My alarm clock went off at 7:30 a.m. this morning. I did not want to get out of bed. Even the promise of good wine was barely enough. But we’re in wine country, so wine we must drink. Karen was already awake. We’re both feeling much better, but the lingering cough (Karen) and headache (both of us) is still rather annoying.
I was excited for our first tasting today, given the location. It was at Sterling Vineyards, which is a much larger, more corporate, winery than we usually visit. They sell a lot of wine retail throughout the country. But their best vintages are saved exclusively for their Napa winery. Besides that, the location itself is truly unique.
Sterling is located in the town of Calistoga, nearly at the northern end of Napa Valley. But the entire structure sits upon a large hill jutting up from the valley floor, rather like an anthill. The valley floor surrounds it, gradually rising into the surrounding mountains. But right in the middle sits Sterling.
The really cool part of a visit to Sterling is just getting there. The parking lot is on the valley floor, and visitors must ride a gondola to the summit. Even though the vertical climb is not that much, the views during the ride are spectacular! We were able to see miles down the valley as well as gained a better vantage point of the western mountains. Honestly, the ride itself was worth the cost. It was so much fun!
Sterling is not only one of the oldest wineries in Napa, it is one of the first 28 wineries in all of California. When the founders first built the hilltop location, they fashioned it after the architectural styles of Mikonos. That choice not only lent a unique charm to the property, but it quite literally saved the facility in 2020. A major fire swept around the hillside, destroying century-old pines and Redwoods. But the building, constructed primarily of concrete, was sparsely affected.
But I digress. At the top of the gondola we climbed a long set of stairs to the Hilltop Tasting Room. The room sits at the very highest point (aptly named, I suppose) and commands a wonderful view of the surroundings. It is quite small, but peaceful. Our experience was everything we could have hoped for. Our wine guide, Serafin, did an excellent job with pacing the experience and providing background on the wines. We enjoyed a wonderful charcuterie board, included in our tasting. But the wines certainly were the hit.
I did not have great expectations for Sterling wines coming into this. They sell quite a lot in retail locations and much of it is not particularly wonderful. But the wines today were exceptional. Big, bold Cabs and even a Merlot that was quite nice. The entire experience was so amazing that I would definitely come back again. Credit where credit is due – this one was Karen’s suggestion and it was perfect!
Our afternoon tasting was at Trefethen, nearly at the southern end of Napa Valley and much closer to our campsite. We chose Trefethen because it is still family owned and run, but is a larger producer. Some bottles can be found in stores back home. We set up a more unique tasting that would give us a more personal experience and allow us to explore their reserve collection. Plus they are dog friendly, so Daisy was able to join. Sounded as perfect as Sterling.
Sadly, it wasn’t. There were only two couples doing our tasting at 3:00, in a small villa on the property, away from the bigger crowds. However, the villa was also hosting a private party of 20 people. That would have been fine, except the host working our tasting was also hosting the large group. And with the large group including one of the winery owners, you can guess where her energy went. Not to the four of us I can tell you.
It was disappointing. There was almost no interaction with the host, the pacing was terrible (many times the 4 of us sat and just waited for someone to come around), and we all lost interest. At the end, the woman from the other couple looked over and said, “Are we supposed to wait for her?” The wines were quite lovely, and we probably would have purchased a few bottles, but the sour taste left us unwilling to spend more with Trefethen. 1 star – would not recommend.
Not ones to let a bad taste linger, we parked the RV at “home” and walked to a Mexican restaurant right around the corner. We were able to snag two seats at the outdoor bar and ordered a couple drinks. We needed something that wasn’t wine or beer! It was just what we needed. The service was great and the food was outstanding. Enough that we each have leftovers for tomorrow. It was a great bookend to the day.
And now we sit in Livvy, windows open, enjoying the cool Napa breeze. We have one more day here before heading out again, starting our eastbound journey. Until then, we will continue to enjoy fine wine and finer views.
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