San Francisco Napa Valley Trip
On our journey we left Charlotte, NC at 7:00 am EST. We landed in SFO around 10:00 AM pacific coast time. Upon arrival we took a taxi to Union Square staying at the Adagio. Shanon and I stopped in
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| Union Square |
at IL Cafe for a few glasses of Preseco and a quick bite. We took in the sites and sounds of the city, the cable car track, bustling, and vibrating as the electricity ran through them, the rumbling of the city busses and cars up and down
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| Union Square |
Geary street, the sounds of the double decker marketers hustling to gather tourist for the hop-on -hop off tour of San Francisco and the frequent pass from the homeless as they run from table to table begging
for food, money or whatever they can get, some were very aggressive and down right rude, "bitch, Bitch I am hungry bitch!" At that point the pleasant sound became more intimidating and struck me to become alert of our surroundings. We sat peacefully, for 30 minutes and then our family arrived, Crystal and Kearne.
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| Cable Car |
We checked in at the hotel and scurried to the nearest place to sit to see the view of San Fran, only to discover the Mark Hopkins does not open their rooftop until 5:00 PM. So we jumped on a cable car ride up and down Powell Street to the Fisherman's wharf. We walked for views of the Golden Gate and Alcatraz. From there we walked to the famous pier 39 looking for the perfect spot to sit and catch up with our friends. We landed at a nice quaint wine bar next to the yacht club of pier 39. There we talk of life, happenings within our lives, catching up on the past year since we last broke bread and. Wine together.
Next stop a taxi ride with Frank to the Cliff House. What a great ride. We saw the presidio, and some spectacular views of the coastline. Frank was a transplant from Monroe, Louisiana and was a highlight
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| Shoreline Cliff House |
of the ride to the Cliff House. At the Cliff House we took in the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks and the shoreline. The kite surfers were riding the waves and flipping and landing as they rocketed up in the air and back to the surf, amazingly beautiful. After awhile of scenery, we sat for dinner and drinks. Crystal, Kearne, Shanon and me continued to jabber about various happenings within our lives, and drank a few drinks.
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| Mark Hopkins sunset |
Next stop Mark Hopkins, it is now past 5:00 PM, we grabbed the driver from the Cliff House to transport us to there. We scurried for the best view with the help of our waiter. We ordered a few more cocktails as the sun shined on the bay. As the evening progressed we chatted with our neighbor from Boston about her job, residence and the spectacular 360 view of the bay. The sun went down on the bay and the people came to gaze and snap photos as we were sitting mesmerized by the scenery.
Time past and so did we, back to the Adagio to access our rooms and settle. We were up for another cocktail until we stowed our bags away, then some of us also stowed away. Kearne passed out and it became apparent our best option was to call the evening and all stow away for the night.
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| Coit Tower |
The next morning, Shanon and I were up early, could not sleep, must have been the time change (3 hrs back than Charlote). We slid into our workout clothes and hit the streets. Beginning with Powell, up the hill, where the cable car had taken us the previous day. Now on foot, we were able to stop and take some photos of the area, and the streets were quiet without the hustle and bustle. We began the mission
to explore the area and make our way to the golden gate park, after an hour of walking and sky gazing we paused to change our itinerary and mosey to Coit tower.
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| Kearny Street |
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| Dragon Gates, Bush & Grant |
We ran across street after street, and then we found Kearny Street. Took a quick photo for Kearne. After a few twist, turns and climbs we reach the tower. As our luck would have it, the Tower was closed for renovation; however, we did see an amazing site of the bay creating memories for Shanon and I. We continued on Grant street through north beach towards Chinatown, gazing at the people as they rush off to their jobs that pleasant Thursday morning. As we continued our path through Chinatown we reached the dragon gates and snapped a couple of pictures adding to our portfolio. A quick stop at Starbucks for some coffee and banana bread, through union square again and a return to the hotel.
Tom with
Beau Tours arrived promptly at the scheduled time, we made a quick pit stop at a deli and wine grocery for some snacks and sparkling wine. Tom drove us across the foggy Golden Gate Bridge and we gazed at the bike riders and walkers as we chatted with Tom about the area and his life experiences. Tom was an intriguing 70 year old man whom sold commercial properties as a profession before he retired. Now he drives to keep busy. We enjoyed the ride and the small talk as we sipped on our wine we captured the scenery as we approached wine country. We arrived to the
Westin Versa Napa right on schedule. Checked in and left our luggage with the bell men. We refreshed quickly and off to the Gott's for burgers, bottle of wine and vitamin D. It was sunny and breezy as the weather was expected to change overnight becoming quite cold and rainy, very unusual for the region as they have been in a drought we were told. We returned to the hotel for a moment and Shanon and Kearne lined us up with a few activities with the concierge.
After a few blocks we stopped at
Mark Herold. There we met Eric, Crystal called him by some other name. Eric entertained us as we soaked in the information he presented about the vineyard, wines and
the owner. It was a small place for tastings, not a winery/vineyard. We spent several hours tasting lots of wine catching a buzz and making memories with our friends. After sometime, lots of wine, and a small purchase we returned to our room for more wine and great conversation. After a long day we turned in for the night in preparation for our big day ahead of us.
Shanon and I awoke at 3:30 AM to prepare for our scheduled balloon ride. We began our normal routine, then my cell phone rang. Hello, i said. Napa balloons here calling to let you know the ride has been cancelled due to inclement weather said the man on the phone. The forecast is expecting rain all morning as it is raining now said the voice on the phone. Ok thanks, I said. It was now 4:15 AM, Shanon and I both halfway dressed and ready to start the day. We quickly jumped back to bed and wrestled under the covers till sunrise. The rain drops could be heard as they fail against the leaves and the gutters. I grabbed the iPad and looked at the weather, only to discover the forecast called for rain all day. We dressed for our tour and joined Crystal and Kearne for breakfast as we past time awaiting our driver for the tour.
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| Donald Buxton |
Donald Buxton,
Beau Tours, age 26*2 as he proclaimed. He was a balding man around 5'4 40 regular coat size. He welcomed us with a big smile and delivers our plan for our first stop. By the way, Donald called me a week in advance to discuss with me our plans and like/dislikes. Donald proceeds to explain the valley in detail as he is a native of The valley and has been providing services to clients for 30+ years. He prepared our limo with lots of water and a few bottles of Mumm sparkling wine. Not a bad way to begin our 3 day tour.
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| O' Brien |
After a quick swing through a few farm roads and vineyards, our first stop was
O'Brien's. As we arrived, the staff seemed to be unprepared for our arrival, although the views were spectacular. The garden and sitting area, wet from the pouring rain from last night, was something everyone would like to have as their backyard garden and sitting area.
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| O' Brien |
We met Richard, our host. Tall skinny greying young lad, seem to be excited the O'Brien's were off in Dublin for a trip. The gang back at the vineyard seem to be having some time playing, rather than working. We walked through the Cabernet vine lots and at the very end was a small picnic table soaked with puddles on the top from the rain. Fortunately for us, the rain had stopped and we were able to taste some pretty good wines, we laughed with Richard as he described the valley, the O'Brien's and delivered their story, through the poetry on the back of their bottles, "Seduction", - "Romance of the heart, passion of the soul, a voluptuous wine with sensual flavors and a velvet kiss. Enjoy in good company." "Passion" - (Proposal stage) - You are the one I want to become one with to intermingle our footsteps on the sands of time will you join with me?". And there are others, Fascination, Attraction, Flirtation, Romance of the Heart, Devotion, and Reflection, to see the poems go to Napa, or check out the weblink.
THANK YOU DOCTOR K. SMITH! Next stop
Palmaz, Francis greeted us, provided us with some water, restroom and a bit of welcoming as we waited for Jordan, the Estate Ambassador, what a cool title. The grand entrance to the grand tasting sets the remainder of our time for this lovely Friday. Jordan the ambassador, escorted us to the caves and up an elevator we go to the lookout tower of Palmaz. A quick shuffle up some steps we reach one of the highest points in the valley. As we gaze down all of our jaws hit the tower deck as they dropped. Such an immaculate view. So spectacular, rows and rows of vines crossing from north to south, east to west, northwest to east-west, every direction you view there are vines. Jordan describes the vineyards history, and the time of purchase by Dr. Palmaz. This vineyard was once owned and operated by Henry Hagen as Cedar Knoll vineyard and winery in 1881. The phylloxera infestation did not hurt this vineyard; however, prohibition (arrived 1921) destroyed this one and all of the vineyards in the valley except for a few to produce sacramental wines Beaulieu Vineyard BV was one of the few and most known to date. In 1997 Dr. Palmaz began planting and constructing the site as it is today. this vineyard and the winery is an engineering marvel. The quality of the winery and architectural layout is incredible and must be seen to appreciate.
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| Palmaz Carousel |
A carousel for the blocks/lots holding tanks. Each tank is specific to the geography layout of the fruit planted. The entire process, fruit harvesting to fermentation, to bottling, is processed by gravity. There are no pumps.
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| Palmaz Cave |
The cave is constructed as 6 stories; however, the space for those 6 stories are equal to eighteen stories. Jordan swiftly maneuvered us throughout the caves and answered our amateur questions and guided us to the wine and food pairing tasting room. The ambassadors office! There we carefully sat and sipped the beautiful display of Palamaz's wines. First we began with just the taste of wine, and then we repeated the process adding bites of carefully chef prepared pairings with the white, to the reds, and the desert wines. The tasting table was beautiful, with a center piece full of
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| Palmaz Testing |
flowers and 5 placements of 4 glasses, a place for Crystal, Kearne, (No shellfish/fish for Kearne), Shanon, me and Jordan. After the tastings, we were offered their very special high $$$$$ wine club to join. Crystal and Kearne will enjoy their 1 year subscription as Shanon and I opted to only purchase one bottle of their Cabernet.
After Palmaz, we needed something to eat, so we stopped at
Rutherford Ranch. While we were busy doing our previous tastings, Donald kindly fetched our box lunches from Soda Canyon, he prearranged us a table to sit and enjoy some sauvignon blanc. Here we paused and breathe about our recent experience at Palmaz. We tasted the Rutherford Ranch wines, as this vineyard was a bit larger and more traveled with tourist than the previous 2, as those required appointments only.
We began our descent from the valley and made our way to
Jessup. Jessup Cellars was a small boutique in the town of Yountville. Here we sat and taste their wines and prepared ourselves for the end of our tour day 1. But before we ended the day we stopped off at
Bouchon for some pastries and snapped a great photo at The French Laundry. A bit late, we paid for our extra fun.
Tour day 2, weather was sunny, clear skies, temp at high of 66. A perfect day for some wine. Kearne and I walked to
Oxbow and grabbed us some breakfast tacos from C Casa, and we all agreed these tacos were off the hook, definitely what we required for what lie ahead of us. We began the day off with our toast with JCB sparkling wine, and a few pictures in the limo. We had a time with Donald messing around talking about everything and anything. Donald had us prepared for a stop at
Bell. Elise was there to whisks us away into the winery and quickly begin our tour. As we walked in we began admiring the small quaint an well decorated winery. The barrels were just beyond the tasting tables, stacked from floor to ceiling packing the winery, wall to wall. The tables were prepared with glasses and pairing cheeses.
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| Bell |
We eyed the place, taking pictures of the area, light fixtures, vines, barrels and the decoration, soaking up the ambiance Bell was delivering. Elise, ran us outside to the vineyard as she explained the history of Bell, the owners, and some interesting facts, but the signature process of Bell vineyards was the cloning process, the ability for a wine maker to graft and clone fruit. Not that this is knew to farming, just that Bell was first to do so and was successful with the process producing some very great wines. Elise continued to make us laugh and enjoy our excursion. We were carefully placed around a table for four. Elise presented the wines and cheese pairings allowing us to participate in a mouthful of flavors. At the end our tour we were also offered to join the club of Bell; however, all of us opted for a 1/2 case of these fine wines.
After our Palmaz and Bell experiences, we were 4 spoiled people looking for more of the same treatment and masterful personal service. From Bell, Donald drove us to Peju, a quick filler so he can pick up our lunch from Oakville Grocery.
Peju is considered a medium size winery/ vineyard,
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| Peju |
producing 35000+ cases a year. At Peju, our previous personal service dissipated. Our host Tom broke a glass and blamed me. We quickly became a spectacle in the corner of the tourist tasting bar. There were many tourist, tasting less than adequate wines, probably the wines were better; but due to perception and treatment/ cattle like service, seemed as if Peju was not very appealing to our spoiled palates. Donald swiftly returned and began our ascent to Spring Mt.
Along the way to Spring Mt. Crystal became selectively car sick, only after Donald asked if we tend to get car sick that she was, and moved up front. At the top of Spring Mt. We found ourselves a little closer to heaven again, feeling a bit more brattier again. Our lunch spot and next tasting,
Schweiger. Here we had our host Joann help us settle our lunches atop of the Schweiger vineyard, we perched on the balcony baking in the sun to stay warm from the Spring Mt. breeze. We devoured our sandwiches, one of us took a bath with hers, all in great fun.
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| Schweiger |
We had a taste of sauvignon blanc and place the memories in our medulla. Joann helped us discard our tasty lunch droppings and helped us through the Schweiger family history. A beautiful site that everyone should see given an opportunity. More tastings, comes more wines then another club. As the wines were great and the personal service as well, one is often tempted to join the club. However, we restrained ourselves and only reverted to purchase more wines for our little cellars (wine refrigerators) at home. More of Spring Mt.
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| View from Barbara's House |
Donald drug Crystal in the front of the limo holding her hand and swiftly took us to a very sweet old lady, Barbara, the owner at
Polamo. The most incredible view a person can have was from Barbara's home. We stood and marveled out gazing across the land capturing another memory for our medulla. We can close our eyes and see this spectacular view of Spring Mt. And Barbara's vineyard. Just down the hill was a view of the Schweiger's place.
It was apparent Barbara had some miles on her, and had
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| Barbara and us |
once suffered from a stroke, which left her speech somewhat slow. However, the elderly lady had quick wit and was very active in her vineyard. She answered all of our
questions and allowed us to continue to invade her views as we began tasting her wines. She did have a club; however, it was apparent Donald was taking us there for the view. We did support Barbara with us purchasing a couple bottles each as we departed. Donald descended down Spring Mt. maneuvering the large stretch limo to
Uva in Napa Valley, on time.
Donald called ahead to ensure us a table for four. Upon arrival, Donald escorted us inside , whisked away in the dusk as we entered Uva. We manage to secure us a peaceful table by the wall away from the large crowded areas. Uva was pleasantly nice but casual. We enjoyed the Italian dishes, broke bread again with our family and reminisced about our day and past outings comparing them and feeling and counting the blessing we are able to share together. We drank more wine and had some desert. We left Uva, and strolled back to the Westin where we all were just to full and exhausted to carry on any longer. The sun went down on the Napa riverside as we all felt the weight of the day on our chest, thus all feeling the need for some relief. We went hunting for the tums and water, then readied ourselves for bed. Early night!
Day 3 of our wine tour. We woke to rain again, drip, drop, drip, drop, sprinkles fall as the sound is magnified off of the leaves and the gutters. The fog is present as so are the clouds. However, we all awake rejuvenated and fresh. It was amazing, was it the tums? Probably not, we are all sure it was the 10 hours of sleep we put in. We all confirmed our best approach for today's experience would be to fuel up with a great breakfast. And because of the sprinkle, we would order in from the hotel. We called in our desired tasteful plates and awaited the room service to arrive. Shortly, within 30 minutes we were greeted with our breakfast, but with a little hiccup in the service, we had to promptly call them back for a missing plate. They returned in 10 minutes and we all sat again as a family breaking bread and drinking some sparkling wine, mimosas. Soon it was time, Donald was sure to be on time and prompt as he was the previous days.
Donald proactively ensured we separate our wines from one another so he can package them for shipment. We were smart on this option, as this allowed us to ship all of our wines on one shipment saving on the shipping charges applied by the vineyards. Donald arrive as planned and Kearne and I assisted with loading the wines in the limo. We ran the bell cart back up the ramp and called for our ladies to join in with another day of wine tasting fun. "Sunday funday" As before, we toasted with Mumm sparkling wine and road off into the farms of the valley. Next stop
Taylor Family Vineyards.
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| Taylor Family Vineyards |
As we arrived at Taylor Family Vineyards along the Stags Leap AVA, I remember thinking we are going to be tasting in a tractor barn and was somewhat disappointed. As we arrived, my BPH was in full swing. After meet and greets from Mike and Sandy Taylor, Mike took me atop for a quick relief. Mike said, "Stay in the truck." I was wondering why, until I saw the great big dog chasing Donald. I stayed in the truck until the all clear was acknowledge by Mike, and I saw Donald's head bobbing up and down over the tops of the cars. For just a moment, I was disappointed because we did not sit at the Taylor family home patio to taste their wines. The view was spectacular from there, But no one else was able to have that pleasure of the scenery there. Mike drove me back down in the pickup truck to join the group. In the tractor barn we sat with Sandy and Mike Taylor, the owners of the vineyard, now we are back to being spoiled,bratty, happy, family. We sat and enjoyed them telling of the family story, learning their business, and tasting their wines with some fantastic cheese pairings. Sandy and Mike made us feel like we were part of their family and made the time with them very intimate and special. We were offered the club, again very close to joining; however, we opted for stocking our cellar with 3 of their great wines. Crystal and Kearne received a signed no label sauvignon blanc as this was just released and not processed with a label. Donald received his bottle of moonshine and we took photos to embed the memories deeper in the medulla. Next up
Bremer.
At Bremer, we were placed outside in the warmth of the sun. The tables were prepared and centerpieces with fresh flowers. Bill began the greetings and quickly moved us on to the tastings.
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| Bremer |
After Taylor Family, we were hard to impress; however, Bremer has some fine wines and a very quaint location. We enjoyed the time spent, purchased some wines for the cellar and moved quickly to our next appointment, The Release at Viader.
At this arrival, we have now had a bit of wine and began feeling the affects from the alcohol. We since developed a fantastic relationship with Donald and was having a blast with him. Once arrived, we were offered to sit out on
Viader's balcony; however, it was a bit chilly out, so we took in the views from their beautiful tasting room beside the glass windows. We had their wines, as Chanty walked us through the
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| Viader's View |
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| Doodle |
selections for the daily tastings. One of the listed selections was being released (2012 Viader "Black Label" Estate Limited Edition) that day. It was a blend of 60% Cabernet, 27% Syrah, 12.8% Malbec, and 5% Petit Syrah, and had a juicy black cherry taste. As we sat and enjoyed our wines and small talk, Kearne was explaining some valuable information, I can't remember now, because of the over exuberant comment while I was doodling on the tasting sheet, probably not paying attention, Kearne exclaims, "You are driving me nuts!" I called back at him, "Why?"He believed I was not paying attention to his conversation, but I really was I think. Because of our previous fun we encountered we were a bit hungry.
Although Viader's release party included some finger foods, it was not nearly enough to absorb the alcohol. Chanty, did a fine job handling us through the tasting and presented the club to us, but we all added more wines to our collection to store in our cellar. Donald gathered our purchases and us and loaded us into the limo and switched our next stop to add some fuel to our tummies to help absorb more of the poison we have been deliciously enjoying.
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| Luna Vineyards |
Donald pulled into a vineyard, little larger than our liking and we had some cheese and crackers along with some wines. We can't remember the place (
Robert Sinskey) and the host was serving many tourist and only pouring wines versus explaining any history or intimate parts of the family or vineyard. My memory of this place is quickly being replaced with something other than this stop. Donald was cohurst into taking our friend Crystal to
Luna Vineyards. Here we were supposed to be quick with a few pics and a bottle for memoirs. However, the soon short visit began to be more than an hour. We were delighted for Crystal to experience her time here. We are glad you had this opportunity Crystal!
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| Celadon |
As we left Luna's we decided to fuel up at
Celadon. Here were were going to enjoy a nice departing meal. We ordered some wine and appetizers and began our sobbing toast. I went for a go, and thank our friends for their friendship, Shanon shared her heartfelt words, Crystal told us a bunch of things in Spanish with great passion, but none of us understood anything she said and finally Kearne gave a very warming, touching toast that took us all to tears. It is so wonderful having great friends and being able to share moments as we did these past few days. But it was not over yet.
Donald text me he was dropping by to give me my camera lens. As we decided to just have wine and appetizers we left Celadon. As we departed, Donald turns into the parking lot in his convertible
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| Donald's Mercedes |
Mercedes. He was all smiles as we were all surprised and happy to see him one more time before we left. He let the top down of his Mercedes and swift us away again for one last cruise of Napa Valley Farm Roads. He dropped us at the Oxbow for our last stop and tour.
At the Oxbow, all our emotions, up and down, and sideways, we shopped for our last supper. We purchased more wine and groceries to return to the Westin room 2100, where we took a play-by-play of the day over dinner. We drank more wine and ended our evening celebrating and dancing till we were all ready to call it a night.
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| Call them, they are Fantastic |
