Our third day in Napa was fairly laid back. We started the morning off in St. Helena for a bit of shopping and then for a lunch at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. If you haven’t had a chance to do lunch at Taylor’s you are missing out on the best expression of the classic American take-out burger and shake. Pick a nice day when you can linger with your milkshake or beer at one of the many picnic tables in the yard surrounding the small building that is the kitchen and choose from an amazing menu of modern American classic sandwiches and burgers.
After we waited in an order line that stretched to the parking lot, I went back and forth over the menu and ultimately chose Taylor’s BLT (Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) sandwich with a Pistachio milkshake. After we picked up our order and dug into our food, I realized I needed to go back for a spoon because my shake was so chocked full of whole pistachio nuts that it was impossible to enjoy it through a straw. This is the kind of generous fresh ingredients that you can expect to find at Taylor’s Refresher which is why this place draws a steady crowd here in St. Helena and in their Napa location and their location at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.
Our stomachs girded, we left Taylor’s to head up Howell Mountain to Robert Foley’s new winery. Our friends Jeff and Rita had recommended we pay Bob Foley a visit and we were pleased to find him and his team bottling wine on his open-air crush pad. Robert Foley Vineyards does not offer conventional tastings and tours, however he will make appointments when he’s not on the road at wine events or on tour with The Robert Foley Band, a band he founded and which remains his passion and diversion from the hard day-to-day business of making yummy wine.
Most wine buffs remember Bob Foley from his days at Pride Mountain Vineyards but since 1998 he has been bottling wine under his Robert Foley Vineyards label, starting with a Claret that continues to be a strong seller in a small portfolio that now includes a Petite Sirah, a Pinot Blanc, and a reasonably-priced red blend called the Griffin. He specializes in “big, monster” reds but we really enjoyed his Pinot Blanc which was equally well extracted and ample bodied.
Although Bob clearly has his fingers in every aspect of the wine-making business from choosing the grapes to designing the crush pad and cellar to his exacting, though unconventional, specifications his wife Kelly is a true partner in this endeavor and functions as the family and business CEO. She had family in town that day so Bob took us on a tour of his cellar which includes a performance cave and soon-to-be recording studio.
As we departed Robert Foley Vineyards and wound our way through the town of Angwin, California, I couldn’t help but marvel that so many great wines are coming from a place on Howell Mountain known for its large of community of tee totaling Seventh-Day Adventists. An increasing number of wine makers and wine drinkers agree with these folks that Howell Mountain truly is God’s country.
So it was with that kind of veneration that Robert and I left Napa Valley days later to make our way to the rival California wine region known as Sonoma Valley. Sonoma has long been considered the poor step-child to Napa but that is quickly changing as Sonoma’s diverse microclimates produce wines worthy of all the accolades they are garnering thanks to Chateau St. Jean, Quivira, and Williams & Selyem and other noted producers who consistently craft wines of a quality prompting worldwide attention and acclaim.
Thankfully our time in Napa had primed our livers for a two day wine splurge that would include a reserve tasting at Chateau St. Jean, a private tour and food pairing at Ferrari Carano, a release party at Skipstone, and a farm to table dinner at Quivira. Our hosts and friends Sharon and Steve Riedel made most of these arrangements but wine events such as these are frequent in this valley and equally hospitable. In fact, Sonoma has the well-deserved reputation for making good wine accessible to all, not just in the reasonably-priced tasting fees but also in their more laid back yet dedicated commitment to wine appreciation and education.
Every one of our visits to Sonoma has included a stop at Chateau St. Jean, not only because of their terrific lineup of top-shelf wines but because Chateau St. Jean happens to have one of the most beautiful wine shops and gardens in Sonoma. The same can be said of Ferrari Carano, the grounds of which are regularly featured in ads promoting this picturesque region. Both wineries are exceptionally tourist friendly and tastings are available most days without appointment.
Sonoma valley proprietors and winemakers are also leaders in sustainable viticulture as evidenced by the farm and vineyard tour we received at the Farm to Table dinner Quivira Vineyards hosted where Quivira’s winemaker Steven Canter and farm manager Andrew Beedy outlined the many ways they utilized on-farm resources in ways that were ecologically beneficial to the land, animals, grape, and consumer. Nothing is wasted here and I’m sure any table scraps from the dinner that night went into Ruby the wild pig’s food trough the next day.
After a week in Napa and Sonoma I felt not just a tad hoggish as I recalled all the decadent meals and great wine we consumed, the highlight of which was a dinner in a small hole-in-the-wall gem of a restaurant called Mosaic in Forestville. The fact that such a place could thrive in this tiny town with little else to boast signaled a dedication to excellence that belied its humble storefront and said to me “Don’t be fooled by Sonoma’s casual ambiance. These people take their food and wine very seriously!”
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