Napa Sangiovese

We will be celebrating by spouse%26#39;s 50th birthday by spending next week in Napa. Although my expertise if more Boston Lager and the NFL, her palate is Chianti. I%26#39;ve been led to believe that good California Sangiovese wines are hard to find, so I could use some advice or suggestions for winetastings/vineyards of a similar type of wine. She is convinced I won%26#39;t find anything close to the wines she experienced in Tuscany, and I%26#39;d love to prove her wrong. Syrah and Merlot come in a close second if need be.

Napa Sangiovese

Check out Cosentino in Yountville, their 2005 Sangiovese has won some double gold medals, it is right next to Mustard%26#39;s Grill. Enjoy your wine tasting! :)

Napa Sangiovese

You might check out Rutherford Grove, located on Rt. 29 in Rutherford. Their Sangiovese is very nice, with a good, substantial mouthfeel and is lightly spicy. I can%26#39;t say how it compares to those from Tuscany but I come back to it time %26amp; again! I also like Cosentino%26#39;s Sangiovese - though I find it fruitier and ';lighter'; than RG%26#39;s.

Perhaps zinfandel might also make a good second - try Elyse, way way north in Napa, almost in Yountville. Comparatively tiny place with gorgeous Zins. Free tasting too.

Wow, it%26#39;s good you%26#39;re going to be here for a whole week!

Would you like to taste Sangiovese and super Tuscans the entire time you%26#39;re here?

Just a few (in Napa Valley):

-Benessere

-Altamura

-Phoenix

-Luna Vineyards

-Showket (2: Sangiovese %26amp; Oakville Asante Sana)

-Bacio Divino (2: Il Decimo Bacio %26amp; Pazzo)

-Turnbull Old Bull Red (yummy!)

-Pope Valley Winery (2: Eagle Ranch %26amp; Bella Rosa Sangiovese)

-Atlas Peak Winery Sangiovese

-Dalla Valle Pietre Rosse

-Cosentino Sangiovese CE2V

-Silverado Vineyards

-Castello di Amorosa

V Sattui also has wines from Monastero di Coriano (a monastery in Chianti)-- that are only available from the winery, and no where else.

These are just a few-- there are many, many more in Napa and nearby Sonoma.

BTW, your wife is right-- Napa and Tuscany are different. The people, the wine, the food, the landscape-- each place is different, with its own special charm.

Both places are very special, and worth discovering!

We hope you have a wonderful time in the wine country. :)

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

Thanks so much syrahgirl and missus v, we will definitely try Cosentino and Rutherford Grove.

To the Innkeepers... I was suprised to see such a lengthy list, and I%26#39;ve visited the various websites to map a strategy to visit many of them. If it isn%26#39;t too much trouble, could you list any Sonoma wineries that are within a decent drive(from Napa)that fall into the same category?

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Sohappy,

You%26#39;re looking for even more Sangiovese? Yikes!

Most folks don%26#39;t do more than 4 wineries a day (3-5 seems to be the average). We didn%26#39;t even mention Syrah and Merlot in the Napa Valley (there are probably close to 100 different Napa releases).

There are a few spots in Sonoma that we know of with wonderful Sangiovese vineyards--but they%26#39;re in the Alexander and Russian River Valleys-- both of which are a fair drive (1.5 hrs+) each way from Napa Valley.

The new Jacuzzi family Winery%26#39;s has a Sangiovese, as well as Valley of the Moon-- but we have not tried either yet.

Ferari-Carano makes a splendid blend called Siena:

ferrari-carano.com/wines/classic/siena.aspx

And Iron Horse makes a Rose%26#39; of Sangiovese that%26#39;s yummy!

Problem is, Iron Horse is in Sebastopol (quite a drive), and Ferari Carano is even *farther*-- up in the Alexander Valley.

That said, you could *easily* spend a whole week doing either the Russian River or Alexander Valleys-- both regions produce incredible wines.

But if you%26#39;re trying to jump from Napa, to Sonoma, to Russian River Valley, to Alexander Valley, you%26#39;re looking at a LOT of driving.

Hope this helps. :)

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

Sohappy,

I just returned from Napa with my husband. We had a great time. We had some great Sangiovese at Del Dotto. You will try it right out of the barrel.

Happy tasting....

scraigobrien-

Thanks for catching that-- we had completely forgotten about Del Dotto!

Did you try the Sangiovese alone, or as their Super Tuscan (Giovannis Tuscan Reserve}?

We haven%26#39;t tried the latest release, so we%26#39;re curious what you thought! :)

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

You%26#39;re welcome, I hope you report back on your favorites after your trip! :)

I had Del Dotto Sangiovese sent as Chritmas gifts last year, to two friends who love his type of wine and both raved about the taste.

Thanks also to scraigobrien and tripNebraska for their replies. We actually have Del Dotto on our list for Tuesday as we were impressed with their cave tour reviews.

We visited the street fair and farmer%26#39;s market in Napa Saturday, so had a bit of a late start for our wine tastings. Traffic not as bad on Hwy 29 as we had ecpected. Purchased the %26#39;05 Sagiovese and a pinot grigio(for a friend) at Cosentinos, and then stopped at Turnbull. We thought the tasting was quite a value here, and purchased the Old Bull Red and a Barbera. Rutherford Grove closed before we arrived (4:30), so we headed to V. Sattui. The place was packed, so we decided to forego the tasting until midweek, but purchased several cheeses and dips (although we are partial to our Wisconsin cheese!).

We don%26#39;t plan to do many wine tours(as we did much of that in Italy last year), but will concentrate more on tastings and relaxing. I spent the morning watching football, so had a minute to check my email while my wife basks in the poolside sun. Will travel to San Fran tomorrow morning to visit some sights that we missed the first trip there, and will do the Alcatraz night tour before returning.

To the Innkeepers:

We hadn%26#39;t planned on visiting every winery on your original Napa list, although we wish we could! We had entertained the thought of driving north to visit the casino with a stop in downtown Sonoma, but are reconsidering taking the time for a gambling trip. Actually appears as though travelling that far would be better served after making our daytrip to Calistoga anyway(we want to try the Wappo Bar and Grill). I recalled passing Jacuzzi on the way to Napa and will make a trip there. Atlas Peak, Luna, and Silverado are in our plans also.

Time to grill some steaks, so need to run. Thanks again everyone for the advice.