honey-mooning-- day 3 pt.2

Another beautiful day in wine country! After our morning ride in Carneros, met up with the rest of our tour to explore the Calistoga region. We visited four wineries and even popped in on a cooperage!

After a rolling ride through lush green scenery we arrived at the Frank Family Vineyards. It is a small, unassuming winery whose tasting room was curiously decorated with faded Marilyn Monroe memorbilia (left over from the previous owner). The wines, however, make up for any lack of ambiance! We tried their 2004 Napa Chardonnay, 2003 Sangiovese, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2000 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a few of their sparkling wines and their 2002 Napa Valley Zinfandel. While all were tasty, we ended up taking home the Zinfandel ($34.75) and the Sangiovese ($34.75). The Sangiovese had just been released and was an absolute standout. One of the better we have tried, so full of flavor and well balanced. Frank Family Vinyards sells their wine exclusively through their winery and mail order. So it is definitely worth seeking out if you are in the area!

Tasting at Frank Family Vinyards was free, a first for our tour so far. Usually tasting fees range from $5-$15 depending on the winery and/or the types of wines offered for tasting (the most expensive tasting fee we encountered was at Domain Chandon, for their sparkling wines).

After Frank Family Vinyards we took a winding tour through Calistoga, and even ended up sailing past "Old Faithful" an active geyser in the area. We did not, unfortunately, get a chance to see it "go off", but it was an interesting side note to our adventure none-the-less.

Eventually we came to Bennett Lane Vineyards. The landscaping and gardens at this winery were really gorgeous. And we had the opportunity to lunch beneath a trellissed patio overlooking some of their vinyards. What a great way to unwind! While there, we sampled some delicious wines including their 2003 Chardonnay, 2002 Maximus, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and Primus Reserve Cabernet. The Chardonnay was very refreshing, soft and mellow without being too rich or buttery. They are best known for the Cabernets, and this was evident upon tasting. The Primus Reserve ($85) was especially delicious, but a little too pricey for us!

On our way to our next wine stop, we took a quick stop off at a cooperage, or place where wine barrels are made. We had a chance to observe them toasting the oak, alligning the wood slats and placing the metal rings around the barrels. We learned that depending on the wine and desired level of "oakiness" a winery may use new oak, used oak, or neutral oak (barrels that no longer impart any features to the wine). I was amazed at the level of skill shown in creating the barrels.

A short distance down the road we turned into the drive for Chateau Montelena Winery. At the top of the steep driveway we were rewarded by a cool vision of a beautiful stone fountain. After a very hot ride (the temperature was over 90 degrees F at this point) it was tempting to dive right in! Fortunately, there was a cool, crisp Riesling awaiting us inside, which did a wonderful job of refreshing and delighting! We tried four wines in all, the Potter Valley Riesling ($18), 2002 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($33), 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40), and the Montelena Estate Zinfandel. The Riesling was our favorite, possibly as it was just so refreshing after our hot ride. We also really enjoyed the Zinfandel ($28), it was not too "jammy" but instead flavorful and light.

Chateau Montelena is probably best known for its 1972 Chardonnay which beat out french wines to win the Paris wine tasting organized by Spurrier. This was quite a coup for an american winery!

We rounded out our tour with a fun and fruitful stop at Vincent Arroyo Winery, a very small winery producing only 8,000 cases per year and selling primarily through their tasting room and mail order sales. Vincent Arroyo is a fun stop as they love dogs (have a few lounging about and hamming it up in the tasting room) and have a wonderful sense of humor. While we thought ALL the wines here were lovely, we ended up taking home a couple of bottles of their "Nameless" wine ($27), which got its name from the note, "nameless", on the barrels for this wine, which was a placeholder until a better name was chosen. Eventually, "Nameless" stuck and no further name was pursued. They also have wines named after their dogs, and their wine makers. Which I found refreshing... finally a winery that doesn't take itself so seriously!

In addition to a fun personality, this vineyard is well known for its Petit Syrah. While we did not get a chance to taste this wine, we DID try a port made from their Petit Syrah which was simply amazing. We also really loved their 2002 Merlot ($28) which was bold and well balanced.

Finally our day and our biking drew to a close. After relaxing back at the Churchill Manor for a bit we decided to take to the road, by CAR this time to try a wonderful mexican restaurant (Villa Corona) and then take a meandering route to Sonoma. The sun was just setting as we passed through the countryside - casting a golden glow on the vineyards and hills. It was a fleeting, yet glorious vision. And one that we hope to remember for some time!