It wasn’t so long ago that many Wine Country tasting rooms began rolling out cheese plate pairings, and guests were thrilled. Then some wineries upped the amenities to charcuterie. Next, “small bites” became the norm at higher-end spots, offering little nibbles of varying fanciness to complement wine flights.
These days, if a winery wants to impress us with food pairings, they have to be on their game.
The snacks don’t have to be fussy, just interesting. At Silver Trident Winery in Yountville, for example, there’s a longtime favorite Potato Chip Extravaganza. That’s a guided, high-end “picnic” of five chips and wines where you’ll find that Symphony No. 9 Sauvignon Blanc goes well with Route 11 Sour Cream ‘n’ Chives chips, and Benevolent Dictator Pinot Noir matches with Zapp’s Cajun Dill ($65).
Or, for about five years now, the Priest Ranch tasting room in Yountville has found fans for its Bacon Experience ($85), tempting with four sumptuous, thick cuts of differently flavored pork belly with four red wines.
“It’s our most popular experience, selling out weekly,” said Tasting Room Manager Cory DeLoach. “It started out with the small, crispy breakfast bacon. But (Executive Chef) Dan (Solomon) has completely elevated that. Now we bring in an entire pork belly slab, sous vide cook it, then do a different glaze for each and finish them to order in the oven.”
I recently visited a slew of interesting Napa Valley wineries, to discover what’s new and most mouthwatering. Here’s what I’m loving right now.
Priest Ranch Winery & Tasting Room
The original Priest Ranch was established in 1869 by James Joshua Priest, a Gold Rush prospector. Today, the 1,682-acre estate is farmed with 242 acres of vineyards spanning the eastern hills of the Vaca Mountains above St. Helena.
I like to bring friends to take a tour and tasting starting at the Somerston Estate (somerstonestate.com). It’s an extraordinary experience for the spectacular wilderness beauty, and historical lore you’ll learn.
Then we head to the Yountville tasting room for the new, ultra-luxurious Caviar Experience ($125).
This is pinkies-in-the-air stuff, as we sip a single vineyard, oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc sparkling, presented with classic Siberian reserve caviar dolloped atop tangy lemon-chive crème fraîche on a pillowy, warm blini. Next up is a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir rosé, partnered with a delicate wheat crisp layered in a curl of Cambridge House Royal smoked salmon, mascarpone, golden Kaluga caviar, a bit of preserved lemon and dill leaf.
Then chef Solomon shows his playful side, offering a housemade, nacho cheese chicharron curl capped in Siberian reserve caviar and diced chives. Surprise — I really like the chip’s salty, faux-cheesy crunch, especially matched with strawberry-crisp Brut rosé.
The finale: traditional blanc de blancs with brioche crisp spread in truffle honey fromage blanc, golden Kaluga caviar, a strip of sun dried tomato and chives.
6490 Washington St., Yountville, 707-944-8200, priestranchwines.com
Arch & Tower
The legendary 1966 Robert Mondavi Winery on Highway 29 in Oakville is undergoing an extensive renovation that will take several years. So the team did a natural thing — they opened a lavish new tasting room in the historic 1877 Borreo Building overlooking downtown Napa and the Napa River.
The 10,000-square-foot multi-floor structure looks like a castle from the outside, built of stone quarried from the Soda Canyon area. Inside, it’s rich with dark wood, golden-hued accents and modern, roll-up walls for open-air views.
I like to indulge in The Legend Lunch ($165), a three-course, wine-paired meal from Executive Chef Jeff Mosher. Menus change seasonally and it’s a full feast — I started with local asparagus atop baby lettuce laced with salt-cured egg yolks, sauce gribiche and Meyer lemon vinaigrette. To sip: the winery’s signature floral Fumé Blanc.
Then the chef sent out a thick slab of roast Berkshire pork loin topped in mildly spicy salsa verde and framed with French green lentils, carrots, peas, favas, spring onion and radish in a splash of red wine jus. To sip: A robust red blend of all five Bordeaux varietals.
A summery strawberry shortcake was a not-too-sweet finish, gussied with slightly tart, macerated local berries and tarragon-spiced Chantilly cream. To sip: Sauvito, a Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine kissed with notes of apricot, honey and spice.
930 Third St., Napa, 888-766-6328 ext. 2, robertmondaviwinery.com
Theorem Vineyards
Perched high on the northern slope of Diamond Mountain, the family-owned estate has just introduced a Garden and Glass Pairing Experience, bringing a five-course dive into winery chef Josh Mitchell’s seasonal favorites ($95, in addition to Theorem’s standard $200 tasting fee). Much of the produce comes from the onsite gardens, with a centerpiece of Theorem Beef, a product that vintner-owners Kisha and Jason Itkin have been cultivating at their sister property, Theorem Ranch, in Big Timber, Montana.
Plan for a hearty meal. A few highlights I enjoyed included a spicy fried chicken slider with pickled slaw and fermented spicy aioli on a housemade Hawaiian brioche bun (alongside Theorem’s Moon Mountain Sauvignon Blanc); and lacquered beef short rib with crispy shallots, carrots and Hawk’s Prey Cabernet demi-glace (alongside Theorem’s Hawk’s Prey Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon).
255 Petrified Forest Road, Calistoga, 707-942-4254, theoremvineyards.com
Calistoga Depot Distillery
Just debuted from Jean-Charles Boisset and his Boisset Collection, this over-the-top destination wows as a collection of historic rail depot and train cars transformed into fantastic shops, wine and spirit salons, tasting rooms, restaurants and beer garden.
Pick your sipping place from nearly a dozen salons and bars. That might be the Distillery Bar brimming with signature malted barley whiskeys, rye whiskeys, gin, brandies, vodka and rum, crafted in Boisset wines, port or sherry casks ($75 to $300 a bottle). Or it might be the JCB Parlor Car, beckoning with Boisset French Champagne ($13-$150).
Then choose your food. At the Distillery Bar you can dig into comfort dishes, including a grass-fed beef burger topped with cheddar and brown butter mayo ($21) with optional bacon ($4) and flavor-bomb bone marrow ($8). At the Parlor Car, the eats are elevated, for the luxuries I adore like raw or grilled oysters and clams ($27-$110), a caviar flight ($210, and an exquisite pizza, the crispy crust mantled in lemon crème fraîche, smoked salmon and caviar ($51).
1458 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, 707-963-6925, calistogadepot.com
St. Clair Brown
Winemaker/brewmaster Elaine St. Clair and President Laina Brown just celebrated their 10th anniversary, but every month, there’s something new at their winery, nanobrewery, and culinary garden in Napa’s Rail Arts District (just 4 miles from their estate vineyards in Coombsville).
Wine tastings ($60-$125), beer flights ($30) and by-the-glass pourings are held in a darling greenhouse nestled in the organic garden and fruit orchard. You can also order from a delightful garden-to-table food menu that rivals a restaurant. I really appreciate that guests can now get zero-proof garden cocktail tastings, too ($30).
Your server will suggest wine and beer pairings for nibbles like roasted almonds tossed with rosemary, lemon zest and lemon infused organic olive oil ($6). Or more filling fare like rustic pork rillette served with sel gris flatbread crackers, and crab apples pickled in a symphony of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger and Rustic Bakery olive oil ($24).
816 Vallejo St., Napa, 707-255-5591, stclairbrown.com
