Quick Trip to the Napa Valley and Stony Hill Vineyard
November 2003

We were invited to join our friends, Sally and Jim, to drive to the Napa Valley on a gorgeous autumn day. The vineyards are spectacular, their leaves a bright mix of yellow and orange colors. This is truly the most beautiful time in the wine country.

Sally and Jim know the owners of Stony Hill Vineyard, and each year travel to the winery to pick up their wine purchases. Stony Hill is located about half way between St. Helena and Calistoga on the northern edge of Spring Mountain. Stony Hill has 40 acres of vineyards from which they produce small amounts of Chardonnay, a White Riesling, a Gewurztraminer, and a dessert Semillon. The winery is owned and operated by Peter McCrea and his wife Willinda. Peter’s parents founded the winery in 1947 and their first vintage was a 1952 Chardonnay. There is no tasting room and Stony Hill receives visitors by appointment only. The wines are sold through the winery’s website or mailing list. Stony Hill wines can be found on the wine list of many high-end restaurants.

Stony Hill is famous for its Chardonnay, which is very much unlike most of the Chardonnays produced by California wineries. The Stony Hill Chardonnay has more acidity and fruit in the wine rather than the big oaky and creamy Chardonnays mostly found in today’s wine market. Through the years, the family has maintained the tradition of producing high quality and food-friendly Chardonnay.

Another institution at Stony Hill is winemaker Mike Chelini. Mike has been making wine here for the past 30 years. Mike leads us to Stony Hill’s cellar to give us a taste of barrel aging Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is aging in two different barrel types. Mike draws a sample of wine from a set of older barrels. The wine is fruity and refreshing and surprisingly ready to drink. The second sample is from a new set of barrels. This wine has a definite hint of oak flavoring. Mike says the wines have a way to go in the aging process and when ready, he will blend the wines from the two types of barrels into a very gentle and flavorful Chardonnay. It’s wonderful to find a family winery steeped in tradition, while so many Napa Valley wineries have gone the way of corporate ownership.

We collect our wine and head south on Highway 29 to have lunch at the Bistro Jeanty restaurant in Yountville. The outside temperature is 70 degrees on this November day and the outdoor seating at Bistro Jeanty is just perfect. The food is fabulous! The four of us are very happy with our meals and we rate the restaurant is a 4.5 on our 5-point rating scale. The wine list has a very nice choice of wines by the glass.

It has been a short but very relaxing trip through the Napa Valley. The Napa Valley can often be hectic as one fights the traffic and the crowds at restaurants and wineries; but this time of the year and especially during the week, the Napa Valley takes on a very different pace. The crowds are gone; the traffic is light, and the vineyards spectacular. It is very peaceful.