Somnium Winery: Danica Patrick Living The Dream

In an effort to visit all 600 wineries in Napa( 400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Somnium  owned by famed female car racer Danica Patrick. 

Danica Patrick’s motto  in life is to “dream big”. 

She recently retired from car racing with a Hall Of Fame resume. She now has a new passion with her Winery in Napa called Somnium which is the Latin term for “dream”. 

She says, “wine is about relaxing, eating great food and friendly conversation with your friends. I fell in love with everything about Napa on my first visit there. My dream of owning a winery is now a reality with Somnium.”

The 22 acre vineyard in located on famous Howell Mountain.  Vintner Aaron Pott is making world class wines for Danica.

Our host today was General Manager Tracy Smith. She is very knowledgeable and bubbling with wine energy. We had an elegant tasting on the top of Howell Mountain that was a heavenly experience. We tasted the  2015 and 2016 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were bold expressions of excellence with smooth finishes. We especially enjoyed the 2016 that will be released in December. 

For more information, go to:

https://www.somniumwine.com/Vineyard

Biscuits And Blues: Live Nightly Music And Southern Cuisine In The Great City By The Bay

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants (900 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure to experience Biscuits and Blues.

Located near Union Square in the heart of San Francisco,  Biscuits  And Blues offers live blues music in an intimate venue from local, regional and national bands.

It is a fun experience of great music, southern inspired cuisine, salads, New Orleans gumbo and a unique drink selection. We enjoyed the gumbo, biscuits and a drink called the Kings Sazerac. This drink was a blend of Bullet Rye Bourbon,  Bitters, Pernod and lemon peel that complemented the music perfectly. 

We had the pleasure to experience Pryor Baird. Pryor is originally from California and made his mark in Nashville. He gained national recognition when he was a semi finalist on the popular Voice Talent show.  His voice was soothing  and packed with power just like our Kings Sazerac libation.  It is no wonder he did so well on the Voice. We went to the 7:30 show and arrived at 6:30 to enjoy dinner before the show. There is also a 10:00 pm show.

We would highly recommend this long time San Francisco icon. It is a great place to enjoy live music and great food for any business gathering, special occasion, holiday or birthday celebration.

For more information and to make reservations go to:
https://biscuitsandblues.com/

Cafe Jacqueline: The Chef with the Sparkle in her Eye

Cafe Jacqueline: Serving Sensational Soufflés Since 1979

In effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants(900 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure to dine at Cafe Jacqueline. Located in the heart of foodie heaven, North Beach, Jacqueline Margulis has been making her soufflés since 1979.

Jacqueline is now in her young 80’s and still makes each soufflé for her many happy patrons. The charming restaurant has been voted one of San Francisco’s most romantic restaurants. Matthew the server has been working there for 25 years providing attentive, excellent service.  In addition to soufflés, they have a nice selection of beer and wine and onion soup that will soothe your soul. Some patrons just go there for the onion soup, glass of wine and dessert soufflé. 

Jacqueline was born and trained in Bordeaux, one of our favorite foodie city’s and makes her light heavenly masterpieces 5 days a week. If she is on vacation or sick, the restaurant closes.

They have an open kitchen and she loves to talk to you while she works with precision and effortlessly like a world class surgeon preparing these masterpieces.
I went into the kitchen and had the pleasure of watching her eyes twinkle with joy as she prepared our gruyere cheese soufflé and grand mariner dessert soufflé that she recommended for us. The soufflés are large and served for 2 people.
She said, “I love seeing the joy and happiness that my soufflés bring to my patrons. I don’t know how much longer I can do this but I hope it is for many more years. It keeps me very happy and young.”

We hope she can continue for many more years. In our “high tech, hurry, hurry” life, the process to create these heavenly works of art takes around 2 hours. So if you are not in a hurry and want to enjoy something sensational and special, this is a “foodie must do experience”. 

To reserve your table, go to: http://www.cafejacqueline.com/

Trefethen: 50th Anniversary Tasting

In a effort to visit all 600 Napa wineries(400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure to experience Trefethen’s 50th Anniversary tasting.

As you enter the beautiful tree lined entrance, you are filled with joyful anticipation to experience this great winery producing world class “juice” for 50 years.  The Trefethen Family prides itself in being one family, one estate, and having one passion since 1968. 

We were lucky to have Christina host our tasting in the family villa surrounded by gardens, flowers, trees and elegantly decorated. If you could imagine a picture of heaven, this would be it.

We sampled 6 special wines in expensive, hand blown Zalto wine glasses from Austria. All of the wines were unique and very enjoyable.

We began with a 1991 and 1996 Library selection Chardonnay and 2011 Chardonnay. All of them were lively, smooth and rich.  We then sampled a 1996 Library Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Each of them were intense, refreshing and lush.   

We then tasted the 2016 Dragons Tooth, 2015 Malbec, 2015 OKD(Oak  Knoll District)and 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2015 Cabernet is rated 95 and the 2015 OKD is a unique blend of 63% Petite  Verdot, 19% Cabernet Franc And 18% Cabernet Sauvignon.

We enjoyed all of these wines and took a bottle of each back home to Danville.

The winery has the largest acreage of Malbec in Napa and the 100% 2015 Malbec had a bright opening with plum and dark fruit aromatics that were followed by ripe red fruits and cherry on the palate.

The 2016 Dragon Tooth is a blend of 47% Malbec ,27% Petite Verdot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot. This wine is a tribute to Katherine, John Trefethen’s mother who passed away in 2007. The aromas, blackberry taste and elegant finish is enough to disarm the fiercest of dragons.

 

For lunch, we enjoyed a great meal and service at nearby Don Giovanni serving great food for 25 years and jointly owned by local resident and famous golfer Johnny Miller. He often eats here and also owns nearby Silverado Country Club.

Napa “Rocks” and we would highly recommend this great winery and restaurant on your next visit to this special place. 

For more information and to make a reservation go to:

http://www.trefethen.com/

Pebble Beach Hosts 2018 US Amateur For The 5th Time

Beach House at Lovers Point at dusk

Recently my wife Linda and Hall of famer son MJ attended the 2018 US Amateur held at “Gods Home Of Golf” Pebble Beach.  We were involved as proud volunteers. MJ and Linda were assigned to Fairway One welcoming sponsors and players and I was lucky to be selected as a walking scorer watching these “bombers of the future” try and win this special event at iconic Pebble Beach. 

We have done these jobs before at the US Amateur held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and at the Presidents Cup and Cadillac Match play held at Harding Park. The US Open will return to Pebble Beach next June in 2019 and PGA Championship and Presidents Cup at Harding Park in 2020 and 2025. Harding Park is extra special for us as our Hall of famer son MJ won his first of 48 Gold Medals at this San Francisco treasure, filled with rich golf history.

Some famous players who have won the US Amateur include Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicklaus won the Amateur at Pebble Beach in 1961 and was at his favorite course again this year watching his 49 year old son try to win this coveted title. Gary qualified for the US Amateur beating a 14 year old player in a hard fought match. 

We stayed at the Abrego Hotel in Monterey offering a great location close to the golf course, clean and reasonable priced rooms, nicely appointed with fireplaces, pool and spa. In addition, having stayed here before they greet you with a bottle of wine for being a past guest. If you are an NCGA Member, they also have a discounted room rate.

We also enjoyed being close to Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row. the Monterey Aquarium and to a variety of many great restaurants.

One of our favorites was the Beach House located on Lovers Point. They have a stunning view of the beach and the deep blue Pacific. It reminded us of our recent visit to Sydney, Australia.  They have a sunset menu serving sand dabs, salmon, pork chops, chicken and clam chowder glasses of wine for $3.95 and lovers point micro brew for $3.00.. These specials are offered up to 5:30.

In addition, another one of our favorite places is the famous Tap Room at the Pebble Beach Lodge, voted one of the best 19th holes in America. You never know who will be eating here and over the years we have enjoyed meeting many golfers and celebrity’s like current number one ranked golfer in the world  Dustin Johnson. We also enjoy the rich history and their famous Kobe burger.

In the charming Oceanside town of Carmel, we enjoy strolling  around this “live movie like town”  enjoying watching the many happy  tourists and locals. There are a variety of creative stores, art shops and restaurants to keep you busy for hours. 

We especially like the genuine Greek food and vibrant atmosphere complete with singing waiters at Dametra’s. It doesn't get better than Breakfast at Katy’s Corner. Katy’s features morning specials named after local residents like golden voice golf announcer Jim Nance and former mayor of Carmel Clint Eastwood who are regular customers. It is rumored that Jim Nance also wants to be the future mayor of Carmel By The Sea.

My first assignment as a waking scorer was Raul Pereda from Mexico against Trey Winstead from LSU. It was an exciting match full of birdies and lasting 23 Holes. Raul made a par on the 5th hole to win this exciting match. Trey made birdies on 14,15, 16, 17 and 18 to send the match to sudden death. His dad caddied for him and is also the golf coach at LSU.

Raul was also an interesting young man. It was his first time playing Pebble Beach. I asked him what he thought and he said, “it was the most beautiful place and course he has ever seen.” The sad news is that one of these great young golfers had to lose the match. In addition, the 23 hole match tied for the longest match in US Amateur history in the last 20 years.

My second walking scorer assignment was Cole Hammer from Houston, Texas who had the second lowest qualifying score against Josh McCarthy from our hometown of Danville, Ca.  Cole is from Houston, Texas and will be a freshman at University Of Texas next year. Josh went to De La Salle High school and is a junior at Pepperdine and played at Castlewood CC.

It was a seesaw match with Josh 3 putting on number 16 and losing 1 up. As Jack Nicklaus says, “the Amateur is like winning a 5th major.”Cole fought hard to be the US Amateur Champion but lost in the semi finals to Viktor Holland from Norway and Oklahoma State who birdied  6 holes on the back nine.

Remember Cole’s name as you will be sure to hear it again winning many more golf championships at the University of Texas and on the pro golf tour.

We look forward to being part of the 2019 ATT Pro-Am in February and US Open next June  at “Gods Home Of Golf.”

https://www.pebblebeach.com/golf/pebble-beach-golf-links/course-history/past-amateurs/

T-Vine Winery: Excellent Variety Of Unique Wines

In an effort to visit all 600 wineries in Napa(400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently visited T-Vine Winery in Calistoga.

Our host was Jonathan Rivera who was full of wine knowledge and enthusiasm. 

T Vine is a combination of experienced wine growers making superior wine. The owners are James Harder and Jim Regusci.

We began our tasting with 2017 Homegrown White Wine that was crisp, very refreshing and a blend of 85% Gewurztraminer and 15% Gruner. 

Next  was the 2016 Frediani 100% Charbono. Charbono is a rare grape in Napa with only 100 acres planted. The grape produces a rich dark color and an eloquent,
sophisticated and unique taste. 

We then had the pleasure of a side by side Zinfandel tasting.

The 2014 was from Frediani, 2015 was from Howell Mountain, and 2016 from Bacigalupi family in the Russian River Valley. Each wine was distinct and full of unique flavor. We were split on what we liked best. The 2016 and 2015 were the favorites.

Our tasting concluded with the 2015 Frediani Petite Sirah and  2016 Hill Of Thunder Red Wine. We especially enjoyed the Petite Sirah.

We liked all of the wines so much that 1 bottle of each went back to Danville with us.

We would highly recommend you visit and taste these great wines.

For more information and to make a reservation go to:
 https://www.tvinewinery.com/

Lefty O’Doul’s: Long Time San Francisco Treasure Relocates To Fisherman’s Wharf

Iconic Lefty O’Doul’s is relocating to Fisherman’s Wharf. This San Francisco Treasure will be located at 145 Jefferson Street and be called Lefty O’Doul’s Ballpark Buffet And Cafe. The grand opening is scheduled for August 2018.

Long time manager Nick Bovis says “the bottom floor will have a San Francisco Giants Dugout store and cafe serving Starbucks coffee. The top floor is Lefty’s space filled with rich baseball history and serving their famous Bloody Mary’s and corned beef.”  

Lefty O’Doul was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1897 and lived a rich life until his death in 1969. He was unusual as he was a pitcher who also won batting championships hitting over 300 6 times.
He went on to become a successful manager and a vital figure in the establishment of professional baseball in Japan. He was inducted in the Bay Area Hall Of Fame  in 1981 And Japan Hall Of Fame in 2002.  

He also loved to play golf and was a scratch golfer winning the Pebble Beach Bing Crosby Pro-Am multiple times.

A bridge over McCovey Cove, near the Giants home field of Att Park is named the Lefty O’Doul bridge in his honor. The ballpark plaza and gate entrance adjacent to the bridge are also named after O’Doul.

The new location of Lefty O’Doul’s  will be a “smashing success” and  promises to be a favorite of tourists and locals at its new Fisherman’s Wharf location.

Make sure you check it out next time you are in the “great city by the bay. “

Hall: Producing World Class Wines Since 2003

In an effort to visit all 600 wineries(400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure to visit Hall Wines  in St. Helena. Kathryn and Craig Hall purchased Bergfeld Winery and have been producing world class wines on 500 heavenly acres of land since 2003.  Their attention to detail has produced the highest ratings possible in the competitive world of wine.

The Halls are very accomplished people. Kathryn was Ambassador  to Austria and both are prolific art collectors. A 35 foot stainless steel sculpture of a rabbit in mid jump on busy highway 29 let’s you know you are at a special place when you drive into their pristine property. 

Our host today was J’nai who was very knowledgeable and passionate about the great Hall story and wonderful wines.

After strolling around the art  filled grounds, we enjoyed an elegant sample of these wines in their huge tasting room.

We began with the 2015 Jack’s Cabernet Sauvignon Masterpiece named after the winery President and rated between 98-100 points. The logo on the bottle was painted by Jack’s son for a Father’s Day present. It was big, bold and very enjoyable.

Next we tasted the 1873 2014 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon that was rated 95 points by wine enthusiast. 1873 was the year the vines were first planted on this property.

The 2014 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon was the next work of wine perfection rated 98 points. It follows a rich legacy of Kathryn Hall excellence when the 2008 was rated # 2 wine in the world. We decided to take some home with us to Danville and also join their wine club receiving 4 shipments per year.

We would highly recommend  that you visit this winery.

For more information and  to make an appointment go to:

https://www.hallwines.com/

James Cole Winery: Dreams Do Come True

In a quest to visit all 600 Napa wineries( 400 and counting), my wife  Linda and I were recently referred to James Cole Winery in Napa and we were not disappointed.

James and Colleen Harder are passionate people. They realized their dream when they purchased the vineyard in 2000.They are raising their son and daughter on this beautiful property and have established a stellar  reputation in the wine world for making great wines. 

Our host for the tasting was Nick whose passionate explanation of the wines was very enjoyable. The winery sits on 8.5 acres of pristine property located on Silverado Trail. Winemaker Sybrand Albertus Straus Van Zyl is from Capetown, South Africa and his wines were all great works of art.

We began with a 2017 Rose from the Sierra Foothills that was very refreshing on this warm Napa day.  Next was the 2015 Privado, which means “Private”, which was a heavenly blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot from Spring Mountain grapes. It was an exquisite blend of rich red wine that we brought back to Danville with us.

The third tasting was a 2015 100% Malbec  and a truly full bodied wine that was a joy to experience.  Next the 100% 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, which had a deep royal color and very smooth sensation on your palate.

The final taste was the 2014 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Umbral meaning “start of a journey” that was aged in French oak and was rich in color and flavor. It was so great that a bottle took the journey back to Danville with us.

This winery is definitely a “must do.” The wines and ambiance are special and the people are very warm and friendly. 

For lunch, we dined in downtown Napa at charming Celadon featuring  great calamari and a variety of sandwiches.

For more information and to make a reservation go to:
https://www.jamescolewinery.com/

Pritchard Hill: Home of great wines since 1967

In an effort to visit all 600 Napa wineries( 400 and counting), we recently visited Chappellet Winery on Pritchard Hill.

Founded in 1967 by Donn Chappellet, the winery continues its world class wine creations with a second generation of Chappellets filling bottles with heavenly juice. 

The winding road that leads to this great winery on famous Pritchard Hill makes you feel that you are going to a very special place. Stunning views and sensational wine await your arrival.

Our host for today’s tasting was Amanda Gagnon a wine and food lover who recently graduated from the CIA(Culinary Institute Of America).

We began our tasting strolling around the 640 acre hillside winery overlooking Lake Hennessy with a glass of 2014 Signature Chardonnay Chappellet that had enticing aromas of citrus and apricot that leaped from your glass.

We enjoyed the heavenly  views and next enjoyed a glass of 2014 Chappellet Dustin Ranch Pinot Noir. This enticing wine had  beautiful aromas of dark cherry, vanilla and clove.

Our tasting then took us to a private table surrounded by wine barrels and graced by wonderful works of art painted by Laura Titus wife of winemaker Philip Titus who has been crafting great wine since 1989.

Our tasting continued with a 2014 Merlot that was an elegant blend of Mountain grown Merlot blended with other Bourdeaux varieties.

Next we sampled the 2013 Malbec with a blend with 90%Malbec, 5%Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 % Merlot. This was a lush and radiant wine offering aromas of cherry and French Oak inspired hints of vanilla, coffee and spice. It was so enjoyable that we took a bottle back to Danville with us.

The final tasting was the 2013 Signature  Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a perfect blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9%Malbec, 6% Merlot, 5%Cabernet Franc and 4% Petite Verdot. It was a great way to complete our tasting. It was deep, rich and classic expression of hillside Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A bottle of this great juice also returned home to Danville with us.

For lunch, we enjoyed Mustards, a longtime Napa treasure that lived up to its high expectations for great food and service.

For more information and to schedule an appointment go to:
 http://www.chappellet.com/