Melissa Etheridge at Mondavi
When folks think about visiting the Napa Valley, visions of great wine, informative tours, fun wine tastings, and great food immediately spring to mind. Of course, all that is valid. The Napa Valley is one of the most visited sites in California, and those thoughts should come to mind. The setting is gorgeous with a vast array of grapevines dotting the landscape. Mountains surround the valley, which is only 30 miles long and 5 miles across at the widest point. The beauty is undeniable.
But it’s good to remember that there’s also a lot of great entertainment in Napa Valley. We were recently reminded of that when we attended a Melissa Etheridge concert at the Robert Mondavi Winery, as part of the winery’s summer concert series during July. The concert series also included performances by such notables as the Wallflowers, Phillip Phillips, Lyle Lovett, and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue.
Auction Napa Valley 2015
The tents are down, the confetti has been picked up, and yet the memory still lingers. Auction Napa Valley was a phenomenal event that took place over four days, yet its impact will be felt throughout the year. This event is one that funds many, many charities throughout Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Vintners contribute proceeds from Auction Napa Valley to community health and children’s education throughout Napa Valley. This is an event that not only makes a difference for days, weeks, and throughout the year, but which can also make a difference for a lifetime for many.
“100 Barrels of Wine…”
The barrel tasting at Auction Napa Valley, hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners, is a special opportunity to taste many remarkable wines, all while supporting many great charitable organizations. Last week, I wrote about the auction and promised to follow-up with a post about some of the specific wines. Here we go…
Each of the participating wineries donates 10 cases of wine — one for each of the 10 highest bidders on this day, for delivery in the future. There are 100 barrels to taste from and make a bid on for a case (12 bottles). The proceeds from the barrel auction go to charities in Napa Valley.
“Take Care of Those Who Take Care of You”
Take care of those who take care of you. Good leaders do it. Smart quarterbacks do it. And, this past weekend in Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners did it with their annual community fundraiser — Auction Napa Valley. The spirit of taking care of others was alive and vibrant in the actions of wineries, winemakers, and volunteers who work and live in this valley through their donations of auction lots and tireless hours of putting on a successful event.
Each year in June, the Napa Valley Vintners band together to raise money for many worthy charitable organizations in the Valley. Their stated mission: “To use the worldwide reputation of Napa Valley wines to enhance the well-being of the Napa County community.” Their areas of focus: Community health and children’s education. Winemakers donate 10 cases from a barrel to sell for auction prices at the barrel auction on Friday; wineries put together packages to auction on-line or at the live auction on Saturday. Each year, I am impressed with the generosity of the wineries as they live the values of taking care of others.
Wine Dinners Near You
This past Saturday night, we had the pleasure to attend a wine dinner locally that was quite literally – awesome. The evening started out with a sparkling wine while the room was being prepared fully for the experience. It was an intimate experience, including less than 20 wine aficionados, which provided a pleasant environment to enjoy and learn. The venue was a restaurant, and the theme of the evening was Cabernet Sauvignon from 2004. Yes – that is right! All these cabernets had been well kept and aged for 10 years. While the dinner was not specifically paired to each wine, it lent itself well to the taste and texture of these lovely wines.
This was a journey through some wonderful wines with the pièce de résistance being a Harlan. Harlan itself is one of the most highly regarded wines from the Napa Valley and upon release will sell at $500 plus a bottle. When else would one get to experience these wines all together? That is why I say it was an awesome experience.
Vintner’s Collective in Napa — A Must Visit!
One of the challenges when visiting Napa is deciding what wineries to visit for a tasting. According to the Napa Valley Vintners website, there are nearly 500 wineries in the valley. This is a massive challenge to sort through. (Trust me though, I am working on it!) Not all wineries are open to the public to visit. Based on production, demand, overhead, and winery licenses, the ability to visit is subject to restrictions. Building and hosting a tasting room adds costs that many cannot afford.
There are actually four categories that wineries fit into. Here are the first three: 1) Open to the public — these tastings are predominately at a walk-in bar with a price for a flight of wines; 2) By appointment only — these experiences range from a sit-down with a flight of wines and a host all the way to a cave tour and/or a tasting with food; 3) Not open at all to the public — these are usually highly allocated wines at wineries that have no interest in providing tastings or wineries that have too small a production or are too young to afford hosting the public.
Fortunately, there is a fourth category of tasting experience, which is a setting where wineries group together to share their wines with the public. That is where Vintner’s Collective in downtown Napa shines.
Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2013: Just In Time for the Holidays!
It is that time of the year again — when Wine Spectator announces its top 100 wines of the year. Movies have their Oscar’s, sports have the Espy’s, music has its Grammy’s, and so on. Such is the “case” for wine (pun intended). Remember that this is not an industry announcement, but an evaluation by a magazine with very seasoned and experienced tasters making the judgments – so there is credence to their assessments. This is what Wine Spectator states about their list:
“Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines reviewed over the previous 12 months and select our Top 100. This annual list honors successful wineries, regions and vintages around the world. As always, we select the Top 100 based on quality (represented by score), value (reflected by release price), availability (based on the number of cases either made or imported into the United States) and an “X-factor” we call excitement. However, this year, we have given more emphasis than ever before to the X-factor—the intensity of interest the wines excited by way of their singularity or authenticity.”
“Went to a Garden Party” — No Ricky Nelson, but Great Wine at Spottswoode!
The story behind Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery tells the story of a remarkable journey, to say the least. It’s a world-class winery as the result of dedication, drive, and hard work. Mary Novak is worthy of anyone’s respect given the challenges she faced to bring this vineyard and winery to fruition, making it one of the most notable names in the Valley. Having moved to Napa in the early ‘70s with her husband, just five years later, she found herself facing the future alone with five children to raise. Shortly after the start of their journey together in the valley, her husband Jack suddenly passed. Her decision was to stay, raise her family in St. Helena, and build the winery. And we are all glad she did.
Last year, Mary and her family celebrated their 30/40 anniversary — forty years since they arrived to restore the property and thirty years since their first wine, a cabernet sauvignon, was produced. This winery has developed a fine history of accomplishment.
It’s Time for a Blind Wine Tasting Party!
If you’ve never hosted or attended a blind wine tasting party, it’s time! We’ve done this several times over the years, and we attended an excellent one this past Saturday night.
What is a blind wine tasting party? It can really be done in many different ways, with the common theme being that the guests are tasting and comparing different wines without knowing what they’re tasting.
A Taste of Howell Mountain
There are many great events to attend in Napa Valley. Last week, I wrote about the Auction Napa Valley (more about that below), which happened in early June. This week, I want to share about the annual “Taste of Howell Mountain,” which we attended just yesterday.
One of my favorite AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in Napa Valley is Howell Mountain. It is in the Vaca Range on the east side of Napa Valley. It occupies a volcanic plateau and looks across the valley to the Mayacamas Range on the west side. The AVA itself starts at an elevation of 1400 feet and ranges up to 2000 feet. The grapes in these vineyards ripen slowly; and, because they are above the fog line, are drenched in sun for many hours of the day.
While I could go on about the wines, another notable characteristic is the generosity of the winery owners themselves. Many partake and give much to the Napa Valley Vintners Auction, and they band together for “Taste of Howell Mountain” to raise money for the Howell Mountain Elementary School.