Napa: May 16, 2012 (300 Level)

May 16, 2012 Itinerary
(Napa)

Number of wineries: 9!
Average rating: 4.23
Wine Route Rating: Advanced (300)
Highlight of the day: Hartwell (4.69) was very good, but Vineyard 29 (4.88) was outstanding and an instant favorite.

Notes: To say this was a full day of tasting was an understatement! Nine is certainly too many in a day, and my palate was murky for the last two stops (at least). That being said, there were some stellar stops along the way before we got to the end. Given the high number of stops and the need for appointments at about half the stops, this one gets a 300-level rating.

	Location	Start Time	Stop Time	Reservation?	Notes
	Soda Canyon Store (4.38)	9:40	9:55	Not Needed	It's a recurring theme: starting the day by picking up lunch for a picnic later
	Quixote (4.19)	10:00	10:45		The wine is decent here, but pricey and truth be told most people stop for the bizarre architectural design from Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
	Regusci (4.13)	10:50	11:25	Not Needed	A quick fill-in when I finished early at Quixote, Regusci was good but failed slightly to meet expectations
	Hartwell (4.69)	11:30	12:30		Expectations definitely exceeded here, both in terms of quality of the wine, the facility, and the structure of the tasting.
	Vineyard 29 (4.88)	1:00	2:15		Fantastic experience -- great wines and a completely professionally run tasting.
	Twomey (3.75)	2:25	2:45	Not Needed	Better wine and better tasting experiences exist
	Madrigal (4.38)	3:00	3:45		A friendly stop with plenty of wine to try
	Rutherford Grove (3.94)	4:00	4:30	Not Needed	A responsible taster would have stopped after Madrigal, but this wasn't a responsible day. So-so stop along Hwy 29
	Whitehall Lane (4.06)	4:35	5:00	Not Needed	Raucous atmosphere at the end of the day here
	Hall St. Helena (4.06)	5:10	5:30	Not Needed	Friendlier than they had to be for an end-of-the-day tasting
	Press (4.63)	6:00	7:00		Cole's Chop House in downtown Napa seems to get more press, but if you're in the mood for steak, my meal here was far superior

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Napa: April 18, 2012 (300 Level)

April 18, 2012 Itinerary

Number of wineries: 6
Average rating: 4.29
Wine Route Rating: Advanced (300)
Highlight of the day: Allora (4.88). A great experience with Terry Klein and great wines start to finish.

Notes: Enough off-the-beaten-path stops to make this a day more suited to the experienced wine country visitor. Allora is definitely a hidden gem and recommended for anyone with a healthy appreciation of wine.

	Location	Start Time	Stop Time	Reservation?	Notes
	Corison (4.25)	10:00	10:45		A last-minute addition to the start of our day, we were able to taste a lot of different vintages of Corison Cabernet in a friendly setting.
	Allora (4.88)	11:00	11:45		A definite star of the April 2012 visit to wine country, our tasting with owner Terry Klein was a blast and the wines were outstanding across the board.
	Ehlers Estate (4.19)	11:45	12:05	Not Needed	My first trip to Ehlers in about eight years. Wines were much better than I remembered, but also much more expensive. All proceeds to a good cause, though (Heart Research)
	Taylor's/Gotts (4.38)	12:15	12:40	Not Needed	We couldn't visit wine country without getting Stephanie her "ATB" (Ahi Tuna Burger) from Gott's
	James Cole (3.88)	1:00	1:30		Decent wine, friendly tasting, but overpriced
	Reynolds Family (4.13)	1:40	2:00	Not Needed	Small friendly tasting room with decent wines at a very reasonable price.
	Falcor (4.38)	2:30	3:15	Not Needed	Hidden in an industrial park well south of downtown Napa, Falcor had surprisingly good wines and was worth the visit

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Napa: July 6, 2011 (300 Level)

July 6, 2011 Itinerary
(Napa East)

Number of wineries: 5
Average rating: 4.49
Wine Route Rating: Advanced (300)
Highlight of the day: We had been to the original Del Dotto, but this was our first trip to the ridiculous new Del Dotto Estate (4.88)

Notes: A day heavy with appointments and some fairly high-end stops makes this a 300-Level route. After a slightly disappointing stop at Failla, the rest of the day was quite enjoyable, capped by an amazing visit to the Del Dotto Estate tasting room and caves.

	Location	Start Time	Stop Time	Reservation?	Notes
	Oakville Grocery (4.06)	10:15	10:40	Not Needed	The old standby for sandwiches in Napa. We got to compare sandwiches from here to Dry Creek General Store on back-to-back days…DCGS won handily.
	Failla (3.94)	11:00	11:45		Cute tasting on couches in a small hillside home. Diminished by a bad smoky aftertaste on one of the Pinots and an overemphasis on tasting fees
	Dutch Henry (4.25)	12:00	12:30	Not Needed	A quick ad hoc stop when Failla ended a bit early to see if DH was still a solid tasting experience. Good enough to get Meredith to join their wine club!
	Bremer (4.94)	12:45	2:00		Tasting with Richard on the day we officially decided to adopt him as our wine country "grandpa". In classic Richard fashion, he sent us on our way with 7/8 of a bottle of Howell Mountain Claret
	CADE (4.44)	2:15	3:00		We arrived late to our 2:00 appointment (Richard can be chatty) but Jenny was all about rushing us through so it was okay. Beautiful setting I want to go back and enjoy over a longer period of time.
	Del Doto New Estate (4.88)	3:30	5:30		Our first trip to the ridicuously opulent Del Dotto Estate in St. Helena for a fantastic tasting with Branden Miguelgorry.

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Napa: April 16, 2012 (300 Level)

April 16, 2012 Itinerary
(Napa, with Flint and Deena Tearney)

Number of wineries: 7
Average rating: 4.33
Wine Route Rating: Advanced (300)
Highlight of the day: Sullivan (4.88)

Notes: Flint and Deena Tearney joined us for this full Monday of tasting. After a good start to the day at Chappellet, things dipped a bit at Nichelini and ZD, only to rebound with back-to-back great tastings at Hope & Grace and Sullivan. We polished the day off with stops at two of the few "after 5pm" tasting rooms on Hwy 29. Rated "300" (Advanced) due to the multiple reservations and obscurity of some of the places on the list.

	Location	Start Time	Stop Time	Reservation?	Notes
	Chappellet (4.63)	10:00	11:15		Seated tasting in their unique geodesic domed facility
	Nichelini (4.19)	11:30	12:15		Lighthearted tasting experience at a winery dating to the 1800s
	ZD (3.81)	12:30	1:00	Not Needed	Seated tasting on their patio overlooking the lake. Fantastic wine as well
	Lunch at Redd Wood (4.13)	1:15	2:10		Richard Reddington's foray into cured meats and wood-fired pizza
	Hope & Grace (4.69)	2:15	3:15	Not Needed	One of our favorites. Great Pinot and Cab from winemaker Charles Hendricks
	Sullivan (4.88)	3:30	4:30		"Rutherford Dust" Cab plus a fantastic Bordeaux blend, the Couer de Vigne, in a relaxed outdoor courtyard
	Alpha Omega (4.06)	4:30	5:15	Not Needed	Decent whites and big reds, but a bit pricey
	Peju (4.06)	5:15	6:00	Not Needed	Open late! Lots of wine to taste, but now way overpriced compared to others in the area
	Dinner at Ad Hoc (4.19)	6:45			A single dinner choice per day. On this occasion, we got their famous fried chicken!

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