I can’t believe how much money I spent this summer traveling.  The last time I spent this much money in a month is when I bought a car.  (Yes, that was twice as much.)

I am not complaining (too much), since it has been enjoyable and educational.  Berlin, Athens, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, and then the Napa/ Sonoma/ Alexander Valley wine county.  I haven’t been there in a decade.  Not that it changes much (except for the demise and naissance of the smaller vineyards).

I will only list the special places I visited on this trip.  I wish there were more places one could stop along the roadside to capture the views, but unless I wanted to get sideswiped, there were no real opportunities.

I hadn’t been to Ledson Vineyards in a while.  They expanded the tourist portion of the castle (the wine tasting is in a new location), but the wines are as good as ever- with far more varieties.  Bob let me taste the wines that excite my palate, rather than using one of the two wine tasting menus. (No thank you for Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.)

The new (to me) Viognier was superb.  And, since I bought a bunch of these from Ledson, Horton (the Virginia winery) may suffer a drop in volume for a while.   Ledson’s Zinfandel still tastes better than any other zin I’ve had (including the one we developed decades ago).  And, their Petite Syrah will chase any Chateauneuf du Pape in my collection (and I have many great choices).

Ana (no, I didn’t forget the other N) and Dave were fun hosts behind the bar, along with Bob.  When I got there, Ledson’s was empty; then a foursome came in, two Manhattanites (birthday celebrants), three Swiss adults (and two wonderful kids), and a couple from Baton Rouge (birthday and anniversary celebrants) filled up the room and the bar. We had a wonderful few hours together.

From there, I headed to Hagafen.   This is a kosher winery, one that had two labels I had never seen.  Don Ernesto and Prix.  Don is their pedestrian brand that is only sold locally and Prix is their premium brand (also not sold nationally, since they don’t produce many cases.)   They also had a good Viognier (not quite Ledson class, but it could give Horton a run, albeit at twice the price).  Their Syrah is among the best kosher varietals I’ve had, but their Malbec is bested by the Rothschild and even by Don Guillermo de Mendoza.

But, the next day was the real reason why I made the trip to the West Coast.   To be at the David Arthur Vineyard in the afternoon.  Getting to the vineyard took me along some of the same routes I had taken the day before to visit Ledson and Hagafen.  But, the last few miles had me traveling on a curvy road overlooking a lake.   Lake Hennessey.  (Yes, THAT Hennessey but this lake serves as the water source for Napa city, some 20 miles away.)  The views were absolutely beautiful.

I also went to downtown St. Helena.  (Downtown is a mite of an exaggeration.)  But, I did visit Gott’s Roadside, which is a most cool place.  I only sampled the homemade ice cream and watched two Napa Wine Trains travel down the main drag.   And, then, went back to the Lake Hennessey region for my afternoon event.

But, I also bypassed my actual destination.  Because my GPS was insistent that I turn right on the next street.  STREET?   How about driveway?  Yes, that driveway goes on for about 4 miles, but it’s still a driveway.

I had arrived early.  My instructions stipulated that I could not arrive at the vineyard before 1:30 PM – but MUST be there by 1:45 PM.  Jeez.  Can you insist on a tighter schedule?

Why this vineyard?   It turns out this is a favorite of the Siegermans, one of which I had never heard.  The vineyard is small- producing some 3000 cases a year- so their sales are strictly by subscription.  And, since the vineyard use wooden barrels (over and over again), it hasn’t been on my list of wines to try.  (Conservative Judaism allows wine to be produced in virgin wooden barrels or ceramic casks. Reusing the barrel doesn’t let even those who are less stringent consider the wine “kosher”.)

But, the wine wasn’t the reason why I was coming to this absolutely beautiful vineyard.  Nope.

 

 

 

 

 

Because at 1:30, my son and his girlfriend were arriving there.  And, within a few minutes thereafter, his girlfriend, Stefanie, became his fiancé.  And, we- the parents of the soon-to-be-wed kids were there to celebrate with them, as well.

Dan had also arranged for a professional photographer (Marielle  Hayes) to be there, taking pictures of the engagement, the parents, his aunt and uncle (who accompanied his mom on the trip), and the afternoon affair.  It was simply glorious.  As you can see from the pictures.

That night we ate dinner together at Sam’s Social Club (an eating establishment in Calistoga).  To spend more time with the family, I stayed at the Calistoga Inn, Brewery and Restaurant.  Which reminded me of my escapade in NYC a few years ago.  Where the hotel was old enough that it lacked bathrooms in each room.  They were shared among the floor residents.  Welcome to the old West.

The next day, the celebration continued.  We ate lunch at my hotel, after which my ex-wife and her siblings left for other locations.  I tried to see if the Mendocino fire that was now smoking up the valley could be visible from the nearby mountains.  Thankfully, it couldn’t- which meant, at least for now, it was far enough away to not create concern.

For dinner, Dan, Stef, Mark and Judy (Stef’s parents) and I continued the celebrations with a dinner in St. Helena.  It was great to get a chance to spend more time with my son and his new additional family.

They all left for New York- and I had another day to explore the region.  Having seen enough wineries to satisfy my curiosity for a while, I took off for UC Berkeley to walk around and see what’s changed over the decades.

And, now, I’m sitting (when I was writing this!) in the President’s Club at SFO awaiting my flight home.  Which will land in time for me to attend a Phillies game!

A crowning event for the great week.