September 10 (Part II)

I can only include one picture per post, so I had to separate September 10 into two listings!

Ross and I can only describe Swanson Vineyards as a very unique experience. It has a great, Parisian flea market feel to the Sip Shoppe (the informal tasting room that doesn't require reservations). There is a tasting menu with kitchy food pairings, that range from potato chips and caviar to custom-wrapped Vosges chocolate.

The marketing for all of their products is very clever and even though we weren't overwhelmed by the taste of their wines, we really enjoyed the experience over all. (http://www.swansonvineyards.com/)

September 10

Our first stop was at Dutch Henry in Calistoga. This was a strange tasting and we really can't recommend it.

Next, we went to Cliff Lede (http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/) which we absolutely loved! The tasting was small, just 3 wines. A Savignon Blanc, a Cabernet Savignon and a Bordeaux blend. Ross and I loved all of the wines, but we were blown away by the Savignon Blanc which was under $25. The tasting rooms staff were the most friendly people we've come across and the tasting room and gardens are beautiful. There is a small contemporary art museum on the property and the tasting room has really cool rock and roll touches (signed guitars, wine labels designed like amps, etc.) We recommend visiting Cliff Lede!

August 14, 2010 ("Nashville in Napa")

Ross and I had a great day in Napa! We started at Signorello Vineyards on the Silverado Trail (www.signorellovineyards.com) with a lovely tasting on their back patio. They offer a seated wine tasting experience where their staff provides a complete, guided walk-through of their wines, complemented by freshly made margherita pizzas! We especially loved their Zinfandel and Cabernet.

After Signorello, we had an appointment at Midsummer Cellars (www.midsummercellars.com). We met Rollie (the owner and wine maker), had a quick taste of a 2008 Cabernet out of a barrel, and then sat down to taste his 3 Cabernets. We loved them all! I liked the Canon Creek the best, and Ross liked the Tomasson. We can't wait to sit down with Rollie in a few months to try his latest production.

The next stop, Conn Creek, was right around the corner from Midsummer Cellars. After Midsummer Cellars, we were ruined for all other reds!

The last place we visited was Alpha Omega. Their tasting room is open until 6:00 p.m. which is unheard of on the Silverado Trail. They have valet parking and a hostess that escorts you to the tasting room. They had a great crowd there at the end of the day, and we met some really fun people at the bar.

Finally, we made it to Baldacci Family Vineyards (www.baldaccivineyards.com) for the "Nashville in Napa" event. We got to meet the winemakers for Silverado Vineyards (Johnathan Emmerich), Elizabeth Spencer (Spencer Graham, from Charlottesville) and Hartwell Vineyards (Jennelle Manz). We let them know that we have friends coming in for our wedding weekend and offered to arrange a tasting. Please let us know if you would like their contact information!

The event was a lot of fun - singer/song-writers told the stories behind a lot of popular country songs. One of the best stories was about how many singers turned down "It's 5:00 Somewhere" before Alan Jackson made it a hit!

This was one of our best Napa experiences so far! We're starting to learn that it is worth the extra effort to make reservations instead of just wineries that accept walk-ins.

Sunday, July 18

Ross and I had a great day in wine country on Sunday, July 18. We started off at Pearson and Co. for take-out sandwiches. Then we headed off to Matanzas Creek Winery, located at 6097 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, California 95404 (http://www.matanzascreek.com/). They offer a $5 tasting where you can choose 5 out of their 7 wines. We bought a half bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and headed up past the koi pond to their picnic bench area. It was a little windy, but the shade felt great in the picnic area. Then, we walked down to the Lavender Gardens and listened to the bees and the breeze blowing through the lavender bushes. It was just gorgeous!

After Matanzas Creek, we decided to head over to Napa County to check out James Cole Winery (http://www.jamescolewinery.com/). It was recommended to us by Silenus Vintners (5225 Solano Ave. Napa, CA 94558 (http://www.silenusvintners.com/). We loved the Chardonnay and the two Cabernet Sauvignons that they were tasting. Lisa in the tasting room pointed out about 20 more wineries to visit which we're very excited to check out soon!

Our next stop was Silverado Vineyards (http://www.silveradovineyards.com/). It has a huge tasting room, and we were really excited to try a Merlot that we've liked in the past. We did both tastings that were offered, and we weren't too impressed. Luckily, our tasting room guide offered a taste of an upcoming Merlot release, and it was great. Ross and I both agreed that the views from the back terrace are the most beautiful that we've seen. We met a couple from New York outside, and we each took pictures of one another!

By 5:00 p.m., all of the tasting rooms had closed. We were really excited to try Cook St. Helena (http://www.cooksthelena.com/); so we drove up the Silverado Trail to St. Helena. There were a few shops on my list of places to check out: Foot Candy (http://www.footcandyshoes.com/), Pearl Wonderful Clothing (http://www.pearlwonderfulclothing.com/), Freckles, for kids and Flats (http://www.flatsnapavalley.com/). All of the shops looked really cute, but they were closing so I couldn't try anything on.

We arrived at Cook St. Helena at 6 p.m., and since it was a Sunday night, most of their tables were open. Someone had mentioned to us that it was best to sit at the bar because the dining tables are very close to one another; so we bellied up to the bar. Ross ordered a glass of Rose, and unfortunately I was all "wine-ed out". The menu was small, but there were a lot of options that sounded great to us. Ross started with Italian-style mussels, and I had the lemon-pesto mozzarella salad. We both ordered from the daily special menu for our main courses. Ross had rabbit three ways, which he loved. I had risotto with tuna, fried-green tomatos and sauteed nectarines. I absolutely loved it. We finished the meal with the daily special dessert, a blueberry cake with vanilla ice cream.

It really was a great day!