From
the Backpack ~ Strange and Unexpected
Normally
when I post something from the archives, it involves bringing
back an essay or article or such that had appeared on the In My
Backpack web site and was removed during one of the updates or
computer issues over the years.
Easy.
This
entry is a bit different though… in addition to appearing on the
site, it was part of the Travel
Trilogy project… or, more specifically, Strange
and Unexpected: Backpack on the Road – Volume Two: California.
And
that means a couple of versions exist… somewhat specific, almost
definitive versions if you will… the work that was on the site,
and the chapter that was edited and potentially revised from that
piece and used for the book.
This
material was originally posted on April 8, 2008. It was later
published in April 2013. Some minor proofreading edits and adjustments
may have been made while bringing the material back to the site
in this posting.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
Day
seven, Friday, October 26, 2007
A
very interesting day is set in front of us. We have an appointment
at Castello di Amorosa… a castle-themed location in Calistoga.
It just so happens that the property is directly across the street
from a spot Ellen and Richard want to head to, Sterling Vineyards.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Mike has been working on the details
for a visit to Dutch Henry Winery… a place he contacted over the
summer that seems to be barely a block or two away from the other
stops.
We’ll
be heading north… up into Napa… and we’ve got two definites already
lined up and a third looking pretty good. So how do we start the
day?
Of
course… with a horrible breakfast.
IHOP
folks… doesn’t get any weaker than that.
We
drive about five minutes from the hotel to the International House
Of Pancakes. We had spotted the location earlier in the week,
had kept it in mind, and finally decided to head over and give
it a shot.
As
we sit down, we ask the waitress for separate checks. We never
did receive an explanation of why it wouldn’t be possible, or
even something that just sounded like a remotely valid reason
of why. Say, maybe something like because we were sitting at a
big table… because our three couples were all over the place and
not really lined up for easy deciphering of what order would go
with which check… that the waitress just didn’t want to prepare
three checks… anything -- but we are told she can’t do separate
checks.
Now,
to be fair, I’ve gone out and been told they couldn’t do separate
checks before. No problem. That’s fine. And I’ve been told no
separate checks before without an explanation. That’s fine. But
this morning, there’s something in the way the waitress is answering
that’s just off. And while I don’t want to pretend to speak for
her, in retrospect this was clue number one.
As
we go around the table ordering, Richard asks what the difference
is between the senior pancakes and the regular pancakes. He’s
told two dollars.
Just
like that… straight and simple… in fact, she didn’t just not miss
a beat, she kind of cut Richard off…
Richard:
“Can you tell me the difference between the senior pancakes
and the regular pan”
Waitress:
“Two dollars”
Richard:
“cakes?”
And
with clue number two offered, we find Richard ordering the senior
pancakes and Mike asking for the senior French toast.
We
were joking around, sharing some orange juice from a pitcher we
ordered and splitting dishes, but it really gets funny when the
check arrives. Six people… two ordering from the “senior” menu
of similar servings with lower prices… everyone ordering specials…
and we’re eating breakfast. Seriously… basic order. Pancakes or
some eggs, juice and coffee. We even combined our juice order
because a pitcher was less expensive than six glasses.
How
much would you guess?
(I’ll
give you a second.)
(In
fact… I’ll give you two seconds. This is pretty good.)
Seventy-one
dollars and change later (not including the tip), we leave. (Mike
decides that on Saturday if he sees the girls at the grill of
the hotel, he’s going to kiss them. $71+ -- that’s more than $12
per person, for pancakes and eggs, and… it bears repeating… two
people ordering the less expensive plates -- for breakfast.
Holy crap.)
We’re
on route 29 cruising toward Calistoga when we pass a holy site…
the CIA at Greystone. (That’s the Culinary Institute of America
folks… and Mike is wiping tears away from his eyes. I’m pretty
sure if I had offered to pull over, Mike would have walked inside
and approached a grill, fallen to his knees, lit a burner, and
recited his personal “mise en place” list ten times to cleanse
his soul.)
Castello
di Amorosa – Our tour is scheduled for 10:45am and we’re
a bit early. Sure enough, Sterling is within our sight, on the
top of a hill across the road. We start meandering around a bit
and… do I need to tell you?
Mike
is gone.
He
arrives back just in time to snap a quick picture and head into
the church where our tour is set to begin. Bryce is our guide…
and we’re off.
The
property is very impressive. Based on an Italian style, the design
was updated several times during the initial development process
as the scope, intent and purpose grew larger and larger. Most
of the building was brought to the United States in pieces, with
many artists arriving from Europe to work on the design, construction
and decorating.
Wine
production here involves hand picking their fruit, packing in
smaller boxes to move it, a manual punch-down during fermentation,
and using gravity to assist in the flow to the aging cellar. (At
least that’s what my notes say Bryce said.) French barrels are
used to store the wine in their caves.
We
are led through a torture chamber… a rack, a chair, a cage and
an iron maiden… and then into the Grand Barrel Room. Here we get
to taste a cabernet that is two weeks old. (Nope… I didn’t like
it.)
At
one end of this huge room is a bar, and it is here that we will
conduct our full tasting. Overall, we aren’t thrilled with the
wines. As you’ll see in the chart… some we liked… and some we
didn’t. The big thing though was that, during a group discussion,
we all found the wines overall tasted a bit immature and weaker
than many of the others we had tasted in other places. The flavors
and development were missing. So manual punch-down and gravity
flow or not… keep doing what you do Elyse because your wines were
amazing. (Day three, first stop)
Quick
side note…
One
of the things we have discovered on our journey through wine country
is this… whatever you do, don’t ever feel obligated to buy some
wine. Sure, they may offer you fancy discounts… like refunds on
tasting or tour fees… and other stuff like that. The fact of the
matter is… if you aren’t falling over on the ground crazy in love
with the wine… it probably isn’t worth it. Oh good lord did we
learn this one from those folks at Flora Springs. They have a
beautiful property, certainly seemed nice enough in general during
our visit, and we enjoyed seeing their operations. In the end,
I wasn’t impressed with the taste of the wines, regardless of
how impressed I was with the property.
Suffice
to say, as the visit there moved along, we learned they wanted
a “major” purchase in return for considering a tasting fee rebate.
We had already spent a couple of hundred when we asked… but that
wasn’t quite “major” in their eyes. Now before you think I’m going
crazy about simply not getting a discount, you need to remember,
they also never shipped our wine. We called to find out where
it was and found out it had been marked “do not ship” by our hostess
of the day… who then went on her vacation. When they did send
it, it arrived a day after they promised, forcing me to drive
to pick it up because of the combination of work, delivery attempt
limits, and a required adult signature.
If
you want to take a tour… do it. If you like the wine and want
to buy some… do it. You will be amazed at how many great memories
a single bottle can bring back when opened a few months later.
So if there is some combination that makes your purchases for
the day slightly less expensive… great. But… if you don’t listen
to me, and buy on impulse, eventually you’ll figure out on your
own that you really aren’t putting any money into your wallet
with these great deals.
You
don’t finish the tour you paid for and, unexpectedly and for no
reason at all, get handed a bottle of your favorite from the tasting
on the house. You don’t get a twenty placed on the table in front
of you when you decide to get something shipped. And, most importantly…
the wine is so good at almost every stop, that if you’re on a
wine trip -- like we were… multiple properties over multiple days
-- if you don’t pay attention you are going to buy two bottles
here, perhaps five there, and then three more, and eventually
lose count. (Just wait until they begin to arrive.)
The
point is this… you don’t have to buy a bottle of wine. You can
enjoy a tasting. You can sample some wines and take a tour. But
don’t get swayed about having a $10 tasting fee waived for buying
a bottle for $20 or more… don’t add three more bottles to get
a discount on a case. Just enjoy it. These are great people and
wonderful experiences… but they are also businesses, in an industry
that has grown rapidly over about three decades or so. Buy it
if you want it, not because it seems to save you money.
At
this location, part of the tour gave each person a specific number
of tastes to make from a large selection of wines. It didn’t take
us long to figure out that if we split our sips, we could taste
more. (In other words… I might pick a Pinot and Terry would pick
a Chardonnay. That counted as one of my selections and one of
hers. But, by tasting only half of the pour and exchanging glasses,
we each got to taste two wines.)
And
since we’re mentioning a bit of advice… never be afraid to ask
questions. There are ways to alter tasting lists and make it even
more worthwhile for you. Maybe you prefer red wines… so don’t
spend as much time on whites if they offer you choices. Maybe,
as you could here, you can exchange glasses with your friends
and have a chance to add samples to your list. By asking questions,
you’re going to learn that most of these people are dying to talk
about their wines. And… especially for the novices, first time
visitors, and just plain curious folks out there… asking questions
gets answers.
We
had a good time here. We were all happy we saw it. We didn’t order
wine though, because as I noted, we all felt we had tasted better
wine in other places, had recognized our tendency to go a bit
overboard in purchases once we had returned to the hotel and looked
back on the ordering from limo day, and knew we had more tastings
and tours coming up. We did find something very interesting in
the gift shop though… for lack of a better expression, an antiqued
case that held 6 bottles. Each couple ended up buying one.
After
wrapping up a few things, we get ready to head over to Sterling
Vineyards. Remember how I’ve been making fun of our strange scheduling
from day to day? You know… as one example, no set concept of meals?
Well… we’re stuck in the wilderness of indecision again. We absolutely
want to go to Sterling… and we will go to Sterling… and
heck, it’s right across the street. But Mike is waiting
to hear back from Dutch Henry Winery about a possible picnic.
Their property is fairly close as well. Now closing in on 1pm…
we are facing the decision of Sterling and catching the gondola
run (and pushing lunch back into the mid-afternoon), or just heading
over to Dutch Henry.
Mike
makes a phone call and leaves a voice mail.
Sterling
it is…
Sterling
Vineyards – Castello di Amorosa and Flora Springs proved
to be quite an example when compared to some of other the properties
we visited. Basically… there are vineyards and wineries that know
they are gorgeous, and there is generally more to them than the
wine. (In some other cases, there is more to them and a lot less
to the wine.) In fact, you will get the feeling that these places
probably run quite a profitable business just from getting people
to tour the property. And now we arrive at Sterling…
It
may not have been the prettiest property we visited… and it may
not have been the best property we visited… and it may not have
even been the most wonderful wine we tasted…
Sterling
Vineyards is striking, and doesn’t disappoint as far as setting
and looks on any level.
Turning
the van onto a beautifully landscaped property, we drive a decent
length trail into a parking lot. An incredible fragrance of roses
settles over us as we walk to the ticket counter to purchase our
passes for the gondola ride and the tour/tasting. There’s a line
waiting to board the gondolas and it’s going to be a while.
Tigg
mumbles something about lunch. Thinking quickly and acting upon
hunger, I head back to the car. I grab a bag of chips and bring
it to the group. We made a friend in that line… a young boy behind
us that enjoyed some chips as well.
The
tour almost certainly would have been pretty good if we hadn’t
experienced so many interesting ones already. At Havens Wine Cellars,
we were brought all around the area by our host, Connie… seeing
and tasting some incredible things. Flora Springs… for all the
headaches and jokes… provided us with a terrific guided tour of
a cave storage area. Castello di Amorosa… well… a unique property
and another guided tour.
Here?
Sterling
Vineyards issues you a glass at the beginning of the tour… and
your first pour. (We got… according to my notes, more on it later…
a 2006 Pinot Gris.) Then we were wondering why we were holding
these glasses as we started following signs and television prompts
and such. It’s a self-paced tour with no guide.
So
we started walking around and reading signs and turning corners
and saying things about the big tanks or the wooden barrels… often
comparisons to what we had heard at other properties from our
guides.
It
was, honestly, a pretty boring tour. But some of that boring concept
is simply because we saw more or did more in another place, and
often had a better ability to interact and ask questions.
But
it was very pretty…
We
found our way out onto a terrace where the view around the property
was brilliant. I had stopped tasting by this point… driving don’t
you know… but the rest of our gang had pour number two… a 2006
Viognier. Soon Mike and Louise were leaning against a railing…
resting against each other… blissfully gazing across a field of
vines below us. The castle was set off in the distance against
a hill.
Back
on the follow-me-this-way path, eventually we arrived in a tasting
club room where we were given the remaining choices of tastings
for our visit. A great woman (Charlie) came over
and began assisting us. The group ranged in votes from liked to
loved to “awesome” from Mike (for a 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon).
We
left the property and took some pictures. Dutch Henry had called
back… and we had plans to swing over to see them. First, a quick
stop for some bread… and we became very worried we had made a
horrible mistake. We stopped at a local market and, without thinking
it over, sent Mike in… alone… with no one watching him… to get
the bread. He stunned us by returning in about five minutes.
Dutch
Henry Winery – It’s cradled inside a few main roads,
which do a fantastic job of setting the property up to be easily
accessible and convenient, and yet wonderfully hidden. Gary, Wil
and Aniko took great care of us. We set up our picnic and made
two wonderful friends. While Buggsy came over to investigate,
it was Sadie that set up shop with us… checking out our meal and
supervising the unloading of goodies. Unfortunately for her, we
were asked not to share our picnic with her. (Too bad. Feeding
friendly puppies is a specialty of our group.)
We
spent a fair amount of time talking with Wil during our meal.
The property has about 400 barrels right now, and they’re working
on getting a cellar built into a nearby hill. He explained quite
a few differences between their approach and, as an example, what
we had heard that very morning at Castello di Amorosa.
Dutch
Henry was the eighth property we had visited this week. And while
each one was a bit different, the best part of this visit was
just relaxing, enjoying the food, and spending time talking to
Wil and Anika (she poured the tasting for us). I would love to
tell you we toured the property or their building… but we didn’t
really. It was just a casual hour or so in a very low key setting.
We
began our drive back in and I asked about stopping at the Golden
Gate Bridge. If not for sunset (which I wanted to make, but wasn’t
sure if we would), I was hoping to get some pictures of the city
and bridge at night. (Even had my tripod ready to go.) It was
after dark when we reached the edge of the bridge, so we pulled
into the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point area and set up shop.
The
pictures were looking pretty good… but by this point a discussion
about eating was taking place. As I changed between my camera
and Terry’s on the tripod, and moved back and forth between the
bridge (surprisingly not really lit up as far as the structure
itself… the pictures show the glow of the lights along the road),
the group was discussing where to go for dinner.
(Disclaimer
time -- To date, no one will claim responsibility for the end
result. And no one ever will.)
As
we left the parking area, the headlights caught a few reflections
and I stopped the car. Raccoons. Mike opened his window and almost
recreated the Yosemite bear incident. (No… he never learned. And
we never were able to control his access to a window.) I got in
trouble with Terry for not changing the settings on her camera
back (almost costing her pictures of the raccoons when the manual
settings weren’t snapping the shutter quickly enough).
This
day ends with a story about dinner though… and that means…
Fat
Wong’s Kitchen
It’s
located on El Camino Real… down the road from our hotel. We had
seen it earlier in the week and laughed at it. But now, after
finding a few places too packed to wait, we pulled in and decided
to give it a shot.
The
problem?
Well…
realistically the problem may have been nothing more than simply
this -- we were having trouble with the menu. All of us were having
difficulty identifying what some dishes really were.
Several
dilemmas extended from that. For instance, everything Louise and
I wanted to order they didn’t seem to have. Mike and Ellen, looking
to be a bit more adventurous, were disappointed by their meals.
Terry wasn’t thrilled with hers either. And Richard… well… he
ordered a fried rice that he says he enjoyed.
Hey…
it wasn’t expensive. The staff was actually very friendly. And…
we won’t be going back. In the back of my mind though, the experience
reminded of something I heard years ago. (Ok… decades
ago…)
I
love Chinese food. And, as most of you are probably aware… the
Chinese food you get in a Chinese restaurant here in the United
States isn’t really authentic Chinese food. Still… I love it.
The basic concept for this particular story is that you almost
always get Americanized food when you walk into Chinese restaurants
in the United States. (Same deal for Italian food… and Mexican…
and so on.)
Well…
we’re pretty certain Fat Wong’s served authentic Chinese food.
The end result is that I have this feeling that part of the problem
with the place was us. Not completely… but partly. We weren’t
100% certain what we were ordering. And we weren’t 100% certain
what we got. Does that qualify us to say the food wasn’t good?
Of course not.
Back
to the hotel. One more day to go. Tomorrow… we leave. But our
flight is at 11pm… and we still have a very full day ahead of
us.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
Just
a reminder… the “thoughts” section on the charts below reflect
one of three things: (1) my specific thoughts about the wine we
tasted, (2) something special you should know (for instance, maybe
we’ve found that the web site for the place says that bottle is
sold out), and/or (3) a group note I can identify to a specific
person that isn’t really a like or dislike notation. When in doubt,
go with thinking the notes and thoughts are mine.
Castello
di Amorosa
|
|
Wine |
Thoughts |
Did
we like it? |
|
|
|
2005
Pinot Grigio
Napa Valley
|
Not
bitter… long with good depth |
Bob,
Terry and Mike – No
Ellen and Richard – Ok
|
|
|
|
2005
Chardonnay
Napa Valley
|
It
was long and smooth |
Bob
and Terry – No
Mike – Ok |
|
|
|
2005
Gewurztraminer
“Dolcino”
Sonoma Valley
|
Bob
and Louise felt this was one of the best wines we tasted
at the property |
Bob,
Terry and Louise – Yes
Ellen and Richard – No |
|
|
|
2003
Merlot
Napa Valley |
Dry
and short |
Bob
– No
Terry – Yes
Ellen, Richard and Mike – Ok |
|
|
|
2003
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley |
Dry…
didn’t like |
Bob
and Louise – No
Terry, Ellen, Richard and Mike – Yes
|
|
|
|
2005
Il Raggio Di Sole
Moscato Canelli |
Wonderful
fruity aroma, dessert wine |
Bob,
Terry and Louise – Yes
Mike – Ok |
|
|
|
2006
Gewurztraminer
Late Harvest
Anderson Valley
|
Very
sweet and my pick for the best wine we tasted here, Terry
referred to it as “juicy” |
Bob
– Loved it
Terry and Mike – Liked it
Louise – No (too sweet) |
|
|
|
2004
Sangiovese
Napa Valley |
Too
dry |
Bob
– No
Terry, Ellen and Richard – Ok |
|
|
|
2005
Pinot Bianco
Napa Valley
|
|
Bob
– No
Terry – Ok
Ellen and Richard – Good |
Sterling
Vineyards
|
|
Wine |
Thoughts |
Did
we like it? |
|
|
|
2006
Pinot Gris
|
|
Bob
– No
Terry and Mike – Ok
Ellen and Richard – Liked it
|
|
|
|
2006
Cellar Club Viognier
|
|
Terry,
Ellen, Richard, Mike and Louise – Yes |
|
|
|
2005
Cellar Club Pinot Noir
Oak Knoll |
|
Terry
– Ok
Mike – Liked
Ellen and Richard – Good |
|
|
|
2004
Cabernet Sauvignon
Rutherford
|
|
Terry,
Ellen, Richard, Mike and Louise – Liked |
|
|
|
2006
Cellar Club Malvasia Bianca |
Nice
aroma |
Bob
– No
Terry, Ellen, Richard, Mike and Louise – Loved it
|
|
|
|
2001
Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserve |
|
Terry
and Louise – Yes
Ellen and Richard – Delicious
Mike – “Awesome” |
Dutch
Henry Winery |
I
hate to do this to Dutch Henry, but I made absolutely no
notes of the tasting here. I do have a copy of the tasting
menu for the wines, but I didn’t try any of them. What I
can tell you is that Ellen, Richard, Mike and Louise bought
a few bottles, and all five of them (Terry, Ellen, Richard,
Mike and Louise) did enjoy the wines they were trying. |
|
2003
Los Carneros Chardonnay |
|
2006
Napa Valley Pinot Noir |
|
2003
Napa Valley Argos |
|
2002
Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon |
|
2005
Rutherford Zinfandel |