A Week In Napa and Sonoma

At Groth. A wonderful experience.

It wasn't actually a week. It was three and a half wine and vine-filled days beginning Tuesday, May 17 with an 11 a.m. tasting at Groth Vineyards & Winery in Oakville, and ending with a 10:30 a.m. tasting at Three Sticks Wines just off the square in Sonoma. Between these bookends, we had the opportunity to visit a half-dozen wineries and and a few fine restaurants in Napa and Sonoma.

This was my first trip to Northern California wine country. I had plenty of chances in the late 1990s, and from 2010 to 2012 when I worked on multiple projects at San Francisco International Airport. Although only a short drive north of SFO, I never seemed to manage the time to take a day trip or stay a weekend. Shame on me.

My sister, Marsha, and my youngest daughter, Lauren, accompanied me as chaperones, but were little help in controlling my impulses. Actually, they were more like instigators and taunts. The testament to that behavior—the wine shipments—began arriving the following week.

Lauren (left) and Marsha near the garden at Rombauer

Lauren deserves all the credit for planning and directing the visit. She planned a leisurely, rambling sojourn through Napa and Sonoma counties visiting two or three wineries each day. In Napa, we seldom ventured far from 29 and the Silverado Trail, But in Sonoma, we explored comparatively remote sections of the county. The two valleys may be next to each other, but they are worlds apart.

Lauren collected suggestions and requests from Marsha and me on winery selections, made the calls and booked the tastings, then published a detailed schedule of the stops. She kept it loose, gave us time to explore and ad lib, and mostly kept us prompt for our appointments.

All the wineries, save one, were family owned and operated. The only "corporate" winery was Chateau St. Jean, owned by Treasury Wine Estates, one of the world's largest wine companies.

One of the gardens at Chateau St. Jean

In addition to Groth and Chateau St. Jean, we visited Rombauer, Rochioli, Dry Creek Vineyards, Domaine Carneros, Balletto Vineyards and Three Sticks. We had plans for visits to BV and Matanzas Creek, but time and our unscheduled wanderings trimmed them from our itinerary.

Sonoma was the objective of this trip, but I couldn't resist a visit to Groth. Oakville is ground zero for me, and Groth sits a mile and a half from the intersection of Oakville Cross Rd. and St. Helena Highway, surrounded by some of the most revered vineyards in Napa Valley. Our stop there was planned for 75 minutes; we spent twice that. The people were wonderful, the tour took us through the vineyard, into the winery, and out through the cellar holding their Reserve Cabernet. We walked the vineyard, chatted with the workers in the winery, were treated to tastings from a number of vintages, and broke my promise to buy no wine during the trip. And we walked away with beautiful poster prints by Suzanne Groth. It was a great start to what would be a fantastic visit to wine country.

Rochioli winery entry. It's a beautiful place.

There wasn't a disappointment in any of our stops. Sonoma is chock full of hidden treasures, just as I had hoped. J. Rochioli sits along the Russian River, a gem at the end of a long and winding road in a quaint, but storybook setting. The winery itself is high on a bluff overlooking the vineyards on the north bank of the river, and the tasting room assures personal attention from the staff. I foolishly passed on any purchases, but my sister made up for that oversi
ght and loaded up. It is nearly impossible to find their wines in stores, and you have get on their wait list to purchase their single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Sadly, you have to wait to get on their wait list.

The real surprise was Three Sticks. Tucked away in a century-old adobe one block off the square in Sonoma, (and across the street from The Girl & The Fig restaurant), we were treated to a line-up of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and a special Moon Mountain Cabernet. I ran completely off the rails. And I was not alone. Marsha and I have some of every bottling.

The vineyards and wineries were not  the only pleasures of Napa and Sonoma; the restaurant experience was just as rich, from the quirky to the elegant. We preferred the quirky.

We had so much fun, we are planning a return trip this fall.