Tasting Pinot Noir in Napa Valley
Total Trail Miles: 32.5
Pinot Noir is a thin skinned, cool weather grape grown in clusters of dark purple pine cone-shaped fruit. The varietals name is derived from the French words for 'pine' and 'black'. One of the worlds great noble grapes, Point Noir produces light to medium bodied aromatic wines that exhibit a broad range of bouquets, flavors, textures and complexity including strawberry, cherry, raspberry, current, mushroom, earth, game and violets.
Start the trail at the northern end of Stags Leap District where bio-dynamic/organic producer Robert Sinsky pours wine to a faithful following. Sinskey’s fascination with Pinot Noir dates back to the late 1970'S when he purchased land in the cooler Carneros AVA at the southern end of Napa Valley. The Carneros climate is ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Continue north on The Trail for a quarter mile and make a left at the Yountville Cross toward town. Hope and Grace pours wine in a unique antique + art gallery tasting room just off Washington Street in the middle of Yountville. This winery sources fruit from the Russian River and St. Lucia Highlands near Carmel so the contrast and comparison to Sinskey's Caneros Pinot should be interesting and informative.
Continue north on Highway 29 until you reach Rutherford Road, make a right, cross the floor and then continue north once you reach the Silverado Trail. The entrance to Failla is exactly six point nine miles from the turn and marked by a small sign on the right. Failla runs the valley most diverse Pinot program and sources fruit from Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. These are beautiful, complex wines representing terroir that's unique to the other wineries on this trail.
Final stop, W.H Smith in downtown Calistoga. Continue north on The Trail until you reach Lincoln Drive. Make a left and head to the middle of town where you'll find WH Smith's tasting parlor. Aside from their estate Howell Mountain Cabernet's, W.H. Smith produces high quality Pinot Noir from other appellations in California. Like Failla, the winery sources its fruit from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley but the style is bigger and drier. Come taste and compare.
Dine at All Seasons in Calistoga (707) 942-9111
Winery Options: Clos Pegase, Signorella
Robert Sinskey | Stags Leap AVA