#kuleto

Full clear nose, dull spice and a fragment of barnyard fleshing thing up. A VERY nice pure Cabernet nose, silky and restrained, sweet nectar with a cedar-plank vision, an herbaceous twist, a little dirty licorice and tobacco keeping the bright cherry in control.

The palate continues to please. Bright and striking, perfect balance, no overt oak or concentration cheapening things or pandering…

Like many San Franciscans, I am a transplant. Living in Northern California has many benefits, and trust me, I love all of them including the wine country. I would be rich if I charged for wine country recommendation inquiries from friends and family who visit NorCal for rest, relaxation and above all else - wine.  But, I'm too nice for that so instead I've decided to put my two cents out there for everyone to see. This is by no means a comprehensive list. The list of places one could recommend is truly infinite with new wineries, tasting rooms, and cool producers popping up each year - so the below are my "go-to's"; the tried and true, established and loved.  Feel free to take 'em or leave 'em - enjoy!

NAPA. 

Quick disclaimer about the Napa and Sonoma wine country areas: they are not that close to one another!  It's about an hour drive between Sonoma and Napa - you have to cross over a small mountain range to the other valley. It's a really pretty drive if you take the mountain pass so if you have time, go for it!  

As far as where to stay overnight in the Napa area, I'd recommend staying in Yountville.  Yountville is a small, upscale town with great restaurants, lots of accommodation options, amazing wineries nearby and bike rentals in town so you can cycle instead of driving if you're feeling athletic. All that being said, accommodations in Yountville are expensive ($250-300+/nt) and usually require a two night minimum.  If you're not up for that, there are two amazing B&B's which offer very reasonable rates and offer one night stays during the off-season in Napa proper: The White House Inn and Candlelight Inn.  

In Yountville hotel/accommodations:

Maison Fleurie - nice, country french style, affordable option in town

North Block Hotel - new, swanky boutique hotel in town so also walking distance to things, still relatively affordable

Bardessono - upscale hotel, has a spa, right in downtown so walking distance to some great restaurants, shops, etc

Poetry Inn - upscale B&B, a little outside of town, great views, large rooms so may be able to get a suite or share

Auberge - really nice resort nestled into the hills just a few miles outside of Yountville.  Amazing restaurant and bar area. 

Outside of Yountville hotel/accommodations:

Solage Calistoga - sleek, modern, upscale, has a pool, spa (I believe), great restaurant, think they have bikes you can borrow if you want to cycle around to some of the nearby wineries, a hip wine country scene

Calistoga Ranch - a splurge but awesome property, all individual/free standing rooms, really relaxing wine country setting

Yountville restaurant recos:

Redd - Michelin star chef, on the main street, rezzies necessary, great spot for upscale lunch or dinner, outdoor fireplace area could be fun spot for drinks, too

Ad Hoc - one of Thomas Keller's killer spots, rezzies necessary, new prix fixe menu each day, on the main street

Bouchon Bakery - carb mecca, always a line so be prepared to wait but moves, on the main street, great place to grab a quick coffee/breakfast pastry or sandwiches for lunch

Bistro Jeanty - really cozy French bistro, great food and great service on the main street

French Laundry - $$$$, but do it if you can get a rezzie! (and if you can't, at least check out their garden which runs along the main street across from the restaurant)

Within the town of Napa restaurant recos:

Oxbow Market - a great artisanal grab and go market with several different restaurants in the same place, cute little wine country shops as well, has indoor and outdoor seating; this would be a great spot to get lunch or take a tasting break while you're out and about during the day

Hog Island Oyster Co - in Oxbow, amazing oysters

Carpe Diem Wine Bar - really cozy spot in downtown Napa, great service, solid food, great wine list (of course) and reasonable prices

Torc - more contemporary spot in downtown Napa, excellent food, a large space so good for groups, quiet during the week

Yountville area winery recos:

Chandon - just on the other side of the hwy from Yountville, you could ride a bike there if you stay in downtown Yountville, nice sparkling wines, lovely tasting area (both inside and out), good restaurant on site as well

Robert Sinskey - fantastic wines (Pinot Noir specifically), well respected

Trefethen - one of the first wineries you'll see as you're entering the Yountville area, amazing reds

Stags Leap - there are a couple of these; the one on the Silverado Trail nr Yountville is my fav, several tasting options 

Outside of Yountville, other Napa area winery recos:

Kuleto - fantastic Napa reds, will def want a driver for this tasting! Lots of wine + comes with a tour of their beautiful property and cheese pairing. Will need an appt - $40pp. Def worth a visit.

Hall - on the main wine road in St. Helena, a fantastic display of modern art and some old Napa architecture as well, solid wines, should make an appt, tasting prices vary 

Clos Pegase - on the main wine road in Calistoga, very modern tasting room, cool sculptures on property, good wines too!

Other notes:

Napa Valley Bike Tours - a really fun way to see the Napa Valley area. You can sign up for a guided bike tour with lunch or just rent bikes on your own.  Definitely recommend if you are up for biking.

Driver - if you don't have a DD lined up for the trip, I would definitely recommend lining up a driver/car so everyone can enjoy themselves - I usually use the guy I included below.  He has competitive prices and is reliable. 

Any of the hotels listed above should be able to help you line up other a driver/transportation options as well if you want to price shop a bit.

Other resource: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/insiders-guide-to-napa-valley

Driver info:

Abdul B. Erikat President Erikat Enterprises Best Car Service 408.985.4237 www.limo408.com

Unlike other countries which usually have one or two primary grapes that they make rosé from, the US accepts all different kinds of grapes! Highly recommend experimenting and taking note of what grape it’s made from if you like it. The quality can vary a bit with the American rosés, so take a few bottle tips from grapefriend. I’ve written about the Envolve and C&C rosés before and still love them, but try out these too:

Chimney Rock 2010, $19

Run, don’t walk – and you have to since this gets sold out. It’s made from Cab Franc and is soooooooo freaking good! My friend brought it back from the Stags Leap winery for me and we had it with a meat and cheese plate and it was perfection. The 2010 is already gone, but luckily they’re releasing the 2011 soon. It can’t be fast enough! Yumbuddy Yumballs.

artist barbara kruger did the mod label for Taste

Bedell Taste 2011, $18

This is pale-ish, but I liked it. And I brought it to a BBQ and it was my friend’s favorite wine of the night (and there were a lot of wines at that BBQ), so I always like to pass along tidbits like that in case it turns out to be your favorite, too. This is that winery on the North Fork and their rosé is 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Syrah. Zippy and light but full of wild strawberry and white peach and a great mineral streak.

Halter Ranch 2011, $16

I really like Paso Robles reds, and this is a solid choice for rosé too. It rocks southern Rhone grapes, which I love: 44% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, 8% Picpoul Blanc.

Kuleto Estate 2010, $24

Another solid choice, made from 38% Cab, 23% Zin, 18% Sangiovese, 15% Syrah, and 6% Cab Franc. (Wine Geek Fact: they got a new sorting table with a drain screen that removes juice within seconds after the berries have been broken in the destemmer, making the juice much lighter.) Has the typical rosé strawberry flavor, but I have to quote the Napa winery who says it “moon-walks across the roof of your mouth to the back of your palate.” It’s the Michael Jackson of rosé !

who shows rosé without the wine in it? grapefriend.

Anaba Turbine Pink 2010, $22

Loved this so much that we drank it all up before remembering to take a picture of it. That usually doesn’t matter, but with rosé I like to show the color. Ah well, trust me, it’s good – delicious strawberry-heavy rosé from Grenache grapes! (You can see the color on their site, if you wanna.) A wind turbine’s on the label because one harnesses the anabatic winds to generate electricity for the tasting room, wine storage, office operations, and irrigation pumps for their two Sonoma vineyards.

Étude 2011, $26

Etude is a winery in Carneros, which is known for amazing Pinot Noir. So obviously the rosé made from Pinot Noir follows suit as a great choice – it’s very lean and light-colored, similar to the French style.

Wine: Zinfandel

Region: Napa Valley

Alcohol: 14.9%

Oak: Hungarian & French / 10 months 

Price: 35 bones

Zombie Score:   5 Wooden Stakes

  Tasting Notes from the Catacombs:  

On smelling this wine right out of the gate, I came upon some beautiful red cherry blossoms and deep cherry liquor. The aromas whisked me into a library room of high leather back chairs and mahogany tables where a gentleman's liquor cabinet would have been found.  

The flavors were well balanced and and the acids were structured in a fairly integrated manor.  I immediately picked up on tinder box or spice box element that would suggest the hungarian oak is playing 1st fiddle here of which I loved. Great marriage of oak in my opinion. 

Cherry liquor, shaved dark chocolate along with hints of espresso lead this red into a mouthwatering marathon causing you tap the bottom of the bottle expecting more when it has been emptied. 

  Memory Rapture: 

In 1992 i saw my first UFO.  Yep, I said it. I was standing outside talking with friends at a winter camp (brrrrrr) in Moose jaw, Saskatchewan. I almost snapped my neck off when looking behind me caught 6 bright green lights in the sky making their way westward. My friends saw it as well but were so buzzed on Jolt soda that I am sure they just chopped it up as aircrafts from the nearby Canadian Air Force Base taking off and landing. Some would suggest Aurora Borealis of which I would see almost nightly being Canadian and accustomed to odd colors in the sky. This was different. The lights moved differently. 

Why do I bring this up?

Well, that day we had just celebrated a birthday party of one of our friends and had Black Forrest cake of which I was still tasting in my mouth when this event occurred. I was known to 'wood chip' chocolate cake then. Just Sayin'. 

This wine brings me back to that day.  A wine abduction without the messy alien implants. 

  Winemaker Notes: - 761-acre ranch is located in the rugged wilderness of eastern Napa Valley overlooking Lake Hennessey, Prichard Hill and the towns of Rutherford and St. Helena

- neighbors include Chappellet, Colgin, Bryant Family and David Arthur

- ranch is a patchwork of steeply wooded hillsides interspersed with tiny vineyards that have been divided into 100+ micro-blocks based upon topography and soil structure

- Each block is farmed and picked independently with harvest often lasting up to 50 days

- The three clones of Zinfandel at Kuleto Estate are planted between 1200 and 1400 feet in a small bowl containing the only deep red soil on the property

- The head-trained vines face to the northeast, avoiding the late afternoon sun and warm winds that can desiccate late ripening varieties such as Zinfandel

- The 2008 vintage featured severe frosts when the shoots were already 12-18 inches in length resulting in a 30% crop loss in a number of blocks - this means low yield