Napa Valley Day 3: Hendry Winery, Robert Craig Winery, and Ellman Family Vineyards
Note: We had appointments for all tastings mentioned in this post unless otherwise specified.
If you read about day two, you know that we drank a lot of wine and went to bed early.
By 5:00AM, I was awake and restless, but not ready to get out of bed. I watched Netflix on my iPad (Supernatural, anyone?) while waiting for the alarm to go off. After a filling breakfast and LOTS of water, we were ready to go.
Tasting 1: Hendry Winery
It was a beautiful sunny Sunday. Our first stop of the day was at Hendry Winery. We reserved the Seminar Tour, which is approximately three hours and hosted by owner and winemaker, George O. Hendry. We arrived early for our appointment so we checked in, and sat outside enjoying the scenery and lack of noise. Our group of four was joined by a couple from Michigan.
We started promptly at 10:00AM. George Hendry brought us outside -- in the shade on the side of the hospitality center -- and began by sharing the history of the property. He also asked us what we wanted to know! This was great. I didn't come prepared with a list of questions, but thankfully the couple from Michigan had quite a few.
George brought us up a small hill past the winery where we could see the size of the property as well as the layout of the vineyard blocks.
George's parents, George and Margaret, purchased the property in 1939. I believe he told us it was approximately 240 acres. I decided to ask if he knew how much they paid. He did. $11,000. ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! In 1939 was that a ton of money? Absolutely. But looking at this gorgeous slice of heaven -- so private, so beautiful -- to me it sounded like a steal.
When his parents purchased the property, they were farming -- plums, prunes, and walnuts -- and raising cattle. After George's father passed away unexpectedly -- only five years after they purchased the farm -- George's mom was left to raise her two sons and run the farm.
In the early 1970s, George -- now an engineer -- replanted much of the ranch to a vineyard. By the late 1980s, Hendry was becoming known for grapes. Robert Mondavi was buying all of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; Robert Mondavi was splitting the Cabernet Sauvignon with Opus One. By the 1990s, George was selling less and less grapes, and keeping more grapes to crush and make his own wines.
After our tour through the active vineyard, George gradually moved us in to the upper level of winery, where we saw the access to the top of fermentation tanks. At this level, grapes are sorted and placed into stainless steel fermentation tanks. We walked down a flight of stairs, and saw the lower access to the fermentation tanks and the barrel cellar.
George explained how their red wines are fermented in the stainless steel tanks; fermentation is process of adding yeast to the grape juice, and this with the sugars in the grape juice is converted to alcohol. White grapes, like chardonnay, are often barrel fermented; this means the pressed grape juice is transferred to an oak barrel with yeast and allowed to ferment over a certain time period before bottling.
After the tour, it was time to taste some wine! We tasted eight wines:
- 2018 Albarino
- 2017 Unoaked Chardonnay + 2016 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (comparison)
- 2014 Pinot Noir
- 2016 Primitivo + 2015 Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel (comparison)
- 2014 Red
- 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
Crackers and olive oil were provided so we could see how food and fat can impact the taste of wine. With the Chardonnay comparison, we saw how our palates became "washed out" when we weren't eating anything. It made me think that maybe I'm not a big fan of California Chardonnay because I'm usually not eating while I'm drinking it. It's definitely something to think about.
We really enjoyed this tasting experience. Our favorite wines included the 2014 Pinot Noir, the 2015 Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel, and the 2014 Red.
George Hendry is so knowledgeable and it was interesting to hear about the chemistry behind wine making. It's something I've never experienced while in Napa. We'll definitely return to Hendry on future trips!
After a great tasting at Hendry Winery, it was after 1:00PM and time for lunch. We decided we wanted something quick, so we settled on Heritage Eats at Bel Aire Plaza. Heritage Eats is a casual restaurant where you order, pay, sit down, and pick up your order when it's ready. Heritage Eats offers salads, tacos, bowls, wraps and sandwiches. You'll find food inspired by Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and more. Between the four of us we tried three different tacos and a Hawaiian bowl. We also tried some local IPAs to change things up!
Tasting 2: Robert Craig Winery (Downtown Tasting Salon)
We've been enjoying wine from Robert Craig since the early 2000s. In 1990 Bob Craig founded Robert Craig Winery with the help of three friends he met in business school.
The winery is an adventurous trip up Howell Mountain. Tastings can be reserved there, but on this particular Sunday we opted to visit the Tasting Salon, which is located just north of the Oxbow Public Market on the Napa River. The outside of the building isn't anything to look at -- it's a small industrial area -- but the Tasting Salon is very nice!
KC greeted us and led us to a beautiful glass topped table. The Tasting Salon had a group on the sofas and a couple at the bar.
KC poured us the following selection of wines:
- 2016 Gap's Crown Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)
- 2016 Affinity Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2016 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2016 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2015 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2015 Howell Mountain Zinfandel
While the wine was spectacular, this visit was a bit sad, as Bob Craig had just passed away the week before. Bob is a legend in Napa Valley, and led the effort to make Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain official American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). He will be missed, but his spirit will live on in the wine being produced by the fantastic Craig team.
When the wines are young, my favorite is -- without question -- the Affinity. As they age, the mountain fruit really starts to shine, and then my favorite is a toss up. I love them all. We've been club members at Robert Craig for more than ten years and we're still enjoying vintages as old as 2008!
Tasting 3: Ellman Family Vineyards (Downtown Tasting Room)
Our final tasting of the day was at Ellman Family Vineyards. Their hospitality center on Silverado Trail is under construction, so tastings are currently held at their Tasting Gallery in downtown Napa near Oenotri Restaurant.
Justin greeted us and showed us around the Tasting Gallery. It's a cool space, with some interesting artwork, super comfortable furniture, and a great selection of vinyl to enjoy during your tasting.
We took our time, and enjoyed the following five wines:
- 2018 Caryn Renae Sauvignon Blanc
- 2016 Alexis Skye Pinot Noir
- 2016 Brothers Blend Proprietary Red Blend
- 2016 Jemma Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2016 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
We enjoyed all of the wines, but I think our favorite was the Brothers Blend. We are looking forward to visiting the hospitality center when it opens!
After our tasting at Ellman Family Vineyards, we walked to Miminashi to have dinner. Miminashi is an izakaya-style restaurant. They print their menu daily, so even if you are a regular, there may always be something new to try. We opted to order several dishes to share: wok fried edamame, corn fritters, pork ribs, chicken teppan miso-katsu, and vegetable fried rice. Everything we tried was excellent, but a month later and I'm still thinking about the corn fritters and the wok fried edamame! For dessert, we ordered their soft cream -- soft ice cream -- in coconut flavor and milk flavor. They offer a lot of toppings to go along with their soft cream, including toasted coconut, nuts, cookie crumble and sprinkles!
With full stomachs, we were tired after a long day, and decided it would be a great idea to get some rest. We had another big day planned on Day 4!
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
