So, this weekend, I came down with a bit of cabin fever and fired up my convertible while the sun was still up (and it was just warm enough to run with the top down and heater on :-) ).
I blasted up through Napa's remote Wooden Valley and down into the east side of Napa, and up Silverado Trail. I haven't been to Regusci for at least a year, maybe 18 months, so I stopped in. I was disappointed to see they're no longer making the very nice Chardonnay I'd tasted previously. However, I was pleased to see they're concentrating on reds in a fine, balanced fashion. The Claret-style 2001 Zin was delightful (A--) with predominantly old-vine body and some younger vined jewelry; it's seen a fair dose of oak which, unusual for me, I liked. The 2000 Merlot was very, very good and 2000 Cab also excellent, very much Stag's Leap wine; the use of oak was what WS might call lavish but it was just inside bounds for me, I might have been in an especially good mood (give 'em both A--). If you like big Cal-style reds, these are pretty nice. If they were priced around 20% lower, I'd buy more. As in previous visits, the hospitality staff was especially sharp. I paid $5 for tasting and did not buy any wine.
My next stop was the Artisan Wine Tasting room near Calistoga, or St. Helena, depending on who you ask. It's at the corner of Lodi and 29. They're a collective room, with a dozen member wineries. They had a lot of wine available for tasting at reasonable rates (and I didn't write down the rate, so forgive me). Adams, Domaine Charbay, Desitino, Eagle and Rose, Fife, Howell Mountain, Koves-Newlan, Lamborn Family, Livingston, Reverie, Spelletic and Von Strasser are the members, and I honestly didn't take notes. I know I bought a couple of Reverie's superb A. S. Kiken red blend (A-, $32/ea) to take home; most of the wines at Artisan were priced below $35. The manager, Maria, was extremely helpful and seemed to a decent job of reading my mind. It's on my V-list (that's a good thing) as a Napa Valley destination. It's a must-stop if you're driving by - they have a lot of interesting wine open for tasting.
My last stop was at my old friend Louis Martini. I haven't been since they reopened hospitality in July, and it's too bad. The room is certainly a little more elegant and less rustic than I'd come to love it for, but the wines are obviously enjoying the infusion of Gallo support. For those, like me, that worried that the Gallo buy-out meant the end of perhaps the oldest of the old guard in Napa Valley, the indications are encouraging. It's clear that Martini is out of the sub-$10 value wines (so stock up on the left-over Cab and Merlot at Costco for $6) but they're wisely focusing on the $15-$20 wines and significantly improving quality. In fact, I was somewhat surprised how much I liked the Sonoma, Napa and Alexander Cabs - they were all more sharply focused and true-to-appellation than in the past (all A-). Michael is sticking around as winemaker and, I'm told, working on boutique projects with Matt Gallo. If you find yourself driving past Martini, stop in. I used to say that two years ago, but now I really emphasize it. Watch 'em. I'm tempted to go back on label-signing day just to see if Carolyn and Michael
*look* as happy as the wine seems to be. I took home a couple of bottles of decent (B++) Sonoma Pinot Gris that wasn't terribly expensive (< $13/ea IIRC).I left Martini about 1 minute to the 5pm closing, and had a superb drive back up the 128 to Berryessa, down 121 to Wooden Valley and into Cordelia (though I admit I put the top up before leaving Martini).
I don't work for or have any interest in any of these wineries. I'm just honestly reporting on another afternoon in one of the finest places to live in the world.
Dana