Larkmead, your quintessential country chic Calistoga tasting experience

It was one of those fabulous lazy Sundays where my husband and I had finished a run/swim workout and were basking in the hot August Napa sun at St Helena’s best kept secret pool at the Health Spa Napa Valley, located directly across from the iconic local/seasonal inspired burger and shake restaurant, Gott’s Roadside - another can’t miss stop along Highway 29.  The HSNV was referred to us the summer of 2011 when we were up in Napa most weekends navigating the wedding planning tasks that our wedding at Auberge “demanded” of us. As San Francisco residents can attest, Mark Twain wasn’t lying when he penned “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. Once late June hits, the search for warm weather and an accessible pool is on.  We couldn’t be happier to be newly minted members with access to a pool and takeout service for wine, pizza and salad from Pizzeria Tra Vigne (which shares the lot with HSNV).  

Even better, while ensconced poolside, we always seem to meet cool local Napa Valley folks - a much different demographic than the crowd that the pricey Napa hotels attracts during the busy summer months.  The locals are friendly, and typically bring a bottle to open poolside, sometimes a bottle from their own vineyard to share and chat about. It was this afternoon that I met Brynna Columb in the women’s locker room. She had overheard me having a conversation about wine with another couple and mentioned that she recently started working at Larkmead Vineyards further up the valley in Calistoga. Handing me her card, she invited me up for a tasting and within a couple weeks, we had the perfect opportunity to visit the chic, historic winery.

After some investigation, I learned that Larkmead has been part of Napa Valley's history since the late 19th Century, in fact, it was one of the four great Napa Valley wineries before prohibition and an early founder of the Napa Valley Vintners Association. Located on Larkmead Lane in the Northern part of Napa Valley, near Frank Family Cellars, Larkmead focuses primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and other key Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot though they also make some lovely white wines with blocks of Sauvignon Blanc and Tocai Friulano.

For a region of Napa where rarefied tasting rooms and haute tasting room culture seem to be standard, it was refreshing to arrive at Larkmead, a winery with a low key profile, that could be your aunt’s breezy country home at first glance. It’s also especially impressive that this winery in has the history, and reputation of many of the great wineries of the region, yet lacks the pomp and arrogance that can come with that legacy.  The Solari and Baker families, owners of Larkmead since 1948, have eschewed the typical ostentatious Napa winery look, opting instead for an simple elegance, one that gives testimony to the paradox that less can indeed be more. The interior of the homey reception center is cool and sophisticated, countering the warm reception we received. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Brynna with utter hospitality as she graciously poured a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc and then guided us out to the back terrace for a bit of history.  The 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, “Lillie,” named in honor of SF's famed Mrs. Coit is richer and more elegant than what you’d expect in a typical SB. Complex, yet cool with racy acidity, it was perfect for the warm August afternoon. This wine is available for sale only at the winery and typically sells out about a month after its annual springtime release!

Out back, we strolled out into the vines, past flowered bushes alive with hummingbirds and bees, as and learned a bit about the winery’s history and its current practices. We discussed the differences between trellising styles for different varieties, soils in different parts of the 112 acres that are under vine, and the eco-friendly practices at the winery, including the wide use of solar panels and energy conservation measures. Now it was time to get down to tasting. One of the great aspects of tasting at Larkmead are that there are several different rooms and outdoor locations that are furnished for tastings, given the size and occasion of a particular group and personal prefernece. Indoors are a few rooms filled with comfortably upholstered couches and easy chairs surrounding low, glass-topped tables. Out on the patio there are picnic tables, padded wicker chairs, or, if you want to completely feel at home, even classic rocking chairs. Tasting at Larkmead is as comfortable and relaxing as wine tasting should be.

As Brynna poured us the 2010 Firebelle, we were reminded that it was named for Mrs. Coit who had a lifelong passion for firefighters and their heroic works.  Larkmead’s land was first developed by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, San Francisco’s famed philanthropist, who used to visit Larkmead as a girl and later developed it into a winery, giving it its name for the birdsong. Back then, Larkmead was considered one of the valley’s Big Four, along with legendary wineries Inglenook, Beaulieu, and Beringer. The Firebelle is a Bordeaux-style blend dominated by Merlot, which is velvety and impressive, big, bold, balanced, and beautiful. Like all the wines at Larkmead, it’s 100 percent estate fruit, the product of careful and nurturing attention.

Another favorite we tasted was the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, the winery’s signature bottling. This classic Napa Cabernet is deeply concentrated, with elegant, complex flavors, and great balance of fruit, earth and tannins; delightful now and guaranteed to impress and reward for years to come. Through both circumstance and the conscious choices of its owners over the years, Larkmead remains a boutique winery, with annual production numbers hovering around 8,000 cases. Despite construction at the winery of a new barrel and tank facility, there are no plans to budge from that number. We tasted a few more wines until the sun began to set, and it was time to call it a day. Reluctantly, we departed, though we could have easily remained on that front porch, take in the beauty of Napa, and continue drinking amazing wine.  

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Francis Ford Coppola Winery - The Wonderland of Wineries

Francis Ford Coppola Winery re-opened in the heart of Alexander Valley in July 2010 - the latest venture from Francis Ford Coppola, whose passion for wine, food and entertainment is nowhere more evident than in this new production. Francis puts it best, saying the winery is meant to be "a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy all the best things in life – food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life." Among the many attractions at the property, Francis Ford Coppola Winery features swimming pools, a movie gallery, a performing arts pavilion, a park area with game tables and bocce courts two restaurants and two tasting bars and soon will have extensive event space for rent.

As many San Francisco city dwellers would attest, the best way to combat chilly SF summers is to head north to wine country. Despite the hundreds of great wineries to visit, there is still a clear shortage of pools available to the general public. Francis Ford Coppola Winery offers the perfect solution for folks looking to enjoy a day in the sun, a wine tasting experience and delicious wine country fare all in one location! - and it’s great for families who want to experience a winery and bring the kids along. Francis Coppola’s vision was to create a place for families to come and enjoy all the best things in life together, and when designing the winery he remembered watching a scene many times at the original winery, Rubicon Estate: children were always playing around the fountain at Rubicon Estate, begging parents to allow them to jump in. Francis always sympathized with the children, so he thought, Gee, the kids want to go swimming, so let's have swimming pools.

And it’s clearly not just the kids who think building a pool at a winery is a great idea - I tried to book a cabine at the pool all summer and I was not able to reserve one until the last weekend in October! There are 28 of these Cabines (European-style personal changing rooms pronounced “ka–beens”) available to rent for the entire day. Day passes are available as well, but don’t guarantee a lounge chair at the pool and also are limited and based on pool capacity. Each cabine comes with a key and offers a comfortable, secure space to change clothes and store personal items while enjoying time at the pool. They’re also equipped with a private shower and towels so you can get cleaned up and enjoy a tasting and dinner.

Garrett and I were lucky to snag the last available cabine on the last weekend of the season - Halloween - and were afforded the opportunity to also enjoy the carnival, parade and festivities taking place at the estate that day. With a live band, a pool festively decorated with floating pumpkins and children parading around the grounds in costumes, the Winery was lively, entertaining and bustling with energy. We enjoyed lunch from the pool bar before heading in for a tasting. The winery’s interior is beautifully appointed despite conjuring up Disneyland with different highly produced vignettes dedicated to Coppola’s movies. Nicely executed, this movie focus lends character to the winery (I personally walked away with a Godfather book and admittedly snapped a shot or two at the original Godfather desk). I’ve always thought the Coppola’s were a family of marketing genius and this really shines through at this venue which ties together all their ventures in a warm open environment.

There are more than forty wines produced on-site in the state-of-the-art winemaking facility, and the winery offers a variety of tasting options, all reasonably priced. The restaurant, Rustic, has a sleek, wine country chic interior as well as patio seating overlooking the vineyards. The restaurant features some of Francis Ford Coppola’s personal favorite recipes from his travels around the world. The menu is international but offers traditional Italian dishes as well using fresh ingredients from the property’s organic gardens. A focal point of the dining room at Rustic is the parilla, an authentic Argentine grill, manned by the restaurant’s dedicated grill-master. It provides the true South American experience of delicious, wood-grilled meats as well as producing authentic, wood fired Neapolitan-style pizzas. A bar adjacent to the restaurant also serves a full complement of cocktails, wine and beer.

My advice: reserve a cabine as far in advance as possible, come early, enjoy the sun at the pool, taste the wines (drink me!), and if you don’t want to leave Wonderland, stay and enjoy dinner. You may not want to leave the rabbit hole. Tasting notes of my favorite red wines below:

Francis Coppola Reserve Nicolas’ Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - 2008
Refined and elegant, this is a big Cabernet displaying characteristics of ripe, dark fruit, cocoa and toasted oak with a long nuanced finish. It’s high concentration is marked by intense aromatics of cherry, cocoa, and mint and richly textured with medium-firm tannins. Palate of plum, berries, and currants and secondary espresso and spicy oak.

Director’s Cut Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley - 2009
This has always been a favorite of mine - deep jammy flavor with a rich layers of blueberries, raspberries, dark chocolate and mint, along with a lingering vanilla caramel finish. The bottle is cleverly designed to look like a film reel.

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Frog’s Leap Winery – The French Don’t Blush

I have long been a fan of Frog’s Leap wines. The catchy name along with the sleek black and white bottle label depicting a marsh reed and a lithe leaping frog are easily recognized andthe fun, elegant wines are just as memorable on the palette. The Frogs Leap team, headed by John Williams, believes strongly in the connection between the way grapes are grown and the resulting wine. The Rutherford terroir plays an integral part in Frogs Leap winemaking credo and the winery is committed to growing their grapes organically and has been doing so for 20 years. All 250 of the winery’s vineyards are also dry farmed, forcing the grapes to work harder to find water and to produce beautiful flavors and qualities in doing so.
This past August, Frog’s Leap Winery opened up Sunday’s to tasting for the first time – a secret that was not advertised and few are yet aware of (shhh!). Located on Conn Creek Road in Rutherford, FrogsLeap Winery and tasting room epitomizes country chic – elegant, yet quaint, with a staff that is poised, yet approachable. Entering the tasting room, I felt as though I had stepped into Martha Stewart’s wine country estate. Painted in a richspectrum of gray and sage green, the interior of the house-liketasting room is calming and elegant, and oversized pillows and living room furniture appeared sophisticated yet warm –a fact made clear by a marmalade-colored cat curled up in front ofthe massive fireplace on one of the plus armchairs. The large dining table, made of wine barrels, candelabras and even the magnetic spice jars in the kitchen that looked like a piece of artwork affixed to the wall made me feel like an esteemed guest, not a visitor. I was thrilled when we were invited to enjoy our tasting at a charming table outside on the back covered patio rather than the standard tasting counter, which you will not encounter here.

On the patio, our four wines were brought to us in a French“wine basket” and served with a delightful plate of cheese, nuts, crackers and dried berries. After each wine was poured for us, we were leftto enjoy the tasting on our own as we overlooked the lawn, organic garden and fruit trees on the property with the Mayacama Mountains framing the background. The wines were all true to their Rutherford terroir – the “Rutherford dust “ could be easily identified in the Merlot and the Cabernet – and I enjoyed each for its individuality and purity of style(see my tasting noted below). We

were able to taste several other varietals later when we were deciding what to purchase, so don’t hesitate to ask the friendly staff if you’ve missed a varietal. This winery is a great place to come for a relaxed, fun, enjoyable experience that goes beyond the wines and would be a great for a group tasting, yet is boutique and intimate and not inundated by the masses.

Although the winery does not have a license to hold private events, it is the perfect place to spend the afternoon, and with plenty or outdoor picnic tables, I would even recommend coming with a picnic basket of French cheeses and charcuterie to enjoy amongst the fruit trees out back. We concluded our tasting and then enjoyed extended our visit at the winery

playing a bocce ball-like game on the lawn, exploring the organic vegetable garden (with frogs croaking in the background), and relaxing near the coi pond and trickling fountain. Napa meets France at its best, Frogs Leap is charming and produces a beautiful assortment of red and white wines that can be enjoyed right away or cellared to enjoy in years to come. As quoted by the winery “To us it is simple; wines made to impress rather than to satisfy will typically do neither”. Do I agree? Oui Oui!

Wines:
2009 Frog’s Leap Greneoille Rougante, Rutherford: $14
This wine had me at “pink” and was the perfect start to a tasting at a country French winery, with its own “French” style label to boot. Grenoille Rougante translates loosely into “blushing frog”, though the Frenc

h don’t have a word for “blushing” and this wine is nothing to be embarrassed about. Like a rose straight from Provence, it is filled with aromas and flavors of wild strawberry, bright cranberry, and white blossoms. With slight savory hints of sage, it would be a wonderful start to Thanksgiving Dinner.

2007 Frog’s Leap Merlot, Rutherford: $34
This wine begins with a beautiful fruit-filled nose, and big flavors of cherry and plum are promising and mouthwatering. But the wine is so light-bodied and bright, that the Rutherford Dust is overpowering and the wine taste chalky on the finish. This and the Chardonnay are the only two Frogs Leap wines I didn’t care for.

2006 Frog’s Leap “Rutherford”: $75
This bold wine is a classic Rutherford Cabernet; espresso cake with brandied cherries and a long finish. The wine boasts rich dark fruits, currants and blackberries has strong but balanced tannins, and the finish, while filled with “Rutherford Dust”, is elegantly muted by the bold fruit and the finish is layered with cedar, green tea, sage, and crushed dry herbs.

2007 Frog’s Leap Petit Syrah, Rutherford: $35
This wine reminded me of a Willy Wonka Blueberry explosion – with overwhelming aromas of ripe wild summer blueberries and toasted vanilla beans. The wine is fruit forward to the core, it has lingering notes of tobacco, smoke and even roast game making it a big, luscious, easy to enjoy now wine.

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Dolce Far Niente…As sweet as the name.

“Il dolce far niente” - how sweet is doing nothing?A visit to Far Niente Winery has you picturing yourself doing just that as you bliss out at the fairytale property. Located between St. Helena and Oakville, Far Niente is a little slice of heaven and offers the ideal tour and tasting if you are looking for an intimate yet impressive tour that includes a great tour and guide, impressive and historic grounds, beautiful, lush, sweeping landscaping, a fabulous wine and cheese tasting, and even a visit to the carriage house with collector autos. The experience begins by driving up to the gated property along a long tree-lined road, so pristine that you feel as though you might be a character in The Truman Show, having thewinery door opened for you by a waiting doorman, and a sign welcoming you and your guests by name in the foyer. What I found incredible was that the winery itself is actually an old barn built in the 1800s, although it now looks more like an ivy-covered European Chateau. The 125 year-old building was built from assorted rubble, and after the center of the 3-story barn was rotted out in the 1900s, it was reinforced and given a complete faceliftwith the intention of lasting at least another 125 years. The building is beautiful, with three fireplacesand one of the tallest free-standing spiral staircases in California, which you can climb to the top floor where you’ll find a tranquil “office” that overlooks acres of Oakville vineyards and had me drooling!

The property reminded me of Wonderland – shadows reach across pristine gardens cast by different types of trees and bushes, brightly colored flowers of all sorts, peeping out from rocks and pathways, a beautiful pond with a fountain, and a charmin

g gazebo, bordered by 120 acres of cabernet grapes. The pizza oven, outdoor kitchen and expansive lawn make the winery ideal for events, which can be hosted at Far Niente, although individual picnicking is not allowed, much to my dismay.The tour takes you down spiraling stairs to the second floor, which houses the barrel tanks, and into the wine caves – which stretch two football fields long!! When you first look down the rows of stacked wine barrels, you think that you must be looking into a mirror- the underground cave labyrinth is that expansive! My favorite part of the
tour was a visit into “Dolce” – where the botrycized sweet Dolce Far Niente wine, made of Semillon and Sauvignon grapes is stored – each barrel makes 600 half bottles of the liquid gold dessert wine and it can be aged for over 20 years, turning from a golden blonde to a deep amber honey color. After a charming stroll through the grounds and a visit to the carriage house, which houses a dozen gorgeous collector cars and branded Far Niente boats, we finally got to taste the acclaimed Far Niente Wine. Each wine was paired with a delicious gourmet cheese and is described below:

• 2008 Estate Bottled Chardonnay: Made in the French Style, this chard was delicious and juicy, with good acidity. It tasted of apple, lemon and vanilla – like an apple pie that has been sprinkled with lemon juice and vanilla and has not yet been popped in the oven to cook. I liked that this Chardonnay had a hint of buttery flavor, but was not overwhelmed with butter and oak as some New World Chardonnays are.
• 1998 Cave Collection Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine had a bit of Bordeaux funk on the nose, and it tasted the way a Cab made in the Bordeaux style should taste – like the soil the grapes came from. I found this Cab to be rich and earthy, with meaty, smoky, even spicy flavors, and a little spiced plum. This wine would be excellent for food pairing.
• 2007 Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon: This Cab was far more fruit-forward than the 1998 Cab – with big red-fruit flavors and toasty, buttery vanilla notes-like buttered toast with red berry jam – I’d drink this cab on its own or with food – festive, juicy and comforting.
• 2005 New Release Dolce: There is no better way to describe thisdessert wine other thanliquid gold. It is perfectly balanced, sweet without being too viscous, and hints of honey, apricots and orange blossoms make it the perfect nectar.

Live the sweet life and stop by Far Niente – and don’t leave without a bottle of dolce to remember how sweet life can be.

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Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Weathers the Birthday Storm

With its tropical and oppressive summer heat, air so heavy and dense that it feels like an accomplishment to walk from one’s lounge chair to the pool, Mexico may not seem the ideal country in which to enjoy wine, however, given the fact that we were going to celebrate my birthday this year in Punta Mita, Mexico, I was determined to find a wine or few that would hold up to Mexico’s heat, humidity, and chile-infused food. I definitely enjoyed my share of poolside margaritas, but there were a few special wines that were worthy of blogging about.

Possibly the most romantic restaurant I have ever experienced, Garrett and I celebrated my birthday dinner this year at Carolina, the St. Regis, Punta Mita’s signature restaurant. This elegant restaurant is of such high caliber that my purse got it’s own “chair”, and we were immediately welcomed with a palatial and aesthetically innovative quartet of amuse bouches prior to our “official” amuse bouche. When the waiter proferred Garrett el listo de vino, he was generous enough to give me the privilege of making the executive decision on which bottle to select to compliment our dinner. Not surprisingly, the top three choices were all California whites. We allowed ourselves to dismiss our guilt for ordering California wine in Mexico with silent promises that we would drink more tequila during the heat of the day to make up for ignoring Mexico’s less than intriguing selection of wines. The wine I selected was the Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc – and it was a perfect tropical wine to pair with our hazelnut-encrusted parrotfish and scallops with fresh saffron risotto.

Ferrari Carano is an outstanding wine to enjoy in the summer – especially someplace tropical of when serving fresh white fish or seafood. The nose smelled like a tropical flower, and the wine was crisp on the palette with tropical notes of guava, kiwi, prickly pear, vanilla, melon, and maybe even a touch of lime. While the wine was crisp and even grassy, it had a full, long, lingering finish that was delicious with as well as without food. After moving to a slightly-more protected (though still outdoor) table mid-meal due to a warm and romantic rainstorm, we went back to our wine, which fortunately traveled well and held up just fine despite the move.

I thought I was mistaken at first, but even picked up a hint of mango in the wine, which indeed was a delicious rich, tropical and tangy compliment to our meal. Ferrani Carano’s fun fume blanc is fermented in cool, stainless steel tanks which gives it its crispness, while it is aged in oak barrels, that add complex fullness and the spicy burnt vanilla notes to its finish. We enjoyed the wine with every course and even passed up dessert wine because the fume held up so well and was sweet enough to be the perfect finish to the perfect birthday meal, and complimented our passionfruit and lemon French macaroons so perfectly After the meal, I decided that a visit to Ferarri Carano’s Healdsburg tasting room is definitely in order this months…

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Escape the Fog with Frog

On one of those frustrating early summer days in San Francisco when the sun is shining yet the thermometer can’t quite break 70, and the foreboding sound of the fog horn reminds you that the fog is creeping in under the Golden Gate Bridge and threatening to shroud the sun at any moment, there is onlyone logical thing to do: Head north to 90-degree Napa heat and have some wine while

you’re at it. Thus, our entourage of four packed our swimsuits, sweaters and sunglasses and hit the road for a North-of-SF adventure. We assumed the day would be spent wine tasting, but the enticing sun had us yearning for some poolside R&R.

We settled for Bardessano, a “luxury hotel” that is simply elegant, contemporary, and “trendy-green” as all smart new venues are these days. Bardessano’s approach is appealing – it is bonafied green, even leed certified, yet the crunch you’d expect to feel is replaced by modern sophistication. From the modern art flanking the walls to the chic and minimalist bar and spa, Bardessano is like a perfect blend of the W Hotel, the St. Regis, and Calistoga. We were graciously welcomed to the pool, stealthily hidden on the second floor roof of the spa, thanks to some insider assistance. The little oasis of the pool is flanked with covered cabanas and a trendy little bar and its elevation allows views of the Napa Valley hills and vineyards. The trendy Nikki Beach-inspired sound track lilted smoothly and the sun baked patrons enjoyed the lime-green foam rafts in the pool and so we ordered our first bottle of wine and some sustainable fresh, local, organic food to pair it with. Freshly seasoned herb-citrus infused olives and almonds and a salad made from vegetables so fresh that you imagined they might still be growing while on your plate were a light, delicate treat to accompany Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc.

The Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wines that is so crisp, elegant and refreshing, that you can easily lap up two bottles of it – which we did. The Bardessano pool staff did their best to keep the wine iced in a bucket near our lounge chairs, but the wine seemed to heat up to tepid warmth as soon as it was left sitting in the glass for a couple of minutes. This kind of wine is dangerous in the summer for two reasons: The first is that it is as light and refreshing as “spa water”, with hints of white peach, lemon, grapefruit, and minerals, that one begins to drink it as though it is indeed water. The second is that white wine this crisp warms up so quickly in the heat, that to enjoy it at its proper temperature, you must drink it soon after it is poured. Fortunately, the Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc is relatively low alcohol and made in stainless steel, not oak barrels, so it holds up better than most other whites would in the heat.

Still, it made me realize that in sub-three digit degree weather, it might be better to sip a rose that can be enjoyed even when it warms up slightly since it has a it more body. Never one for regrets, I suggested we have a rose with dinner, and so we did enjoy a delicious rose with our pork, pasta and salmon that evening inside the cave-like, sexy restaurant, Bottega...but that is a different chapter.

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