry – a fantastic restaurant. Had beef bourguignon which was fantastic, as well as all the food. Would definitely go back again. Back to the hotel around 9:30 Cali time which would be 11:30 our time. Very tired.

Unbelievable day. Not too often do you get to fly to California in the middle of the week, take a limousine all around and drink all day and eat gourmet food w good friends.