Maddie’s Top 10 for tasting

Last weekend was so incredible! We had the kind of weather that makes people from say, Cleveland give it all up and start a new life in Napa. It was that good here. Now it’s raining. Grapes need rain, and the folks from Cleveland need to get back home.

A friend from New York who follows my business (and my blog!) was inspired by my perpetual gushing to start planning a four-day wine tasting weekend with her husband. This is a woman who used to be part of our dinner club in NY during the carefree years before we had children. Once, she brought a wine from Missouri, though I can’t remember why. Another member of our club, from France, pronounced it “Misery” and I think that pretty much summed it up. Most states make wine. Some should not bother. In fairness, I’m sure others from Missouri are easier to swallow.

But we are a bit jaded here. Napa is the tops. the ne plus ultra of the 12 California wine regions. Sonoma, you could characterize as the Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. (Ugh – Delia has me watching too many Disney classics!) Sonoma has a reputation as a more low-key, less-intimidating wine-tasting destination, but Napa should not rest on is lovely laurels. Sonoma wines are superb. And they actually have far more climactic diversity over there. My friend wanted my recommendation for ten wineries to tour in Napa and ten in Sonoma. That’s 20 wineries in four days. Okaaaay… I look forward to hearing how far they get. Wisely, they’ve opted to leave their children with family for this speed-touring trip.

So here’s my list, and a caveat: some wineries are listed for the wines alone and some for the experience, the setting or the gardens. So if they don’t like the wines I’ll bet they (and you!) will remember the roses:

Napa:

Schramsberg, Calistoga (schramsberg.com)
Frank Family Vineyards, Calistoga (frankfamilyvineyards.com)
Rombauer Vineyards, St. Helena (rombauer.com)
Silver Oak, Oakville (silveroak.com)
Far Niente, Oakville (farniente.com)
Nickel & Nickel, Oakville (nickelandnickel.com)
Opus One Winery, Oakville (opusonewinery.com)
Clos du Val, Napa (closduval.com)
Trefethen Family Vineyards, Napa (trefethenfamilyvineyards.com)
Darioush, Napa (darioush.com)
Pine Ridge, Napa (pineridgewinery.com)
Grgich Estate, Rutherford (grgich.com)
Hall, St. Helena and Rutherford (hallwineries.com)
St. Supéry, Rutherford (stsupery.com)

(Oops – is that 14? I could go on and on!)

Sonoma:

Ledson Winery, Kenwood (ledson.com)
Landmark, Kenwood (landmarkwine.com)
Mayo Family, Kenwood (mayofamilywinery.com)
Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, Sonoma (gloriaferrer.com)
Tantalus, Sonoma (tantaluswinery.com)
Cline, Sonoma (clinecellars.com)
Eric Ross, Glen Ellen (ericross.com)
Benziger Family Winery, Glen Ellen (benziger.com)
B.R. Cohn, Glen Ellen (brcohn.com)
Arrowood, Glen Ellen (arrowoodvineyard.com)


The wineries I’ve listed are grouped roughly in geographic proximity. Most have regular tasting room hours and are open to the public. Schramsberg, Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel are by appointment, only. Do call ahead and you might be able to arrange a special tour or tasting. Stay tuned - my favorites in Healdsburg, Alexander and Russian River Valleys are yet to come!