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It was the morning of Tuesday, February 15 and finally a break in the weather, with a chill in the air and a brief respite in the rainy weather, we made our way to the Napa Target parking lot to begin our day of wine tasting fun! One must admit that sometimes our jobs as concierges and representatives of the valley are pretty sweet…and that’s not the Riesling talking!

With our Starbucks in hand we scurried to the shuttle and limo that were to take us on our research excursion. Our magnificent drivers for the day were Karl of Platypus Tours, which by the way, is one of the best and most fun group wine tours in the valley! And Bill of Cristal Blue Carriage, who offers excellent wine tours in shiny blue limos!

[blue_med]Saintsbury Winery[/blue_med]
Our first stop was the rustic Saintsbury Winery in the Carneros region; a hidden gem in the middle of vineyard and fields, specializing in single vineyard Pinot Noir. They also make fabulous Syrah and Chardonnay as well. Although the morning was a bit chilly, our group were a bunch of happy concierges as we huddled in the barrel room enjoying a tasting of their 2009 Chardonnay, and 3 of their Pinot Noirs (2008 Pinot, Brown Ranch and Stanley Ranch). Saintsbury also makes a Rose of Pinot Noir, however we did not have a chance to taste that varietal…all the more reason to return! Saintsbury is by appointment only and is best suited for couples and smaller groups with a maximum of 8. In true Napa casual fashion, guests can choose to taste indoors or out in the English garden and enjoy a personalized tour with Lily Peterson (our hostess for the tour) or one of the other staff members.

Saintsbury makes roughly about 50,000 cases per year using about 25-35% new French Oak, their Chardonnay is aged 9 months in oak. Tastings are only $15 per person and includes the tour, a pretty good deal for Napa Valley. They sell to wine club and at the winery only, so the wines are pretty exclusive…they can often handle last minute appointments as well. Simply call Lily at 707-252-0592.

[blue_med]Juicebox Tasting Room[/blue_med]
Our 2nd stop was Juicebox Tasting Room…I was curious about this one as the name reminded me of a child’s juice box, like Mott’s Fruit Medley. This tasting room offers “fruit medleys” for sure, for adults! Juicebox is a contemporary collective tasting room in the south Napa Corporate Park that rents out the tasting room to various boutique wine makers such as Mark Herold Wines, Kobalt, Winters, Ruston, Modus Operandi and many more, and is by appointment only.

Our hostess was Sam, who offered us delicious barrel samples of a Grenache / Sauvignon Blanc / Roussanne blend from Mark Carroll, a 2010 Pinot Noir from Savoy Anderson Valley, another Grenache from Mark Carroll and a Tempranillo Blend Red Wine by Mark Herold. We were all quite amused by the concrete egg fermenting the Mark Herold 2008 Flux, a delicious Grenache blend we sampled. Jokes swirled around about Lady Gaga in the concrete egg (and unless you saw the 2011 Grammys you might be scratching your head; Gaga’s entrance at the Grammy Awards this year was in an egg-shaped vessel).

The cozy tasting room at Juicebox offers an open view of the tank and barrel room; appointment hours are flexible, about 10-6 or later, simply call ahead, 707-254-1212. www.juiceboxnapa.com

[blue_med]Zinsvalley Restaurant[/blue_med]
Next, the pack of hungry concierges headed to Zinsvalley Restaurant in Downtown Napa, where we were greeted warmly by Restaurant Manager Guy Barstad and staff. Zinsvalley Restaurant offers “scrumptious food and a lively yet intimate lounge”, and can be found in an excellent location on First Street behind Ristorante Allegria and across from the Napa County offices. We were treated to appetizers, anything we wanted off the menu and of course more wine! However the best part of this luncheon were the delectable desserts which we all shared…as for me, I could have happily eaten all 3 of them in their entirety!

Zinsvalley offers lunch, dinner, a variety of late night munchies until midnight and themes every day such as ½ price burgers on Tuesday, all night happy hour in the lounge on Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday Martini Night on Thursday, and a Sunday Brunch from 10am – 2pm.

[blue_med]River Pointe Napa Valley[/blue_med]
Next, our fat and happy crew headed over to River Pointe Napa Valley on Lincoln Avenue, where we were greeted by the fun and outgoing Marilyn Caldwell, head concierge at River Point Resort. The River Point was the 1st time share in Napa Valley, rated by Interval International and offers a variety of adorable wine country cottages in a lovely landscaped park along the Napa River, only 5 minutes driving distance to Downtown Napa. They offer a variety of activities for their members, including 3 wine-tastings a week and day trips into San Francisco, and can even host groups and weddings. River Pointe offers Studio, 1-2 bedroom cottages, about 200-400 sq ft, and some can be linked for families traveling together. They also offer a discount to CANVAS members. For more information or timeshare membership, contact Marilyn at 707-252-4200 x 152.

[blue_med]William Hill Estate Winery[/blue_med]
Last but not least, we ended our journey at the beautiful William Hill Estate Winery on Atlas Peak Road. William Hill produces Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot and a Meritage blend and offers one of the most beautiful and peaceful vineyard canyon views in the valley. They prefer tastings by appointment but often can accommodate last minute requests depending on the day. Every spring and summer on the 4th Friday of the month, they offer sunset wine tastings, where the public can come to the winery, bring a picnic, BBQ and enjoy some of their fantastic wines while watching the sunset. For more information and appointments, contact Julie Garcia or Vicky Steel at 707-265-3024.

We ended our day with some good laughs, good wine and good memories to share with our guests on their next visit to the beautiful Napa Valley.

[red_med]Thank you CANVAS![/red_med]
[red_med]Linda Griffiths, Hospitality Manager, White House Inn & Spa[/red_med]
[red_med]www.napawhitehouseinn.com[/red_med]