Note: We had appointments for all tastings mentioned in this post unless otherwise specified.
After a great night of sleep, I was disappointed to wake up to find my sore throat was still there...or back? Like yesterday, once I ate breakfast and had an allergy pill, I was ready to go!
Tasting 1: Porter Family Vineyards
Our first tasting of the day was at Porter Family Vineyards. East of downtown Napa in the Coombsville AVA, the drive is relaxed and scenic. There is a point where you reach a road that isn't wide enough for two cars, and while it is mostly local traffic at this point it is something to be mindful of if you're lucky enough to secure a tasting appointment here!
Tom Porter started Porter Family Vineyards in 2005 with his wife Beverly. Heather Porter Wolfe assists with winemaking, and her husband Stephen Wolfe manages technology. Tim Porter manages the business end of the winery and the estate.
We were welcomed to the property with a glass of 2016 Beverly's Chardonnay. In general, I'm not a huge fan of Napa Valley Chardonnay, but this one wasn't a buttery oak bomb, so I liked it.
There are two entrances to the wine cave: one up a big hill and one close to the winery office. We walked up a pretty steep hill to get the lay of the land. The view was spectacular! The Coombsville AVA is so different from much of Napa Valley. From our view, you'd never know we were 15 minutes from downtown Napa. We continued on our walk, sampling some almost ripe grapes along the way, until we arrived at one of the entrances to the wine cave.
Once inside the cave, we were so lucky to be able to sample chardonnay from a fermentation tank. It was...different. It was bubbly due to the active fermentation and so much sweeter than I expected. At the time we tasted it, it was planned to be in the fermentation tank another 18-24 hours so it was still really early in the process.
As we continued our walk through the cave, the next wine we sampled was the 2013 Family Blend, which is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Petit Verdot. While everything we tried was excellent, this was our favorite wine of the tasting.
We ended up at a tasting area within the cave. I understand that caves are perfect in temperature and humidity to store wine, but I'm always amazed and excited when we're escorted to an area inside a cave to do our tasting.
The area we were seated in was gorgeous. There were wall displays providing an overview of what it took to construct the caves, including some really cool facts about the property that I'll leave you to discover on your own! We were shown to our table; other than the wine and pairings what was the best part? Blankets and shawls in case you get cold!! This was so thoughtful and very much appreciated.
We had the following four wines to enjoy:
- 2012 Cave Dweller's Blend, paired with iberico cheese
- 2013 Sandpiper Red Blend, paired with aged gouda cheese
- 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, paired with cheddar cheese
- 2016 Barre Azure Blend, paired with Porter Cabernet Chocolate Truffle
We had a wonderful experience at Porter Family Vineyards and will definitely return on future visits to Napa Valley!
After our tasting at Porter Family Vineyards, we drove north to Saint Helena for our lunch reservation at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Farmstead is a favorite. They are often busy, so make a reservation and allow time in your busy schedule enjoy a relaxed meal!
It is possible to sample the wines of Long Meadow Ranch onsite, as well as by the glass or bottle in Farmstead restaurant.
For lunch, we enjoyed a house-smoked pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw, kale salad with a lemon vinaigrette, and a decadent mac and cheese with bacon.
With full stomachs, we were ready to continue tasting wine!
Tasting 2: Saint Helena Winery
A short drive north on Highway 29 and east on Pratt Avenue and we arrived at Saint Helena Winery. Founded in the year 2000, Saint Helena Winery features estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines -- three estate Cabernet Sauvignons, a Chardonnay, and a few small lots -- are made by Aaron Pott and Lindsay Wallingford.
It was a very hot September afternoon, so after a quick look outside at the vineyard, we were escorted to a private area with very comfortable leather furniture and a great view outside.
We enjoyed the following wines during our tasting:
- 2017 Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay
- 2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2015 Sympa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2015 Grand Reserve
Saint Helena Winery has one of my favorite Napa Valley chardonnays. Not overly oaked or buttery, in my opinion it's lovely to sip on with or without food. We enjoyed all three of the Cabernet Sauvignons that we tasted, and found all three will be able to age for quite a few years before truly being at their prime and ready to drink. It was hard to pick a favorite, but the estate Cabernet Sauvignon will be ready to drink sooner, while the Sympa and Grand Reserve would be better enjoyed after quite a few years of rest and cellaring.
Since the past four days had been pretty full of wine, we decided to stick to two tastings today. For dinner, we had a reservation at Basalt, which is located right on the Napa River. We've visited Basalt on a few different occasions, and always find the food to be creative and delicious, but at times have found the service to be a bit slow and disorganized. We had a wonderful table outside, with great service! We enjoyed a relaxing dinner that included roasted chicken with polenta, braised beef short ribs, and caramelized Brussels sprouts with bacon.
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
