Fagiani's.

As is our tradition, Vinomaker and I like to surprise each other with a visit to a new restaurant on each other's birthday.  My surprise eatery this birthday was The Thomas at Fagiani's in downtown Napa.  I had been wanting to visit The Thomas for a while now as I had heard good things about it.
Fagiani's was originally a bar and liquor store that closed down in 1974 after a ghastly murder on the premises.  The building remained shuttereded until it was sold to the current proprietors some 37 years later.  The restaurant's name, the bar is still called Fagiani's, comes from the original establishment, (the building was built in 1909, historic for Napa), which was a restaurant and a boarding house.  Interestingly, The Thomas was operated as a speakeasy during prohibition.  And that's about where my interest in The Thomas ends. 
Mediocre service, mediocre food, (except a special mention should go to the baked brussel sprouts which were instead carbonised), and a mediocre 'wine by the glass' wine list, overall The Thomas was a disappointing experience. Hate when that happens.  
Vinomaker did manage to find a couple of wines that were quaffable; a Navarro Vineyards, 2012 Riesling (Anderson Valley AVA) and a Giornata, 2012 'Il Campo' - a Sangiovese blend (Central Coast AVA).  On a positive note, because there are so many great restaurants to choose from in the Napa Valley, I never have to eat at The Thomas again.

An urban winery.

Today is Vinomaker's birthday.  Whoo hoo!
I actually managed to get Vinomaker to take some time off work to go and do a quick wine tasting with me, something we haven't done for a couple years.  And we didn't even have to go very far, just a quick drive into downtown Napa.
St. Clair Brown Winery is located in a light-industrial area of the city of Napa.  Surrounded by sheet metal fabrication shops and auto repair businesses, St. Clair Brown is truly an urban winery.  Currently, the winery produces about 200 cases each of nine different wines of which Vinomaker and I tasted four (their 4 Wine Sampler).  The winery has a permit to serve food and I originally had intended to have lunch there, but with a fairly tight schedule we decided to just do a tasting.  The wines were all very pleasant; a 2011 Coombsville Chardonnay (a tad too oaky), a 2008 Coombsville Syrah, a 2010 Oak Knoll/Atlas Peak Merlot and a 2010 Oak Knoll/Atlas Peak/St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon.  Our host, the son of one of the owners, was delightful, the wines exhibited a distinct winemaking style, the urban environment was fun and a chat with owner Laina Brown was interesting - an enjoyable experience.  The winery does not, however, offer complimentary tastings to the other wine industry folks.  Now, I'm not cheap, and I was only too happy to pay the $20.00 tasting fee, but I do believe it is a little short-sighted of St. Clair Brown. What better marketing/advertising is there than to make other winery personnel ambassadors of your brand?  It is my belief that a 2 fluid ounce pour can go an awfully long way in promoting a winery.  On to dinner.
Vinomaker had not been to R&D Kitchen in Yountville, so that is where I decided to take him for his birthday dinner.  R&D does have a rather limited menu, but I sort of like that about this restaurant.  More important to Vinomaker, perhaps, was R&D's 'wine by the glass' wine list. I just had one glass of Schramsberg Brut Rosé because I was driving, but Vinomaker had a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine.  The white was a 2013 Cowhorn Spiral 36 (Applegate Valley AVA, Oregon), a blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, (the Marsanne really popped in this wine). The red was a 2012 Page Wine Cellars/Revolver Wine Company 'The Fury' Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley AVA), really nice, lots of dark berries, dried flowers and dried herbs on the nose.  And that's it: yet another anniversary of Vinomaker's birth done and dusted.  Oh, and Gung hei fat choi!
Happy birthday Vinomaker!

Nativity in the vineyard.

Not much to say really.  This photograph says it all; nativity scene, a Napa vineyard, Christmas Eve.
Thank you to a neighbour for their effort in ensuring that Christmas-walkies are very special for me and Vinodog 2.
Happy Christmas Eve to all!

A fortnight later.

It has been two weeks today since Napa's 6.0 earthquake rattled many of downtown's historic buildings.  And, let's face it, this being California, there were precious few historic buildings to begin with.  This past Thursday was the first time I had ventured into downtown Napa proper, as I had some errands to run, and I was surprised to see that the overall state of the town is definitely as bad as the news media make it look.
Vintner's Collective, on the corner of Main and Clinton, is one such building that sustained considerable damage in the quake.  The collective, which showcases wines from boutique wineries that are perhaps too small to have their own tasting rooms, is housed in a building that hails from around 1875.  Or at least it was.  The building is a total mess, but apparently they are going to be able to rebuild it as the internal structure is intact.  It's an attractive building and I'm really glad it is going to be saved.  Hopefully, engineers will be able to save the Second Street Post Office and The Goodman Library also.

Balloon over Napa.

I've been back in Vinoland a week already.  The time has flown by.  My first morning back I was interrupted, whilst unpacking, by a hot air balloon that floated over the southern end of Vinoland...you're not on Merseyside anymore Vinogirl.  Sigh!
All my spare time has been spent in the vineyard catching up on a fortnight's worth of shoot-stuffing and trunk-suckering.  Fruit set looks good so far, especially in the Pinot grigio.  The Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps only 70% through flowering, but everything looks like it's going according to plan.  2013 is looking like it maybe another excellent vintage. 

BottleRock.

Napa is hosting it's first ever music festival this weekend.  BottleRock billed as "the biggest thing to hit Napa since the grape" is being held at the Napa Expo (fairgrounds).  In addition to good, old rock'n'roll there will also be a smattering of comedy acts performing and lots of wine thrown in - it is Napa after all.  It is estimated that 35,000 people will attend the festival on peak days, so there has been a fair amount of grumbling from local residents and merchants who fear that navigating the east side of the city will nigh be impossible.  I am a little concerned myself about being able to get my grocery shopping and errands done over the next few days, as I have to cross that area to get into town.
At $599 for a four day pass the cost of admission was seen as a bit steep for many locals, especially younger folks who one would think would be the demographic that the organisers would have targeted.  (To their credit, the organisers getting wind of this perceived blunder hot-footed it over to the college at the beginning of the week and donated 200 free tickets to the students.)  Further, from what I hear, not a lot of people recognise many of the bands that will be appearing.  I had a quick gander over the list of featured artists and had heard of only a few;  Jane's Addiction, The Black Crowes, Joan Jett, and Blues Traveler.  Oh, and Dwight Yoakam..."who?" said Vinomaker.
I do like their logo though.

Wine Train crossing.

On the way home from work tonight, I had to stop on Jefferson Street in order to let the Wine Train cross traffic.  It was hot and I was tired, but I didn't really mind because I'm quite fond of trains and I like seeing this particular train in action.  Besides, it was fun to see the happy, most probably inebriated, tourists hanging off the end car waving to anybody and everybody in the hopes that someone might possibly wave back.  So, I waved.

2009 Agricultural Crop Report.

For anybody who may be interested, the 2009 Napa County Crop Report was recently released and can be read online. The report outlines the varieties and acreage of winegrapes grown in the entire county of Napa, the tonnage harvested, and the dollars that exchanged hands - a whopping $495,000,000 plus. Napa winegrapes are big business, but are still only responsible for about 9% of California's total grape production.
It makes for a great read especially if, like me, you are a grape geek.

Mumm's the word.

Two French, two domestic: This is the selection of bubbly for tonight's festivities. Only one candidate for merriment is a vintage sparkler, (it just so happens to be the locally produced 2000 DVX by Mumm Napa Valley), the others are non-vintage. 75% of the offerings are technically from the same producer, G.H. Mumm. 100% of the wines, thankfully, have the Chardonnay grape as the smallest component.
The Mumm Cordon Rouge wins this particular tasting hands down; redolent with stewed Bramley apple skins, yeast, and toasted white bread. It is simply delicious. The Perrier-Jouët was a close second.
Champagne? Methode Champenoise? It doesn't matter. The final word is, just enjoy this style of wine often and in abundance.
Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas: 2009.

Yuletide greetings from the Napa Valley to everyone who visits Vinsanity.
Vinomaker, the Vinodogs and I wish all deserving folks a very healthy and happy New Year.

Jack's back.

Brrr! It was 20.5 F when I got up a little while ago. Everywhere is white with frost, it looks very pretty. The Vinodogs are curled up in bed, but I unfortunately have to go to work. It does mean, however, that I get to see how beautiful the Valley looks cloaked in a veil of frost. Poor me!

Snow alert.

My commute to work 15 miles up through the Napa Valley is always pleasant, but today it was especially delightful. A sprinkling of snow on both ranges of hills, but more noticeably on the eastern Vaca Mountains, had succeeded in making my familiar drive all the more enjoyable. The snow may only have lingered for a few hours but during it's sojourn, high above the sleeping vines below, it delivered a quick blast of Christmassy cheer.

All aboard.

There is no doubting that the entire Napa Valley is a major tourist destination. There are lots of things for visitors here to see and do, mostly related to wine of course. Living and working here I don't often bother to do some of the things the tourists may have come half way around the world to experience.
Two nights ago Vinomaker, myself, and two wonderful friends visiting from Wisconsin, took a trip on the Napa Valley Wine Train. The beautifully restored Pullman cars, dating from 1915 - 1917, comfortably accommodated us as we were served a wonderful meal (all the time marvelling at the sea-legs of the wait staff). Between mouthfuls, we gazed out at the astoundingly verdant vineyards in all their late spring glory, for all the world looking like a vast green ocean until, at last, the sun setting over the Mayacamas mountains altered Mother Nature's paint palate. A very enjoyable evening was had by all, it is certainly one I will remember for a long time.
It reminded me of a meal I had as a child in the revolving restaurant of St. John's Beacon, of an ever changing vista, and of a splendid sunset over Liverpool Bay.
You just can't buy memories like these.

And Mother Nature continues to smile.

Vinomaker and I just finished a simple, but fabulous grilled salmon dinner out on the deck. The temperature is splendid...who would believe this is October 25th? It feels more like a July evening. Good fish, (cooked perfectly by VM), great Pinot grigio and a Sauvignon blanc, good company, including the Vinodogs...who could ask for more. Napa life at it's best.

If life gives you lemons...

...gather them up, throw them away, get yourself some grapes and make wine. Who ever heard of anyone getting vinsane on lemonade anyway? Wine is wonderful, it makes you happy...simple as that. With harvest 2008 upon us, Napa is the happiest place on earth. Move over Walt and make way for Vinogirl and Vinomaker. Fermentation in this magic kingdom is the most fun. Unleash the yeast...and let the festivities begin!!!