I’m not a wine expert or even connoiseur, though I’m slowly learning more about it (via repeated tastings, classes, and more), and beginning to appreciate more and more. One day, hopefully I’ll even begin enjoying red wine! Not that soon though. I’m still expanding the variety of white wines I can stomach.
Our first morning in Napa Valley, after an uneventful night where neither of us ate – we just slept to our vacationing heart’s content – we woke up bright, refreshed, and ready to start drinking. Well, after breakfast, anyway.
We started off at Robert Mondavi winery and took the tour, which I had heard was good. I won’t bore you with bad pictures from far away of a secret process, but the tour was awesome. We had a really good tour guide who was very informative, explaining the wine making process and guiding us through a tasting of a few different wines. It was fun, and both BF and I really enjoyed it, despite Mondavi perhaps not being his favorite winery. I recommend the tour; at the end, along with your tasting, they also give you these biscuits that are out of this world, and the recipe to go with it – BF has been hounding me to make them, but you know I don’t bake. 🙂
Next we went to Rubicon, formerly known as Niebaum-Coppola. BF had gone there earlier this year and really enjoyed it. When we walked in, it was just like walking into someone’s house (blurry pic):
Up the stairs was a showroom of various items from Francis Ford Coppola’s life as a movie maker, and one of his old cars (it’s a special, vintage something or other, very rare, but I couldn’t tell you what it was). Very cool stuff – and all around the foot of the stairs were displays of other items from his life, including his Oscars (and, I believe, Sofia Coppola’s Oscar as well), and a family tree that showed just how rich a life this family had lived. It was very fascinating for someone who wasn’t that familiar with the Coppola family history.
We opted not to go on the tour this time, and only went for tastings. BF had previously had a “great and funny guy” – Bart – for his pourer (what do you call those people?), and we managed to find him quickly and secure a spot in front of him. After a few drinks, I started talking to him and found out that he used to be an opera singer!!! For the San Francisco Opera!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?! Even cooler, after some pleading from us and the other patrons (he was actually very reluctant, I’m not sure if it was shyness or he just wasn’t feeling it, I don’t know), he actually agreed to sing a bit for us.
I believe it’s a piece from La Traviata, but I’m not a huge opera person so I can’t tell you for sure.
He really made the experience a great one, and actually, the entire pouring staff was super friendly and funny – they were all joking around with each other, with us, and just really great. Not like Peju…
Don’t get me wrong, it was a gorgeous estate (though still not the nicest we saw).
Once we went inside, there was actually a lot more structure (uptightness?) to the tastings (instead of just find an empty spot at the “bar” and start talking to the guy). We had to wait a few minutes or something – “The next tasting is in 5 minutes,” said this guy who then disappeared when I wanted to ask him a question. There wasn’t much to look at, and I’m not sure if there’s a full tour available – the top floor was an art gallery (?!). Shortly after that, we were led into a separate room and about 10-12 of us lined up at a long oak bar to begin tasting, which was $10 a person if you didn’t buy anything, but complimentary with purchase. The guy made some lame jokes, whatever, not a big deal, but the bad part was that he didn’t pay attention at all to what he was pouring – he kept spilling on the side of my glass, and I’d get annoyed because then I’d have red wine on my hands. EWWW?!
He also didn’t pay attention to how much he poured – people to our right might get half a glass, a quarter glass, two drops (!!!), and then he began favoring the people to our left. I don’t know why, but he poured them full glasses repeatedly (they were already pretty sloshed). I’m a friendly person, and began chatting with them, but then the dude cut in and began talking to them, totally ignoring me! WTF! I was really annoyed.
BF was thoroughly annoyed at this point, and though he liked the wine, he said, “I almost don’t want to buy anything from this j***-o**. I don’t blame him, the guy was totally uncalled for rude, and then he began pouring “special stuff” for the people to our left (two couples, by the way), and ignored us again. WTF.
Unfortunately, BF had also remembered there was an old white guy who rapped!!! at Peju that he’d had last time, but that guy was off duty when we got there. He was there later. We totally should have waited for him… sigh.
Of course, Peju’s crap dude isn’t a testament to the overall place. The wine was lovely (some of it) and we did buy a bottle each of the two we liked. I just wish that guy would get fired or straighten up his act.
Robert Mondavi Winery: Recommended, take the tour
Rubicon (formerly Niebaum-Coppola): Recommended, the tour is good but the tastings are nice too, see if you can find Bart (above), he’s AWESOME, be sure to tip him 🙂
Peju: If you get some young punk with a gross goatee trying to look all hipstery in Napa, run the other way, but the wine is okay, I wouldn’t say my favorite but if you like cabernet sauvignons, they have some good stuff (according to those who like that)
(Sparkling wineries to come!)
SF 2k8, previously:
Bi-Rite Creamery
King of Thai Noodle House
House of Prime Rib
New Asia
Ghirardelli Square
In-n-Out
The Country Way
Joe’s Cable Car
Honu’s Island Grinds & Bar
Plaza Garibaldi
Vintage Inn
Stacee says
HI,
This is Stacee from Peju Winery and I was very sad to hear about your experience here at Peju. Tony Peju, to this day, tells us that customer service is not just a word. I would love to make this up to you and your friends. Please email me or call me anytime and I would love to set up a private tasting for all of you! I want to show you how you should be treated. Thank you for your honesty and I hope you accept my humble appology.
Stacee Stacee@peju.com 800 446 7358
Stacee says
HI,
This is Stacee from Peju Winery and I was very sad to hear about your experience here at Peju. Tony Peju, to this day, tells us that customer service is not just a word. I would love to make this up to you and your friends. Please email me or call me anytime and I would love to set up a private tasting for all of you! I want to show you how you should be treated. Thank you for your honesty and I hope you accept my humble appology.
Stacee Stacee@peju.com 800 446 7358