Enjoy a stroll through Napa Valley while learning about great California wines
brbr
The Napa Valley of Yesteryear
Sponsored by Patrizio Osteria
Written by Ken Kuczwaj, General Manager Patrizio Osteria
Inbr1975 there were less than 75 wineries in Napa and Sonoma. Today therebrare over 700. Ibrpersonally started to collect wine in 1986 when Napa Valley was still muchbrof what Paso Robles, Willamette Valley and the state of Washingtonbrwine region is today; small and intimate, where every visit culminates inbrmeeting the owner, enjoying older vintages and a locally grown fruit and cheesebrplate.
Unfortunatelybrthose days, along with some great labels, are gone. Today's Napa isbrlike going to a wine factory. Four deep at a wine bar (not to mention a $5-$10brtasting fee – unheard of in the glory days), wine poured by uninspiredbremployees with a canned speech and worst of all, every wine poured is availablebrat Kroger for a fraction of the price. Napa, like Las Vegas, has gone tobrthe corporate style of doing business. Get ‘em in, get ‘em out, andbrsell ‘em what you can.
Mybrfondest memories of Napa Valley were my trips in the late 1980s. Alongbrthe Silverado Trail was a gem of a winery owned by Jack Schulte namedbrNapa Creek. I was relatively new in my pursuit of collecting fine winebrand stumbled across this winery in 1988. I was greeted by a scruffybrfarmer in overalls who asked me what I was looking for.This was Jack Schulte - owner, farmer andbrwinemaker.Not knowing how to respond Ibrsaid, “Great Cabernets.”Four hoursbrlater and after a tour of the vineyard, facilities, and numerous barrelbrsamples, Jack opened the crown jewel; the 1984 Napa Creek Reserve CabernetbrSauvignon. To this day, and I have had many great wines since,brnothing will compare to that fateful glass. Regrettably I only purchasedbra case to send home, which was gone within a month or two, since I was sobrexcited to share my newfound passion.Jackbrmade that trip incredibly special and created an experience I will never forget.
Hisbrpassion for his product brought me a deep understanding of thebrgargantuan task of taking a grape and turning it into that 1984 Cabernet,bra lesson I often remember when I open a great bottle of wine and savor thebrnose.
Inbrthis day of superstar wine makers, bottles priced at $400 and higher, fancybrresorts, restaurants and golf courses, I miss the days when Napa wasbrstill the Wild West of Wine.I suggest abrstop at the Prager Winery in Napa, it is what Napa used to be like. The tastingbrroom resides in an old carriage house, Ports that rival anything frombrPortugal and Jim Prager himself, who at 97 is still going strong and sharingbrhis passion for his craft.
Inbrthe movie The Bronx Tale, Sonny tellsbrhis protégé Colangelo, "that there will only be three great women inbryour life, unfortunately all of mine came when I was 17." I sometimesbrfeel that way about wine and wineries. Allbrof mine came on one trip in 1988. I can close my eyes and remember wineriesbrlike Villa Mt Eden that made great inexpensive wines, or walking into V Satuibrand seeing the greatest deli ever, which offered incredible samples of local cheese,brfruits , and sandwiches. I remember the smell of the oak barrels and mustybrcellars that have given way to wineries designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, or lookbrlike a Persian Palace.
I don'tbrknow, maybe I am getting older and still think Fenway Park and Wrigley fieldbrare the two best baseball parks in the world, but I know that for my money Ibrwill visit regions like Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Willamette Valley andbrWashington to recreate the magic that Napa had in the old days.
A fewbr"Old School" labels that still make great wine and are reasonablybrpriced include Grigich Hills Estate (try the zinfandel), Louis M. Martini, Clos Du Val,brand Freemark Abbey (the 1978 petite syrah was one of the greatest wines I’vebrever tasted).
Somebrof the wines I love are a little more expensive, but have a deep-rootedbrtradition in great California Cabernets include Diamond Creek, Dunn Vineyards, andbrSilverado Vineyards.
Givebrsome of these wines a shot, and sit back with a great steak or some pasta andbrknow that you are drinking history in a glass. If not come see me at Patrizio'sbrand I will pull one of the many gems I have hidden off the wine list for justbrthese special occasions.
OurbrExecutive Chef Luciano Salvadore shares a dish that would be unreal with the Grigich Hills Zinfandel, whichbris a big fruit forward, not overly spicy zin. Known as a cab lover’s zin, thisbris worth trying.