California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

(Dana P.) #1
(%888-766-6328; http://www.
robertmondavi.com; 7801
Hwy 29; tours $15-25, bottles
$19-150; h10am-5pm) is
somewhat of a corporate-
winery experience
and you can expect a
lot of company. That
said, the grounds are
gorgeous and it offers a
good menu of tours and
tastings for those who
are new to wine. The
winery also uses careful
environmental practices
in its farming, managing
1000 acres of naturally
farmed vineyards.

5 p88


The Drive » Rows of
grapevines recede into the
distance as you continue 2 miles
north on Hwy 29.

4 Rutherford
Another blip of a town,
Rutherford (population
164) is more conspicuous,

with its wineries putting
it on the map. The valley
views are spectacular at
Mumm Napa (%800-686-
6272; http://www.mummnapa.com;
8445 Silverado Trail; tasting
$7-25; h10am-4:45pm; #),
which makes respectable
sparkling wines that you
can sample while seated
on a vineyard-view
terrace. No appointment
necessary, and you can
dodge crowds by paying
$7 extra for the reserve-
tasting terrace. Check
the website for discount
tasting coupons.
Meandering paths
wind through the
magical gardens and
fruit-bearing orchards
of Frog’s Leap (%707-
963-4704; http://www.frogsleap.
com; 8815 Conn Creek Rd;
tours & tastings $20, bottles
$18-42, hby appointment;
c#) – pick peaches in
July – surrounding an
1884 barn and farmstead
with cats and chickens.
But more than anything,
it’s the vibe that’s
wonderful: casual and
down-to-earth, with
a major emphasis on

fun. Sauvignon blanc
is its best-known wine,
but the merlot merits
attention, and all are
organic. There’s also a
dry, restrained cabernet,
atypical in Napa.
Round Pond (%888-
302-2575; http://www.roundpond.
com; 875 Rutherford Rd;
tastings $25, bottles $24-
95; hby appointment)
tantalizes with fantastic
food pairings on a
vineyard-view stone
patio. We especially love
the olive-oil and wine-
vinegar tastings, which
are included with guided
tours of the olive mill
($30).

The Drive » St Helena is
another 4 miles north on Hwy
29, though you may be slowing
to a crawl before hitting the first
stoplight in the center of town.

5 St Helena
You’ll know you’re
arriving here when
traffic halts. St Helena
(ha-lee-na) is the
Rodeo Dr of Napa, with
fancy boutiques lining
Main St (Hwy 29). The
historic downtown is
good for a stroll, with
great window-shopping,
but parking is next to
impossible on summer
weekends.
Owned by Bill
Clinton’s former
ambassador to Austria,
Hall (%707-967-2626; http://www.
hallwines.com; 401 St Helena
Hwy; tastings $15-25, bottles
$22-80; h10am-5:30pm; #)
specializes in cabernet

NAPA VALLEY WINERIES


Cab is king in Napa. No varietal captures imaginations
like the fruit of the cabernet sauvignon vine –
Bordeaux is the French equivalent – and no wine
fetches a higher price. Napa farmers can’t afford not
to grow cabernet. Other heat-loving varietals, such as
sangiovese and merlot, also thrive here.
Napa’s wines merit their reputation among the
world’s finest – complex, with luxurious finishes.
Napa wineries sell many ‘buy-and-hold’ wines,
versus Sonoma’s ‘drink-now’ wines.

NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA

5


(^) NAPA
VALLEY

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