Exploring California Wine Country, Without Much GPS Navigation

It was already late in the evening as we tried to find our way out of the San Francisco airport. Perhaps if our GPS had shouted, “Go over the Golden Gate Bridge!” rather than “recalculating,” our navigation might have been easier. No matter, we were headed to the California wine country and not even a balky GPS was going to stop us.

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, our first stop was the Hendry Ranch Winery in the southwestern Napa Valley. On Hendry’s 117 acres of vineyards, they grow a surprisingly diverse selection of grape varieties. In addition to the popular Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, you can also find some Primitivo, Albariño and Pinot Gris.

George Hendry and our tour guide Jeff Miller are also partners in a cyclotron business. One wit once suggested that to make a small fortune in the wine business… you start with a large fortune. Although Jeff referenced this as we walked the vineyards, their scientific background also is obvious in their detailed analysis of every aspect of the grape growing and winemaking process. As we tasted through the uniformly well-made wines, it was clear that Jeff and George had learned a lot since the Hendry family first purchased their Napa property in 1939.

After checking in at the delightfully retro El Bonita Motel on Napa’s Highway 29, it was off to taste some sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros. It is owned by Taittinger, the French Champagne house.

Although the Carneros appellation covers both Napa and Sonoma Counties, the tasting room is located in Napa. The beautiful grounds are dominated by a chateau and terrace that are modeled after the Taittinger chateau in Champagne. The surrounding hills and vineyards of Napa complete the scene. The sparkling wines are made by Eileen Crane, one of California’s most experienced and groundbreaking winemakers. They are dry, elegant and complex.

Summers in Napa are hot and dry. After a day of tasting wine and cruising in our Chrysler Sebring convertible, dinner at the Silverado Brewing Co. was just what the doctor ordered.

The Hess Winery was our next destination. In addition to making great Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, Donald Hess, the winery’s owner, is also a modern art collector. The top two floors of the winery are a gallery of some of Mr Hess’ collection and the art is stunning.

The property also abuts the historic Christian Brothers Winery, which was one on Napa’s first producers of premium wines. Our final Napa destination was the Lagier Meredith property at the top of Mount Veeder.

In this case “the top” should be taken literally. The winery’s four acres are found at the end of a one and a half-mile winding driveway. The view from the vineyards is incredible, as is the winery’s Syrah. Steve Lagier jokingly advised me to keep it under 50 miles per hour as we drove back down the mountain. Dinner at Thomas Keller’s new “casual” Yountville restaurant Ad Hoc completed our day.

Mornings cooled by fog that rolls in off the Pacific Ocean help make northern California a great grape growing area. After an hour of cool morning cruising, we were able to put the top down as we approached our next destination, the Anderson Valley. North of Napa, this region has more grapevines, apple trees and redwoods than it does people.

We stayed at Goldeneye, a project started by Duckhorn Winery that is dedicated to Pinot Noir. The wines are all medium-bodied, rich, and elegant with complex black and red fruit flavors. The Anderson Valley is clearly a region that is well suited to the cultivation of high quality Pinot Noir.

Ignoring our GPS, we were able to turn the two-hour drive back to San Francisco into a four-hour adventure of windy mountain and ocean roads. We finally spotted a cloud after three days of clear blue skies. We may have missed a few of Napa’s more highly visible tourist spots, but it was a truly unforgettable vacation and wine education.

(Newtown resident and oenophile Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)