We were recently surprised to find wineries in what was once one of our favorite fine art galleries in Yountville in the Napa Valley.  The gallery moved out for whatever reason and Cornerstone and Page moved in.

The Page Cellars tasting room in Yountville near the restaurant Jeanty.

Page has some very nice wine.  We just finished their Revolver brand 2006 Napa Valley Cab Franc.  It is full of life from the initial nose through the finish.  It held up very well over several days and was a treat each time we tasted it.  We love full-bodied wines with lots of nose and long finishes.  This wine meets those high standards.

Page is really into rock with some guitars from the stars and other memorabilia to peruse.  The tasting room music is soft so it doesn’t interfere with tasting.  I’ve heard a rumor that Carlos Santana hangs out in this tasting room.  If you are near Yountville check out the decor and ambiance at Page Cellars.

- jim

Napa Valley Marriott guests are invited to a complementary tasting in the afternoons most days.  The wines are from quality vintners in the Napa Valley, many of them very small operations, and the pouring is done by the vintners or their staff.

Tasting Salvestrin's fine Napa Valley wines at Napa Valley Marriott

Most of the wineries seem to be by appointment only types so this is a chance to taste their wines without an appointment.  But that isn’t the only attraction.

This is a great opportunity to meet with visitors from around the world and discuss a wide variety of topics.   The people who hang out at this hotel are interesting and well traveled.  The lobby design encourages mingling and socializing, a far better design than most hotels.

The afternoon of this photo we were tasting Salvestrin’s wines. Salvestrin is a small winery just south of St. Helena on Highway 29 that also includes a B&B.

They poured their 08 Sauv Blanc, 08 Cab which is Napa robust with nice tannins, and an interesting Super Tuscan blend with Sangiovese.  I found all their wines to have interesting nose, flavors, and finish to explore. None just disappeared on my palate.

After a long day of tasting wine in Napa Valley it is SOOOOO nice to sink into a Marriott bed and take a nap before heading out to the fine dining available nearby.  When I lack energy for dining elsewhere I dine in their cozy and comfortable cafe which has excellent food and ambiance.

- jim

I hang out on Twitter with a bunch of wine biz and wine blogger folks.  Late Friday PM I noticed a little post offering two free tickets for the Silver Pass.  What’s that?  I googled it and found that the Silverado Trail wineries have a passport weekend twice a year.  Not many participate but the 18 wineries that do are more than enough for an adventure.

Early Saturday morning 11/8/08 Katya and I met our benefactor at the farmer’s market in Healdsburg and picked up our tickets.  After some photography in the Alexander Valley for our video series we headed down Highway 128 to Calistoga and the wine questing adventures began.

We visited 10 wineries in two days.  All of them offered a limited selection to taste and the small wineries offered only 2 or 3 wines.  Most offered food.  Most of the wineries we visited are open by appointment only.  All had great wine, usually Cabernet. A few highlights:

• Pina (pinya – Spanish)  Winery is a small family-owned winery with a Spanish heritage.  This was our favorite.  They offered a sequential tasting of 2000 to 2006 (barrel) Cabernet’s from the Buckeye Vineyard and it was to die for.  Their wines are expensive but were real Big Reds, not this smoothed out stuff that is in fashion today.  The Cabs had real finish that lasted and the old robust aromas we used to enjoy.  Somehow they accomplished this without the biting tannins of the past.  Their Cabs are art in a bottle and we’ll be back.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention the huge pan of paella that tasters were gorging from.

• Midsummer Cellars is a micro-winery just off Silverado Trail where Highway 128 heads east from the Napa Valley.  They were gracious hosts with fine gourmet food and an incredible carrot cake, backyard ambiance under a 600 year old giant oak, and two Cabs worth your time to investigate.  Don’t pass them up on the next Silver Pass weekend!

• Titus Vineyards is a tiny winery on the Silverado Trail that is by appointment only and had a selection of 5 wines to taste as I recall.  This was a lively and friendly place and we’ll return.

• Athalon hides north of Calistoga and is by appointment only.  They are extra friendly, gourmet munchies, and had several wines to taste, along with a frisky winery cat to entertain us.  Great views of the lava cliffs on Mt. St. Helena.

• Conn Creek is one of the older wineries in the region and is open daily.  What was extra special about this winery for the Silver Pass is that they opened a barrel room display venue for us and we were able to taste Cabs from different vineyards that they source grapes from.  That was both interesting and fun!  They plan on expanding this service and will be remodeling their room in the near future.  Make an appointment in 2009 to taste in this room.

If you are curious we also tasted at Zahtila, Signorella (a favorite for the view!), Judd’s Hill (friendly family-owned), and William Hill which is open daily with good prices and a great view.

- jim

Not everyone is aware of the wonderful sparkling wine road trip experience in the lower Napa Valley and Carneros. All of these fine producers of sparkling wines can be visited in one day from the San Francisco Bay Area:

• Domaine Chandon – Napa Valley
  
• Mumm Napa Valley – Napa Valley
  
• Domaine Carneros – Carneros
  
• Gloria Ferrer – Carneros

Mumm is a traditional tasting room on Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail.  It has a nice view of the vineyards and mountains.  Domaine Chandon is nestled in oaks on a hillside overlooking Yountville with great landscaping and an indoor view-bar and outdoor tables with food available.  The post-modern design is unusual and interesting.  Domaine Carneros is a large French chateau style building with indoor and outdoor tasting and great views of the lower Napa Valley.  Gloria Ferrer is Spanish owned and features indoor and outdoor tasting with spectacular views of the Carneros region and the lower Sonoma Valley.  Small munchies are available but they are no substitute for lunch.

All the sparkling wines / champaignes are great of course and the ambiance at each one is outstanding.  This is a road trip that won’t be forgotten! Please see the Wine Questers’ profiles for more information.

- jim