Calistoga Ranch,Frank Family Winery and Bennett Lane: Napa Valley Luxury

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants and visit all 600 Napa wineries, my wife Linda and I recently traveled to Calistoga Ranch and enjoyed a few days of Napa luxury.

The 50 room Calistoga Ranch has been rated Top 5 Resort in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine. The 157 acre Ranch features its own restaurant, spa, hiking trails and a team of dedicated employees who pride themselves in treating every guest like royalty. In addition, the location is close to many wineries, golfing, and hot air balloon rides for the more adventurous spirits.

We combined a visit to this Napa treasure with a stop at Frank Family Winery before we checked in at the Ranch.  Sal our host at Frank Family was very knowledgeable and proud to serve us their great wines.  Winemaker Todd Graff has been with the winery since 2002. The winery will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year and makes great juice from its 350 acres of grapes.

We began with a toast to Dennis long time host at Frank Family. Many patrons have stories about Dennis who enjoyed tastings with him. He passed away a couple of years ago but his spirit is still alive and well as he enjoyed  sharing stories with wine lovers getting “Tanked  at Frank.”

We had an extensive tasting beginning with the 2013 Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine produced in the secondary method of fermentation followed by a 36 month aging period. The wines are then hand riddled to remove the yeast. It was very refreshing and retails for $55.00. We then sampled the 2015 Carneros Lewis Vineyard Chardonnay named after owner  Rich Frank’s first grandson Lewis. The wine has a creamy mouth-filling texture that coats the palate and leads to flavors of lemon meringue pie. It retails for $65.00. 

Next we sampled the 2015 Lewis Vineyard Pinot Noir. It is enticing on the nose  with notes of dark cherries, baking spices and a hint of smoke. It also retails for $65.00.

The 3rd selection was the Reserve Zinfandel. It features generous flavors of fresh plums and sweet cherry pie meld that lasts through a long finish. It retails for $55.00.

The wine kept flowing with a tasting of the 2014 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. This full bodied wine envelops the palate with flavors of blackberries, clove and leather. It can be enjoyed now but will benefit from 5-10 years in your cellar. It retails for $95.00.

The highlight was tasting the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Patriarch named after Rich’s father and introduced on his dad’s 98th birthday. His father passed away one year later at the age of 99.

For lunch, we enjoyed nearby Sam's Social Club an upscale casual restaurant with a variety of great food and craft beers. It was named after Samuel Brannan, California’s first millionaire and founder of the historic Indian Springs Resort located on the 17 acre piece of property next to the restaurant.

We then checked into Calistoga Ranch. You are welcomed to this pristine and peaceful resort with a glass of wine and taken to your room in a golf cart. The property is heavenly and our room featured an indoor/outdoor fireplace, hot tub and outdoor shower. If you fall in love with this piece of paradise, you can purchase fractional ownership.

We had dinner at the private lake restaurant that is for guests only, which had an extensive menu and selection of cocktails, wine and beer.  They offered  a 4 course  price fixed menu and also a bar menu for those that are not as hungry. We split a wood fired pepperoni  pizza that was very tasty and fulfilling after an intense day of wine tasting.

You may also choose to either have an elegant breakfast served in your room or make a trip to the “chicken coop “ and take fresh eggs to the restaurant to have them prepare them for you. We chose to select fresh eggs from the chicken coop. It was a unique and very fun way to enjoy a memorable breakfast with VERY fresh eggs.

The entire Calistoga Ranch experience is very special and it is no surprise that it has been rated as one of the top 5 resorts in the world.

After breakfast, we went to nearby Bennett Lane Winery for another private tasting.
Our host was Donna who was passionate about the Bennett Lanes wines. Former Blackhawk resident Randy Lynch and his wife have owned the winery for 14 years. Winemakers  Rob Hunter and Rachel Gondouin pride themselves in making great red wine.

We began our tasting with a 2015 Reserve Chardonnay aged in French Oak with aromas of honey, melon and pumpkin. The wine finished in perfect balance and retails for $53.00.  Next the 2012 Maximus is a blend of 74%Cabernet Sauvignon, 18%Syrah, 4%Petit Syrah, 2%Malbec and 2%Merlot. It is an elegant blend of fruit driven finish and enough tannin structure to age perfectly. It is also a great value at $48.00.  Finally, we did a side by side tasting of the 2013 and 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were flavors of cherry and had an elegant finish. We enjoyed both but decided to take the 2014 home with us. The 2013 retails for  $62.00 and the 2014 sells for $63.00.

Before we returned home, we stopped at the Model Bakery  in St. Helena which features an array of sugar delights and their famous English Muffins. You need to go early as the Muffins are usually sold out by 10:00 am.

To complete this Napa trip, we stopped at Gotts Roadside Grill and ordered their famous cheeseburger that was cooked to perfection. It is no wonder why people wait in line every day for this special burger. In addition, they have great milk shakes, Fish Tacos and Crab Sandwiches.

In conclusion, we would highly recommend “all” of these places on your next visit to heavenly Napa.

“Napa Rocks!”

For more information and to make a reservation go to: https://calistogaranch.aubergeresorts.com/

Famous Chef Michael Mina and Ayesha Curry “Smokin” In the City By The Bay”

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants( 875 and counting), my wife and I recently dined at" International Smoke". Famous chef Michael Mina has teamed up with Golden State Warrior world champion Steph Curry’s wife Ayesha to offer some great cuisine. Ayesha loves food and is the author of her own successful cook book. 

This popular 80 seat restaurant is usually booked but you can dine at the 20 seat bar without reservations and enjoy the fabulous and unique expression of unique food. Happy hour also begins at 4pm each day with a full menu.  The restaurant opened in November 2017. It is inspired by Michael Mina and Ayesha's heritage and travels. They explore global approaches to grilling and “smoke” to create fascinating and flavorful dishes. 

From the web site, “ the restaurant features classic dishes such as jerk-spice seasoned duck wings, sticky mango and Jamaican condiment known as green seasoning, lemongrass pork chop, thinly sliced and charred on the grill and served with stir fried clams, glass noodles soy and thyme. Banchotan grilled  lobster with Japanese curry-spiced yakudon with turmeric pickles and raita is another favorite.”

The “3 Little Pigs” is another specialty. 3 different preparations of pork are perfectly seasoned and prepared. This is a dish highly recommended and includes St. Louis Spare Ribs, Cuban Mojo Ribs, And Japanese Miso Ribs.

There is also a great selection of international beer and wine. We especially enjoyed the intimate ambience of this lively restaurant dining at the bar  called “Ribs and Rocks.”  This is a variety of Ribs and barbecued oysters at $3.50 each or 2 for $6.00. We really enjoyed the Cuban “Mo Jo” Ribs and citrus mojo and garlic butter basted oysters. For dessert we shared Ayesha's key lime pie that was a soothing ending to a fun meal.

International Smoke is a great combination of cooking skills with Michael Mina and Ayesha Curry showcasing their love of food to the lucky Bay Area foodies. We would  recommend you put this “smokin” experience on your “must do” list. 

For more information and to make reservations go to:

https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/san-francisco-bay-area/international-smoke/

Promontory: Bill Harlan’s Latest Napa Jewel

In a effort to visit all 600 Napa wineries(350 and counting), my wife and I had the privilege to visit Promontory Winery.

Promontory is the latest addition to famous winemaker Bill Harlan’s business empire.  His son, Will, continues to carry out Bill’s “200 year plan”  for his dreams on the project. The winery sits high above the hills of Oakville and the spectacular 840 acres of beauty produces fabulous Cabernets in the grand Harlan tradition.

As we entered  the Howard Backen designed winery, our private tasting began with a glass of Dom Perignon champagne and winery  tour.  Our host then escorted us into an elegant room with stunning views to taste the carefully crafted wines.  We felt very fortunate to taste this great wine with Charlie Williams, Director of Membership and Hospitality and Wine Maker David Cilli, who is originally from Tuscany.   David fascinated us as he explained about the wine growing territory- the diversity of soil and  the elevation and climate impact on the grapes.

We had a side by side tasting of the 2009 and 2012 vintages.  Both were exquisite. The 2009 was the first vintage of this winery and full of elegance and energy. The 2012 was recently released and is approachable and ready to drink now. It will only get better as it ages with time. The winery is unique as it has a five year release time for the wine to evolve toward excellence.

This is definitely a “must do” for sophisticated wine lovers.

For more information and to make an appointment go to;

 https://www.promontory.wine/