Jane and Hal's West Coast Trip
Summer 2006
Napa Valley, Califonia
Mt.St.Helens
s  

Wednesday, August 3 2006 - Left Reno around 10am for the drive to Napa. First stopped at a lab for Hal to have a blood test. Then to Starbucks for some Coffee and a danish. We stopped at a Taco Bell off of Interstate 80 somewhere past Sacramento on the drive from Reno to Napa.

   
   
We arrived at the Vintage Inn in mid afternoon. What a wonderful place. Our room was large and even had a jacuzzi bathtub.
And a working fireplace in a very comfortable and spacious room. The grounds of the Vintage in are lovely. There is also and outdoor pool and hot tub.

 

We drove to the Niebaum-Coppola estate for a wine tasting. We got our 3 day passport but it was late in the day and we were too late for the tour. The tasting consisted of 5 wines. A couple of uninteresting whites followed by a zinfinedl and a merlot. Then it was topped off with a Cab reserve wine. The wines seemed very tanic and young. We were not very impressed. We returned to the inn and Jane went for a swim while Hal rested.

 

While we were in the room getting ready for dinner there was a loud noise and the fireplace seemed to go nuts. Jane's first earthquake. Hal's second.
We went to dinner at Hurley's a short walk from the inn. Hal had a glass of Schrammsburg Sparkling Wine while Jane had a Zinfindel. Hal's appetizer was these fried crab cakes that were crisp on the outside yet soft and "crabby" on the inside. Then he had a local Cabernet to go with scallops with gnocci. Jane started with heirloom tomato and avacado salad and then had wild mushroom risoto. They split an order of blackberry sorbet.
Thursday, August 3rd 2006 - We woke up and had a very full breakfast from the breakfast buffet. There were scrambled eggs, eggs ranchero, tons of danish and croissants, cereal - hot and cold, fruit, yogurt. juices, coffee .... well you get the idea.
We then headed back to the Neibaum-Coppola estate to go on the tour. Neibaum was a very succesful Finish sea captain in the middle of the nineteenth century just following the gold rush. He made a fortune trading in Alaska and moved to San Francisco. He decided to start making wine in the Napa valley. His estate was called Inglenook and was responsibele for some of the finest wines from Napa. The estate even held out during proabition but was sold to one of the big liquor companies that turned from the fine Inglenook wines to mass producd down market wines. In the mid 1970's Frances Ford Coppola bought into the estate and has even expanded the properties. They ae now producing some of the best wines in Napa and have started using the Rubicon name for all of their wines.
We bought some sandwiches for lunch with the intent of eating them atop the hill that houses the Sterling Vinyards. You need to taka a lovely cable car ride up to the vinyard. When we go to the base they told us no picnics - no food was allowed to be brought up. Oh well, we left the sandwiches with the guard and went up to the vinyard. Wines were ok, nothing more.
Hal left the camera in the car - so no lovel photos from the top. We came down and drove to a lovely spot and picnicked in the car. Drove along the Silverado Trail down the east side of the valley. Then back to the hotel for a swim and dip in the hot tub.  
We went to Bouchon for dinner. This is the "second restaurant" of Thomas Keller after the French Laundry. We decided not to try to get reservations at the French Laundry as it has the exact same menu and prices as Per Se in NYC.   Jane had brouilly to drink, a salad and superb chicken roti. Hal had Laurant Perrier Champagne, a local Cab, a fantastic gazpacho and unique dish of roasted gnocci. We shared some delicious profiterolls for desert. Hal finished the evening by spilling wine all over Jane's white slacks (and pink sweater as well).
Friday, August 4, 2006 - had a big breakfast at the Vintage Inn and about 10am we headed up the coast.  
Mt.St.Helens Seattle