Patty's Birthday Trip Part I

When my older sister Patty turned 50, my younger sister Laurie and I offered her a free trip anywhere she chose. And Patty chose…Napa! Hooray! She wanted to do a wine tasting tour primarily, and I have to say I’ve never had as much fun putting a trip together. Because we did three days of wine tastings, I am breaking up the blog postings into three parts so it isn’t wine information overload. We tasted A LOT of wines, and fortunately I’d booked a limo for all three days, so no one was driving.

Patty drinks primarily white wines, which is a bit tougher in Napa, as most of the vineyards and the wineries focus on red wine varietals. However, there are some stellar whites to be had in Napa, and we found several, along with notable reds that I tasted.

Day One:

V. Sattui

This used to be my favorite place to take visitors, first because V. Sattui only sells their wines at the winery and not in any stores. Second, the place is beautiful. The grounds and buildings are reminiscent of Tuscany, and there is a nice picnic area where one can have a lovely lunch with food purchased from V. Sattui’s onsite deli. The pouring staff used to be really wonderful too, even when the place was crowded. On this visit, it was just another crank-‘em-out commercial enterprise, and the wines were not even worth writing about. It was a disappointment all around, other than the enjoyable lunch we had there.

Beaulieu Vineyards

This was a first-time visit for me, and I was very disappointed. We all were. The pourer was as disinterested as a McDonald’s server on a bad day, and spent more time taking our money than he did pouring, and certainly spent zero time telling us anything about the wines. Here is what we tasted:

Pinot Noir 2006

A soft nose with just a hint of fruit, this wine was better in taste, with good notes of tart cherry and rose, and just a hint of nutmeg. The finish had a nice peppery kick, and was decently smooth. I gave it 6 out of 10 points.

Red Blend 2006

I did not like this wine, I thought it was very sour, and all I wrote was “sour”, meaning I dumped it after one sip.

Syrah 2006

The nose was unimpressive, with a hint of slate and not much else. The wine was slightly dry and sour, with  rather muted flavors of plum and briar. I thought the wine seemed tight and somewhat tannic, and would be better aged another year or so. I gave this 5 out of 10 points.

Beaulieu Zinfandel 2006

This had a big nose, full of raisin and tart cherry. The wine was full-bodied and hot, with raisin, tart cherry, black pepper, and cinnamon. It had a bit of a rough finish, with a lingering peppery flavor. I gave it 7 out of 10 points.

We ended the day with dinner at Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa, a delightful restaurant with pretty outdoor seating. They serve real, actual, blissful Italian food with lovely flavors. We did not have any wine, as we were fairly tipsy from our Happy Hour on the outdoor patio of our hotel, the spectacular and luxurious Avia, also in downtown Napa. Even though the winery visits were a disappointment, a so-so day in Napa still is a great day!