This was truly an exceptional, spectacular, memorable week of wine with loving friends and in celebration of our friend's wedding. There are simply not enough accolades to express how wonderful this experience was. I don't know how we can ever repeat it but I am sure someday we will all try.
I came away with a few observations. Number one we tasted and drank a large number of 2015 and 2016 high-end California Cabernet and Blends so most of us are now experts in my mind on these two years. Both years had outstanding wines with well-developed and crafted fruit that will age well and last for most likely 40 to 50 years minimum. So buy them now and start drinking them over the course of the coming years. Though many were young and tannic they all were approachable now and drinkable and very well made. To me, it indicates that other Cabernets from 2015 and 2016 are most likely high-quality wines but maybe at a lower price point. I recently was able to also drink some of the Del Dotto wines from 2019 and can say the 2019 are also spectacular. One Cabernet I can think of at a lower price point is Mount Veeder Cabernet which retails around $40. In the past, it has been an exceptional wine for the money and I can't wait to try the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Number two each and every owner and winemaker was over the top passionate about making his or her wines. (One example Russell Bevan!) I see it in France every year and in France, it passes from one generation to the next. But clearly, the better individual California Vintners have as much if not more care and passion regarding their wines as anyone in the world. And in the end, it shows in the wines they produce.
Number three I say again you do not have to spend thousands of dollars to drink wines of the high caliber that we had that week. But I must admit I finally understand what my friends have been telling me. There was a difference in the wines we tasted. They were in fact a step above other California Cabs. But it took me years and thousands of bottles to finally appreciate this difference and I feel I have an above-average palate. But the average wine drinker probably will not appreciate the nuances these wines offer especially at their costs. If you can afford them go for them and appreciate them and the loving work and the sleepless nights the winemakers put into these wonderful wines. But everyone else trusts me to buy the lower cost Cabernets, for you they will be great. For the past few decades California Vintners inspired by initially Robert Mondavi has strived to exceed the taste and quality of California wines when compared to France. They have succeeded and with every blind tasting comparing California and French, even the French have rated California(and Oregon for that matter) better than their own.
A couple more points. When I first started going to Napa to taste wines we would get a car and start at the south end of Highway 29 and drive North stopping at every tasting room. Back then they were small, many did not charge, and at the end of the day, we would call our adventure “combat tastings” attempting to stop and taste 30 different vineyards. The palate fatigue was huge. The general fatigue was huge. We would then go to dinner for multicourse meals with wine, go to bed, and get up the next day and do the same thing in Sonoma.
Yes, it was Nuts! I am way too old to even think about trying that. You have to slow down and smell the wine. The amount of ground we covered in a 3 day weekend should have taken 7 days. One or two experiences a day, then a nap. Today most folks I know do one tasting in the morning, have a leisure lunch, and then maybe, one tasting in the afternoon, though many like me go take a nap. So my recommendation there is whatever time you think you can be in Napa make an honest effort to double the planned time so you can enjoy the experience and have time to rest.
My second point is in regards to fine dining, in Napa as well as elsewhere, and more specifically the French Laundry. There is no doubt in my mind as well as thousands of others that dinner at the French Laundry should be on your bucket list. Yes, reservations are hard to get, but they are not impossible. In my early years knowing Chef Keller I made a comment to him regarding difficulty with reservations and his answer to me was “what is your problem, you have come twice already?” Dinner at the French Laundry is an exceptionally unique dining experience. The food preparation and presentation and combinations are second to none. Courses are intended to be smaller so you may enjoy more. This means of course time between courses so one problem I have is the long length of time required for dinner, though you can limit the number of courses and spend less time. But my first 2 or 3 visits a very long time ago lasted up to 6 hours long and I was worn out. Because dinner at the French Laundry is as unique and much as it is it is probably a good idea to have a light lunch the same day as opposed to a 5-course lunch down the street. Again, pace yourself. Do less every day, not more. Finally, are the costs involved with these top-shelf experiences worth the high price? Obviously, that is an individual decision everyone has to make for themselves. To me doing it once works most of the time. Sort of been there done that approach. A few places I have returned to, but the second time with open eyes and better information and a better ability to manage the experience and be reasonable. In the end, yes, the French Laundry is absolutely worth the time, effort, and cost at least once in your life. You will never forget the evening you were there, and at times you will try and replicate the dishes at home, though sadly you will fail, as you don’t possess the magical skills Chef Keller has to produce the magical and at times spiritual experience.
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