WINE COUNTRY SNAPSHOTS

In my many jaunts to Wine Country, I never suffer for options. Even after a decade, I am ever experiencing new delights. In addition to recent weekends (Calistoga to family-run wineries), here’s a few more bite-sized fall delights that will be equally pleasing this winter.

Coffee goodness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Napa Valley Roasters is a family-run affair with the original shop in downtown Napa and a larger cafe in St. Helena. Nancy Haynes is president, carrying on the legacy begun by husband who started the business many years back, while son Charlie Sange is the roastmaster. Using a vintage Probat roaster, he rotates batches of beans each shift, personally adjusting roasting times and techniques for each style. They supply coffee for numerous high profile restaurants all over Wine Country.

I’ve spent time in both cafes, and though I am inclined towards the character of the historic Napa space with high ceilings and creaky wood floors, I value the welcoming vibe of the St. Helena location. Locals chatted me up as I wrote over espresso and coffee, alongside the well-loved, red Probat machine. At home, I savored their robust French roast beans, each cup a reminder of a family who clearly cares about coffee and their community.

Gourmet spread, with a view

Ram’s Gate Winery is one of the more exciting winery openings I’ve seen in Wine Country. Having visited a couple of times (including the pre-opening party in September), I’m mesmerized each visit by the winery setting atop a small hill surrounded by wide valley vistas.

The building itself is an architectural delight. An array of room feature high ceilings, comfortably chic chairs, fireplaces, massive, open air spaces and patios flowing into one another, all taking in that view. Rustic with weathered woods, the structure is likewise visionary and modern.

Yes, there is wine, from Pinot to Syrah (I am partial to their Sparkling Brut), but a highlight of Ram’s Gate is Executive Chef Jason Rose, who’s resume includes a stint as Culinary Project Manager at the Delfina Restaurant Group. His cooking is worth going out of your way for alone. Small plates represent (naturally) the best of local bounty and are as refined (and damn tasty) as the better restaurants nearby.

Though the address is Sonoma, one of the key factors Ram’s Gate has going for it is a location right off the 121, en route to  Napa and Sonoma counties, barely over 30 minutes drive from SF. It’s now a key stop for a snack, a sip, or a full meal.

Old world Napa

Way up winding roads from St. Helena, Smith Madrone is run by brothers Stu and Charles (Stu founded the winery in 1971). At first meet, Charles is mild-mannered and polite, while Stu is a straight-shooter, peppering his talk with more than a few swear words. Stu took me on a ride around the winery grounds, tucked into the slopes of Spring Mountain.

Being harvest time, grapes rested in open air vats in the small, barn-like winery, giving off a fragrant, sweetly boozy aroma, surrounded by past vintages aging in French oak.

Far off the beaten path, this sleepy (though hard-working) vineyard evokes a Napa of decades ago. It seemed a glimpse of what Napa was like before 1976′s Judgement of Paris, before Mondavi elevated Napa on the global wine map. Here there is a sense of place, history and family that feels very much Napa. It made me grateful to see it preserved in this peaceful hideaway.

A short walk from the winery is an unexpected, breathtaking view (above). Standing on the edge of Spring Mountain, the slopes cut down to the valley with the Eastern ridge visible across the valley. Sipping a glass of their dry Riesling (bright with floral summer fruit) with this view before me, I had a moment. Taking in the silence of pine ridges and mountains, hills and valleys, vineyards and sun, I was reminded of how sweet it is to be alive.

Fine dining in a Westin hotel

La Toque seems an unlikely fine dining destination for hardcore foodies inside the Westin Verasa Napa hotel. But a tasting menu here (four courses $74, five for $90, chef’s table menu $135) leads with impeccable waitstaff and service, surprises with inventive dishes, and an international wine list. The decor, while refined, felt a bit stiff, but service is so warm, one forgets the surroundings, particularly when a dish like Maine lobster creamy with butternut squash comes out, illumining another direction for lobster – one vividly fall-like.

Garden-fresh creativity

Ubuntu is one of Napa County’s best restaurants – and I am decidedly not a vegetarian. This “soup” may look as spare as bird food. I’ll admit, portions on some dishes do run small. But sharing four plates each visit I somehow leave full, and in what is a rarity for me anymore, there’s always a few dishes unlike any I’ve had before. A complex, pleasing range of flavors is commonplace at Ubuntu.

The view overlooking To Kalon land at Robert Mondavi winery

WINE TALES

The wine scene never rests, particularly during harvest time. Besides traveling to Bordeaux for harvest a couple weeks ago (where I picked grapes with the harvesters one day in Sauternes), and continued weekends in Napa and Sonoma, I’ve been savoring the city’s latest wine bars, wine books, winemaker tastings, and a rare panel for Robert Mondavi staff of key winemakers discussing Napa’s premier soil.

City Wine Bars

Alongside the best wine bar openings of 2010 (like Barrique and Fat Angel), there’s the new Barrel Room (in the old Hidden Vine space), and the new Hidden Vine (near the Transamerica Building).

But for city-produced vino, I’d head to brand new Bluxome Street Winery. Reclaiming a SoMa winemaking heritage they say was thriving pre-1906 earthquake, the Bluxome crew grows their own grapes within 100 miles of SF, producing a handful of whites and reds, from Sauvignon Blanc to Pinot. Tasting through flights of each, I found all balanced and interesting, particularly a Chardonnay, which reigns in typically over-oaked California qualities for a pleasantly acidic, well-rounded white. In the tasting room, sit in front of giant windows overlooking production of the wine you’re tasting.

Contemplating Napa’s
“Grand Cru”: To Kalon

This summer I spent an unforgettable weekend with Robert Mondavi staff at Mondavi’s To Kalon vineyards, where vines were first planted in 1868. Mondavi’s master of wine, Mark de Vere, deems this land, “the preeminent Grand Cru site of Napa since the 19th century”. At the cost of over $40,000 per acre, it’s outrageously expensive land. But to the winemakers who each claim a plot of it, they say it produces some of California (and the world’s) finest wine, reflective of the unique terroir of Napa.

It was a mesmerizing couple hours listening to a panel of six To Kalon winemakers (including Mondavi’s Genevieve Janssens, a Frenchwoman named 2010 winemaker of the year by Wine Enthusiast), discussing how Napa is reaching the point in its history past infancy and teenage years, maturing in the quality of vines, land and winemaker technique. Tor Kenward, of TOR, says working with To Kalon vines is: “Intellectually challenging… Despite price, it’s fascinating to work with.”

Sampling five To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon side-by-side, each reflects similar characteristics pointing to the properties inherent in the land. Each also reflects winemaker style (these winemakers likewise produce wines from other Napa regions).

As one would expect, they’re pricey bottles, hovering between $125-150 due to immense land costs. Provenance Vineyards was the exception at $75 a bottle for their 2007 Cab, exhibiting notes of white pepper, vanilla and berries.

Though it seems Provenance winemaker Tom Rinaldi gets flak for not increasing the price of his To Kalon wine to more closely match fellow winemakers, he keeps costs low for reasons akin to benefiting from rent control. He secured an early contract and plot with essentially a fixed price that has kept his cost lower than the current $40k plus per acre. I admire that though he could be making double, he has chosen not to put this on his customers… yet. His current rates will be renewed soon so he will no longer be able to hold at that price. It’s an issue each winemaker must contend with. Competition for To Kalon plots remains stiff and no matter the cost, each considers themselves lucky to work the land.

Standouts were Carter Cellars 2008 Cab ($125 a bottle), with dusty earth and spice giving it profound character, balanced by bright floral notes. At a mere 185-300 cases a year, it’s truly a limited wine. The other was TOR’s 2008 Cab  ($150/400-500 cases a year). A clean, mineral nose exudes light perfume, while it tastes of dark berries with gentle spice, vanilla, and a creamy finish.

Tor Kenward comments on Napa’s maturing winemaking, playfully expressing California’s place in the wine world: “I’ve gone mano y mano with Bordeaux through the decades. It’s amazing how California goes head to head.”

November Tastings

For a few Thursday nights in November (3,10,17 from 6 – 9pm), Press Club (20 Yerba Buena Lane, between Market and Mission) hosts their Visiting Vintner Series with wine flights, by-the-glass pours and winery staff in tow. This month’s line-up is Swanson Vineyards and Roederer Estate Winery. Roederer creates some of the country’s loveliest sparkling wine, pouring their Brut, Brut Rose, and Estate L’ermitage ($22 a flight or priced by the glass). Swanson, a family winery I wrote about last month, pours their Pinot Grigio,  Oakville Merlot, and Napa Valley Zinfandel ($22 a flight or priced by the glass). With the focus generally on pours only available at the wineries, they bring the winery (and winemakers) to you. Press Club also has a food menu for snacks or a meal to pair with.

Bookworm

My recent flights overseas required some serious reading, and finishing Natalie Maclean’s new Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines helped a 10 hour flight pass quickly.

Each section hits a different part of the world in search of high quality, value wines. From South Africa to Sicily, wine terms and history are subtly slipped into stories about individual winemakers and pairing recipes. A cheery book cover belies Ms. Maclean’s skill with imagery (she’s won the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award and four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards). For example, in her particularly engaging chapter on German riesling, she compares riesling as the “quivering”, “opera diva Sarah Brightman singing pop tunes… [with a] range [that] stretches far beyond what I hear,” to popular chardonnays as: “breathy pop stars who have to whisper the high notes.”

A Weekend in Calistoga

The Northern end of Napa has long been my favorite part of the Valley, namely for increasing oak trees towering over vines, and the way Highway 29 morphs from straight arrow into winding road (just like the beautiful and far less congested drive parallel along Silverado Trail). A recent weekend in Calistoga afforded one of the most relaxed I’ve had in my many dozens in Wine Country over the years. Visiting Kelly Fleming winery (by appointment only) was the impetus for my trek north, while I felt restored at Indian Springs, lounging around the Buddha Pond, swimming in an olympic-sized pool, and finally trying those famed Calistoga mud baths (I can now say I’ve done it).

Calistoga is a small town and the dining choices are therefore minimal. Lincoln Ave., the town’s main drag, is less overrun than St. Helena’s main street and less touristy than Yountville’s V Marketplace. It’s the real deal: small town Americana, laid back, approachable, and merely a few blocks long.

Calistoga now has their own organic, locally roasted, fair trade coffee, Yo El Rey, a humble little shop that feels like a college coffee dive but serves robust coffee made with care. Besides the shop, they serve their coffee at Calistoga’s Saturday farmers market where I also bought Calistoga Inn’s newest housemade granola, laden with ginger, orange, spice. I’d like to stock my cabinet with this one. A new juice bar inside Calistoga Kitchen, a catering company, is an unexpected treat. Only a few juices, but each made by the sweet owner at a charming café and garden. I’m a little disappointed in the food at longtimer All Seasons (despite inviting, retro cafe decor). But Calistoga has grown up in the realm of two relatively newer (within the last 2-3 years) restaurants: JoLe and Solbar

JoLe, 1457 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga, 707-942 5938

JoLe brings a bit of city chic to Lincoln Ave. Clean lines around a wood-burning oven and cozy wood bar are merely the backdrop for ambitious dishes. The a la carte menu reads reasonably with nothing over $18, but a meal quickly adds up to over $100 for two if one goes for the basic tasting menu: 4 courses for $50 (also 5 courses $65, 6 courses $80). Thankfully, you can chose any mix of dishes you want. One can save going a la carte, where portions are bigger so not as many courses are needed. Generally, the price of the final bill doesn’t feel quite congruent with the casual, buzzing atmosphere.

Besides ever present wine, it’s refreshing to see a few cocktail options, and the bar staff can make off-menu classic or classically-inspired cocktails with their strong spirits selection (many of them local and small batch). Napa Valley 75 ($10) is a classic French 75 but with Bay Area ingredients: 209 Gin, Schramsberg Blanc de Noir, Meyer lemon juice and agave. Strawberry Tarragon ($10) is strawberry-infused Espolon tequila with tarragon, Peychaud’s bitters and egg white to soften it. I wished the tarragon was more prominent, but it’s still a crowd-pleasing concoction.

Dishes like grilled cauliflower ($8) underwhelmed, though Dungeness crab and saffron aioli normally would be just what I’d want with cauliflower. Local Heirloom tomato salad ($10) is a dime-a-dozen dish during tomato season but I never tire of excellent tomatoes. With zucchini puree and curry oil I expected a kick, but sadly the curry was all too subtle.

With Cheryl’s Tasting ($18), however, chef Matt Spector illumines his possibility. The trio plate recalls the types of East-meets-West seafood dishes I’ve had at Ame in San Francisco. Three mini-dishes of lobster, uni and cuttlefish (the latter in the form of custard) are steal at $18 for such gourmet, painstaking bites.

Chicken fried quail ($15) was the most satisfying dish, its crispy skin crackling tight over tender meat, accented by haricot verts (aka green beans) and blackberries, resting in a puddle of corn jus. Not quite in the same league but still pleasing were scallops ($17) with chanterelles, Tasso (that ever satisfying Southern ham) and peas in peach BBQ sauce, or Korean-style short ribs ($15) with Napa cabbage, chili, peanuts, cilantro, mint.

For dessert, I opted for a tart, summery lemon huckleberry truffle, essentially lemon pound cake layered with cream, huckleberries and lemon in a pilsner glass, and house sorbets and ice creams, all made by Sonjia Spector, wife of Matt. JoLe skillful dishes in an unpretentious setting, representing Calistoga comfort but with gourmet edge.

SOLBAR, 755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, 866-942-7442

Solage Resort sprawls over a large patch of land off Silverado Trail with modern chic cottages and main houses, including restaurant Solbar, facing a giant pool with floor to ceiling windows and spacious patio bordered by couches. The restaurant is industrial with high ceilings and touches of brown and olive green.

Solbar delivers relaxed high end to the countryside of Calistoga. Unfortunately, this can transport a mix of clientele evoking the plastic nether regions of Miami or LA, or essentially the Real Housewives set. Some plastic surgery-amplified couples or girlfriends out for a Wine Country weekend mix with upper class families and their kids. This makes Solbar a bit hard to bear at times and is far cry from the downhome people one sees wandering Calistoga’s main street.

Appetizers are around the $15 mark and entrees closer to $30 – one hungry person can easily eat one of each. The cost doesn’t quite add up with the fairly casual (though chic, modern) tone of the space, particularly if your table outside is surrounded by children, as I’ve experienced. Walking away at over $150 for two should offer a bit more of an adult setting, though attentive service ups the experience, as does gorgeous Summer evening weather.

What Solbar brings to Calistoga is truly cosmopolitan cooking. Whereas JoLe is the warmer welcome of the two, Solbar has a leg up on consistently excellent, often creative dishes. Lemon lime soup ($12) is certainly Tom Kha Gai-inspired with lemongrass, lime leaf, jasmine rice, coconut milk, broccoli florets, but its citrus tart is brighter than typical in the classic Thai soup. Dollarhide Ranch peaches ($15) are served with Italian staple San Danielle prosciutto. Charred onions add on s a sweet, smoked layer, while lavender honey Parmesan mousse elevates nuance in what could be a common dish. Instead, it expresses the glories of Summer.

A Monterey Bay sardine ($14) is generous and glistening, just the way I love them. For those who’ve never had sardines fresh and plump as you can find them in San Francisco or along the coast of Italy, to name a few places, Solbar’s dish would be an excellent introduction. Gypsy peppers, nicoise olives, and pickled fennel open up various expressions of the fish, resting in a bit of aged sherry vinegar. No dish was more fun than Brannan Street BLT ($15). Stacked between a house-made English muffin is a bacon fat-basted egg, fried green tomato and shredded romaine slathered with aioli. It would make a fabulous breakfast.

Cocktails here are among the best in all of Napa. Though it’s still a rarity to get cocktails of this quality nearby, that to me doesn’t justify the $14-15 average. San Francisco is not far away and littered with artisanal and classic cocktails, many of them excellent at $8-10, with the pricier average more like $12. It seems odd to find these even more expensive than in the city. But they are artfully made and delicious. Smashed Margarita ($14) is made with the ever-respected Siete Leguas blanco and lime, given that smoky, mineral touch I’m crazy about from a splash of Sombra mezcal and smoked, orange-infused Cointreau. A pasilla chile and smoked salt rim confirms it’s status as a fine margarita. Deer Park Sour ($14) appeals to the Scotch lover on the light, refreshing tip: Glenfiddich 12yr and lemon are enriched with maple syrup, lavender tincture, and egg white. Trade Secret ($14) is my favorite of recent visits. It plays like an elevated tiki drink sans rum. Germain-Robin brandy and Batavia Arrack may not sound tiki, but combined with pineapple juice, lime, house-spiced pineapple molasses and peppercorn, it’s sweet, spiced, boozy perfection.

A finish of Robin’s chocolate cake ($10) wins with a scoop of their house Old Rasputin stout ice cream. Though sold on the fact that the dessert includes mustard caramel and sea salt pretzels, I was disappointed not to taste much mustard or enough sea salt. It is still a worthwhile dessert mainly due to the ice cream, though punching up the salty/savory aspect would make it divine.

All in all, every visit I’ve made to Solbar has been a pleasing one. Clientele and prices are a struggle, but the tastes are most seamless of any place I’ve been to in the area, and it’s one of the better in all of Napa. Sitting couchside near the pool on a warm Summer night for appetizers and cocktails allows one to soak in the slow pace of the region, but not lose in big city quality and invention.

A FAMILY AFFAIR: Local, Small Production Wines from SF to Napa

It’s a unique time in Bay Area winemaking. We see more California winemakers finding harmony between New & Old World-style production, laying off heavier-handed extremes of overly-oaked or high alcohol wines, honing in on our region’s true terroir. While global love for big, bold California wines isn’t going anywhere, it’s ever more apparent that our range is far beyond what might be assumed.

Small, family-run wineries have long undergirded our region’s greatness, and today we see many new wines, from Sonoma to Napa, adding nuance to the landscape. As is the case historically, many wineries are a family affair where parents and children, husband and wife, share in the work, from production to business operations. Here are a few we felt you should know about.

Sutton Cellars, San Francisco

San Francisco holds a treasure in the person of Carl Sutton of Sutton Cellars. He walks the fine line of approachability and Old World-influenced production style. At 22^nd and Illinois sits a funky warehouse winery where he throws Jug Sundays, tapping barrels and selling jugs or liters of wine (email directly through their website to be added to their event email list). Carl corrals Dogpatch neighbors to supply grub, like Olivier’s Butchery or TomKat Asian street food truck. His wife Sharon, often pours and works with him, both of them wine aficionados and passionate global travelers.

His grapes grow mostly in Sonoma County (with a little Mendocino in the mix), often single vineyard wines. At a time when many claim personal care, Sutton’s brown label wines are actually filled and corked by hand. Often this kind of care implies high costs, but Sutton stays amazingly affordable at $14-$21 a bottle.

Sutton is heavily influenced by France and Spain, countries he and his wife have visited often. He has a full-bodied Rattlesnake Rosé ($15), but also the stunning Fizé, a 2010 rosé of organic Carignane grapes. It unfolds with each sip: tart cranberry and pomegranate notes, and a crisp effervescence. With no yeast or sulfites added, fermentation actually happens in the bottle. It possess a bready nose, with a profile far beyond typical rosés on either end of the sweet/dry spectrum (find this beauty at the winery, Bi-Rite, Rainbow Grocery, D&M).  As of last week, he has keg preview of 2010 Rattlesnake Rosé on tap at Magnolia Pub & Brewery.

His 2007 Carignane is an acidic, balanced, food-friendly red (barrel fermented in neutral oak). The aged La Solera is an elegant after-dinner imbibement and one of Sutton’s best creations. A blend of syrah, zin and carignane wines from 1999-2006, it at turns evokes Madeira, Banyuls, sherry, even whiskey, with whispers of burnt orange, and a golden richness from its time resting in the sun, a classic method he picked up in Spain. La Solera is at the top of his price range at a mere $30, a steal for such a complex wine.

Sutton’s Brown Label Vermouth (unaged brandy-fortified neutral white wine, infused with 17 botanicals; bottled fresh weekly) is a winner. The Alembic was the first place to serve this refreshing aperitif on tap, enjoyed on the rocks, Italian-style. Sutton bubbles over with visions for a wide range of wines and liqueurs, including at least one new aperitif/digestif wine due before year’s end.

Watch for the Suttons around town, pouring elegant, affordable, everyday drinking wines at events and their winery. Look for Carl’s handlebar mustache and listen for his infectious laugh. Once you sip his wines, you, too, will discover what a city treasure Sutton Cellars is.

Order online or find Sutton Cellars wines and vermouth at local Whole Foods.

Kelly Fleming Wines, Calistoga

Head off Silverado Trail, past vines and olive trees, onto a dirt road that leads to a gate. Beyond a sea of cabernet vines, sits Kelly Fleming’s stone winery, evoking an Italian villa, similar to many I explored in Tuscany. The winery’s stone walls and wood shutters imbue the space with a rustic character far beyond its years.

In an open-air dining room, I sit under stone arches at a handmade wood table crafted from one tree off the 300 acre property. Kelly and her daughter Colleen, who also works for the company, served a Mediterranean-style spread for lunch, using ingredients from their garden (like a silky jam made from their fig trees).

We sipped Fleming’s 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (50% French oak, 50% stainless steel), representative of the Oakville soil from which these grapes grow. It’s a balanced white with a floral and fruity (pear, pineapple) profile, rounded out by a hint of vanilla. 2007 Cabernet is 100% estate and CCOF organically grown, rested in 85% new French oak. Though fruit plays prominent (warm, dusty raspberries), hints of wood, nuts and spice give it contrast. We tasted it side-by-side with an unreleased 2005 vintage, finding the ’05 delightfully earthy but the ’07 layered, becoming more complex as it sits.

Winemaker Celia Welch works with the region’s terroir (this is cabernet country, after all), from vines planted in 1999. The wild beauty of the property’s forests and creeks is kept intact with only 12 of the 300 acres planted with vines. Inside limestone caves, the air is naturally cool, storing barrels and bottles of past vintages (unreleased but which they’ve been perfecting for nearly a decade). At a mere 850 (cabernet) and 675 cases (sauvignon blanc) a year, these are truly small production wines.

Kelly is hands-on in so many aspects from harvesting to forklift operation. She and Colleen both were recently certified in forklift driving, highlighting the involved, familial nature of the winery. They are gracious hosts, welcoming guests by appointment. To visit and partake of Fleming wines is to taste this corner of Calistoga. The idyllic grounds and gorgeous stone house (Kelly was involved in every aspect of its design) represent Napa and its Tuscan similarities.

Order online or find Kelly Fleming wines at restaurants like A-16, Michael Mina, Perbacco, RN74, Zuni Cafe, Town Hall, and Morimoto Napa.

Swanson Vineyards, Rutherford

Think Parisian carnival, classic French estate, Napa’s rich nature, New Orleans’ roots, and you’ll begin to get an idea of the influences on Swanson Vineyards. The winemaker is Chris Phelps, while Clarke Swanson founded the winery back in 1985, planting his first merlot grapes. His daughter, Alexis, works as the winery’s creative director. Wife Elizabeth buzzed about as we sipped wine in their enchanting garden, greeting each guest, and offering winery staff any assistance needed (they say she does this daily).

The first sign Swanson is different is apparent upon entering their Sip Shoppe, with red and white-striped, tented walls, Old World French artwork, and Billie Holiday playing soothingly in the background. Elizabeth and Alexis designed the shop themselves, imparting a playful Parisian spirit to what could just be another tasting room. One wants to linger for flights like  “Some Like it Red”, paired with the likes of warm pistachios, Alexis bonbons (made by Vosges with curry and their Alexis Cabernet),  or a potato chip topped with creme fraiche and Hackleback sturgeon caviar (lovely with their Chardonnay).

Their 2010 Chardonnay was my favorite, and a complete surprise as a mineral, French-inspired chardonnay, reminiscent of Chablis. Neutral oak allows crisp, green apple notes to shine, while honey adds a tinge of cream to the finish. At a pricey $45, this one is only available at the winery or to wine club members.

Of the reds, their signature 2007 Merlot offers the best price-to-taste ratio at $38 per bottle. It’s unexpectedly balanced with tart tannins, hints of black cherry, currant and mocha. On the pricier end, their 2007 Alexis Cabernet ($75) is bold and layered, while a 2006 Petite Syrah ($70) goes the earthier, spice and gentle black pepper route.

Make an appointment to visit the winery for a Salon tasting ($65) or Sip Shoppe flight (around $25), then finish by lingering in their garden. You can taste at dozens of wineries but the Swanson’s chic shoppe and salon deliver a fun, Parisian spirit to the Napa countryside.

Order online or search for Swanson wines in restaurants and shops here.

Affordable & Surprising NAPA

After countless weekends in Napa over the years (and at least five excursions lately), I could easily recommend worthy restaurants and hotels. Napa isn’t always the most affordable town, but recent visits north have revealed a number of delightfully reasonable options within the bounds of Napa and Yountville, both new and established. They’ve also uncovered a few unexpected dishes… or in the case of a restaurant with a new chef, a whole range of them.

Sleep… and a Superior Burger: NAPA VALLEY MARRIOTT, 3425 Solano Avenue at Redwood Road, Napa, 707-253-7433

For those familiar with the hotel before, Napa Valley Marriott is a whole new ballgame. Just re-opened after two years of multi-million dollar renovations, it now sports a soothing spa, warm, modern look throughout, an ultra-cool patio poolside with couches and firepits, and a new restaurant/bar, VINeleven. Though you may not be able to tell from the street, it’s a dramatic revamp inside.

In high-season summer months, make a weekend of it with rooms in the low $200-300′s, or mid $200′s on weeknights. Rooms are completely renovated with gentle colors and artwork, plasma screens, comfy beds, and are particularly quiet facing the courtyard (only thing they don’t have? Free wi-fi. That’s $4.95 a day).

Chef Brian Whitmer’s garden off the parking lot is a revelation. I’ve seen Napa restaurants with their own gardens but not one as lush as his. Spring peas are crispy and sweet right off the vine, while a range of leafy greens make abundant salads. Chef Whitmer uses this bounty for the hotel’s restaurant. Whether you stay there or not, it’s surprisingly worth a detour.

Cozy up in a chic booth or a grab a stool at the curved bar and order the Spicy “Knife and Fork” Burger ($12) for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It doesn’t matter when, just order it. The burger is made of Caggiano chorizo, savory and spicy, yet also delicate, melt-in-your-mouth on a Model Bakery brioche bun. Layered with aged cheddar, watercress, ‘secret sauce’ and a fried egg, it’s one of the better things I’ve eaten in Napa in awhile -  an utterly unique burger. You won’t regret making a stop for this one.

Vegetarian achieves perfection: UBUNTU, 1140 Main Street near Pearl, 707-251-5656; dinner nightly/lunch weekends

I really liked Ubuntu before. Chef Jeremy Fox brought the vegetarian restaurant to nationwide fame, often named among the best vegetarian restaurants in the country by publications like the New York Times… all superlatives I found a bit excessive.

But I’ll tell you now, with young chef Aaron London at the helm, it’s better than ever. The food has moved from winning vegetarian cuisine to work-of-art. It’s gone from quality to superb.

As a non-vegetarian, I would say it has become possibly the best vegetarian restaurant I’ve ever been to anywhere and one of the best dining experiences in Napa.

What’s interesting about Chef London is that he’s been at Ubuntu since the beginning, working as Fox’s sous chef. I hear he influenced a number of dishes in those lauded early days, but we did not hear much about him. Just nominated as Rising Star Chef at this year’s James Beard Awards, we should be hearing a lot more.

He’s revamped the menu in such a way that each $10-19 dish is far more than the sum of its part. You read of Roasted & Raw Asparagus ($16) with burratta cheese coated in potato chip crumbs and really have no idea what you’re in for. A garden-fresh dish comes out smeared with earthy potato skin puree, lavished with pine nut and currant soffrito, dotted with frisee, greens and edible flowers. It’s an art piece that not only stuns visually but tantalizes on the tongue with a range of flavors.

The two key words I’d use to describe London’s cooking outside of artistic? Texture and contrast. Every single dish of the six I recently had the pleasure of dining on were a study in layers and texture. Sweet complimented savory. Earthy and bright co-mingled. Crunchy partnered with creamy. Surprises came in every dish. Not one was lackluster.

I could wax eloquent about the merits of each, some served on stone labs that kept them warm… but the menu changes frequently and this article would grow tedious. So I will simply say: go, and be prepared to be blown away.

Funky, Fun Latin: BISTRO SABOR, 1126 1st near Main, Napa, 707-252-0555

Bistro Sabor’s menu initially appears Mexican, but is a mix of Latino cultures in a new downtown Napa. The space is hip with brightly painted, graffiti-lined walls, while the staff couldn’t be more helpful, particularly for order-at-the-counter casualness.

On a Saturday night, they cleared tables out for 10pm salsa dancing, frequented by many in the local Latino community. Beer and wine keep it festive (wish they had a hard liquor license to serve tequila). The food? Fresh, satisfying and all under $15. A two taco special of Grilled Sea Bass ($11) is impeccably flaky, topped with scallion cilantro slaw and a pineapple habanero salsa. Even accompanying rice and black beans are a notch above the usual. A Rock crab quesadilla ($10) is less creative but warm and cheesy, while pupusas, pozole, blood orange avocado salad, and lomo saltado exhibit a range from El Salvador to Peru.

It’s playful Latin street food with quality ingredients. A win for Napa in cheap eats.

Dim Sum with a side of Magic: DIM SUM CHARLIE’S, 728 First Street near Soscol (look for the Airstream trailer), Napa, 707-815-2355

I’ll tell you right now: you can get better, cheaper dim sum at dozens of places in SF. In fact, for the nearly $7 Dim Sum Charlie’s charges for a mere four dumplings, I can get at least twelve dumplings and buns at favorite city spots.

Why go? First off, there’s not much dim sum in Napa and theirs decent, though far from memorable. Some have commented on the could-be-perceived-as-racist menu listings like “ten dolla make you holla”. But the setting is the one reason to go.

Dim sum and noodles are served out of a classic Airstream trailer (that I’ve seen before, but loving all things retro, do not tire of). What’s different is the trailer setting under a canopy of lights in a dirt lot strewn with picnic tables and a campfire. Rollicking tunes make it feel like a backyard party, a bit like camping in retro-kitsch style. With dim sum.

It doesn’t really matter what you order. Bring friends. Pull up to a picnic table or fireside with hot  sauce and chopsticks, singing along to Beastie Boys as you slurp noodles and fill up on pork buns.

Coffee Lovers: YOUNTVILLE COFFEE CABOOSE, 6523 Washington Street, Yountville

You’ll not go wrong with coffee and pastries at the original Bouchon Bakery across the street. But when that line is unbearable (or even if it isn’t), I’m delighted to hit up a locals coffee go-to: Yountville Coffee Caboose. Yes, it’s actually in a train caboose off Washington Street. They often feature Bay Area coffees like Ritual, brewed strong, robust and with proper crema.

Local’s Breakfast: GRACE’S TABLE, 1400 2nd Street at Franklin, Napa, 707-226-6200

Grace’s Table has its minor missteps: their raved about skillet cornbread with lavender butter ($6) was dry and rather flavorless. And $10-18 entrees for breakfast pushes a little high for a casual, neighborhood restaurant. But as an open air, corner restaurant with uber-sweet waitstaff and soothing decor, it’s a welcome brunch stop.

Quiche of the day ($12 with salad or soup – can also be had a la carte) was the stand-out: fluffy and light, the crust almost reminded me of Tartine in its buttery flakiness. Mini bagels with house-cured salmon and cream cheese ($10) are playful approach, though the bagels are not exceptional (isn’t that ever the case outside of NY?)

Grace’s is a pleasant place to start your day with coffee and a newspaper.

To-go Breakfast: C CASA TAQUERIA, 610 1st Street (near Soscol Ave.), 707-226-7700, Napa

C Casa, a worthy newer addition to Oxbow Public Market, works for a cheap breakfast. With grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, sustainable fish and local produce, it’s a forward-thinking taqueria, yet maintains authenticity of flavor.

A breakfast taco brimming with over-medium egg and chorizo ($4.50), is meaty and satisfying first thing in the morning. Also stuffed in there? Black beans, avocado, pico de gallo, garlic aioli and cilantro.

Ok, One Splurge: AD HOC, 6476 Washington Street at Mission, 707-944-2487

At $52 per person without anything to drink (another $39 for wine pairings), Ad Hoc is quite expensive, though it is the-one-and-only Thomas Keller’s “casual” venture. However, I’d actually be annoyed eating inside where too many kids (at this price? ) and noisy din make it less than appealing at that price. The few tables out on a tiny patio, however, are idyllic.

As is the food in the four-course dinner. One appetizer, a main, a cheese course and dessert: all served family-style and impeccably prepared with ingredients from their cheery garden behind the restaurant. No substitutes – you eat whatever is on the daily menu.

This is alright when you get a salad as a beautiful as a recent mix of lettuces, pickled haricots verts (green beans), toasted pine nuts, red radishes and shaved asparagus. Dotted with green garlic buttermilk dressing and King Trumpet mushrooms, it was far more gratifying than it sounded. Ditto the added course of Ivory Salmon ($15 supplement) baked in phyllo pastry, drizzled with porcini cream, accented by fresh, white corn. Liberty Farm’s Duck Breast was actually a little too much for two people, but deftly prepared and served with a bowl of chickpea stew gentle with curry. We finished with strawberry shortcake on biscuits, slathered in lemon curd.

At roughly $34 per person, their Sunday brunch is the way to do Ad Hoc from another, slightly more affordable, angle.

Meeting 3 Local Winemakers

It’s been a rich few weeks of winemaker dinners and luncheons. Intimate and focused, there’s nothing like hearing from and tasting with a winemaker directly. This month, we focus on three local winemakers in Napa and Sonoma, who impressed with impeccable wines or gracious (often hilarious) personalities.

KAPCSANDY WINES, Yountville - Kapcsandy may not be the easiest name to remember, but take note if you love complex, balanced wines. Though there is a blessedly steady (if small), trend towards lower alcohol, Old World-style wines in Napa and Sonoma in recent years, Kapcsandy – helmed by Lou, Roberta and son Louis, Jr. – has been making these types of wines since 2000.

Lou, with winemaker Rob Lawson, manages to let Napa’s terroir fully express itself in wines like his acclaimed State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, while staying close to Old World principles. As a Hungarian native, Lou’s roots manifest in his wines and intimate, rustic tasting room centered around an 1800′s wooden wine press from Hungary.

Growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes in a small vineyard, his winery facilities are about the cleanest, most pristine I’ve seen. I tasted 13 wines, including various vintages of the same wine (for example, years 2007-2009 of Roberta’s Reserve), all mostly 13-14% ABV.

I found the 2009 Rosé (stainless steel; mainly Cab/Merlot blend with touch of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc) a unique beauty, more full and dense than many rosés yet maintaining crisp acidity. Roberta’s Reserve is a memorable wine named after his wife and an homage to the wines of Pomerol, Bordeaux. 2007 and 2008 are both understandably raved-about vintages, but I found 2009, young though it is, holds intriguing promise, drinking beautifully now with essence of cassis, blossoms, cherries, and earthy cocoa.

Kapcsandy tastings are by appointment only. Fans of Merlot and Cabernet, alongside wine aficionados will find plenty to love at this small, family-run winery.

AMAPOLA CREEK by Richard Arrowood, Glen Ellen – Richard Arrowood, a Sonoma winemaker for 45 years, and his wife, Alis, are charmers. Over an intimate lunch in Wayfare Tavern’s Billiards Room, we spent hours talking and tasting wines from his young, boutique winery Amapola Creek. Amapola is the Spanish word for “poppy”, the flower that grows heavily along the creek through the Arrowood’s 100-acre estate.

This is Richard’s passion project where he can produce the kind of wines he wishes, typifying robust grapes of the Mayacamas Mountains (near the town of Sonoma). After decades of creating wines for major players like Chateau St. Jean and his own Arrowood Winery, he’s having fun going small production (the facility is designed to produce a maximum of 3000 cases annually).

His 2008 Zinfandel (and original 2005 Zin), though lush, shows restraint with enough tannins and acidity to keep it food-friendly (ideal with Wayfare’s medium-rare steak). The Zin ($30) benefits from a rarity: grapes are from 115 year old vines in a tiny lot at neighboring Monte Rosso Vineyards. His 2007 Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon are bold and black fruit-heavy, yet balanced with tannins and delicate spice accents (the Cab is CCOF Certified organic). He’s working on a Grenache/Syrah blend so there may be more Amapola Creek on its way.

RAYMOND VINEYARDS, St. Helena – Raymond has to be seen to be believed. Although a historic Napa vineyard since 1970, known primarily for its Cabernet, it’s not the wines I want to talk about. Rather, it’s the take-over of Raymond by Boisset Family Estates, a global company with Burgundy roots.

Delightfully eccentric Jean-Charles Boisset is the spirit behind the new dawn at Raymond. Spending an afternoon with him is unforgettable. His energy is infectious while no idea is too outrageous. He’ll try anything. His unassuming humility is impressive given his effervescent, all-over-the-place persona.

From the moment you walk up to Raymond‘s entrance alongside interactive art exhibits on the lawn, you know something unusual is afoot. Their soon to launch Theatre of Nature will be a self-guided tour on winery grounds, with mobile apps available to learn more about terroir, how the seasons affect winemaking, or bio-dynamic farming (they are in the midst of becoming certified).

Enter a tasting room where things appear normal but for a mannequin wearing a velvet bikini. Journey down a stainless steel-walled hallway into The Crystal Cellar ($25 for Cabernet tastings), also lined with steel to give the effect of being inside a wine vat. Here an explosion of Baccarat crystal shimmers off of the walls, vats and giant mirrors. Vintage crystal decanters are encased along a wall with words to describe wine marked in lipstick.

“I love personally the word ‘sexy’… and voluptuous”, Boisset exclaims, moving on to the fashion show they plan to have on the ‘catwalk’, or rather the walkway, high up between vats. This ramp is lined with mannequins in all manner of leather and leopard. One hangs upside down from a trapeze. Boisset calls her Stephanie after Raymond’s winemaker, Stephanie Putnam.

There’s mini-wine barrels (for purchase to restaurants, bars and individuals), some of which Boisset himself has decorated with leather, handcuffs, feathers, and animal prints. He does nothing half-heartedly.

Besides the winning lawn, pool and mid-century house out back overlooking vineyards, there’s a guest house Boisset envisioned as a gold room where decadence rules (available for private parties, group tastings).

We were the first to taste in this newly unveiled room, and all I can say is, wow. Pimpin’ in an elegant, gaudy sort-of-way, gold and white leather couches are covered in fur throws, while a stuffed leopard stands guard in the corner. A dining table is set with black and gold plates listing the seven deadly sins (ironically, I got “gluttony”). The piece de resistance is a giant wall screen rimmed in gold (of course), playing Jackson 5 music videos.

I can’t say there’s another wine tasting experience like it. From the Crystal Cellar to Gold Room, each setting was more unbelievable than the last. He’s currently working on a red room ( “All red… and velvet”), and releasing two bubblies (including a rosé) this summer to taste in that room.

All this talk of show naturally leaves one wondering if the wines are any good? There is honestly little comparison to the craft of the wines made by the first two small, family-run producers. Raymond is about the one-of-a-kind experience. That being said, Boisset’s wines hold its pleasures. His JCB line is playful and more balanced than many Napa wines, allowing for some acidity in No. 81 Chardonnay and No. 7 Pinot Noir. He and Putnam teamed up on JCB No. 1 Cabernet reflecting both Napa and French sensibilities.

Named as Innovator of the Year in 2008 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and Top 50 Power Brokers in the global wine industry by Decanter in 2007, Boisset clearly leads in innovation with a passion to bring California wines to the world and to make wine hip, approachable, and, yes, sexy.

View from the Long Meadow Ranch winery and caves

Long Meadow Ranch, St. Helena

Long Meadow Ranch Winery does it all in Wine Country: grass-fed beef, heirloom fruits and vegetables, eggs from their chickens, lush olive oils, and, of course, wines. Seeking to grow everything used in their restaurant and winery, they continue to push boundaries, currently exploring a dairy and cheese-making.

I’ve written a few times about Farmstead, their restaurant, helmed by delightful, hilarious Chef Sheamus Feeley, including it in my top new openings of 2010. A return press visit included a jeep ride over dirt lanes on Mayacamas Mountains through vineyards and olive tree groves to tour their winery, caves, and olive oil press.

We finished with a three-course lunch at Logan-Ives House, a restored Gothic revival farmhouse built in 1874 that houses their wine and olive oil tasting room.  Feeley’s heartwarming-yet-gourmet cooking showcases his Southern roots. We tried many LMR wines, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) being their most popular, though I preferred a crisp 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($18) and lush E.J. Church Cabernet ($85).

My favorite Feeley quote of the day was as he spoke of ingredients from their farm, expressing his love for celery as an under-appreciated vegetable. He has plenty of ideas for it, like a celery sorbet with Campari and grapefruit bitters (sign me up!) “But…”, he said,  “we’re not here to talk about celery.”

Though a pricey $150, the experience I had is available to any visitor, along with more affordable tastings and tours. And you can always visit Farmstead for those grass-fed burgers on your next jaunt up to Napa.