Calistoga and the Chronicle
The San Francisco Chronicle is unique among American newspapers in that it has a full time wine section. Right now they are in the midst of running a series of inserts featuring wine regions around the bay area. This past week they featured Calistoga, and in August they are featuring Sonoma.
For a while now I’ve been suggesting Calistoga as a good place to find nice hotels and restaurants that are less ballistic in their prices, but as charming as anything in all of Napa. This is a case of going the extra mile, or ten, because that’s how much farther north it is from St. Helena, that gem of a town that sits at the heart of the Valley.
The Calistoga hotels have the added advantage of hot springs and mud baths thanks to the springs bubbling up from deep in the earth. There is also the ‘old west’’ feel of the downtown, the relaxed style of the locals, and the great collection of smaller wineries just a short ride from the downtown.
An added benefit is its easy access to the Russian River valley and other locations in the popular northern Sonoma wine region. In a beautiful twenty minute ride over the mountains you are at River Road, the main artery for this valley that is famous for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In fact we have a tour this coming weekend that’s just like that, starting at the Hotel Solage and heading to the likes of Lynmar and Iron Horse.
As an alternate, head north through Knights Valley into the Alexander Valley, Napa’s main competition for great Cabs and Merlots. Besides grand estates like Jordan, Francis Ford Coppola is about to re-launch is destination winery there. Of course there are numerous small wineries with excellent products that are usually less expensive than their southern cousins in Napa.
Of course right around Calistoga are great wineries. There is the famous trilogy of destination wineries, Sterling, Castello di Amorosa and Clo Pegase. But there are also charmers like Von Strasser and Reverie up on Diamond Mountain. Both the Envy winery and their neighbor, Summers across the street produce wonderful wines in very convenient locations.
Honestly, I don’t think you should visit Calistoga without visiting Chateau Montelena. If you don’t know the story of this place then you really need to visit their website and read up. The Judgment of Paris, 1976, helped to put Napa on the Global Wine Map.
To wander a little farther south visit Rombauer, with its great views and famous label. Across the way are Failla and Chateau Boswell, which both do great tastings by appointment and are worth the logistics to make that work. And since you are in the neighborhood visit Benessere and their neighbor Tudual (by appointment). Two small, charming wineries with their own signatures.
Thanks San Francisco Chronicle for featuring Calistoga, you did a great job.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
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