Friday September 21, 2007
Up at 3:45 a.m. – after dad arrived home the night before from Fairfax after 11:00 p.m. It was early. Picked up the Duffy’s (who had practically pulled an all-nighter) and headed to Midway for a 6:30 flight. Ladewski’s and Summer’s were already at the gate waiting. (They left for the airport 45 minutes before we did – and the Ladewski’s DID pull an all-nighter.)
Flight to Oakland was smooth. Got our bags and Budget rental car (Priceline) and after a few wrong turns, headed to Sonoma for lunch at a pleasant restaurant on the square in downtown Sonoma named The Girl & the Fig. Ate a fabulous lunch and tasted a cool flight of five red wines there (each in a different style glass). We were starved.
After lunch we briefly wandered the square in Sonoma and then wound (quite literally) our way to Buena Vista Winery (the oldest premium winery in CA celebrating their 150th anniversary.) Great place to start. Jerry, our tasting host, was a host of knowledge and was a great person to start our tasting experience. Buena Vista was beautiful – kind of tucked in the back of an old, wooded neighborhood – a bit of a challenge to find but well worth the trouble.
The next stop was the Viansa Winery. It was on the “main drag” at the south end of Sonoma. A beautiful setting up high on a hilltop, with 360 views overlooking the road into Sonoma and the surrounding areas. It had a large wine shop with gourmet foods; lovely terraces surrounded by rose gardens and some awesome vineyard trellises (the first of many on this trip). They were setting up for a wedding. We sat on the breezy terrace and enjoyed a glass of wine and the incredible view down into the Sonoma Valley.
We then drove a short distance to the Jacuzzi Olive Press Co. A beautiful building & grounds, full of Spanish architecture, courtyards with olive trees, surrounded by vineyards. Tasted their olive oil….. not too exciting. Oh well. Beautiful venue with an incredible patio and veranda. We were quickly learning the Napa vineyards’ Spanish architecture is as beautiful as their landscape.
Dad inquired about the Jacuzzi’s interesting logo, which is a wooded aircraft propeller. Turns out the Jacuzzi’s have quite an interesting family history. During WWI, the US government contracted the Jacuzzi bros to fabricate wooded ‘toothpick’ props for the war effort. After the war, one of the Jacuzzi’s (and his girlfriend) was killed flying a small plane in the area, which drove the family to leave the prop business.
They turned their attention to developing an irrigation pump which employed impellers instead of conventional plunger-type lift pumps, thereby enabling higher pressures. From there, an illness in the family led them to add air to their pumps and voila!...the Jacuzzi ‘hydrotherapy system’ was born. Interesting family evolution, which started from a couple of woodcarvers.
After this we drove to the house we rented. After some meandering (the road less traveled) we arrived at the “Red Door”
. Interestingly, every house on the block had a red door. The good news was that we had an address. After settling in, Deb & Deb went to the local grocery, while Mike & Brian took a dip in the house pool. Then we all took off for a wonderful 7:00 dinner (aka 9pm Chgo time) at the Kenwood Restaurant and Grill that Laurie Ladewski had arranged. The food was great! Arrived back at the house, sleep deprived and on Chicago time! Bed!
Saturday September 22, 2007
Rain. There has to be a shorter way to Napa from Kenwood. And there is. Over a very winding & steep pass. We left the house around 10am. Car #1 was Brian at the wheel and John navigating, Deb & dawn providing color commentary. Car #2 was Mike at the helm and Deb Summers shotgun. Rick & Lori led from the rear. This arrangement seemed to work well and we pretty much stuck with it for the entire vacation. On the way over the pass (Trinity Road & Dry Creek Road) we discovered Lynn Mahon’s pottery studio and the LaTour Vineyard. We first met Lynn’s girlfriend, a cute girl who worked at a hotel in Napa when not tending to the pottery studio. Girlfriendsname and Lynn were given a great opportunity to move from San Francisco to establish a pottery studio at a vineyard. And they did. Lynn had a lot of interesting work from normal pots and plates to enormous pots with graffiti scenes of San Francisco. Girlfriendsname pulled out some LaTtour (the vineyard) wine and we al sampled the local wine (this all before noon…) During this time a couple people were coming and going, and by the time we left, Lynn appeared and so did Barbara LaTour. (Facelifts and all!). Later we deduced that Girlfriendsname was probably daughter of the LaTours.
With a name like LaTour and a passion for entertaining, it was only a matter of time before renowned hotelier and restaurateur Tom LaTour decided to become a vintner. In 1990 he delved into winemaking with the purchase of a single acre of vines in St. Helena. Experimenting for years as a ”garage” winemaker for friends and family, Tom eventually turned to professional wine production methods. In 1999, he and his wife Barbara established LaTour Vineyards with 25 acres on Mt. Veeder in the Napa Valley, where they grow chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah grapes.
Purchases in hand, we headed to Mumm. We had a great, educational tour and then a tasting which we shared. We are learning to pace ourselves… sort of! We ate lunch in St. Helena a cute town in Napa. Dad tried their Black Lemonade…once was enough. Afterwards we headed north toward Calistoga and tried to stop at Duckhorn (very cool, but very booked). Drizzle.
At Calistoga, we drove around a bit and then developed a mission. Summer’s Winery all the way up into the Calistoga wine region. A small fun winery where we made ourselves at home (and joined their wine club).
About this point we are realizing there are multiple award groups! Everywhere we have gone there have been gold, silver and > 90 point award winners. We are not sure what any of these mean, but guess it is all good.
After Summer’s we visited Clos Pegase. Clos is French for ‘estate’, and Pegase is Pegasus. It reminded Dad a little of Mobil. Dawn didn’t like its Chi. (Ch'i or qi (pronounced "chee" and henceforth spelled "chi") is the Chinese word used to describe "the natural energy of the Universe." This energy, though called "natural," is spiritual or supernatural, and is part of a metaphysical, not an empirical, belief system. New Agers often refer to this energy as subtle energy. Chi is thought to permeate all things, including the human body. Such metaphysical systems are generally referred to as types of vitalism. One of the key concepts related to chi is the concept of harmony. Trouble, whether in the universe or in the body, is a function of disharmony, of things being out of balance and in need of restoration to equilibrium.) Anyway, the art (Dali, etc.) was very interesting if not disturbing at times. The building was designed by Michael Graves.
Not overwhelmed with our host at Clos Pegase. Headed by to St. Helena for dinner. Awesome dinner at Tra Vigne. The restaurant had an inspiring courtyard with vine trellises etc. Gave Dad lots of ideas…We are still trying to figure their fig and gorgonzola pizza. Then an ‘interesting’ 10 mile drive back over the winding/hilly pass in the dark. Again! Bed. Thank goodness.
Sunday September 24, 2007
Up until now we have been very responsible drinkers. So, into the cars we go! Over the hill (we took a slightly different route this time so we were on twisty hilly roads for 20 miles (vs 10) and when we arrived we had 2 very and 2 somewhat queasy people. Answer for that? Wine. And wine. And wine. (You get the picture.)
Del Dotto: Very cool cave tour which of course started with a glass of excellent wine. We had prearranged a cave tour. Our guide was extremely generous with the tastings. Some of us were able to pitch excess wine under the barrels (what a waste….) but it was painful to do so (awesome wine – next time we bring an empty bottle for the dregs”). Cheese, crackers, chocolate, port and of course wine. We figure 20 to 40 ounces of wine at this stop alone. Erroring toward the 40. So what do we do? At least the two drivers (Brian & Mike) were being responsible!
From Del Dotto (or del Blotto) we went to Steltzner in the Stags Leap area of Napa. This was a much lower key winery and vineyard. Our hostess was super. Originally from Ohio she was a master sommelier (level1?) and working her way through the certification process. As we were moving from the vineyard to the cellars, the ‘master winemaker’ (I sure there is a formal title) Tim Dolven arrived and gave us the cellar tour. A down to earth goof (again there s/b a better description.) Tim had us “blending” in our glasses. Needless to say, a lot more wine was consumed. While the group was deciding which wines to buy, Dawn, Laurie and Deb went to Soda Canyon to buy sandwiches, salads ( a great olive fig spread), cheese, crackers, salami etc., while the guys and Debbie stayed at the winery. We had hoped to stop at an olive oil place, but it was closed for a special event. (Everywhere we went there were weddings being set up or planned.) So we all met at Pine Ridge (which was closing – yes this was a 4:30 lunch!) and picnicked on their beautiful grounds. And we heard stories….. I guess Rick has a new shirt!
After “lunch” we headed north to St. Helena to pick up some forgotten eye glasses and stop at Dean and Deluca (gourmet food shop.) Other than asparagus, bread, chocolate, figs and a bottle of port, (I guess that isn’t an “other than...”), the stop didn’t yield dinner. So back over the mountain we went to Kenwood. Winding up…winding down. We stopped at the local grocery in Sonoma and between John, Brian, Dawn and Deb, we assembled food for dinner and breakfast. We all pitched in & made a super dinner, with barbequed steak, salmon and brats. And of course asparagus and a great salad with figs. Dessert was a local Port and dark chocolate (kindof a grown up milk & cookies, as demonstrated by Del Dotto’s host.) Much laughing later as we recreated the day’s events. Then we all headed to bed.
Monday September 25, 2007
Monday morning we had breakfast at the house packed and headed for Muir Woods for a lovely hike among the giant redwoods. This is a beautiful area of the country -
we can understand why people like northern California. After Muir Woods, we filled up with gas and headed for Oakland airport. Traffic was fast & furious, and we’re not sure we took the most efficient route, but we did arrive safely after a quick bite at the ……. In and Out (based on Christina’s recommendation!) Burger and Fries. That was the choice! Brian dropped off Deb, Dawn & john at the terminal then returned the renmatl car. Mom got all the boarding passes, met him at the door, and we made it through security with time to spare.
The plane arrived at Midway at nearly 11pm. Got our bags in record time and headed home to do a couple of loads of laundry and repack Brian for his departure for Champaign the next morning. Needless to say, we are sleep deprived, but wine reinforced!
Up at 3:45 a.m. – after dad arrived home the night before from Fairfax after 11:00 p.m. It was early. Picked up the Duffy’s (who had practically pulled an all-nighter) and headed to Midway for a 6:30 flight. Ladewski’s and Summer’s were already at the gate waiting. (They left for the airport 45 minutes before we did – and the Ladewski’s DID pull an all-nighter.)
Flight to Oakland was smooth. Got our bags and Budget rental car (Priceline) and after a few wrong turns, headed to Sonoma for lunch at a pleasant restaurant on the square in downtown Sonoma named The Girl & the Fig. Ate a fabulous lunch and tasted a cool flight of five red wines there (each in a different style glass). We were starved.
After lunch we briefly wandered the square in Sonoma and then wound (quite literally) our way to Buena Vista Winery (the oldest premium winery in CA celebrating their 150th anniversary.) Great place to start. Jerry, our tasting host, was a host of knowledge and was a great person to start our tasting experience. Buena Vista was beautiful – kind of tucked in the back of an old, wooded neighborhood – a bit of a challenge to find but well worth the trouble.
The next stop was the Viansa Winery. It was on the “main drag” at the south end of Sonoma. A beautiful setting up high on a hilltop, with 360 views overlooking the road into Sonoma and the surrounding areas. It had a large wine shop with gourmet foods; lovely terraces surrounded by rose gardens and some awesome vineyard trellises (the first of many on this trip). They were setting up for a wedding. We sat on the breezy terrace and enjoyed a glass of wine and the incredible view down into the Sonoma Valley.
We then drove a short distance to the Jacuzzi Olive Press Co. A beautiful building & grounds, full of Spanish architecture, courtyards with olive trees, surrounded by vineyards. Tasted their olive oil….. not too exciting. Oh well. Beautiful venue with an incredible patio and veranda. We were quickly learning the Napa vineyards’ Spanish architecture is as beautiful as their landscape.
Dad inquired about the Jacuzzi’s interesting logo, which is a wooded aircraft propeller. Turns out the Jacuzzi’s have quite an interesting family history. During WWI, the US government contracted the Jacuzzi bros to fabricate wooded ‘toothpick’ props for the war effort. After the war, one of the Jacuzzi’s (and his girlfriend) was killed flying a small plane in the area, which drove the family to leave the prop business.
They turned their attention to developing an irrigation pump which employed impellers instead of conventional plunger-type lift pumps, thereby enabling higher pressures. From there, an illness in the family led them to add air to their pumps and voila!...the Jacuzzi ‘hydrotherapy system’ was born. Interesting family evolution, which started from a couple of woodcarvers. After this we drove to the house we rented. After some meandering (the road less traveled) we arrived at the “Red Door”
. Interestingly, every house on the block had a red door. The good news was that we had an address. After settling in, Deb & Deb went to the local grocery, while Mike & Brian took a dip in the house pool. Then we all took off for a wonderful 7:00 dinner (aka 9pm Chgo time) at the Kenwood Restaurant and Grill that Laurie Ladewski had arranged. The food was great! Arrived back at the house, sleep deprived and on Chicago time! Bed! Saturday September 22, 2007
Rain. There has to be a shorter way to Napa from Kenwood. And there is. Over a very winding & steep pass. We left the house around 10am. Car #1 was Brian at the wheel and John navigating, Deb & dawn providing color commentary. Car #2 was Mike at the helm and Deb Summers shotgun. Rick & Lori led from the rear. This arrangement seemed to work well and we pretty much stuck with it for the entire vacation. On the way over the pass (Trinity Road & Dry Creek Road) we discovered Lynn Mahon’s pottery studio and the LaTour Vineyard. We first met Lynn’s girlfriend, a cute girl who worked at a hotel in Napa when not tending to the pottery studio. Girlfriendsname and Lynn were given a great opportunity to move from San Francisco to establish a pottery studio at a vineyard. And they did. Lynn had a lot of interesting work from normal pots and plates to enormous pots with graffiti scenes of San Francisco. Girlfriendsname pulled out some LaTtour (the vineyard) wine and we al sampled the local wine (this all before noon…) During this time a couple people were coming and going, and by the time we left, Lynn appeared and so did Barbara LaTour. (Facelifts and all!). Later we deduced that Girlfriendsname was probably daughter of the LaTours.
With a name like LaTour and a passion for entertaining, it was only a matter of time before renowned hotelier and restaurateur Tom LaTour decided to become a vintner. In 1990 he delved into winemaking with the purchase of a single acre of vines in St. Helena. Experimenting for years as a ”garage” winemaker for friends and family, Tom eventually turned to professional wine production methods. In 1999, he and his wife Barbara established LaTour Vineyards with 25 acres on Mt. Veeder in the Napa Valley, where they grow chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah grapes.Purchases in hand, we headed to Mumm. We had a great, educational tour and then a tasting which we shared. We are learning to pace ourselves… sort of! We ate lunch in St. Helena a cute town in Napa. Dad tried their Black Lemonade…once was enough. Afterwards we headed north toward Calistoga and tried to stop at Duckhorn (very cool, but very booked). Drizzle.
At Calistoga, we drove around a bit and then developed a mission. Summer’s Winery all the way up into the Calistoga wine region. A small fun winery where we made ourselves at home (and joined their wine club).
About this point we are realizing there are multiple award groups! Everywhere we have gone there have been gold, silver and > 90 point award winners. We are not sure what any of these mean, but guess it is all good.
After Summer’s we visited Clos Pegase. Clos is French for ‘estate’, and Pegase is Pegasus. It reminded Dad a little of Mobil. Dawn didn’t like its Chi. (Ch'i or qi (pronounced "chee" and henceforth spelled "chi") is the Chinese word used to describe "the natural energy of the Universe." This energy, though called "natural," is spiritual or supernatural, and is part of a metaphysical, not an empirical, belief system. New Agers often refer to this energy as subtle energy. Chi is thought to permeate all things, including the human body. Such metaphysical systems are generally referred to as types of vitalism. One of the key concepts related to chi is the concept of harmony. Trouble, whether in the universe or in the body, is a function of disharmony, of things being out of balance and in need of restoration to equilibrium.) Anyway, the art (Dali, etc.) was very interesting if not disturbing at times. The building was designed by Michael Graves.
Not overwhelmed with our host at Clos Pegase. Headed by to St. Helena for dinner. Awesome dinner at Tra Vigne. The restaurant had an inspiring courtyard with vine trellises etc. Gave Dad lots of ideas…We are still trying to figure their fig and gorgonzola pizza. Then an ‘interesting’ 10 mile drive back over the winding/hilly pass in the dark. Again! Bed. Thank goodness.
Sunday September 24, 2007
Up until now we have been very responsible drinkers. So, into the cars we go! Over the hill (we took a slightly different route this time so we were on twisty hilly roads for 20 miles (vs 10) and when we arrived we had 2 very and 2 somewhat queasy people. Answer for that? Wine. And wine. And wine. (You get the picture.)
Del Dotto: Very cool cave tour which of course started with a glass of excellent wine. We had prearranged a cave tour. Our guide was extremely generous with the tastings. Some of us were able to pitch excess wine under the barrels (what a waste….) but it was painful to do so (awesome wine – next time we bring an empty bottle for the dregs”). Cheese, crackers, chocolate, port and of course wine. We figure 20 to 40 ounces of wine at this stop alone. Erroring toward the 40. So what do we do? At least the two drivers (Brian & Mike) were being responsible!
From Del Dotto (or del Blotto) we went to Steltzner in the Stags Leap area of Napa. This was a much lower key winery and vineyard. Our hostess was super. Originally from Ohio she was a master sommelier (level1?) and working her way through the certification process. As we were moving from the vineyard to the cellars, the ‘master winemaker’ (I sure there is a formal title) Tim Dolven arrived and gave us the cellar tour. A down to earth goof (again there s/b a better description.) Tim had us “blending” in our glasses. Needless to say, a lot more wine was consumed. While the group was deciding which wines to buy, Dawn, Laurie and Deb went to Soda Canyon to buy sandwiches, salads ( a great olive fig spread), cheese, crackers, salami etc., while the guys and Debbie stayed at the winery. We had hoped to stop at an olive oil place, but it was closed for a special event. (Everywhere we went there were weddings being set up or planned.) So we all met at Pine Ridge (which was closing – yes this was a 4:30 lunch!) and picnicked on their beautiful grounds. And we heard stories….. I guess Rick has a new shirt!
After “lunch” we headed north to St. Helena to pick up some forgotten eye glasses and stop at Dean and Deluca (gourmet food shop.) Other than asparagus, bread, chocolate, figs and a bottle of port, (I guess that isn’t an “other than...”), the stop didn’t yield dinner. So back over the mountain we went to Kenwood. Winding up…winding down. We stopped at the local grocery in Sonoma and between John, Brian, Dawn and Deb, we assembled food for dinner and breakfast. We all pitched in & made a super dinner, with barbequed steak, salmon and brats. And of course asparagus and a great salad with figs. Dessert was a local Port and dark chocolate (kindof a grown up milk & cookies, as demonstrated by Del Dotto’s host.) Much laughing later as we recreated the day’s events. Then we all headed to bed.
Monday September 25, 2007
Monday morning we had breakfast at the house packed and headed for Muir Woods for a lovely hike among the giant redwoods. This is a beautiful area of the country -
we can understand why people like northern California. After Muir Woods, we filled up with gas and headed for Oakland airport. Traffic was fast & furious, and we’re not sure we took the most efficient route, but we did arrive safely after a quick bite at the ……. In and Out (based on Christina’s recommendation!) Burger and Fries. That was the choice! Brian dropped off Deb, Dawn & john at the terminal then returned the renmatl car. Mom got all the boarding passes, met him at the door, and we made it through security with time to spare.The plane arrived at Midway at nearly 11pm. Got our bags in record time and headed home to do a couple of loads of laundry and repack Brian for his departure for Champaign the next morning. Needless to say, we are sleep deprived, but wine reinforced!
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