Napa Valley Winery Tour

It had been so many years since our last visit to Napa, so we were very excited for a reprise of our previous Napa Valley Winery Tour.

Years ago

As soon as we were all set up at our campground at the Napa Valley Expo Park we headed out in the Jeep on the Silverado Trail. I was anxious to see if my memory of our previous Napa Valley Winery Tour (about 20 years ago) had served me correctly.

What I remembered from back then was that each winery had its own distinct character. Each new one more beautiful than the one we had just visited. I remember Steve saying we weren’t going to buy wine because we had to fly home. And then by the end of the trip, we had to figure out how to get all of the cases of wine safely home to Florida. Yes. I did say CASES!!!

And we both remember vividly, stopping at Oakville Grocery to pick up delicious cheese, salumi, and assorted condiments for a beautiful picnic looking out at a vineyard.

On that trip, so long ago, we stayed at the Napa River Inn. Each day after breakfast we set out to randomly visit wineries and tasting rooms. And each evening, we pretty much staggered to dinner not even wanting another sip of the fabulous fermented grape juice. Until the next day, of course.

Napa Valley Winery Tour 2022

Fast forward to the middle of March 2022, and you can’t visit a tasting room without a reservation due to Covid. Those tastings, that were free way back then, are now $40 per person and up. So instead of wine tastings we did photo shoots. The wineries are even more stunning than we remembered. And we were very happy to merely drive the Silverado Trail Scenic Byway and simply visit each winery property and take-in the exquisite beauty of its architecture and landscape.

Darioush

Our first stop was at Darioush. It felt like we had arrived in Persia. The main building had all of these columns and the hills were covered with grape vines everywhere you looked.

“Darioush Khaledi was instilled at an early age with the winemaking craft of his father, inspired by wine culture in the literary city of Shiraz – in modern day Iran – and the ancient city of Persepolis. He became a lifelong collector, seeking out old world wines infused with tradition and energized by modern technique. Aspiring to the ideals of the American dream, Darioush came to America to seek out opportunities that others overlooked. He was an entrepreneur determined to realize his dream, yet always eager to share his journey through his love of wine borne of rich heritage.

Darioush and his wife Shahpar founded Darioush in 1997. They began to realize a lifelong aspiration to share the art, architecture, wine, craftsmanship and culture that had inspired their journey.

Clos du Val

Next we visited Clos du Val. At the heart of Clos du Val is an epic love story. Wine is a product of passion, and theirs is the passion project of John and Henrietta Goelet, together with winemaker Bernard Portet.

In the early 1970s in France, the young couple were world travelers, patrons of the arts, and entrepreneurs who brought a visionary spirit to their every endeavor. They adored the wine culture of the country where they lived for many years. But they dreamed of founding a winery outside the insular world of the French wine industry. They wanted to share their love for French-style wines with the world. At the time, it was a daring idea–fine wine was still synonymous with France, and it was widely believed that nowhere else on earth could rival such terroir, tradition, and winemaking excellence.

They took a leap of faith and challenged a young Bernard Portet, fresh out of winemaking school and steeped in the Bordeaux tradition. to travel the world and find a place where they could grow Cabernet Sauvignon that would rival the world’s best. After 2 years of searching Portet ultimately settled on the Napa Valley, before it was recognized as a world-class wine region. Together with Bernard, the couple planted their first vineyard and began production of their beloved Bordeaux-style wines. Soon, early vintages of Clos du Val were turning heads at top competitions in France and the U.S., kickstarting what would become one of the couple’s biggest adventures yet.

Over the last half of a century, Clos du Val has seen three generations of Goelet family ownership. The winery is now held by John and Henrietta’s six grandchildren, including our Head of Winegrowing and Chairman, Olav Goelet.

Chimney Rock

From Clos du Val we drove a short distance to the Chimney Rock winery in what’s known as the Stag’s Leap District. In 2004, the Terlato family was fortunate to have the opportunity to acquire the Chimney Rock estate.

Established in 1980 by Hack and Stella Wilson, who brought their love of wine and South African winery architecture to the Napa Valley. And since the Terlato family’s acquisition and involvement, they’ve built on that foundation and advanced the quality of every aspect of the estate and its wines. Focusing on intelligent and sustainable farming and grape growing, along with a soft-handed and thoughtful approach to winemaking led by Winemaker, Elizabeth Vianna, they strive to allow the unique and magnificent Stags Leap District soil and fruit to show themselves in their best light. Through this thoughtful and sustainable approach, their estate has built a reputation for consistently crafting unique wines of exceptional quality that show a true sense of place.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars

Just a stone’s throw from Chimney Rock was the Stags Leap Wine Cellars, which I remember touring years ago. WOW! How it had grown.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars, notably known for being the winery that won the Cabernet Sauvignon competition in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris, was founded in 1970, and is considered a Napa Valley first-growth estate.

In 1969 the founder of Stags Leap Wine Cellars first tasted wines with Nathan Fay, whose scenic vineyard stretched out below the rocky promontory of the Stags Leap Palisades. Stags Leap Palisades was named that because of the legend of the stag who successfully eluded hunters by leaping to freedom across the district’s landmark peaks. It was there that they first planted Cabernet Sauvignon in what later became the Stags Leap District.

The founder of Stags Leap purchased the 44 acre property in 1970. It was primarily a prune orchard that was next to Nathan Fay’s vineyard. He named the property Stags Leap Vineyards, and replanted it to Cabernet Sauvignon and a little bit of Merlot. Stags Leap Wine Cellars was born.

Realm Cellars

As we continued on our Napa Valley Winery Tour we passed Realm Cellars and noticed that their were lots and lots of sheep grazing among the grapevines. We just loved hearing them baa baa baa as they kept the lawn neatly trimmed! We didn’t want to disturb them so we drove on to the next winery without seeing the rest of the property.

Silverado Vineyards

Next up was Silverado Vineyards, another winery that we remembered visiting years ago. Silverado Vineyards began in 1981 when Ron and Diane Miller and her mother, Lillian Disney, established Silverado Vineyards to make wines from the historic sites of their estate. For many years, they had sold their fruit to neighboring wineries who were building global reputations for excellence. They decided it was time to create their own wines, their own expressions of the Napa Valley they loved and admired.

The winery takes its name from the historic vineyard which surrounds it. The vineyard borrowed its name from the abandoned mining town at the top of the Napa Valley. It was there that over a century ago Robert Louis Stevenson stayed and wrote, “The beginning of vine planting is like the beginning of mining for precious metals: the winegrower also ‘prospects’.”

Four generations of Millers are still ‘prospecting’ for wine to this day, making something beautiful from the land under their care.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards

 

Robert Sinskey Vineyards (RSV) followed Silverado on our Napa Valley Wine Tour.

RSV’s 200+ acres of vineyard land is primarily about grapes. But they also leave dozens of acres fallow with permanent wild areas and natural habitat for beneficial insects and predators. What they want is to take advantage of nature’s checks and balances to do the work for them. More than that, RSV is inspired by the historical farm. In the past, wine grapes grew as part of a rich regional culinary tradition. The food of the region informed and possibly drove the wine industry, creating natural pairings handed down through generations. RSV’s vineyards are a haven for honey bees, birds of prey, vibrant flowers, bountiful fruit orchards and lush vegetable gardens. The bounty from each season complements their wine, adds dimension to RSV dinner menus, sparks creative ideas and lifts the senses.

Every vine for every wine was planted by RSV with every vineyard certified* organic!

Goth Vineyards and Winery

 

Groth Vineyards and Winery, another winery we remembered from our first Napa visit, was next in line for our “drive by”.

The Groth family learned almost immediately that in buying the Oakville Estate, they had acquired a special property. The first recognition that instantly put Groth on the map and confirmed their credentials was when Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave the Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the distinction of being the first 100-point wine in Napa – and from the United States sparking a feverish demand for this wine.

Our 2022 Napa Valley Wine Tour revisited a few wineries we had previously been to and enlightened us to some new ones. But there are hundreds of wineries in the Napa Valley! We barely touched the surface and can’t wait for our next visit to this exquisite area.