Saturday Leftovers & Sunday Morning Observations

0737, 8/6 Downtown Joe’s American Grille & Brewery, Napa, CA – No, I haven’t started drinking this early. While strolling by late yesterday afternoon, I noticed that Downtown Joe’s had an enticing Sunday morning breakfast offering and decided this was the place to be.

Oh, yeah…free wireless Internet access, too. Big point in their favor.

Napa is a pretty quiet place at 0730 on a Sunday. The downtown is virtually silent. I expected a tad more activity at this hour. But, the last 10 minutes or so has shown some life. Joggers, of course. I’ve noticed this awaiting DJ’s doors to open.

As for yesterday afternoon and evening…

I departed St. Helena and headed south to Robert Mondavi. There was a good crowd there, but not overrun. I strolled the grounds and tasting rooms and took some pics. The tasting rooms were pretty packed, so I opted against. And as I may have mentioned, seeing yet another tour is somewhat overkill (though I do have reservations this morning for Raymond Vineyards, but that’s special). Mondavi, like Sterling, has a Spanish mission design to it, but the Mondavi property is a huge, sprawling vineyard. It’s also a stone’s throw from Rubicon, and there’s a story there. When Francis Ford Copppla first purchased the Neibaum estate, he wasn’t all that interested in making wine. I’m sure there was a minor desire there, but it wasn’t a driving force. The story goes that Mondavi visited and, while showing Coppola the inner workings of the property, came upon the then-deserted family wine cellar. There, they found a bottle of Inglenook from the 1800’s. Though Coppola at first had some hesitation about opening it, Mondavi insisted. Now, wine with a pedigree that good has one heck lifespan. But, when it’s opened, it deteriorates quickly. So, Coppola and Mondavi opened it and tasted it.

To make a long story short, Coppola left the cellar that fateful day dedicated to reopening the winery and restoring Neibaum/Inglenook’s reputation as a first class winery.

That’s just one of the numerous ways Robert Mondavi has had a positive effect on the establishment and growth of Napa Valley as the epicenter of American winemaking. So, as pointed out by my frend Marc in LA, visiting Napa Valley without visiting Mondavi is just plain wrong.

Across the street from Mondavi is yet another piece of evidence of Mondavi’s influence. Opus One Winery is a collaboration between Mondavi and Baron Phillipe Rothschild, a pillar of French Bordeaux winemaking. The building’s highly unique, modern architectural design (which brilliantly conceals the inner workings of the winery itself ) created quite a stir in Napa several years ago, but the wine the property produces astounding Cabernets that fetch top dollar (and, usually, top scores). It sits on sacred ground for cabernet grapes and the views from Opus One were impressive. Pictures were taken.

Ah, but did I do a tasting? Well, I may end up kicking myself years down the road, but no…I did not. First of all, I’m still trying to budget myself. Bang for buck, I didn’t think it was worth the fee. Second, if I’m going to try an Opus One, I want to taste a vintage that is outstanding…something that stands out. I’m not sure the current vintage is something that’d be considered classic. Third…well, Opus One is – in my opinion – so overblown and overpriced that I couldn’t bring myself to be “a part of the problem” by paying money to them to taste their wine. Call me silly, call me an idealist…call me whatever you want (and if I know Marc, he’s calling me a lot worse). But, I simply couldn’t do it. I strolled the grounds, took pictures (the building really is that impressive), and left it at that. This was also the first winery that required visitors to sign in and note the time they arrived, which struck me as somewhat odd. Homeland Security measures in Napa?

After that, I drove to Napa to again give it a chance to impress me. It may a little better impression the second time, but Napa still strikes me as a city that pioneered the California wine industry/tourism explosion, but hasn’t kept up. St. Helena and Calistoga not only picked up the wave and are riding it, they’ve maintained the character of their town and Napa, well…, sold out. Granted, Napa is a larger city, but the downtown area’s character seems to have been hijacked by soulless business entities who built downtown malls with tourist shops and glitz. That may attract some, but not me.

Now, to its credit, Napa seems to be trying to develop itself back into an attractive place to be. There’s construction on the riverfront and some old buildings that may have at one time been leveled for newer construction are being renovated and turned into shops, restaurants, and wine bars. Napa may yet set itself straight.

I slept well, but was awakened by a group of teenagers making a commotion outside, then inside the room next door…at 2:45AM. Not appreciated. Thankfully, it didn’t go on forever and I was able to return to sleep without involving myself.

I realized last night that after tonight, I’ll be camping for the next week. Access to electricity and WiFi may not be as readily available as it has been lately. My lovely and truly wise wife pointed out during our phone call last night that this may not be a bad thing, considering my desire to “get away from it all.” Good point. I’ll keep telling myself that as I go through withdraw.

I just ordered the Downtown Joe’s Chorizo Scramble and the coffee and fresh orange juice just arrived. More later.

Stick out