The Wine Spectator’s June 15th issue has a feature article entitled “Napa Valley Getaways, a Wine Lover’s Guide to Fit Every Budget.” Well, not every budget as you might imagine. The Wine Spectator’s subscribers assuredly are in income brackets that span from the super rich to the high middle class. I would surmise, there are few wine lovers below this economic bracket that read Wine Spectator on a regular basis.

At the top end, for “those sparing no expense” subscribers, the article makes recommendations of where to stay and dine in the Napa Valley. They mention Auberge du Soleil, Brandesonno, and Meadowood where room rates run from $450 to as much as $8750 a night at Meadowood.

I would imagine that many Wine Spectator readers immediately did as I did and skipped to the budget portion of the Napa guide. I consider myself an expert in this area since we travel often to the Napa Valley and always travel in the budget mode. I think the article missed some important tips that I would like to add. Read the rest of this entry »

Many Latino owned wineries these days are getting plenty of press. Generations of hard work, good business practices, and excellent wine have brought Latino wineries like Ceja, Robledo, Renteria and others into the limelight. But few have heard of Madrigal Vineyards. We visited there a couple of weeks ago and we found the Madrigal wines to be excellent and wondered why this winery has remained “under the radar.” Read the rest of this entry »

On the Economy
I’m hearing on the business news that some economists feel we may have hit the bottom of the recession and will now experience a slow road back to recovery. We are also hearing about more people taking “day vacations.” On a recent trip to the Napa Valley, it was hard to tell if business was getting better. On a Tuesday night, at the Bottega Restaurant we found no signs of a recession. The restaurant has been booked solid nightly since its opening in December. But the next day at Redd it was a different story. The restaurant was much less busy from what we had experienced in the past. By the time we had finished dinner at 9 pm, there were plenty of empty tables and the bar was deserted.

At the Oxbow Public Market on a Wednesday afternoon, the place was absolute dead. Honestly, there were more workers in the market than customers. I wonder whether this place is going to make it. Maybe the weekends are different, but these merchants need a hefty dose of daily customers to make a go of it. We purchased some meats at the Fatted Calf and the merchant told us that things are very slow during the week.

Just outside the entrance to Domain Chandon in Yountville is where one balloon company launches its early morning rides. We were on a morning walk when we spied six balloon rides getting ready to take off. That surely looks like a positive. Read the rest of this entry »

It all started in 1971 when the Smith Brothers purchased land on Spring Mountain to begin their amazing story of making wine in the Napa Valley. We visited last week in the midst of bottling and an unexpected rainfall. The winery was abuzz with activity, but both Charlie and Stu took time to chat with us about their winemaking adventures high atop Spring Mountain.

We have been traveling to the Napa Valley since 1966 and we divide the Napa Valley into two distinct eras, the old and the new is the simplest way to express it. Well, Charlie and Stu represent the old Napa Valley. You won’t find a fancy tasting room or barrel room, or any merchandise for sale. The only thing you will find is just pure, honest, old-fashioned conversation and a passion for making good wine. Yes, Smith-Madrone represents the good old days of the Napa Valley. Read the rest of this entry »

Most wine tourists traveling north on Highway 29 just before St. Helena will spot Flora Springs Tasting Room because of its unusual architectural design. It is also right next door to the famed Dean & Deluca deli. This tasting room is a very convenient place to taste all the very good Flora Springs wines but we have a better idea. It is much more fun to visit Flora Springs working winery just a mile away on West Zinfandel Lane. This is where it all is happening at what is perhaps one of Napa’s most underrated wineries.

Flora Springs’ first vintage was 1978, which is considered to be the early days of the Napa Valley wine world. Jerome Komes, the CEO of Bechtel Corporation at the time, established the winery and it is now in its third generation of ownership and management. There were many advantages to starting out early in the Napa Valley, particularly land, which was inexpensive in those times. Today, Flora Springs is the third largest vineyard owner in the Napa Valley with 650 acres of vineyards. The winery uses only 20% of their vines to produce a total of 50,000 cases of wine per year. The other 80% of grapes from their vineyards are sold off to some 40 wineries. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a wonderful dinner at Bottega Restaurant this last Tuesday night. What recession, we thought as we entered the restaurant. Bottega has been open since last December 5 and I doubt it has been anything but a full house since. Part of the reason for the popularity of this restaurant is the star power of celebrity chef Michael Chiarello. He is TV chef on the Food Network, winery owner, cookbook author, and proprietor of the Napa Style store. It also helps when Bottega gets great reviews from food critics like Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle or inclusion in the Chronicles’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. Michael Chiarello seems so natural as he roams the restaurant from the kitchen to the dining room greeting diners. We were seated at the bar waiting for our table when suddenly there is Michael to introduce himself to us and learn a little bit about ourselves. It is a very nice touch and one that brings back the customers. Read the rest of this entry »