My First Trip To The Napa Valley - March 5th - 7th, 2017

After a fairly light travel schedule in 2016, we are now 8 weeks into the New Year and I now have my work trips lining up. But what gets me excited is that most of these trips are to new destinations that I have never experienced before, including Napa and Santa Barbara. After being let down with the excitement of my recent trip to Miami, this one definitely got things back on track and allowed me to see a new part of the country and experience some pretty cool things. I have been traveling to Northern California for years…but have been mostly contained to San Francisco…which I am never disappointed to visit. This trip though has me flying into Sacramento and than hopping in a car for two hours to drive into the heart of wine country and the Napa Valley.

There is no question that Napa Valley is one of the premier wine growing regions in the world, boasting hundreds of exceptionally wineries - almost 600 wineries to be exact. In fact, I learned that Napa only accounts for 4% of the total wine production that comes out of California. But while the region is primarily know for its fantastic wine, there is so much more to what makes this region a fantastic place to visit. Besides having fantastic resorts and bed and breakfast, Napa is a foodie paradise containing the highest per capita of Michelin Star restaurants in the world including the world-renowned French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro and La Toque. I called French Laundry to see if they had a reservation for me but unfortunately they didn’t…but that was ok, because I didn’t have the $310 in my wallet needed to cover my tasting menu dinner experience. But whatever your pleasure, I am sure that the result of your visit will be something beyond exceptional.

My home during my visit to Napa was the Meritage Resort and Spa. The resort which spanned 35 acres, was set upon a hillside vineyard, had a Tuscan feel to it, and truly immersed me into the destination.

The Meritage Resort and Spa featured 322 Tuscan inspired guestrooms that were spread throughout two main buildings. And like a Easter Egg hunt, as you went out and explored the property there were fantastic things to be found around every corner. This resort was a bit different in that the restaurants and amenities were scattered throughout the property versus all being situated off the lobby. Now this might turn off some people, but it was great to get out and explore. Luckily I was able to enjoy/indulge/delight in each of the restaurants and bars over the course of my stay, but I have to say the most unexpected offering was Crush Ultra Lounge – a super hip multi leveled bar that featured six bowling lanes. I guess the family that owned this resort (especially the kids when growing up) always wanted to have a bowling lane in one of their hotels…and the rest is history.

We were lucky to visit during the Golden State Warriors game, which afforded us a secret menu of game day specials that included sliders, nachos, drink specials and chicken wings to die for. We stuck to the game day menu, but the other menu items definitely sounded pretty incredible including typical high-end bar fair including flatbreads, burgers and Lobster/Crab Sliders. Oh did I say they also had wings? Now being a beer guy, I was a bit disappointed with the selection – and I did try two of their local brews, but struggled through them and ended up settling on one of my favorites the Lagunitas IPA. Crush was definitely a welcomed surprise and an experience I look forward to enjoying again. We also had the chance to enjoy (multiple times) their signature restaurant – Sienna which puts a California twist on traditional Italian cuisine. Again, I was definitely not disappointed. At lunch, I had the chance to enjoy one of

the best lunches of my life. Now it was a bit pedestrian, but it was absolutely delicious: a grilled cheese loaded with Swiss cheese and prosciutto coupled with a creamy bowl of roasted tomato soup. Both absolutely to die for. While the lunch menu was a bit limited…everything sounded fantastic. Later that day we also went there for dinner where I had their trout which the chef swears was swimming in the river just north of the resort near Mount Lassen earlier in the week. Again (as you can see by the picture) this was to die for. We also coupled this with crispy brussle sprouts, fingerling potatoes drenched with duckfat and grilled asparagus covered in pure goodness.

So that about covers the “foodie” side of my experience in Napa….but I didn’t come here for the food. I came here for the wine. Well I came here for work, but couldn’t wait to try some great wine.

Given this was my first visit to the area, I was especially curious about the wine culture and how this whole thing worked. How did a grape get turned into a delicious glass of wine? Lucky for me, the vineyards that surrounded the resort (which produce Trinitas Wine) was also owned and managed by the Meritage Resort Team. This provided me exclusive access to The Trinitas Library which was a private tasting room experience that educated me on all the things that makes a wine great and gives it its flavor. We learned about the eight or so categories of growth from leaving the dormant stage (which we were in now) leading all the way up to harvest that happens later this Fall. This was starting to make me thirsty. Next up was explaining how the dirt and soil was different all over the region and that this was one of the key factors to successful wine making, in fact there were 33 different types of soil found in the Valley. But it was the weather and how the two mountain ranges somehow created a dry Mediterranean like climate that was only found in 2% of the world that truly nurtured the grapes. Some other fun facts I learned.

1. It only takes 6-8 clusters (or 600 grapes) to make a bottle of wine.

2. There are 300 bottles of wine filled from 1 barrel.

3. There is actually a wine bottle called a Nebauchadnezzar which holds 20 standard bottles of wine. Trust me, it is big.

4. Wine is fat free and cholesterol freeJ But each glass has around 100 calories L.

5. 90% of the wine made in the United States comes from California.

6. Expensive wine is just as delicious as it sounds.

During my wine tour, I had the chance to drink five pretty delicious wines…all of which I would recommend you add to your bucket list. I have never been a true wine enthusiasts….so always get nervous when people offer me super expensive wine. I mean I can’t tell the difference from a $500 bottle and a bottle of Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joes (which is delicious). But I was assured that I have never had any of these wines and they would truly change my perception.

First up was the J Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir. And this one definitely didn’t disappoint. I think I downed it in about 4 sips and was ready for the next challenge. Slowly new glasses kept appearing and I kept on conquering the challenge set forth upon me. Next up was the Shafer 2014 Merlot…it was nice, but just didn’t wow me which through the group I was with into a bit of a tizzy as this was the wine they all had started out with. They had to right this wrong and figured they needed to hit me with the crown jewel of the collection. The Opus One Ovarture which was a Red Wine blend. This definitely got things going again and I said this was absolutely delicious and I needed to get it into my regular rotation. With a gasp they made me aware that this wine was $50 a glass and that I would probably never have it again. After feeling let down I went on to try moderate pours of a Kuleto 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon and Faust 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon to see if any of these gems could get my excitement for wine going again. They did, but seeing the dissatisfaction on my face, another glass of Opus quickly found its way into my hand…and everything was made right again. This was definitely a great way to end my visit to wine country – with some delicious wine.

My visit to Napa was everything that I hoped it would be, and now I understand why the call Napa the epicenter of the good life. I had some great food, had some great wine and had a great time getting out to explore the Valley. This is definitely a destination that should be on your travel bucket list (or even your regular rotation) if you can afford it. I can’t wait to bring my wife and some of our couple friends here for a long weekend where we can truly get out and explore some of the wineries in the area. I just hope the next time I get to visit, it is right in the heart of growing season and the landscape looks like the picture below. Cheers.