Bocce Ball & Wine Tasting in the Napa Valley -
August 2005
This is a wine country getaway that is loaded with lots of fun
and plenty of variety. The vineyards are spectacular at this time
of the year. The vines are lush with grape bunches nearly ready
for harvest.
Friday - Bocce Ball at Larson Family Winery | Dinner at Posticino
Our Friday begins
with a Bocce Ball Tournament at the Larson
Family Winery in the Carneros wine
appellation. The Larson Family Winery has a fabulous Bocce
Ball court and picnic area that overlooks their estate vineyards.
We have reserved the Bocce Ball court for the day. We have
five couples lined up for the Bocce Ball Tourney. First,
we take a brief tour of the winery followed by a tasting
of the Larson Wines. We love their Gewürztraminer
and their screw top Chardonnay. Both are priced nicely at
around $16. Following the tasting, we begin the tournament.
It’s a double elimination tournament ensuring that
each couple will play at least two games. Each couple puts
in $20 so we can award prizes of Larson wines to 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd place. The tournament lasts deep into the afternoon
until we have our winner. Bocce Ball is the type of game
anyone can play with moderate success even for the first
time. In our tourney, the winning couple was a complete surprise,
a dark horse winner for sure.
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It’s time to head to our hotel and rest up for dinner. We
choose to dine nearby in downtown Napa at Posticino
restaurant. It is a small and cozy Italian restaurant specializing
in Northern Italian cuisine. It’s a great meal for all and
we rate the restaurant a 4.25 on our Five-Point Rating Scale. The
outside patio is the place to be.
Saturday - Wine Tasting in Napa
Saturday begins with some pastries
and great coffee at the Napa
Valley Roasting Co on
Main Street in Napa. Later that afternoon we visit
a unique wine tasting shop in downtown Napa, the Vintner's
Collective. There
is a new breed of winemaker emerging in Napa and Sonoma.
These winemakers do not have a winemaking facility nor do
they have a wine tasting room. Instead, they opt to rent
space at an existing winery to make their wine and then have
their wine featured at a co-op tasting room such as at the
Vintner’s Collective. Typically, these winemakers
produce small lots of one or a just a few varietals. For
these winemakers, the Vintner’s Collective essentially
holds a “tryout. ” If the wines are of high quality
and other factors match, then the Vintner’s Collective
will agree to pour and sell their wines. Currently, the Vintner’s
Collective has 18 different wineries and vintners represented.
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Vintner's Collective
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Later in the evening we attend a private wine tasting and dinner
at a Napa home. Our host has selected a variety of boutique wines
to taste. These wines were chosen and purchased at the Bounty
Hunter in
Napa, and the Napa Wine
Merchant.
The tasting party provides us the opportunity to taste several
new and little known wines.
Sunday - Morning Run and Breakfast at Gordon's
It time to work off the overindulgence. A healthy morning run
along Dry Creek Road in Napa does the trick. The run brings peace
of mind and restores the spirit. Dry Creek Road runs from Redwood
Road in Napa to the Oakville Grade in Oakville. We stay off the
hills and run in the flats. If you are a cyclist, this is a great
place to ride.
We decide to have breakfast at Gordon's Cafe & Wine Bar
in Yountville. This is a favorite among the locals as well
as seasoned visitors to the Napa Valley. Gordon’s offers
a terrific menu for breakfast or brunch. We rate it a
5 on our Five-Point Rating System.
Following brunch we stroll Yountville and then head home
after an exciting and enjoyable weekend in the great Napa
Valley.
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