Napa Valley - Day #2

Castello di Amorosa

Happy St. Joseph’s Day - March 19 is the Feast Day for St. Joseph and is the only day of Lent that we set aside our fasting and truly celebrate.  Incidentally, this was my day to drive so I was limited to taste and dump while Tracy fully enjoyed the fruits of Napa Valley.

An hour worth of research on Monday evening paid dividends today.  We selected four wineries based on our tastes and interests.  They were:

Ø  Provenance

Ø  Castello di Amaroso

Ø  V. Sattui Winery

Ø  Mumm Napa Valley

I will leave the wine critiques to the professionals.  I am a rookie, amateur at best with regards to wine but we do know what we like and enjoy.  The overall experience and highlights of each winery are noted below.

Ø  Provenance

Our first tasting of the day was a positive experience.  It helped that we were the only customers so the staff was unhurried and courteous.  They patiently answered our questions and listened as we described our tastes and preferences.  This winery (also bottles under the Hewitt label) was once owned by an heir of John Deere Company.  The sauvignon blanc and their big, bold reds matched our palates.

We signed up for a wine club membership from Provenance.  Four to five times per year Provenance will send us three bottles of wine for our drinking pleasure.  The membership also comes with some attractive discounts and courtesy tastings at associated wineries.  This also relieved me of the anxiety and expense of shipping my wine home or safely transporting it in our checked luggage.

Ø  Castello di Amaroso

Dario Sattui has created a unique experience with his vision and dedication to authenticity.  He’s reconstructed a medieval castle in the midst of the Napa Valley that actually complies with strict California building codes.  Our $28 admission included a barrel tasting, wine tasting and guided castle tour.  The entire tour was ~2 hours and was highly entertaining.  Many of the bricks, fixtures and furniture were imported from Italy and collected over several years.  Construction took 14 years and was completed in 2006.  It is truly a new, old castle – quite an accomplishment.  We toured a bit less than half of the castle; the other half is a fully functioning winery.  The engineer in me could not help but be impressed by the quality of the construction and the attention to detail.  It even has a torture chamber, dungeon and moat. 



Ø  V. Sattui Winery and Italian Market

We chose this winery largely because of their on-site deli, market and picnic area.  It was a great lunch stop for our day.  They have over 200+ cheeses to choose and a full deli counter with Italian style entrees and sandwiches.   

We had a chilled rose’-style wine.  It was a dry, red Rosato which was perfect for our picnic of mushroom Arancini, sausage stuffed Portobello, goat cheese and edamame salad.  It is one of the most visited wineries in the country.  The picnic tables were set among old oak trees that offered much shade.

The grounds of V. Sattui near St. Helena

Ø  Mumm Napa Valley

My wife loves sparkling wines and this is Mumm’s specialty.  The Mumm facility is right off of Silverado Trail and not quite as easy to find as the first three which were alongside Hwy 29.  The best part of Mumm is the tasting terrace with spectacular views of the vineyards and the mountains.  Carlos Santanna collaborated with their winemaker on a specific, bubbly blend that is aptly named Santanna and features a peace sign.

For the record, both glasses of bubbly belong to Tracy.