California has nothing to envy to the French.
One of the judges, for instance, sipped a 1972 Napa Valley chardonnay and exclaimed, “Ah, back to France!” Mistakenly, of course. According to Time, another judge quaffed the Bátard-Montrachet 1973 and declared: “This is definitely California. It has no nose.”
-Mondavi, Robert. Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business
Did you hear about the famous Judgment of Paris that had taken place at the Intercontinental Hotel just a few steps from the magnificent Place Vendôme on May 24th of 1976?
This was a wine competition organized in Paris by the british wine merchant Steven Spurrier. French judges had to taste blind Top quality Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux (France) and Napa (California, USA) and Top quality Chardonnay from Burgundy (France) versus Napa (California, USA).
The results filled everyone in deep shock.
- 6 of the Top 10 white wines were from the Napa Valley with 3 of the 4 top ones from California.
- 6 wines of the Top 10 reds wines were from the Napa Valley!
California is the biggest wine region of the United-States and as this story shows, its wines are not to be underrated.
Its “viticulture” is relatively young mainly because of the ravages of the Phylloxera that did happen in the late 1800s (a parasite that destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe at that time) and the Prohibitions in the 20s. It’s only in the 60s that the industry exploded in quantity and quality.
This region is very fun to visit for several reasons: first people are very welcoming, second, the food is fantastic with plenty of restaurants highly scored to be offered.
The only flaw is that your wallet will suffer…a lot.
Extending itself on 1,100 kilometers from north to south crossing over exciting places such as San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, California is definitely worth a visit!
The main grapes that you will find there are:
- Chardonnay, Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites.
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel for the reds.
So, are you curious? Do you want to come on a personal wine tour with me in Napa? Just to see, how it would be like…
2 wineries worth a visit on the Napa Valley wine trail.
The sky is blue, the clouds do not exist, we drive behind the wheel of our car, “Goodnight Moon” Shivaree cradling our ears while going up the Silverado Trail linking St. Helena Napa, the wineries along the parade road. Where to stop?
Suddenly appears a temple on the left, taken by curiosity we stop:
Welcome to Darioush winery!
We climb the stairs, and as we enter, we stumble upon the world of kitsch and the original. We visit the tasting room, trinkets galore are enthroned here and there, and two people quietly are discussing near the fire place. The bar is at the center, which is where we are heading and begin a discussion with Paloma. Once she distributes the menu, she makes us taste the drink of this Persian temple that remains typical of Napa with its powerful and sweet, alcohol that invades our palates and gives rise to the heat in our cheeks.
Darioush Khaledi grew up in the land of Shiraz (Iran) from a producer and wine enthusiast father. An engineer, he immigrated to the United States in the ’70s to live the “American Dream.” He bought with his brother a bankrupt grocer in Los Angeles. Today they have more than a thriving business with over 1,500 employees!
Meanwhile, Darioush became a collector of fine wines from around the world. With his growing passion, he realized his dream in 1997 by founding Darioush winery with his wife. Obviously, being Persian, the winery must remember its origins, which it does, but between us, it comes across as more of a “fake”: It was more like being at Disneyland than being in Persepolis!
The visit is very enjoyable and fun!
We take the car and continue to back up the road; we stop to shop in the charming town of St. Helena, and then, at the exit of the city, we see the distance on our left, a castle. We are no longer in the “fake” this time but really in the real!
Castello di Amorosa
Are you like me and love Tuscany and old stones?
Have you ever lived in a country of the new world where the old stones just do not exist?
If you miss the old world, you should have a look at Castello di Amorosa (Castle of Love in English). It is located on Highway 29 between St. Helena and Calistoga.
No, you haven’t stepped into some dream. Castello di Amorosa is a Tuscan style castle built by an American, Dario Sattui, fascinated by medieval times. He worked on this project for 30 years of his life. It took 15 years of work to bring it up according to the rules of architecture as they did 700–800 years ago !
One million ancient bricks were imported from Europe!
So it is a castle, a real one!
But it’s also a winery and with its vineyards around the castle. There are 107 rooms at Castello di Amorosa, each different from one another, and it is possible to spend the night!
In short, it is a must in Napa, a great success and it appears, the wines are excellent!
To visit it is here:
So what do you think of our little getaway in the American West?
Cheers to California and wine!
Visit California Wine for more information on this region.
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