day five

We started the day with breakfast from Celeste. Celeste reminds us of Renee Saper, causing us to think that Renee should run a B&B (she pretty much already does, right?) Our first course was apples and bananas covered in yogurt and granola, topped with some whipped cream and what we later discovered was cabernet chocolate sauce (Emily complained that there was something “off” about the chocolate and that it wasn’t pure, while Ryan quite enjoyed it). Next up was a French toast bake. We decided to push back our reservations for lunch to 1:45 so we would have room.
At Celeste’s suggestion, we headed north to Vincent Arroyo Winery. Arroyo does no distribution; everyone buys it right at the winery. They showed us a newly planted vineyard. They don’t use any irrigation; just rainfall. They also have a fantastic balsamic vinegar. We were able to test a wine right out of the barrel that won’t be released until this fall.

We also got to taste a wine (which was our favorite) made of grapes from only one particular vineyard, which was planted back in the 60s. They were able to ship to Ohio! We couldn’t linger, though, because we had one more stop at Sterling Vineyards before lunch.
We went to Sterling primarily for their tour—they take you on a gondola above the vineyards so you can get to see the whole thing.

Ryan was a bit nervous about the whole experience, but he did really well and even enjoyed the trip! At Chandon, one of the engineers spoke to someone else in our group about the difference of storing barrels sideways or upright, and at Arroyo they explained that in order to be sure there isn’t any air in the barrels, they fill them until the sides of the barrel get stained from spilling wine. At Sterling, the solution seemed to be giant barrels stored upright. We were able to admire the mountains from the top of their building,


and then it was on to the tasting room to go as quickly as possible. The Malvasia Bianca was our favorite Sterling wine—a white! They explained that the sugar is removed, so most might be 6%, where this wine is only 3%. This meant we got all of the flavors of citrus and ginger without the sickening sweetness. We confirmed they are all available online, as we didn’t have time to buy now, and then we zipped off to lunch.
Lunch was at Auberge du Soleil, which was one of those places where you can’t imagine ever having enough money to actually fit in. We sat on the terrace, which overlooks the mountains and some vineyards, making Emily feel a bit like watching the serfs working in the fields. As it was brunch, it was a set menu with some options. We started with a mimosa and a bellini, in which, after our trip to Chandon, we were able to appreciate how tiny the bubbles were. We were then served bread and mini muffins with a butter and a lemon-something that Emily hadn’t realized was lemon until put on her multigrain bread (it was much better with the scone-like muffins). As a first course, Ryan chose the onion tartelette with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, and watercress, served with a side of sweet onion-mustard.
Emily got the Ahi tuna tartare with wakame, cucumber, and ginger dressing to be placed atop brioche.

Next was halibut topped with onion served with turnips, lima beans, brussel sprouts, carrots and artichoke hearts, in a fava bean sauce for Ryan, and meyer lemon risotto with artichokes, parmesan, tarragon, and yuzu emulsion for Emily (yes, Emily got risotto AGAIN!) This risotto was more refreshing than the last, which kept it from feeling too heavy. For dessert, Ryan selected the chocolate dumplings in filo dough with a side of tarragon ice cream,

while Emily chose the strawberries with frommage mousse, basil ice cream, and little muffin-y almost oatmeal-cookie things whose name escapes us.

Each of us was happy with our own choice. The presentation was gorgeous, and Emily marveled at the ability to create some of these combinations.
We drove back to the B&B for a quick nap, then headed to Napa’s town center. Like Sonoma, much of Napa closes down early. We looked at a few different places, but haven’t committed to buying anything as of yet. We returned to have wine with the other guests and try to figure out what to do about dinner. We checked out the Oxbow Public Market, which is more similar to Dayton’s. Here, we found a winery that lets you create your own wine! You have to set up an appointment and commit to at least 2 cases, so we weren’t able to do it, but you try them all and then blend them into something you are happy with, choose a bottle shape, design a label and its text, and decide if you want foil or wax wrap.
We ended up at the Rutherford Grill, a place Ryan wanted to try. Emily was just craving some sort of simple beef. There was an hour wait so we sat at the outdoor bar and ordered a drink. Emily had a Bocce Ball (orange-pineapple, disaronno, and rum) and Ryan had a McCallan 12 year. After talking with the bartender for a few we found out he was getting married in September. Before we left for our table, he gave Ryan a small taste of GlenMorangie 18 year.
We started with their skillet cornbread. Lesson learned: only order cornbread in its native areas. California puts weird things in it, like artichokes, which is a very confusing taste given the sweetness of cornbread. Ryan ordered the Pork ribs, and Emily chose the filet. The ribs were cooked well but did not compare to Mongomery Inn BBQ. The filet was a very nice piece of meat, but they seemingly did nothing to enhance its flavor, just put it on the grill. A good Midwestern steak house is not to be had out here. They did serve mashed potatoes (with kale and cabbage mixed in), and while Ryan thought they were good, they did not deserve the praise given to them by the locals. The locals say that they are the best potatoes in the valley, but as Emily pointed out, this was day 5 and it was the first time we had seen potatoes on any menu. Not much of a competition for the valley’s best potatoes.

Wines for 30 May 2009:
Vincent Arroyo Nameless, 2006, $30 – tannins were too strong
Vincent Arroyo Entrada, 2006, $65 – Ryan really enjoyed this blend, Emily still felt it had a bit of a bitter taste
Vincent Arroyo Bodega, 2006, $40
Vincent Arroyo Sangiovese, 2007 (out of the barrel; release 1 Spetember 2009), $22
Vincent Arroyo Petit Syrah, 2006, $32 – the 2006 was more fruity than the 2002
Vincent Arroyo Petit Syrah, 2002 – the 2002 was sweeter than the 2006
Vincent Arroyo Petit Syrah: Rattlesnake Acres: 2004, $62; 2005, $58; 2007, $50 – we tasted the 2004, but bought the 2007, and plan to age it at least for a couple years; perhaps this will become anniversary wine or something
Sterling Vineyards Cellar Club Pinot Gris, 2007, $26 – nice and refreshing, but little flavor
Sterling Vineyards Cellar Club Sangiovese, 2006, $30 – decent, Ryan wouldn’t turn away a glass, but not nearly as good as the Arroyo
Sterling Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, $40 – this cab was pretty good, for a cab
Sterling Vineyards Cellar Club Malvasia Bianca, $30 ($28 on website) – sweet flavors without coming off sugary
Terry Hoage ‘The Hedge’, Syrah, Paso Robles, 2005, $12 by the glass – very fruity flavors, the bbq sauce needed more spice to pair well with this wine