Past Issues: Travel with the Wine Skinny
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Napa Valley, aug/sep 1999
We all know that there is
great wine and food in Napa Valley, right?
Well, far be it from the Wine Skinny to
tell you what you already know or can find
in hundreds of travel articles. When we
recently traveled back to Napa, we put a
new spin on things and went with two goals
in mind: finding the friendliest tasting
room and the best french bistro food.
Here's what we found:
Mayacamas
Vineyards is the place that we love
so much that we don't even want other people
to know about it. We'd hate to see it spoiled.
It is, quite simply, the best winery experience
that you'll have. Assuming you make it up
the mountain (come to think of it, maybe
we don't have to worry about crowds spoiling
our fun), you will have the pleasure of
a personalized tour of the winery and grounds
as well as a taste of their fabulous wines.
This is the Walk in the Clouds location.
It's beautiful. You'll love it. You'll hate
to leave. We want to live there. Be sure
to call ahead, tours are by appointment
only.
Merryvale
Vineyards is consistently a favorite.
The tasting room staff is friendly and informative
and, so importantly, behave as if they hope
you just stay all day. They are more wine
enthusiasts than salespeople - a very refreshing
and pleasant change of pace from some of
the wineries.
Peju
Province is a long-time Wine Skinny
favorite. Before we get to the tasting room,
a word about the winery grounds: stunning.
A fabulous collection of sculptures dot
the impeccably landscaped grounds around
the winery, as well as the second floor
of the winery itself. As for the tasting
room, you really should go. Peju is a low
quantity, but very high quality, winery.
You won't find the teaming hordes here.
Rather, you'll find other discerning winelovers.
It is elegant and tranquil, and the tasting
room staff manages to maintain this atmosphere
while still being completely friendly and
informative.
St.
Supery is a fun place to visit. The
tasting room staff is enthusiastic and friendly.
The atmosphere is bright and cheery. And
the wines are always fun to taste. Along
with the wines, there are lots of goodies
for sale, from gourmet oils to wine accessories.
A reliably good experience.
Whitehall
Lane was a new experience for us. The
swank tasting room/art gallery is a must-see,
and the staff was great. We more-or-less
stumbled in at the end of a long day, somewhat
numb from another winery's entirely unpleasant
tasting room experience (don't ask.), and
we were greeted with friendly faces and
great wine that restored us. Plus, they
gave us some great tips about local shopping
that we really appreciated. We'll definitely
be back.
Perhaps the best all-around meal that we
had in Napa Valley was at Pinot Blanc. Simply
put, everything was amazingly good.
We started with a couple of
salads: the obligatory Caesar was a work
of art. The perfectly crisp Romaine leaves
were somehow arranged in an intricate basketweave
pattern. The dressing was balanced - not
too garlicky, not too creamy. For a different
twist, it was served with white anchovies
- very good! And it was accompanied by a
fabulous parmesan crouton/flatbread sort
of thing. The second salad we sampled was
also a huge hit. Perfect combo of endive
with blue cheese and caramelized walnuts.
One of those "perfect bite" salads.
Dressed with very light vinaigrette.
For entrees, don't miss the
mussels. Really. Hands down, the best mussels
anywhere on the planet. Impeccably plump
and perfect, there wasn't even a hint of
a grain of sand to be found. A plentiful
mound of them - served in a beautiful copper
pot, with a Pernod broth. The accompanying
crusty french bread was completely ignored.
The Basque Style Chicken was
a little miracle in itself. Generously sized,
boned (we find that fascinating) and impossibly
tender. Very rustic - no fancyshmancy French
sauces here. But wonderfully simple, served
with emerald green garlicky spinach and
herbed, creamed potatoes. A definite winner.
Finally, an off-the-menu pan roasted halibut
was fabulous. A crispy crusty outside protected
a creamy perfect white inside. Halibut should
always be this good.
The wine list was impressive,
if a trifle expensive. The Wine Skinny is
used to the "regular" restaurant
mark-up. However, there is something a little
... extra offensive about it in the heart
of California wine country. After all, you
can buy most of the same bottles for less
at the wineries, only a few blocks away.
Anyway, this particular night the wine list
was a bit picked-over. Our first few choices
were not available. However, we ended up
with a wine that also made it on our wine
picks for this issue - the Merryvale
1997 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley.
After such a meal, dessert
seemed a bit daunting. But we did manage
to share an order of the house-made trio
of ice creams. That evening, the trio consisted
of a rather too-sweet peach, a very good
vanilla bean, and a strangely compelling,
"this stuff is really growing on me,"
mint chocolate chip.
Pinot Blanc, 641 Main St.
(at Grayson), St. Helena, CA 94574,
(707) 963-6191.
This was actually our second visit to Bistro
Jeanty. And the second time was every bit
as good as the first - if not better. Located
in Yountville, it is a cozy, two-room little
place that, frankly, can feel a little noisy
and cramped. But the food makes you forget
about all of that.
As our starters, we shared
a moan-inducing crock of duck and goat cheese
rillettes (sort of a country-style pâté)
that was served with french bread and cornichons.
We also ordered the Chef Philippe Jeanty's
signature tomato soup with a puff pastry
top. It is a stunning presentation, and
we highly recommend it.
We followed that fabulous
beginning with the sole meuničre that is
light and buttery and served with mashed
potatoes (we love that!) and an order of
the steamed mussels served in a tomato saffron
broth with great crusty french bread. Clean-as-a-whistle
plates all around. Bistro Jeanty is one
of those restaurants in which you cannot
stop yourself from gazing at the plates
being served to tables around you. That
evening, there was a beef stew served on
pasta that many people were quite obviously
enjoying, as well as veal kidneys served
in creamy mushroom and green peppercorn
sauce that looked pretty darn tempting.
We will obviously have to keep returning
to sample more of the menu.
The wine list at Bistro Jeanty
is lots of fun and reasonably priced. It's
one of those places that makes you want
to branch out from your usual order and
try something new. Do it!
Dessert was incredible. We
ordered the chocolate creme brulee that
was quite possibly the best dessert ever
in the world, and a creamy apricot tart
that ran a very close second. Well, maybe
it tied for first. Whatever - it was a great
combination, and we couldn't have been happier.
Bistro Jeanty, 6510 Washington
St., Yountville, CA 94599, (707)
944-0103.
Another great example of country bistro
French fare, Bouchon is another must-try
just down the road from Bistro Jeanty. Begin
with the terrine of duck foie gras. It's
the best we've had since actually having
it in France. We're always tempted to have
some sort of wonderful pâté,
some bread, and some fabulous wine and just
leave it at that. What else do you really
need.
However, in the name of journalism,
we pressed forward. Then, in the name of
smelt (don't ask - we think it's funny),
we tried the marinated baby mackerel and
discovered a new - at least for us - taste
sensation. Well worth the adventure.
For entrees, we sampled a
superlative leg of lamb. Slightly crisp
on the outside, but pink and perfect on
the inside, it was everything you want lamb
to be. Served with the classic French pairing
of white beans, it was divine. There was
also a wonderfully fresh-tasting roasted
chicken. We think roasted chicken is one
of those great measuring sticks of any restaurant.
If the kitchen pays attention to such "simpler"
preparations, we think we're generally in
good hands for the rest of the menu. And
Bouchon passes with flying colors.
Dessert was a creme caramel
to die for, accompanied by rich French roast
coffee. A perfect meal.
6534 Washington St. (at
Madison), Yountville, CA 94599,
(707) 944-8037.
All three of the restaurants
reviewed are in the $5-$10 appetizer, $10-$18
entree price range. Reservations are tricky,
but can usually be had (except for Bouchon,
which does not accept reservations) if you
call well in advance. Otherwise, be prepared
to wait.
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