For wine lovers, particularly big bold red wine lovers, there is no name that stands out quite like Napa. It is a relatively small area that produces some of the biggest flavors in American wine. And we have wanted to come back since our visit in 2021.
We woke up this morning near Lassen Volcanic feeling better than we had in days. The cool, clean air and low temps meant a wonderful night’s sleep. We actually felt like ourselves again, so we treated ourselves to morning showers. That isn’t something kinky, it’s literally showering in the morning, something we rarely get to do in these travels. And it was great!
We headed back down Route 36 toward the town of Red Bluff, the same route we took into this area three days before. At that point, however, we were still feeling pretty lousy, especially Karen, so we paid little heed to to surroundings. Today, however, we were able to fully appreciate the severe beauty.
Much of the area descending from Lassen is barren of dense vegetation. Volcanic rock is strewn for almost 40 miles, creating a landscape that is arresting. Low grasses grow, as well as sparse trees, but not much else. The volcanic soil has kept growth to a minimum. It is certainly shocking after coming out of the tree cover above.
In Red Bluff we took Route 5 south, the same Route 5 we have been on and off of since Seattle. The drive was uneventful which is always a good thing. It gave us time to talk about the rest of this trip and our next adventures. As Karen said, we have a really good outline for the next 12-24 months. The planner in both of us likes that.
We arrived at our RV park in Napa around 1:30 and started by eating lunch. We set up camp and got ready to walk into town. Of course, we needed to “drug” Daisy before heading out. The calming treats Karen found seem to do the trick and keep her from barking her head off the whole time we’re out. Well, at least no one has told us she was annoying, so we’ll take that.
Our first stop was the tasting room for Benevolent Neglect Wines, a very small independent producer. We had sampled their wines last year in Cleveland, at an event hosted jointly by them and three other small Napa wineries. We bought two bottles then but really wanted to sample more from their cellar.
The wines we tasted were incredible (except for the Chardonnay, which only Karen liked). We had such an enjoyable time that we decided to join their wine club. I know, I had said we weren’t going to join another in Napa, but it was just too good. At the recommendation of Ben, our wine tasting guide and one of the founders, we went directly across the street for a tasting at another small winery, Gambling & McDuck.
G&M is quite different in that all of their wines feature either Chenin Blanc or Cab Franc. Neither is a hugely popular choice in Napa, but what we tasted was wonderful. We had a lovely time and, while we didn’t join their wine club, we did buy 6 bottles to take with us.
We got back to Livvy and sat outside as the sun set, enjoying Martini’s after a lovely, relaxing day. Tomorrow morning we will be back at our favorite place in Napa, one that we’ve been members of for years. And we’ll be forced to drink amazing wine at 10:00 a.m. But that’ll be 1:00 p.m. back home, so that’s after lunch and is just fine.
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