It’s been a long, prosperous journey for this now world famous wine growing region, since Charles Krug established Napa Valley ’s first commercial winery in 1861. His success opened the door to a wave of growth, and by 1889, there were some 140 wineries cranking out bottles including well known names that we are familiar with , like Beringer, Inglenook and Schramsbrerg.
Beaulieu Vineyards (better known as BV) was founded in 1900 by George de Latour, one of the early pioneers who recognized the Napa Valley ’s potential to make great wine, especially in and around Rutherford.
Jeffrey Stambor is now the winemaker for BV wines located in Rutherford, in the Napa Valley .
In 1938 Latour traveled to France to find a winemaker who could bring the expertise of European style winemaking to the Napa Valley . He found Andre Tchelistchef, an aristocratic Russian, who would revolutionize winemaking in the valley with techniques that are still used today.
Jeffrey Stambor, the 3rd and current winemaker for BV, recalled his time with Tchelistchef , who had created the Georges Latour Private Reserve Caberrnet Sauvignon, one of the most revered Cabernets in Napa Valley . I sat with Stambor at a private Reserve Retropective Tasting of 6 vintages of these wines starting with the most collected of the Lartours, the 2002.
“The greatest benefit of aging wines is the development of complexity,” he said. “The style of the wine by the winemaker is passed on with time and vintage improvement.” See BVWines.com.
Shari and Garen Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard, founders
of the Music Festival for Brain Health.
of the Music Festival for Brain Health.
Of the 700 or so wineries in Napa Valley, 95% are family owned. None reach out more to the greater world than the Staglin Family. On day 5 of my journey to the valley of the greatest grapes, I found myself in the middle of a miracle: the 21st Music Festival for Brain Health. Experiencing its 21st year, it’s an event that has raised 221 million dollars for the research and treatment of brain illness. Most wineries raise a glass of their wine and see a lovely liquid that they could grow with.
The Staglins saw it as a means to grow a national movement to improve life for people with brain disorders, making a difference in making the road to recovery a possibility. The Staglin Family, Shari and Garen, with son Brandon and daughter Shannon, presented to guests: a Brain Symposium, a Wine Reception of only the very best of Napa Valley in their Caves, a Concert Performance by Melissa Etheridge and a VIP Dinner. This year they would raise 4.1 million dollars from this event. See staglinfmily.com.
Another remarkable winery to place on your must see list next time you visit Napa Valley is HALL Wines, a high end producer of premium wines. It has a sister winery, WALT Wines in Sonoma with some of the best Pinot Noir I have ever tasted, that come from the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and the Central Coast of California. My recommendation would be the 2013 WALT “Gap’s Crown” from the Sonoma Coast ( $75.); fruit forward, bountiful berry flavor with along finish. HALL Wines in Napa Valley is an art lover’s delight with modern art and architecture. The wine to enjoy and fall in love with is the 2012 Kathryn HALL Cabernet sauvignon, named after the owner. ($150.) It is rewarded with a stunning 97 points… perfect balance and elegance. hallwines.com.
Castello di Amarosa is a city within a winery. Built as an Italian renaissance castle, it has 8 stories of stone, including a great hall and grand barrel room, most of it underground. On the night I visited, it had a Grape Stomp Competition with dozens of six member teams squashing those poor little grapes, to be the first ones to fill a bottle with juice. It was hilarious. See castellodiamarosa.com.
Some readers have asked that a list of favorite Napa Valley wines be presented at a future column. We will do that soon . You can learn lots more about the 2015 harvest by visiting napavalleyvintners.com.
Wine Bytes
Tuscany Restaurant La Costa has the Peter Marin Jazz Quartet Sat. Nov. 7th at 7:30pm. Tickets $25. advance, $30. day of show. Call 760-929-8111.
Firenze Trattoria in Encinitas welcomes Grgich Hills Estate
Wines for a wine dinner Tues. Nov. 10th at 6pm. Master winemaker Kevin Vecchirelli joins with a presentation. $95. pp. RSVP at 760-944-9000.
Chandler’s along the coast in Carlsbad, presents its Executive Chef and a Truffles 5 course dinner experience Nov. 5th, 6th and 7th. Italian chef Fabrizio Facchini presides. Call 760-683-5500 for an RSVP.
Encinitas Wine Merchants, in the Kohl’s Center in Encinitas, has a 20% off on all wines in the bar, on a six bottles mix or match program. Get the details at 760-407-4265.
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