Napa and Sonoma, January 2024

Tasted Monday, February 12, 2024 by rnjbond with 69 views

Introduction

Celebrated our new home with a long weekend in Sonoma and Napa, going to some incredible wineries for the first time in our lives.

Flight 1 - Sonoma, Day One (5 Notes)

Started the day with Gundlach and Buena Vista. While lovely places, most of those wines weren't really worth writing about.

Hamel was on a different level, with much better wines, better service (the tasting was conducted by a certified sommelier), and even the experience was better, with tastings served out of Zalto glasses. Plus the price of the tasting was more than fair considering we got to do two verticals and there was a snack paired with it.

In contrast, Gundlach wines were generally okay and some I had to struggle to finish.

Buena Vista wines were better and the setting was nice and cozy. But the service was oddly snobby. I commented to my server that I recognized the label on one bottle (just making polite conversation) and she said "you think you do, but this is actually xx."

Flight 2 - Napa, Day Two (13 Notes)

Incredible day. After a rainy day one in Sonoma, was treated to lovely sunny weather the rest of the weekend.

Did three wineries this day:

1) Schrader tasting experience at a private room at Arch and Tower in downtown Napa. Incredible service and experience. Wines were amazing and we got to try six different wines, which was amazing. Ended up buying two bottles from here because the prices were reasonable (plus it was a better deal buying bottles here versus online).

2) Opus One. As a kid who grew up in the Bay Area, Opus One was always the "luxury" winery that was almost aspirational. Opus One wines are fantastic, even if they're mass-produced. The tasting experience leaves a little to be desired, however. It felt very transactional and the tastings were miniscule. Even the cellar tour made it feel like we were waiting for our turn at Disneyland.

3) Quintessa. Really great experience. Wines were great and the tour was nice, getting to take a golf cart around the property. Tried a number of different wines and really enjoyed them. Definitely will be buying Quintessa in the future.

  • 2019 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    Notes of dark plum and apricot. A little jammy with some cherry on the palette.

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  • 2018 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    Notes of red plum, blueberry, walnut. Fruit-forward on the palette. Definitely would benefit from more time in the bottle, but already drinking well.

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  • 2021 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    Tied with RBS 2018 as my favorite Schrader wine from this tasting.

    Notes of Rainer cherries, faint green apple, marigold. Long finish, subtle, chewy.

    Picked up a bottle of this and look forward to revisiting this in a few years.

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  • 2021 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Monastery Block To-Kalon Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    Notes of orange peel, Asian pear, clove. On the palette, dark plum, less chewy than other Schrader wines, some orange juice with pulp.

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  • 2021 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To-Kalon Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    On the nose, nutty and white flower notes, along with dark plum. Medium finish. Definitely needs more time to open up.

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  • 2019 To Kalon Vineyard Company Cabernet Sauvignon Highest Beauty 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Part of a tasting at the tasting room.

    Notes of rosemary and cranberry. Tastes of cranberry skins, cinnamon. Surprisingly ended up being our favorite wine of the entire Schrader tasting set and picked up a bottle. Look forward to seeing how this evolves over the next several years, but already drinking well.

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  • 2019 Opus One 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Notes of dark cherry, pomegranate, forest floor. On the palette, lemon/lime and slight blackberry. Will benefit from some more time.

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  • 2018 Opus One 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Notes of green peppercorn, persimmon, and earth on the nose. On the palette, cherry and amla (Indian gooseberry). The wine opened up over an hour. I think this one needs a few years and I preferred the 2019.

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  • NV Opus One Overture 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Nose is mellow, with lemon-chocolate and spice. Easy to drink, some spicy notes, meaningfully less complex than the other Opus wines. It's good, but the QPR is a little off here.

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  • 2014 Opus One 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    On the nose, wet cement and old books. Took some time to mellow out and would probably benefit from a decant.

    Our server was kind enough to serve a splash of this without a charge, which was much appreciated.

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  • 2019 Quintessa 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Tasted at winery.

    Deep purple color.

    On the nose, earthy notes with nectarine and cherry. Also hint of Indian spice on the nose, almost garam masala notes.

    Easy drinking on the palette, mellow.

    Would pair well with paneer lollipops on a rainy day (who said Napa cabs can't pair with spicy Indian food?)

    Our favorite wine at Quintessa!

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  • 2014 Quintessa 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Tasted at winery.

    Notes of red apple and white flower on the nose. Heavier than expected on the palette. Spice undertones in the taste, especially when paired with food flavored with herbs (rosemary). Would pair well with a spicy pasta (think arrabbiata).

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  • 2013 Quintessa 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Tasted at winery.

    Spice, cranberry, and cherry tomato on the nose.

    Needs to decant.

    Has a slight spice to it and would pair well with a savory dish that has sour and umami notes.

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Flight 3 - Napa, Day Three (3 Notes)

Since this was a long weekend, decided to try more wineries before heading back home (to San Francisco).

This was an interesting day, because we started at Promontory and ended at Artesa and it was such a night and day difference, almost a poetic representation of my wine journey over the past two years.

Promontory was hands-down the best winery experience of my life. Private tour with a certified sommelier, very personalized attention. The weather was perfect and the views were stunning. We were greeted with a glass of 2013 Dom Perignon, which was lovely (no notes, but probably 90 points).

Then we toured the cellars and learned the history. Got to try a barrel sample of 2021 Promontory, which was a fun experience. Then had full glasses of 2019 Penultimate and 2017 Promontory, which were both excellent. My only gripe is I wish we could have tried more vintages. Our guide raved about the 2018 Promontory, but we sadly didn't get to try it.

Going to Artesa after was whiplash. I've always loved Artesa because it's such a beautiful place and the sunsets are great. But, for the first time, the Artesa wines just didn't sit with me and I ended up dumping a few of them, since we were just going home after.

  • 2019 Promontory Penultimate 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Dark plum and hint of chocolate on the nose.

    A little sour on the palette, hint of spice, with flower and dark pit fruit.

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  • 2021 Promontory 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Barrel sample.

    On the nose, notes of concrete and red cherry. Mineral-forward smell.

    Showing early signs of promise, easy to drink, but a bit more fruit forward than others.

    Obviously will need years to evolve.

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  • 2017 Promontory 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted at winery.

    Deep ruby color.

    Complex nose, with dark cherry, rosemary, and rocks.

    On the palette, notable acidity, mellow tannins, long finish. Some spice in the back. Will definitely benefit from several years in the bottle and would love to taste this again in 2027.

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Closing

There is a clear difference between the top wineries and the entry-level ones I used to enjoy going to (e.g. Artesa). It's going to be hard to go back! Promontory wins best winery experience of the trip, while Schrader was probably the best tasting experience. Hamel and Quintessa were both fantastic and highly recommend them.

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