Napa
When I lived in Berkeley, I used to go to Napa quite often but since I moved to the other side of the bay, the extra distance has made my visits much less frequent. This visit was my first in a long time and it surprised how much more commercial the whole wine tasting experience has become. Almost all the tasting rooms in Napa now charge to taste. The wineries sell more than just wine with both art and tourist trinkets on display. Instead of the tasting rooms being almost an afterthought to the wineries, there are now custom built structures that look like palaces or castles which are more focused on providing a unique visitor "experience" than showcasing the vineyards wine.
A castle winery was intriguing so Castello di Amorosa seemed worth a stop. Though on arriving, I initially thought I had been been snared by a tourist trap. At $15 whether one is tasting or not, the entrance fee is high even by Napa standards. There was a huge crowd in the tasting cellar and it was hard to get a spot at the counter. The wines turned out be surprisingly good so I had to conclude this was a serious winery. I particularly enjoyed the 2008 Gioia Rosato di Sangiovese and the 2008 La Fantasia. Turns out that this castle was built as a $30 million enthusiast project rather than as tourist trap.
The cask room at Merryvale has long been one of my favorite rooms in the whole state. It evokes the image of an old and grand European wine making estate. I also used to be quite enamored with Merryvale's wine. This time I did their reserve tasting of their Profile wines and while they were quite good, the high price tag of over $100 a bottle does put me off. Like I've found with much of Napa wine, it's good but equivalent quality can be found for far less from other wine growing regions.
The visitor's center at Darioush looks like a Persian place. This faux palace is to my mind taking things too far. Napa is an agricultural region and these out of place, overdone buildings are a distraction from the wine.
These column heads reminded me of the one from Darius' Palace that I'd seen in the Louvre.
This is the tasting area which looks more like an over hip urban wine bar than tasting room.
After Darioush, the the Hess Collection is a breath of fresh air. Hess is about 5 miles up a hill from the town Napa and has a remote country feel that many of the wineries on the main road lack. The Cabernet Sauvignon barrel room shown here is an impressive sight.