In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco
restaurants(800 and counting) and visiting all 600 wineries (350 and counting),
my wife Linda recently traveled to Barnett Vineyards at the top of Spring
Mountain with our foodie friends Ron and Josiane Hable.
Owners Fiona and Hal Barnett purchased this 40
acre labor of love in 1983. Perched 2000 feet above Napa Valley their grapes
produce world class wines and the views are heavenly. Driving to the top of
Spring Mountain, you feel you have arrived at a special place as the iron gates
open to this majestic hillside vineyard.
Our host today was Kevin who was very passionate and proud of the highly rated Barnett wines. We began our tasting with the 2013 Chardonnay from Anderson Valley that was crisp and very refreshing. It retails for $42.00. The 2015 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Tina Marie Vineyard was light, lively and retailed for $45.00. We also sampled the 100 percent 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake that was a full bodied rich wine that would be great paired with a juicy filet or for any special occasion or celebration. It retails for $175.00. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon was a "perfect" blend of 85 percent Sauvignon, 10 percent Cabernet Franc, 4 percent Merlot and 1 percent Petite Verdot. It retails for $75.00. We took home a few bottles of the Cabernet and our favorite the 2014 Spring Mountain District Merlot. It was blended with 12 percent Cabernet Franc with an elegant and beautiful smooth finish, It retails for $65.00
.
After our tasting, we dined at the R and D Kitchen in Yountville that is part of the Hillstone Family of restaurants that also owns the Rutherford Grille in Napa. The servers are very knowledgeable, happy and helpful and the restaurant has an open kitchen with a friendly ambience and plenty of comfortable booths. If you want to enjoy the many days of the perfect Napa weather, there is an outdoor bar with fire pits and plenty of seating.
After our tasting, we dined at the R and D Kitchen in Yountville that is part of the Hillstone Family of restaurants that also owns the Rutherford Grille in Napa. The servers are very knowledgeable, happy and helpful and the restaurant has an open kitchen with a friendly ambience and plenty of comfortable booths. If you want to enjoy the many days of the perfect Napa weather, there is an outdoor bar with fire pits and plenty of seating.
There is no corking fee so we
brought in a bottle of the 2014 Merlot to enjoy with the famous Fried Chicken
Sandwich and Chicken Thai salad that was highly recommended and presented
picture perfect. We were not disappointed.
To complete our meal, we all shared the generous Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae that brought smiles of joy to all of our faces. It was also served with extra hot fudge that added to this excellent, decadent and delicious dessert.
To complete our meal, we all shared the generous Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae that brought smiles of joy to all of our faces. It was also served with extra hot fudge that added to this excellent, decadent and delicious dessert.
